The Innkeeper of Ivy Hill - (Tales from Ivy Hill) by Julie Klassen (Paperback)

About the Book

The lifeblood of the village of Ivy Hill is its coaching inn, The Bell. When the innkeeper dies suddenly, his genteel wife, Jane, becomes the reluctant owner. With a large loan due, can Jane and her resentful mother-in-law, Thora, find a way to save the inn--and discover fresh hope for the future?

Book Synopsis

Welcome to the English village of Ivy Hill, where friendships thrive, romance blossoms, and mysteries await. . . .

The lifeblood of the village of Ivy Hill is its coaching inn, The Bell. When the innkeeper dies suddenly, his genteel wife, Jane Bell, becomes the reluctant landlady. Jane has no idea how to manage a business, but with the town's livelihood at stake and a large loan due, she must quickly find a way to save the inn.

Despite their strained relationship, Jane turns to her resentful mother-in-law, Thora, for help. Formerly mistress of The Bell, Thora is struggling to overcome her losses and find purpose for the future. As she works with Jane, two men from her past vie for her attention, but Thora has promised herself never to marry again. Will one of them convince her to embrace a second chance at love?

As pressure mounts from the bank, Jane employs new methods, and puzzles over the intentions of several men who seem to have a vested interest in the place, including a mysterious newcomer with secret plans of his own. With the help of friends old and new, can Jane restore life to the inn, and to her empty heart as well?

From the Back Cover

Welcome to the English village of Ivy Hill, where friendships thrive, romance blossoms, and mysteries await. . . .

The lifeblood of the village of Ivy Hill is its coaching inn, The Bell. When the innkeeper dies suddenly, his genteel wife, Jane Bell, becomes the reluctant landlady. Jane has no idea how to manage a business, but with the town's livelihood at stake and a large loan due, she must quickly find a way to save the inn.

Despite their strained relationship, Jane turns to her resentful mother-in-law, Thora, for help. Formerly mistress of The Bell, Thora is struggling to overcome her losses and find purpose for the future. As she works with Jane, two men from her past vie for her attention, but Thora has promised herself never to marry again. Will one of them convince her to embrace a second chance at love?

As pressure mounts from the bank, Jane employs new methods, and puzzles over the intentions of several men who seem to have a vested interest in the place, including a mysterious newcomer with secret plans of his own. With the help of friends old and new, can Jane restore life to the inn, and to her empty heart as well?

"Three-time Christy Award winner Klassen launches a heartwarming new series set in the Regency era that delivers everything fans of gentle historical-romance novels could ever want, including a beautifully realized English village setting, a memorable cast of characters, and charming hints of love for more than one of the residents of Ivy Hill."--Booklist

"Evocative prose and unpredictable character development, hallmarks of Klassen's work, do much to pull the reader along for the ultimately pleasant journey. There's a bit of mystery, a bit of romance and a bit of something for everyone in this first installation of Klassen's first Regency series." --RT Book Reviews

"With her signature insight into the human heart, Klassen draws readers into the deceptively quiet English countryside of Austen's day, a world of complicated yet joyful, messy yet faithful, lives of regular people who choose to truly live despite their difficult circumstances. Readers will rejoice that this is only the beginning of her new Tales from Ivy Hill series"--Publishers Weekly

Praise for Julie Klassen

"Christy Award-winning Klassen draws on Jane Austen's impeccably crafted novels in her . . . richly nuanced and superbly written inspirational Regency romance."--Booklist starred review

"Klassen blends her tale well; each ingredient--romance, friendship . . . mystery--is measured to produce a lively tale that will satisfy Regency aficionados and general readers, too."
--Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Julie Klassen is a graduate of the University of Illinois. She worked in publishing for 16 years and now writes fulltime. Three of her books have won the Christy Award for Historical Romance. Julie has also won the Minnesota Book Award, Christian Retailing's BEST Award, the Midwest Book Award, and has been a finalist in the Romance Writers of America's RITA Awards, and ACFW's Carol Awards. Julie and her husband have two sons and live in St. Paul, Minnesota. For more information, visit www.julieklassen.com.