A Book for Going and a Book for Coming Home

We picked up child number 2 from school this week.  It's quite a trip, about 10 hours each way, and it's a perfect time to get some reading done (my husband prefers to do all of the driving).

The Ladies of Ivy Cottage and The Bride of Ivy Green are books 2 and 3 in the Tales from Ivy Hill trilogy.  They're set in Regency era England about 10 years after Jane Austen's novels would have taken place, if you enjoy Jane Austen's work, I think you might enjoy these stories.  They aren't written on the level of Austen, but there are elements that have a familiar Austen feel.  The trilogy follows friends Jane Bell, Mercy Grove, and Rachel Ashford, three single women trying to find their way and make ends meet in an era when not having a husband (or rich brother, father, or uncle) could be difficult on a good day. 

What I liked:  There was romance, but it didn't dominate the story line.  The situations the ladies found themselves in were pretty plausible (Jane was a widow trying to get a license to run the inn her husband left her, Mercy was running a small boarding school for girls out of her home, Rachel was left poor when her father died).  There was a lot of camaraderie among the ladies - not just the three main characters, but other ladies of the village as well.

These were breezy reads that to be honest were predictable in places, but when you're looking for a simply enjoyable read that's actually a plus!  I do recommend the entire trilogy to you, because summer and beach reads are just around the corner! 

Until next time...