Rustic Denim Love by Frances Dall’Alba is book 4 of the Australian at Heart series. It is a suspenseful story of romance, family drama and secrets. Throw in an unsolved murder, a theft, a wedding, a death, a serious illness, beautiful Australian settings, some humour and unexpected twists and you have a great read.
Zoe MacDonald is the manager of the famous Historic Village in Herberton, a town two hours inland from Cairns. Zoe loves every display in The Village as it takes her to a different time and place, away from her family problems. Her parents are not getting on and her demanding sister with money problems adds to the stress.
Zoe has a wonderful relationship with the senior citizens who volunteer at The Village, especially Mavis and Syd. Zoe plans an updated brochure to promote The Village and increase tourism. To make it happen, she employs a marketing manager.
American Flynn De Wiljes takes the marketing job. He has a secret reason to visit Herberton.
Flynn and his sister Melita were adopted by different families after the death of their parents in a car accident. He found Melita after registering his DNA with a search agency. Melita migrated to Australia and has a successful business in Queensland. While with Melita, his long-forgotten uploaded DNA history has turned up a match in Herberton.
It appears one of their parents spent time in Australia prior to their marriage in Boston. Flynn is keeping the possibility of an older half-brother who is related to the founder of Herberton a secret until he has a chance to check it out. Hence, the job of researching and compiling a brochure on the history of the town has come at an excellent time.
His arrival in Zoe’s reception area coincides with an emergency, a grass fire is burning towards The Village. Zoe enlists the tall, handsome stranger in reception to help. As they work together fighting the fire, tripping causes them to tumble together down the cliff face and end up in the river below. They both realise an unexpected chemistry exists between them. It took Zoe a whole two seconds to fall in love with his laugh.
Flynn discovers an unsolved murder that involves his family, which he sets about to solve. Zoe discovers her own family has secrets that they expect her to keep, leading to some tough decisions for Zoe.
Let’s hope these two wonderful characters can sort out their family dramas and have the life together they deserve.
The book is well-written and easy to read with the twists keeping you engaged. It does stand alone, however, the previous books enhance the storyline.
The best marketing person the Historic Village in Herberton could ever have is Frances Dall’Alba! The Village is an actual tourist attraction that is rated as an amazing outdoor museum. A place I will definitely visit when on holiday that way.
A selection of our Beauty and Lace Club members are reading Rustic Denim Love by Frances Dall’Alba. 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.
Rustic Denim Love by Frances Dall’alba is Book 4 in the ‘Australian at Heart’ series(Poinsettia Publishing). While the background of the other books adds to the colour and depth of the stories, this book can still be easily read as a stand alone contemporary romance.
The story like most of the author’s books in the series, is set in tropical North Queensland, and in this book it centers around the real-life town of Herberton, which was once at the hub of a mining boom. A town seeped in history (and which sounds like a place well worth a visit).
Main character Zoe, manages the Herberton Historical Village staff and volunteers and also curates the pre-electricity memorabilia that is displayed throughout the town.
Flynn takes on a promotions job with Zoe to breathe some fresh life into the Village’s marketing approach. However from the moment they meet a fire is lit between them, both literally and figuratively!! Their attraction is intense.
Both Zoe and Flynn have complicated backgrounds, and strained family relationships. Town secrets and discoveries threaten to put a strain on their newfound romance.
Written with charm and humour, the story moves along quickly and has plenty of drama and romance to keep you entertained.
Another fabulous read from Frances Dall’alba. Set in far north Queensland, in a small historical village, run by the main character Zoe.
She has a wonderful relationship with the many volunteers who work there, and run the various shops and displays.
New brochures are needed for the marketing campaingn, so in come Flynn, to design them.
There is an immediate connection between Zoe and Flynn, but both have secrets, and a connection from decades gone by, sees the families intertwined.
The story flowed beautifully, and the description of the village and it’s history come to life in the pages.
Zoe is a very caring woman, and we see her lose someone she loves dearly. This in itself brings a mystical tone to some of the chapters, but kept you wanting to read on to see how it will unfold.
I loved everything about this story, and even though it is book 4 of a series, it is a stand alone novel
In saying that, I look forward to book 5 in the ‘Australian at Heart’ series.
Thank you Beauty & Lace for the opportunity to read and review, and to Frances Dall’alba for another fabulous story.
Rustic Denim Love by Frances Dall’Alba is the 4th in the series however they can definitely be read separately.
I really enjoyed this book. Zoe and the other characters were totally believable and interesting. It was great to have Flynn back from the last book.
I look forward to the next book in the series.
Rustic Denim is good as both a stand alone book or in conjunction with the others in the “Australian at heart” series.
This episode takes you to a small country town, sporting history in the form of an historic village, managed by main character Zoe. Zoe is passionate about what she does there and the impact the village has on keeping history available for everyone to experience. She throws herself deeply into her work so that she can try to control something in her life, she certainly doesn’t have control over her family with parents that appear to need to separate and a sister whose issues only add to the parental angst.
Flynn has some history of his own, being an adopted child it was only recently he found a sister, which ended up with some turmoil and a scar he would rather hide, though prominently on display. Enjoying his work in promotion, and while trying to find out if there is more to his family, Flynn takes on a job with Zoe at the village. Starting out with a complicated interview, in the form of a grass fire, Flynn and Zoe fall head over heels for each other, literally.
Secrets and discoveries by both characters draw you in and you just hang onto the pages hoping that things can work out.
I book I did not want to put down, and a perfect addition to the series.
I hadn’t read a romance novel for some time and thoroughly enjoyed this one. As it is set in QLD where I had only recently holidayed and actually went to the place the novel is set at so it was easy to visualize the setting.
Wouldn’t we all like a prince in shining armor come along and save us like Flynn did multiple times with Jess. The characters were easy to relate with and the story flowed. The family connections, twists and dramas along the way made this story read quickly.
I did not realize it was part of as series until well into the book. I have not read the others but if I get the chance to do so, I will.
Rustic Denim Love is a sweet romance complemented with loads of interesting dramatic moments and a fabulous Northern Queensland backdrop.
Readers meet Zoe who runs the historical museum and the new marketing manager Flynn (a past character from the Australian at Heart series) and wonder with all the secrets, family issues and town happenings will these two make it as a couple.
It’s an easy to read and enjoyable story. I love Frances Dall’alba’s writing style, the contemporary feel and the Aussie setting. I would very much recommend this story.
I have read several novels by Frances Dall’Alba, and do enjoy her writing style which is so easy to read. This novel is no exception with relatable characters and intriguing plots full of emotion and secrets hiding in every corner just waiting to be discovered. If you love a little romance story, then this is certainly one to keep you engrossed from start to finish.