The Innkeeper of Ivy Hill by Julie Klassen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I love this type of historical. It’s not romance, although there is some romance in it. It’s a much broader and richer story than you can get in a romance novel. This is more like a PBS period drama. Think Downton Abbey or Poldark. The characters are layered and diverse, and their backstory is dribbled out as a tease throughout the book. The setting is a quaint town in 1820 England. We meet all levels of that society, from the gentry to the lowliest kitchen pot scrubber. Fascinating glimpse into that time and place.
Jane Bell inherits The Bell coaching inn upon the untimely death of her husband. Left to run an inn she was never involved in with the help of her brother-in-law, a shady character, and her mother-in-law, who never approved of her, Jane finds help and strength in unexpected places.
This is obviously only book one of a much longer series, and I can’t wait to read the second installment. Well done, Julie Klassen!
Pegg Thomas 
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