The Ladies of Ivy Cottage by Julie Klassen

March 15, 2018

Hello everyone and welcome to another book review. Today's book is The Ladies of Ivy Cottage by Julie Klassen and it was a really good read. It's the second book in Klassen's Tales of From Ivy Hill series and let me tell you I can't wait to get my hands on the next book. I love all things set in Regency England - from movies to books - and I've found that if you're looking for a fantastic Regency book you've got to check out Julie Klassen's books. You won't be disappointed and this book was no exception.

If you read The Innkeeper of Ivy Hill then you have to check out the next installment in the series. This book picks up right where the first one left off and I found myself falling back into Klassen's world. Ivy Hill reminds me a little of the community I grew up in - everybody knows everybody and everybody wants to know everybody's business. But at the end of the day everybody really cares for each other.

But on to the review >>>>>

THE CHARACTERS:

While the first book in the series focused on Jane, the innkeeper, and her mother-in-law, Thora, this book deals more with Jane's friends, Rachel and Mercy. When I first introduced to these characters I really liked both of them, but in this book I fell in love with them both.

In this story, both Rachel and Mercy are dealing with major life transitions. Rachel's father has died and left her basically homeless. So, in order to help out her friend, Mercy lets Rachel move in to Ivy Cottage with Mercy and her spinster aunt, Aunt Maddie.

As for Mercy, I really fell in love with her character because out of all of the women in Ivy Hill she's the one I related to the most. She's kind and has a good heart but most importantly she's a loyal friend and that's always a good thing to have.

THE CONFLICT

While the conflict in the story primarily focuses on Rachel and Mercy we do get little snippets of the problems Jane is dealing with too. Now that she's no longer in mourning she realizes that she may have developed feelings for a certain horse farrier from the first book. But is she ready to take that step?

Mercy is in her late 20s and single. And while that's not a crime or something weird now, in the 1800s that would label her a spinster. In an attempt to see her settled, her mom and dad try to force her into marriage to an Oxford professor. At first, Mercy resists (because who actually wants to say to an arranged marriage) but after she meets the man she realizes that maybe life wouldn't be so bad with him after all. But will she say yes?

As for Rachel, her conflict first centers around how she can make respectable income as a single woman in the 1800s. With the help of her deceased father's books and her friends she opens an circulatory library but she soon finds out that there might be more to life than running a library and his name might just start with a "T."

All in all, I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was a good read that didn't bog down or bore me for one second. Julie Klassen has a way of making you fall in love with her characters and realistically describing their feelings and thoughts. Her writing style has an irresistible flow to it that draws you in and makes you feel like you're right beside the characters.

I give this book a 5 out of 5 stars ***** and I can't wait for the next installment in the series. If you're a fan of Julie Klassen too let me know in the comments.

Until next time . . .

XOXO,

Nellie

P. S. If you're interested in reading my review of the first book, The Innkeeper of Ivy Hill, feel free to click here.