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The Innkeeper of Ivy Hill
by Julie Klassen - Jane Bell is just starting to feel ready to face life again after her husband died about a year ago. To everyone's surprise, John had willed the inn to her, and so far Jane has left the running of it to the staff. Jane is still quite young, and was a gentlewoman before her marriage, so she knows very little about running the establishment, which is now suffering decline and neglect. Jane's mother-in-law, Thora Bell, receives word about the problems at The Bell, and since it belonged to her family, she returns to the village to see for herself, adding to Jane's anxiety and insecurities.
Almost immediately, they receive the shocking news that John had borrowed a significant amount of money for improvements to The Bell - improvements that had never been made - and the loan is overdue. Jane has struck up a friendship with an experienced hotelier who has moved to the area and plans to open a competing inn, and gets some sound advice from him, so she takes the lead on making the improvements to The Bell that it will need to be profitable enough to earn an extension on the loan and be able to pay it back. She faces some opposition from some of her staff, and skepticism from Thora, but since they share the goal of saving The Bell, they begin to work together. And as they do, Jane and Thora find a new respect for each other and the beginnings of a warmer friendship. And both widows find that they have the regard of more than one eligible suitor each!
In addition to her concerns with the inn and with her own relationships, Jane maintains friendships with two dear friends, both spinsters, and their stories unfold along with Jane's. I realized as I was about in the middle of the book that I had no idea which of the men pursuing Jane and Thora had the advantage; or how the challenges faced by The Bell would be met. By the end of the book, Thora had made her choice, and some of the situations had been resolved, but not all. I think the book ends in a satisfactory way, so that readers are not left on the edge of a cliff waiting for the next installment of the series; but with enough questions left unanswered that they will definitely want to read the next novel. I certainly know that I do, and warmly recommend The Innkeeper of Ivy Hill to all who enjoy Regency setting novels.
by Julie Klassen - Jane Bell is just starting to feel ready to face life again after her husband died about a year ago. To everyone's surprise, John had willed the inn to her, and so far Jane has left the running of it to the staff. Jane is still quite young, and was a gentlewoman before her marriage, so she knows very little about running the establishment, which is now suffering decline and neglect. Jane's mother-in-law, Thora Bell, receives word about the problems at The Bell, and since it belonged to her family, she returns to the village to see for herself, adding to Jane's anxiety and insecurities.Almost immediately, they receive the shocking news that John had borrowed a significant amount of money for improvements to The Bell - improvements that had never been made - and the loan is overdue. Jane has struck up a friendship with an experienced hotelier who has moved to the area and plans to open a competing inn, and gets some sound advice from him, so she takes the lead on making the improvements to The Bell that it will need to be profitable enough to earn an extension on the loan and be able to pay it back. She faces some opposition from some of her staff, and skepticism from Thora, but since they share the goal of saving The Bell, they begin to work together. And as they do, Jane and Thora find a new respect for each other and the beginnings of a warmer friendship. And both widows find that they have the regard of more than one eligible suitor each!
In addition to her concerns with the inn and with her own relationships, Jane maintains friendships with two dear friends, both spinsters, and their stories unfold along with Jane's. I realized as I was about in the middle of the book that I had no idea which of the men pursuing Jane and Thora had the advantage; or how the challenges faced by The Bell would be met. By the end of the book, Thora had made her choice, and some of the situations had been resolved, but not all. I think the book ends in a satisfactory way, so that readers are not left on the edge of a cliff waiting for the next installment of the series; but with enough questions left unanswered that they will definitely want to read the next novel. I certainly know that I do, and warmly recommend The Innkeeper of Ivy Hill to all who enjoy Regency setting novels.
By the same author: The Painter's Daughter, Lady Maybe, The Secret of Pembrooke Park, The Tutor's Daughter, The Dancing Master
Visit the Baker Publishing Group for info on where to buy.
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