“The Ladies of Ivy Cottage” ~ Book Review

Feb 19, 2018 by Rachel

Welcome back to Rachel’s Back Talk! I’m so glad you could join me again. Today I am reviewing the 2nd book of Julie Klassen’s series “Tales from Ivy Hill” — The Ladies of Ivy Cottage.

As is my custom, if I could ask Julie one question about The Ladies of Ivy Cottage it would be — “Do you have a ‘favorite’ lady of Ivy Hill?” And if you want to know why I asked that question, I guess you’ll just have to read the book to find out!

And without further ado, onto Rachel’s Back Talk!

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From the Back Cover:

Return to Ivy Hill in The Ladies of Ivy Cottage as friendships deepen, romances blossom, and mysteries unfold.

Living with the two Miss Groves in Ivy Cottage, impoverished gentlewoman Rachel Ashford is determined to earn her own livelihood . . . somehow. When the village women encourage her to open a subscription library with the many books she has inherited or acquired through donations, Rachel discovers two mysteries hidden among them. A man who once broke her heart helps her search for clues, but will both find more than they bargained for?

Rachel’s friend and hostess, Mercy Grove, has given up thoughts of suitors and fills her days managing her girls’ school. So when several men take an interest in Ivy Cottage, she assumes pretty Miss Ashford is the cause. Exactly what–or who–has captured each man’s attention? The truth may surprise them all.

Meanwhile, life has improved at the coaching inn and Jane Bell is ready to put grief behind her. Now if only the man she misses would return–but where is he?

As the women of Ivy Hill search for answers about the past and hope for the future, might they find love along the way?

Rachel’s Back Talk:

5 – award winning covers

I just loved The Ladies of Ivy Cottage! This series is one of my favorites because I love how each book continues off of the previous book, so you can continue to learn more about the characters. Julie really has a knack for weaving wonderful story lines and allowing the reader to become immersed in the story and the lives of the characters.

This is my favorite book in the series so far because it focused on Rachel. In the first book, readers got a glimpse of Rachel and only saw the hurt that their friendship caused from Jane Bell’s perspective. But this time, Rachel’s character really shown. I loved seeing how she grew in her independence and tried branching out on her own. I also LOVED how Rachel finally got her own love story. I’m not even going to mention his name, but let me just say, it was the perfect gentleman for Rachel. 🙂

It was also neat to be able to get more of Mercy’s side of the story. Mercy, as well as Rachel and Jane, really had to go through some difficult times, being a woman on her own. Through this series, it is really neat to see how these women band together and continue to build on their lifelong friendship!

Just a note — make sure you read this series in order. If you want to read my review on the first book, The Innkeeper at Ivy Hill, click HERE.

I received a free copy from the author. No review, positive or otherwise, was required — all opinions are my own.