Rebecca Reviews ~ The Innkeeper of Ivy Hill by Julie Klassen

Paperback, 448 pages

Published December 6th 2016 by Bethany House Publishers

First Series from Bestselling Author Julie Klassen!

On a rise overlooking the Wiltshire countryside stands the village of Ivy Hill. Its coaching inn, The Bell, is its lifeblood--along with the coach lines that stop there daily, bringing news, mail, travelers, and much-needed trade.

Jane Bell lives on the edge of the inn property. She had been a genteel lady until she married the charming innkeeper who promised she would never have to work in his family's inn. But when he dies under mysterious circumstances, Jane finds herself The Bell's owner, and worse, she has three months to pay a large loan or lose the place.

Feeling reluctant and ill-equipped, Jane is tempted to abandon her husband's legacy and return to her former life of ease. However, she soon realizes there is more at stake than her comfort. But who can she trust to help her? Her resentful mother-in-law? Her husband's brother, who wanted the inn for himself? Or the handsome newcomer with secret plans of his own . . . ?

With pressure mounting from the bank, Jane struggles to win over naysayers and turn the place around. Can Jane bring new life to the inn, and to her heart as well?

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Rebecca's Review

4 STARS!!!

"New beginnings" abound in this pleasantly paced series debut, "The Innkeeper of Ivy Hill".

Jane Bell has mourned the unexpected death of her spouse for an appropriate length of time, when she receives some rather disturbing news, the picturesque coaching inn that she inherited from her late husband is on the brink of bankruptcy and there are insufficient funds to make the necessary updates suggested for profitability. Joined by her aloof mother-in-law and surprisingly eager brother-in-law, Jane decides to pour her efforts into saving the historic property, which supplies local merchants with much needed commerce and the entire area with a sense of community pride.

Thora Bell never warmed to the idea of her once gentlewoman daughter-in-law being given the reigns to the Bell family property. A widow herself, Thora returns to the inn after an extended visit with her sister, to find that Jane desperately needs her experienced help much more than her criticism. Employees, both past and present will have to play a key role, along with trusted friends, local businessmen and new associates; if the inn will remain intact, for there is a lot to lose and a 
legacy to gain.

Join Julie Klassen in her very unique and quite interesting introduction to the village and villagers 
of Ivy Hill.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Rebecca is a graduate of Bryan College with a degree in Christian Education and is currently serving at the First Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Gastonia, North Carolina as the Director of Children's Ministry. With nearly 28 years of experience in her field, she has had many opportunities to use her love of reading and writing in creative ways across the generations. A wife, mother of four "nearly" grown children, and grandmother to four beautiful grandchildren, Rebecca has been able to return to her love of reading and more recently reviewing, with a renewed passion for the "beauty of story".

~Happy Reading~