by Julie Klassen
Welcome to the village of Ivy Hill, where friendships thrive, romance blossoms, and mysteries await. . . .
Dear Friend,
Thank you for visiting Ivy Hill.
If you’re anything like me, you probably love village series set in England, whether in books or in television. Series like Larkrise to Candleford, Cranford, and Thrush Green. I think what draws us to these series are their close-knit communities filled with quirky characters. Or maybe it’s just the British accents. Whatever the reason, I hope you will enjoy my first series as well. For now, take a stroll though these pages, see the village map, photos, book previews, character list, and more. Stay as long as you like, and return again soon. I will have a room reserved for you at The Bell, a hot cup of tea waiting, and stories to tell.
Julie
Links
julieklassen.com
bethanyhouse.com
Or write
Julie Klassen
3673 Lexington Ave N. H2#245
Arden Hills, MN 55126
Social Media
Books in the
Tales From Ivy Hill Series
Release Date: September 2020
A Tales from Ivy Hill Novella:
An Ivy Hill Christmas
Spend a festive Christmas in the English village of Ivy Hill, as divine hope, friendship, and unexpected romance work their magic. . . .
Richard Brockwell, the younger son of Ivy Hill's most prominent family, hasn't been home for Christmas in years. He prefers to live in the London townhouse, far away from Brockwell Court, the old family secret that haunts him, and the shadows of his past mistakes. But then his mother threatens to stop funding his carefree life--unless he comes home for Christmas. Out of options, he sets out for Ivy Hill, planning to be back on a coach bound for London and his unencumbered bachelor life as soon as the festivities are over.
But Christmas in the country presents many surprises, including encounters with an orphaned apprentice, the first love he disappointed years ago, and Arabella Awdry, a young lady who is far more appealing than he recalled--and determined to have nothing to do with him.
Will Christmastime in Ivy Hill, with its village charm, kissing boughs, and joyous songs, change his heart . . . and hers as well?
Book Three: The Bride of ivy Green
Release date: December 2018
Come home to Ivy Hill, where friendship endures, romance triumphs,
and mysteries are revealed in this eagerly anticipated conclusion. . . .
Spring is in the air . . . and change is too. Mercy Grove has lost her girls' school and is resigned to life as a spinster, especially as the man she admires is out of reach. She contemplates leaving Ivy Cottage to become a governess--a decision with consequences she never imagined.
Meanwhile, her friend Jane Bell is facing a difficult decision of her own. Should she accept Gabriel Locke even if it means giving up her inn and destining another man to a childless marriage?
When a secretive new dressmaker arrives in the village, Mercy, Jane, and the other ladies of Ivy Hill attempt to befriend her, but they soon suspect she isn't who she claims to be.
Together, the women of Ivy Hill look forward to one wedding, but surprises lie in store and dearly held dreams may yet come true.
The Bride of Ivy Green will be available in paperback, e-book, and audio from your local bookstore or from online retailers.
Barnes & Noble | Amazon | BAM | Christian Book Distributors | LifeWay | IndieBound
Book Two: The Ladies of Ivy Cottage
Release Date: December 2017
A gentlewoman in reduced circumstances, Miss Rachel Ashford lives as a guest in Ivy Cottage. With her meager funds rapidly depleting, she is determined to earn her own livelihood . . . somehow. Her friend Jane Bell and the other village women encourage her to open a circulating library with the many books she’s inherited from her father. As villagers donate additional books and Rachel begins sorting through the volumes, she discovers mysteries hidden among them. A man who once broke her heart helps her search for clues, but both find more than they bargained for.
Rachel’s hostess, Mercy Grove, has given up thoughts of suitors and finds fulfillment in managing her girls school. So when several men take an interest in Ivy Cottage, she assumes pretty Miss Ashford is the cause. Exactly what—or whom—has captured each man’s attention? The truth may surprise them all.
The Ladies of Ivy Cottage will be available in paperback, hardcover, e-book, and audio from your local bookstore or from online retailers.
Barnes & Noble | Amazon | BAM | Christian Book Distributors | LifeWay | IndieBound
Book One: The Innkeeper of Ivy Hill
Release Date: December 2016
The lifeblood of Ivy Hill is its coaching inn, The Bell. When the innkeeper dies suddenly, his genteel wife, Jane Bell, becomes the reluctant owner—and learns that a large loan is due in three months’ time. Despite their strained relationship, Jane turns to her mother-in-law, Thora, for help. Thora has been struggling to find where she belongs. But as she and Jane work together, Thora’s wounded heart begins to heal. When she encounters two men from her past, she sees them—and her future—with different eyes.
Can Jane save The Bell? And will Thora embrace the possibility of a second chance at love?
The Innkeeper of Ivy Hill will be available in paperback, e-book, and audio from your local bookstore or from online retailers.
Barnes & Noble | Amazon | BAM | Christian Book Distributors | LifeWay | IndieBound
Map
1 - The Bell Inn, 2 - Bell Stables & Lodge, 3 - Wheelwright, 4 - Blacksmith, 5 - Prater's Store, 6 - Dressmaker's Shop, 7 - Apothecary, 8 - Bank, 9 - Thornvale, 10 - Almshouse, 11 - Lock-up, 12 - Village Hall, 13 - Public House, 14 - Bakery, 15 - Ivy Cottage, 16 - Church, 17 - Vicarage, 18 - Packhourse Bridge, 19 - Brockwell Court
Photos & Videos
Ivy Hill is a fictional place, but there are many villages like it in England. I’ve based Ivy Hill’s layout on the National Trust village of Lacock in Wiltshire, which I’ve had the privilege of visiting a few times. Lacock was used as a film location for scenes in Pride & Prejudice (1995), Cranford (2007), Emma (1996), and recently, a market scene in Downton Abbey (season 6). Even though I am using Lacock as a basic model for Ivy Hill, I’ve placed the village farther south, on the old Devonport-London Royal Mail route, not far from Salisbury and the real village of Great Wishford.
Here are a few photos to help you imagine Ivy Hill.
VIDEOS
A Series Introduction, by Author Julie Klassen
A Tour of Lacock Village, the Model for Ivy Hill
Julie Klassen
loves all things Jane—Jane Eyre and Jane Austen. A graduate of the University of Illinois, Julie worked in publishing for sixteen years and now writes full-time. Three of her books, The Silent Governess, The Girl in the Gatehouse, and The Maid of Fairbourne Hall, have won the Christy Award for Historical Romance. The Secret of Pembrooke Park was honored with the Minnesota Book Award for genre fiction. Julie has also won the Midwest Book Award and Christian Retailing’s BEST 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 a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota. For more information and a full list of her books, visit julieklassen.com or her author page on bethanyhouse.com.
Other Favorite British Series of Julie’s
BOOKS
THE GRESHAM CHRONICLES by Lawana Blackwell
THE THRUSH GREEN series by Miss Read
THE MITFORD Series by Jan Karon
North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell
TELEVISION
Larkrise to Candleford
Cranford
Return to Cranford
Middlemarch
Bleak House
Little Dorrit
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