The Silk Scarf by Frances Dall’Alba is book three of The Australian at Heart Books. It’s not at all necessary to have read the previous books. This is Melita and Luke’s story.
This book is filled with suspense, crime, community acceptance, family relationships, romance, and second chances.
Melita Van Der Meeliko has been searching for her dream location to sell her designer swimwear range in far North Queensland. She stumbles across a building in a great location.
It was built in the 1930’s, and she purchased it at a great price as it has been vacant for many, many years. Melita has plans for the restoration and the only builder she trusts with her vision is Luke Harvey.
Three years prior, they shared a kiss. It was one she has never been able to forget! If she can persuade Luke to be her project manager, maybe working together would give her the chance to see if that kiss could lead to something more.
However, Melita is unaware of the dark history associated with her house.
Luke hasn’t forgotten that kiss either and he decides to take the position. He would love to explore his feelings for Melita but, his concern is they both come from different worlds.
Melita is from a high society Boston family with a seemingly bottomless trust fund. On the other hand, Luke has to work hard for his living.
During the renovations a locked metal box is discovered. A red silk scarf covers the contents of the box. The contents are kept a secret while the police work out who is the legal owner of the contents, quite possibly it will be Melita, as she owns the building.
Sometimes it is hard not to give all the secrets away and fill a review with “spoilers”, so all I will say is…
- Just what is inside the box that puts Melita’s life in danger?
- Will Luke and Melita’s family be able to protect her?
- Will Luke and Melita be able to move forward in their complicated relationship?
- How does the red silk scarf draw everything together?
I enjoyed the story. I liked the characters, and enjoyed the emotional growth of Melita and Luke. There is even romance for an older character, as Luke’s grandfather meets someone special.
The style of writing makes this an easy book to read.
If you love a book with many twists and turns, action and suspense to keep you engaged – this is the book for you.
A selection of our members are reading The Silk Scarf. You can read their comments below, or add your own review.
I love to read, any book on any topic. I now love ebooks as they are easier to store, I was running out of bookshelves! My other interests are family, gardening and our beautiful King Charles spaniel dog who is my reading companion.
The Silk Scarf by Frances Dall’Alba is an enjoyable read. A romance novel with some interesting dramatic twists.
It is the story of Luke and Melita, two people from very different backgrounds who both have to battle demons from their respective childhoods before their love story can even stand a chance…
Set against the tropical background of Tully, North Queensland and revealing something of the dark side of life up North. It is a far cry from the well to do and privileged life, swimwear designer Melita has come from in Boston, USA. Luke on the other hand is a seemingly easy going knock about Aussie tradie, not quite so used to the luxuries of life. Melita and Luke’s story has many ups and downs that keep you reading on to see if they can overcome the relationship and life challenges they face. An easy to read, enjoyable book.
Apparently part of The Australian at Heart series, The Silk Scarf reads well as a stand alone novel.
I enjoyed reading The Silk Scarf by Frances Dall”Alba. Thanks for the chance.
Although this is Book 3 in the series, it’s easy to read as a stand alone book.
The story has romance, drama and mystery as you wonder what will happen to Melita and Luke after their discovery in the old house.
Happy to recommend this book for something a little different.
The Silk Scarf by Frances Dall’Alba is a great read for the summer holidays. Full of suspense, romance and intrigue, the book will keep calling to you if you dare to leave it unattended for an hour. I loved the storyline and thought the inclusion of a secondary romance to be a pleasant addition. Overall, even though I thoroughly enjoyed this as a standalone book I will try and track down the first two novels in the series.
I have read all 3 of the stories released so far, and enjoyed them all. Frances Dall’Alba sure does make her leading men sound so deliciously perfect, and this story has 2, the love interest and the brother !. Even though a stand alone story, it did flow on from the previous books, and I could see how far Melita had come since book 1.
If you are not into mushy love story novels, and prefer something with a good storyline, this is one to try.
It covers alot. A touch of the past to set the scene, crime, suspense, ambition and dreams for the future, love and healing, all rolled into one.
I personally, did find it a bit long, and a few bits could have been left out, but besides that, an enjoyable read.
I am looking forward to book 4, as Frances Dall’Alba has made for great reading, as we the reader, can follow in the lives of the Van Der Meeliko family, and those their lives are intertwined with.
Thank you Beauty & Lace for the opportunity to read ‘The Silk Scarf’
The Silk Scarf by Frances Dall ’Alba was such an enjoyable read for me, thank you, so much Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to read Frances’s third book in the Australian at Heart Series.
I love that wealthy Boston born Melita tries hard to quash the flame that’s still glowing for Aussie working-class boy Luke, whilst Luke is also attempting to keep his romantic feelings towards Melita at bay.
The premise of the story, Melita finding the ideal 1930’s ramshackle house that will be perfect for her budding swimwear design business and a café and with the help of Luke’s carpentry skills set in picturesque Northern Queensland, takes an unexpected twist when during the renovations a secret of the past is revealed.
I love the coinciding intergenerational love story unfolding of Luke’s grandfather, coupled with grandad’s expert culinary skills in the kitchen.
This book held my interest with all the twists and turns, it was full of mystery and intrigue, and quite suspenseful at times.
I found this story very easy to read as a stand-a-lone and I am now keen to read the other two books.
This enchanting story with both Melita and Luke, complete opposites but who have eyes only for each other. Melita has a business dream and brings Luke into the fold to manage the renovations on a house. Unearth history, gold, memories a town wishes to forget and “bad men”. Luke’s grandfather has a chance for new beginnings and Melita’s unique family mix all play a part to unfold this story.
A lovely read. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read.
Melita comes from US money, but wants to make of herself. She wants to take her boutique swimwear to the next level in a unique teahouse & boutique style. She just needs to get this house full of history, abandoned for an age, up and ready, and knows just who can help her.
Luke is troubled by his past and bad luck that torments him. His building skills have talent, he has history with Melita, but is this job going to put them both in danger, after all his bad luck rubs off on those around him.
Gold… bars of it… hidden in the house. Is this good new or bad or both?
A bit of romance, crime, challenges of life… its a well rounded read. I truely enjoyed this book. Thanks Beauty & Lace & Frances Dall’Alba for another great escape.
I honestly can’t say I enjoyed reading this, I felt it was too slow to get started and a little stiff, it just wasn’t my cup of tea- but I see from the reviews many people thoroughly enjoyed it so I’m glad
Although others have commented it was easy to read as a stand alone book I felt, that there were so many things mentioned I didn’t get the connection that it made me loose interest in the story even faster.
The silk scarf was a very easy and enjoyable read, I have not read any previous books in the series and was easily able to follow book 3.
The story followed Luke and Melita’s romance but also included drama, suspense and mystery along the way, setting it apart from other “romance” novels I’ve read previously. Thank you Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to read “the silk scar”
I really loved this book! I have come here late as I had thought I already reviewed but cant seem to find my review I saved on my computer somewhere.
I was excited to get this book and it was every bit as good as I expected whit a few twists and turn that left me wondering how theyd get past the situation and mis communication between one another.
Highly recommend this and all of Frances Dal Allba`s previous books to get to really know the characters and how they relate.
I thought I left my review but can’t see it anywhere.
I really enjoyed this book I like that it’s part of series but you can follow the story without having read the previous books in the series. Very well written and easy to get lost in, I will look into reading the other books just so I can get the whole picture and see where it all starts and how the characters change and grow.