Meredith Resce
From the author:
My faith in God is my foundation for living. As a writer, this is always part of how I view the world, people and relationships. I try always to be realistic in the way I create characters, their responses to each other and to circumstances, and this means that behaviour is not always Godly. I hope that this style of character development makes the character relevant to the readers, and that they can relate. However, I am quite determined that, no matter how desperate the situation nor how bad the response, the character can eventually find a resolution that is purposeful and sound. As a pastor/counsellor in dealing with real-life situations, I have found that real change and resolve is best guided by the principles of God and faith in Him. This belief is underlying in just about everything I write, though I try not to be blatant about it, more than consistent. I hope that readers from the trade-market can read my books, enjoy them, and be inspired without feeling as if they have been preached at.
CORA VILLA
Meredith Resce
HSM Publishing
Meredith Resce is one of Australia’s foremost and outstanding writers of historical fiction and Cora Villa once again meets her high standards of excellence in both research and writing.
Set more than a hundred years ago in the beautiful Corio area of Victoria the story is one of love and passion, and also of deception, parental control and manipulation, The story centres around Cora the headstrong and beautiful daughter of Garrison Stewart. So often in the battle of wills Garrison appeared to win by domination but Cora was never a pushover. She resorted to deceitful behaviour to get her own way.
Cora Villa is a very enjoyable book with many twists and surprising turns. Never dull or boring, but a word of warning: be prepared to expect the unexpected. DS
HSM Publishing
Combine 2 cups of romance, 1 cup of historical adventure, ½ cup of fantasy, 3 tbsp of theological exposition and a dash of science fiction. Stir gently and serve with coffee and tim-tams.
Adam has a summer job as the Black Knight in a medieval pageant. Annaliese is an Australian doctor, touring Britain and trailing around after her flirtatious sister, Lauren. Annoyed when Lauren impetuously hands over a valuable locket during the tournament, she seeks out the Black Knight after the show to retrieve it.
As the designated ‘villain’ in the pageant, Adam is paid to take a fall in every show. He has no idea, however, how far he is about to fall when he and Annaliese are trapped in a cave-in. A physical fall, an emotional fall and a fall through time combine to entangle both their lives.
In the sixteenth century, Annaliese’s short hair isn’t just a matter for comment. It’s a clear and present danger. As is her knowledge of both medicine and the Bible. Adam struggles to rescue her from a death sentence when witch-finder Matthew Hopkins arrives in the area. Instead of the wicked Black Knight, he needs to find within himself the ‘knight in shining armour’ that Annaliese thought she’d never encounter, let alone need.
For All Time is an easy read. It’s a tale of a turbulent romance which relies on more traditional conventions of the genre, rather than sudden dramatic twists in the plot. Resce plays with historical elements, stitching various medieval and renaissance events and concepts together to produce a wonderfully satisfying happily-ever-after story of two soulmates who find each other in the most unexpected way.
Another tim-tam, please!
AH
FOR ALL TIME
Meredith Resce
HSM Publishing
This is an adventure romance novel, with a Christian spin. Filled with suspense and medieval history, it is the dream of finding a great man and leading him to the Lord. It is easy to read, with up to date characters from the 21st Century who learn to depend on God and His Word to get through the difficulties they face in an ignorant, religious world.
The controlling behaviour of the parents seemed to me a little extreme; I sincerely hope it is not based on real life experience! The story is perhaps slightly idealised, but then what is a good romance for? The different culture surrounding the place of women between modern day and the 16th Century is interesting and thought provoking as the relationship between Analiese and Adam explores ideas of gender identity on both sides.
I wondered if the idea of forgiveness could have featured more between Analiese and her parents, as Analiese a couple of times displays behaviour that is slightly manipulative. In light of the chronic control issues with which her father approaches the situation, I wondered if unforgiveness in this area might become a problem for her in the future…perhaps a possibility for a sequel, dealing with this and finding out more details about what happens next!
I would happily hand this book to any older teenage girl (teenage boys probably not so much into romance) or anyone who enjoys historical novels. AC
FOR ALL TIME
Meredith Resce
HSM Publishing
This is a delightful historical romance, which has all the right ingredients: a handsome knight; an intelligent, beautiful heroine, chivalry, a castle and a tender romance. However, we also discover the negative aspects of life in the sixteenth century: ignorance, superstition, the subservience of women, and the serious lack of hygiene. Suddenly thrown back into the past through a time warp, Analiese and Adam learn to rely on each other and their faith in God. Resce writes a gripping tale, with believable characters and a clear understanding of the Gospel. WN
Golden Grain Publishing
Parable, fantasy, romance, allegory: How Sweet the Sound defies categorisation into any tidy or specific box. It is light without being frothy, tender without being syrupy, otherworldly without being unnatural, symbolic without being incomprehensible.
Its footprints touch the ground nimbly in a number of genres without planting themselves firmly in any of them. Resce’s touch is sure and subtle as she tells the story of Christina, the governor’s daughter who is betrothed to Prince Justin, the high king’s grandson.
While there will be very few plot surprises for any reader who recognises the interweaving of parables—the tenants in the vineyard, the lost sheep, the talents, the bridegroom and the marriage feast, the good shepherd—with the great gospel themes of fall and redemption, the narrative doesn’t fit any of them so closely that the storyline is entirely predictable.
It clips along in a fluid, easy-to-read style. The characters are afflicted with all the frustrating foibles and frailties that beset most of us. I wanted to knock Mike and Gabe’s heads together every other page. Lovable, but oh so dense! Brawny bodyguards they might have been, but when brains were handed out they must have been temporarily missing-in-action because it’s certain they’re too loyal to ever have dreamt of going absent-without-leave.
As for Christina, I wanted to shake some sense into her and yell: Wake up, get a life! How clueless can you get? There are times when it’s hard to like the heroine; she follows neither her head nor her heart.
The province of Terranin has been overrun by rebels. The governor and his wife have been murdered and their daughter Christina taken under the protection of the self-styled emperor, Lucien. A devilishly handsome man with a mesmeric personality, he has a dark repellent side and plans an exquisitely cruel and humiliating revenge on the king who exiled him to Terranin.
The king is unaware of what is happening in the province. He has sent several ambassadors but none have returned. A mysterious message arrives informing him that the governor is dead, the ambassadors killed and Christina kidnapped. His grandson Justin persuades him that the best option for Christina’s rescue is not a frontal assault but a clandestine mission which would have the advantage of enable a true assessment of the situation in Terranin.
Justin has been betrothed to Christina since she was four and he was twelve. When she was fifteen he visited her in disguise to find out her true feelings towards their impending marriage. Having fallen madly in love on that occasion, he is determined that nothing will stand in the way of her release. Nothing, that is, except Christina herself. He is not prepared to force her to do anything she does not want to do and is completely unprepared for the depth of her suspicion towards him.
Sometimes true love has to pay a price.
AH
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