I really enjoyed this book! I would recommend reading the other two books in the series first so that you know the characters and their backstory.
Mercy has lost her girls school and has resigned herself to spinsterhood. Her friend Jane is contemplating marrying Gabriel and what that will mean for her inn. A secretive dressmaker arrives and the women of town try to befriend her. There's so much more that happens, it's best to read the book. You won't regret it! ( )

(4.5 / 5)

In this culmination of the trilogy, the women who have been in focus so far are joined by another—a mysterious, new, possibly French dressmaker. More secrets will come to light as some old relationships are mended and others are just beginning.

In a way, this trilogy reminds me of Elizabeth Gaskell's Wives and Daughters, in that it sometimes seems to meander through daily life, weaving a story of a small group of characters, rather than having a focused plot. However, by the time you get to this third book, it's clear that all of that meandering was deliberately wending its way toward this final book. Even with the wrapping up that happened here, new plots were introduced. I'll admit I didn't care much about the dressmaker, probably because adding a brand new character, after so many pages of being engrossed in the lives of others already, made that new character's life seem shallow by comparison.

I was quite happy with how things turned out, and the way they got there (though the "near misses" started to wear on me), for each of the main characters save one. I don't want to spoil anything, but I really wish Mercy's story had gone differently. I sometimes write down my thoughts as I read—when I want to make sure I remember something for the review or simply when I feel strongly about something. In this case, I wrote down a couple of predictions (or, rather, hopes and wishes) for Mercy, even though I had good reason to believe they would not happen. My reason for assuming that, though, was simply due to the nature of the romance (especially Christian romance) genre. And while I was correct in my assumption that what I hoped for Mercy would not happen, the conclusion of her story did include an offer that I did not predict and was pleased to see happen.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Ivy Hill—so much so that after I finished this book, I immediately re-read the follow-up Christmas novella, An Ivy Hill Christmas, in the hopes of "catching up" with the main characters in this trilogy, even though I knew the focus had moved on. I don't think this is the kind of series I will decide to re-read some day, but I am all the more excited to read more books by Julie Klassen. ( )

I was fortunate to read the first two books in this series before I read this one, but I think this was my favorite. Mercy has come to believe she'd be a spinster her whole life like her aunt, but then she has three men interested in her. She dismissed the one set up by her parents, but I was a bit torn on the other two as she was. I think she made the right choice. ( )

"The Bride of Ivy Green" strongly reminded me of Jane Austen novels. I enjoyed the character development and descriptions. Discussion questions at the end help the reader dig more deeply into the events of the story. My main problem with this book was that I had not read the previous books in the series. As soon as I started to read this book, I felt as if I had walked into the middle of a performance or movie ! What is going on here? A little synopsis at the start of the book would have helped me greatly.

I have read other books by this author, but this is the first one in which I experienced this disconnect. Readers should be warned to read the books in order so that they make sense.

I received this book from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own. ( )

This was a charming, sweet and chaste conclusion to the 3 volume "Tales From Ivy Hill" series. Author Julie Klassen has tied each of the primary characters' stories up with a pretty bow. It continues with the lives of three close friends - Mercy, Jane and Rachel. Rachel had married the love of her life in book two of the series (The Ladies of Ivy Cottage). Will love find Jane again after the passing of her husband and will Mercy find it at all as she is painfully aware of her spinsterhood at the age of 31?

This book is fraught with a myriad of emotion. There's loss, confusion, mistaken identity, love, reconciliation, forgiveness, redemption and joyous discovery. In its slice of charming rural English life, one can settle in and relax with the story of the Ladies of Ivy Hill as they ready themselves for a do with The Bride of Ivy Green. ( )