The Ladies of Ivy Cottage

In a return to the idyllic Ivy Hill, several leading ladies must make important decisions that will impact their futures in The Ladies of Ivy Cottage.  Rachel Ashford has recently moved into Ivy Cottage with the two Miss Groves after her father's death-- and the scandal surrounding it-- leave her virtually penniless.  While struggling to support herself, Rachel is often tempted to marry the man who inherited her father's estate, but will her heart allow her to do so?  Mercy Grove finds fulfillment in managing the girls' school in her home, but will her parents desire to see her finally married steal her home from her?  Down the road, Jane Bell is confidently and expertly running her coaching in and finally feels ready put aside the grief of losing her husband.  

I had a much easier time falling in love with this second installment of Julie Klassen's Tales from Ivy Hill series than I did the first.  Rachel and Mercy are both worthy protagonists, and Thora and Jane Bell grew more appealing in this novel than they did in the last.  While I adored Rachel, I was never particularly fond of her love interest, Sir Timothy.  Inconstant and overly obsessed with his family's reputation, Timothy simply didn't live up to Klassen's typical male-leads.  As a result, the ending was less than satisfying in that I felt Rachel could somehow do better.  While still not my favorite of Klassen's books, The Ladies of Ivy Cottage has me anxiously awaiting the next installment in the series.  The conclusion of both Jane's and Mercy's stories have the potential to be lovely indeed.

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