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A review by cctblog
The Ladies of Ivy Cottage by Julie Klassen
5.0
If you enjoy historical British shows and movies like Cranford, Lark Rise to Candleford, or any of the Jane Austen adaptations, you'll love Julie Klassen's Tales from Ivy Hill series. (You'll also enjoy it if you've read the books those shows and films are based on, I assume ... but, as I've only ever read Pride & Prejudice, I can't really speak to the books 😆.)
The Ladies of the Cottage continues many of the stories begun in The Innkeeper of Ivy Hill. This novel focuses mainly on three characters: Rachel, disgraced by her father's financial ruin and evicted from their home upon his death; Mercy, who runs a girls' school out of her family home and offers Rachel a place to stay; and Jane, proprietress of the Bell Inn.
While Rachel mulls over a proposal from a distant relative, she still has feelings for Sir Timothy, who may be pursuing Jane. But widowed Jane has given her heart to someone else, though she's not sure she'll be able to face the pain that another marriage could bring. Mercy has long resigned herself to the childless life of a spinster, but suddenly she has the opportunity to become guardian to one of her dearest pupils, and two (or maybe three???) potential suitors emerge. As the women each try to navigate their love lives, they grow closer as friends and uncover some long-buried secrets while learning to trust God with their stories.
I am 100%, unequivocally in love with this series! It's gentle and sweet, yet also deeply compelling. The romance in The Ladies of Ivy Cottage is kicked up a notch from what it was in book one, so it's a little more like a stand-alone Klassen romance in that regard. Jane and Rachel both have very romantic declaration scenes (Rachel's is tied to a book—fitting, as she runs the lending library—and is oh-so-swoony), and I have hope that Mercy's love life will really take off in the next novel! The three friends and their romances aren't the only highlights of the novel, though. The minor characters are well-drawn and interesting, and all of the plots and subplots kept me flying through the pages.
This is a series that should really be read in order, so if you haven't yet, pick up a copy of The Innkeeper of Ivy Hill, and then follow it up immediately with this novel! I'm eagerly anticipating the release of book three, The Bride of Ivy Green (who could it be???), in December.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review, and the opinions expressed are my own.
The Ladies of the Cottage continues many of the stories begun in The Innkeeper of Ivy Hill. This novel focuses mainly on three characters: Rachel, disgraced by her father's financial ruin and evicted from their home upon his death; Mercy, who runs a girls' school out of her family home and offers Rachel a place to stay; and Jane, proprietress of the Bell Inn.
While Rachel mulls over a proposal from a distant relative, she still has feelings for Sir Timothy, who may be pursuing Jane. But widowed Jane has given her heart to someone else, though she's not sure she'll be able to face the pain that another marriage could bring. Mercy has long resigned herself to the childless life of a spinster, but suddenly she has the opportunity to become guardian to one of her dearest pupils, and two (or maybe three???) potential suitors emerge. As the women each try to navigate their love lives, they grow closer as friends and uncover some long-buried secrets while learning to trust God with their stories.
I am 100%, unequivocally in love with this series! It's gentle and sweet, yet also deeply compelling. The romance in The Ladies of Ivy Cottage is kicked up a notch from what it was in book one, so it's a little more like a stand-alone Klassen romance in that regard. Jane and Rachel both have very romantic declaration scenes (Rachel's is tied to a book—fitting, as she runs the lending library—and is oh-so-swoony), and I have hope that Mercy's love life will really take off in the next novel! The three friends and their romances aren't the only highlights of the novel, though. The minor characters are well-drawn and interesting, and all of the plots and subplots kept me flying through the pages.
This is a series that should really be read in order, so if you haven't yet, pick up a copy of The Innkeeper of Ivy Hill, and then follow it up immediately with this novel! I'm eagerly anticipating the release of book three, The Bride of Ivy Green (who could it be???), in December.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review, and the opinions expressed are my own.