Gain Your Copy Green Valley Assembled By Meredith Resce Available Through Digital Format

genteel romance full of inspiration, courage and protective virtue,

Lady Emily Wallace has been mauled and manhandled by the violent and lustful son of the man her father wants her to marry, Lord Derickson has been married twice before but he's on the lookout for a beautiful woman with an ample dowry and inheritance to wipe out his debts, Emily has defied her ill father and decides that his threat to send her off to Australia so she can come to her senses is, in fact, a perfect opportunity to escape.


Colin Shore is a young man struggling to keep his family farm going after his father's death, As proud as he is poor, Col would love to find a wife but knows that it's too difficult, Besides, he's not really interested in Kathleen Miller, the woman everyone expects him to marry,

Emily comes to live with her formidable Aunt Vera, a woman determined to keep the English class system intact, even in the Australian colonies, And out riding one day, she is thrown when her horse is spooked, Colin finds her and saves her life,

The tendrils of emotional attachment grow stronger but many forces oppose their budding love for each other, Aunt Vera's entrenched attitude, Lord Derickson's determination to force Emily to marry him one way or another, Emily's counterproductive manipulations to get her own way and perhaps, most of all, Colin's bullheaded pride that refuses to allow him to accept any gifts he hasn't worked for.
Part of my first foray into adult fiction, this book was also the first Christian Historical Romance I'd found that was set in Australia, and I loved every page, The setting as unpredictable, diverse and fascinating as the characters who inhabit it, it is the Romeo and Julietesque love story between Emily and Colin which drives the narrative, as well as provides a commentary on the state of Australia's social hierarchy at this point in history.
The seemingly impossible nature of their love a source of constant tension and longing, it is the scene where Colin rescues Emily near the beginning where I really started to like them as a potential couple, with the final two scenes as satisfying and full of romance as one can get ins Australia.
This is my second time reading Green Valley and I decided to take it slower this time, enjoying the plot, rather than rushing through it, trying to drink everything up at once, like the first time.


I really enjoyed this book, It's historical fiction, so that's always a plus and it's a romance but without all the usual romancedriven themes you'd expect, since Colin does everything he can to stay away from Emily despite being completely "smitten" with her.
The lack of interaction between the couple irked me during the first read, but it makes the few scenes in which they are seen together, so much more climatic,

The characters both have clear development throughout the story Emily grew up in a wealthy family in England, In an attempt to escape marriage to ayearold man, she finds herself in Australia, trying to prove that she can be a farmer's wife if she chooses to, Her stubbornness is both her greatest strength and greatest weakness,

Colin's pride and equal stubbornness is the second biggest obstacle keeping the two characters' relationship from developing, The first, being Emily's aunt/their difference in social status, Colin's father died, leaving him with the burden of providing for his mother, sisters and brother, He feels ashamed of how poor his family is, in spite of his best efforts, Despite his feelings for Emily, he doesn't think it would be right to bring her into his crowded little home, with none of the luxuries she is used to,

Meredith Resce touches on issues that were very much avoided/taboo topics at the time the book is set inlike Emily's journey of dealing with the trauma of her rape, which makes the story so much more real, and tangible.


If you're looking for an exciting plotdriven book, you won't find it here, But if you want a warm LauraIngalls/Pioneery story, this is just right for you! I've read this more than once because it is such an enjoyable

Australian historical romance.
A keeper for my shelf, Emily Wallace has been given a choice, Either she obeys her father'swishes and marries the elderly widower, or she will be sent to live withher aunt in Australia, Even with the tales of wild animals and convicts, Emily chooses to sail to this unknown and untamed land, She simplycannot marry the cruel and arrogant Lord, Colin Shore has never met anyone so beautiful before, The moment hefirst saw Lady Emily Wallace at the dock he fell in love with her, But hewould never presume that she would be part of his life, After all, shewas a Lady and he was only a farmer, It's the second in the Green Valley series, recently rereleased for its twentieth anniversary, Readers of The Manse will remember Colin Shore as the teenager who had to assume full responsibility of his family's farm after his father's untimely death, Now he's all grown up, still working hard, and bickering with his sisters in his downtime, The tiny house is hardly large enough to hold them all, and he can't wait for them to leave home, He longs for the day when they're some other guys' responsibility, and wouldn't dream of courting a girl himself, and adding more drama to the already crammed household,

Meanwhile over in England, Lady Emily Wallace has been resisting the force of her father and brother to marry the foreboding Lord Derickson, who'syears old, while she's not yet.
Her only way to escape their pressure is to cave in to their threats to send her to Australia to live with her aunt Vera, which they never expected she'd choose as the better option.
Once there, it doesn't take Lady Emily long to single out the man of her dreams no prize for guessing who, But she just won't accept it when her new neighbours try to explain that they are at opposite ends of the social spectrum, which makes a union impossible, In her eyes, Colin is a respectable man with land of his own,

There is always a good blend of comedy, adventure and social commentary in the Green Valley stories, which makes them an interesting read, One of my favourite aspects of this one is Emily's spirit, She's a strong, determined character in an era of strict social manners, yet never sacrifices her politeness, There's a great section where she sets out to prove her own worth, but it's the opposite to how many other stories are written, It reminds me of an inverted 'My Fair Lady', which could only work in the Aussie colonial era, Rather than attempting to raise her class, Emily aims to show that she can lower hers, to match the energy and courage of any hardworking farmer's wife,

The confusion of people's roles in this time and place comes through clear, Although British settlers attempt to cling to the social hierarchy which is all they've ever known, they are also coping with unprecedented changes, such as a labourer's freedom to earn enough to purchase land and be independent.
In this transition sort of stage, settlers wanted to embrace change and stay put at the same time,

I like it when authors can wrap their minds around a characteristic way of thought from a bygone era, so that it is woven into the plot, With the steady action, combined with colourful descriptions of the Australian bush, it's easy to see why many readers have kept on with this series, wanting to see what'll happen to future generations.
In Green Valley, seemingly hopeless situations are worked out quite credibly, to romance lovers' satisfaction, Love this book because it is set more locally then some books which makes it easier to relate to and understand, highly recommend South Australian Author, Meredith Resce, has been writing since, and has had books in the Australian market since.
She is an Australian best selling Christian fiction writer, Following the Australian success of her “Heart of Green Valley” series, an English Publisher has taken the first three books in this series, and has released them to the British and American markets.
Apart from writing, Meredith also takes the opportunity to speak to groups on issues relevant to relationships and emotional and spiritual growth, Meredith has also been co writer and co producer in thefeature film production, “Twin Rivers”, With her husband, Nick, Meredith has worked in Christian ministry since, Meredith and Nick have one daughter and two South Australian Author, Meredith Resce, has been writing since, and has had books in the Australian market since, She is an Australian best selling Christian fiction writer, Following the Australian success of her “Heart of Green Valley” series, an English Publisher has taken the first three books in this series, and has released them to the British and American markets.
Apart from writing, Meredith also takes the opportunity to speak to groups on issues relevant to relationships and emotional and spiritual growth, Meredith has also been co writer and co producer in thefeature film production, “Twin Rivers”, With her husband, Nick, Meredith has worked in Christian ministry since, Meredith and Nick have one daughter and two sons, sitelink.