It's been a slow beginning to the year as I've been catching up on reviews.
The Ironbark Promise was my last read of 2025
The Ironbark Promise is best selling Australian author Léonie Kelsall's ninth novel.
The Ironbark Promise has readers back in the lovely rural town of Settlers Bridge where love is in the air once again and one of my favourite characters, Hamish, meets his match.
Léonie Kelsall depicts farming life with ease and her descriptive language makes the town and its residents easy to visualise.
Hamish has a reputation as a bit of a playboy and even though he would secretly like to settle down he still plays up to the image everyone has of him.
Jemma is a high-flying city lawyer. The pressure at work is high and she also seems to have a stalker which is causing her some grief. Jemma decides to get away from the city and spend a few days in the country with her father, Pierce. (You can read Pierce and Sam's story in The Willow Tree Warf).
Kelsall builds tension with a mystery surrounding Jemma's life and the slow burn romance between Jemma and Hamish is filled with a multitude of problems for them both to work through.
I love coming back to Settlers bridge and catching up with all my favourite characters with each new book that Leonie Kelsall brings out. The town of Setters Bridge is a central part of each novel and just as much a character as the people who live there.
The Ironbark Promise includes many themes relevant to rural living and the subject of criminal law including subtle moral messages making this an interesting and thought provoking read.
I can hardly wait for Léonie's next novel, The Windmill in the Silver Gums. I got goosebumps just reading the blurb!
My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Publication date: 6th January 2026
Genre: Rural Romance
Pages: 368
RRP: $34.99AU (trade paperback)
Source: Courtesy of the publisher
Other books by Leonie Kelsall
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