London of 1822 sees Richard Brockwell summoned home to the country retreat of his family for the Christmas holidays. The gentry lived on credit until their man of accounts settled bills once a year, but at this stage, Richard, with no independent income and a family whose lands are not substantial earners, has no option but to go home to Ivy Hill village in Wiltshire.

AN IVY HILL CHRISTMAS introduces me to an ongoing series, Tales of Ivy Hill, and Richard, the second son and unrepentant bachelor, to his mama’s disappointment, brings with him many memories. I’m sure those tales were previously told, so I’ll just say that this is a jolly, thoroughly researched tale of return, regret and redemption. At Christmas, Arabella Awdry, keen to devote herself to good works, is persuaded to accompany family to a house party at Brockwell Court in Ivy Hill. She’s far from impressed by Richard, but the pair realise that since neither of them is looking for marriage, they can safely be in each other’s company.

Richard is becoming a far nicer person than he would admit. He invites an old friend David Murray to leave his London printworks and join the party; he starts taking a personal interest in an orphan lad in the village; he goes out of his way to help a widow fallen on hard times. All without considering that this is an improvement on his normal manner. He also adopts a Scottish type terrier, correctly shown before these dogs were divided into three distinct breeds of Scots, Aberdeen and Cairn. At this time the new middle classes were starting to become respectable, and Richard is joining them by penning satirical content and even a novel. Business is still not a subject for the dinner table, but publishing is more respectable than other trades.

I thoroughly enjoyed all the customs, crafts and singing we find among the delights of this charming romance. Life in the countryside is close-knit and varied, dependent on the weather and replete with the fruits of the season. Green boughs symbolic of life are hung, while a sleigh is pressed into use during deep snow. The company entertain themselves and spend time walking or riding around the area, passing time with villagers and traders. The recently ended war has left scars, and we see that widows often became dependent on others. Educated women are starting to come into their own, investigating workhouse conditions and other social problems. Julie Klassen is an American author who used to work in publishing and has won several awards for her historical romances. Ivy Hill features in three books to date, but her other titles investigate trades such as apothecary, tutor, painter and dancing master. I’m going to have to read as many as I can find. These are clean romances, suitable for teens upwards, and we can learn a great deal about the past. AN IVY HILL CHRISTMAS will reward the romance lover and entertain just about any reader.