Beyond Ivy Walls - Rachel Fordham - ★★★★

AUTHOR: Rachel Fordham

NARRATORS: Em Eldridge & Jason Keller.

GENRE: Historical Romance

PUBLICATION DATE: August 13, 2024

RATING: 4 stars.

In a Nutshell: A sweet historical romance that lives up to the promise. Likeable main characters. Straightforward plot. A dash of mystery and a load of banter. Mildly Christian in content. A bit anachronous in its dialogues. Recommended to readers of wholesome historical romances. This is NOT a ‘Beauty and the Beast’ retelling, so don’t go in expecting one.

Plot Preview:

1903. Iowa.

After Sadie’s father sustains an injury and cannot work on their family farm anymore, twenty-three-year old Sadie finds a job at the Hoag feather duster factory. It’s not what she enjoys, but with little money in hand and her romantic interest away for studies, it’s the best she can do to save her family from ruin. Desperate to save money, she takes refuge in an abandoned building after her work hours, but soon the owner discovers her trespassing.

Everyone thought that the rich Otis Taylor had been sent away to hone his musical talent. But in reality, he had been exiled by his father for his appearance. Now that Otis has returned home to settle his family affairs, his only desire is to sell off everything and close the doors to his past. But he soon discovers that he isn’t the last Taylor alive. And of course, he finds a mysterious trespasser in his father’s old factory.

Sadie and Otis begin a professional relationship, but soon their bond grows into a caring friendship. Can Sadie and Otis help each other settle the demons of their past, the mysteries of the present, and the worries of the future? (You know they can! 😉)

The story comes to us in the third-person perspectives of Sadie and Otis.

First things first. The blurb only calls this "reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast", so it is obviously not a retelling of the fairy tale. There are a few shades of B&tB herein, (and a few shades of Jane Eyre as well), but not enough to justify a ‘retelling’ tag. You will enjoy it better if you treat it as a typical historical romance.

Bookish Yays:

🌿 I liked the lead characters and the depiction of their personal problems. Both of them are shown as being somewhat judgemental at the start, but slowly, they learn to open up and trust each other.

🌿 This is mainly a historical romance, and romances are not about the destination (as we already know that in advance) but about the journey. The romantic relationship in this book is just the kind I like to read: not insta, not lustful, not based on frivolous reasons. It is a slow-burn friends-to-lovers connection.

🌿 Otis’ physical appearance, the reason for the same, and his insecurity about his looks is handled well. Though he considers himself a ‘beast’, he is not like the fairy tale ‘Beast’. This is the first time I am reading a book with a character having this medical condition, and I love how the author focusses more on the character’s feelings and traumatic memories than the medical details.

🌿 Another first-time experience is the mention of a feather duster factory. I loved this unique setting, and the details incorporated.

🌿 There are many letters in this book, and most of them are so sweet and well written! They were filled with a good old-worldly charm.

🌿 The story covers quite a few themes such as parental abuse, trauma, mental health, medical issues, and more. All are handled well without going overboard.

🌿 This is Christian fiction, but not of the type filled with biblical quotes and preachy attitudes. There is a regular mention of praying and keeping faith, but no long-winded prayers or sermons. This approach might not make everyone happy, but it works perfectly for this Christian. The characters lead by example in the action of living the Word. There are many beautiful values of love, patience, faith, forgiveness, acceptance, and sacrifice.

🌿 There is a minor mystery track in the book, and I loved how it was approached and resolved.

🌿 The author’s note is the icing on the cake, revealing her research and how she intends the plot to highlight sacrificial love.

Bookish Mixed Bags:

☘️ While there are many excellent secondary characters in the book, they are somewhat one-noted. Otis’ house employees Leon and his wife Mildred are fabulous, as are Sadie’s family (her parents and her sisters.) But Sadie’s colleague Alta’s negative role is too hackneyed.

☘️ There is excellent banter between the characters, especially the lead pair. However, the conversations don’t sound true to the era, not in terms of vocabulary but in terms of the manner. It is tough to accept a farm girl talking with the wealthiest young bachelor in town with barely any hesitation or self-doubt. On a related note, it was also odd to see commoner Alta barging into a rich man’s home without any uncertainty. Perhaps this aspect of the story went more fantastical than intended.

Bookish Nays:

🍃 The final quarter went a bit over the top in terms of its melodrama quotient. This might not bother frequent readers of this genre, but it was a bit too soppy for my reading preferences.

🍃 A couple of the plot points needed some more detailing, though these were pretty trivial on the whole. Like, how did Otis’ brother die? How old is Otis? I even wanted a better resolution of the Marvin track. After the regular mention he gets, he needed a better and longer on-page appearance.

🎧 The Audiobook Experience:

The audiobook, clocking at almost 11 hours, is narrated by Em Eldridge and Jason Keller. Both narrators handled their own characters (Sadie and Otis respectively) well, but their voices for the other characters were somewhat less satisfying. I have a feeling I might have liked this book better had I read it. That said, there are perspective jumps in between chapters, and sometimes, just for a small section. So having two narrators helps tremendously.

On the whole, this isn’t the kind of book you would pick up when you want something twisty or spicy or surprising or didactic. It is straightforward to the point of being predictable, and hence works as a great read when you want something soothing, emotional, and heartwarming without taxing your brain too much.

I first came across this author through the beautiful novel, ‘The Letter Tree.’ ‘Beyond Ivy Walls’ may not have matched up to that experience, because the standards and my expectations were too high. But this was a satisfying read nonetheless. If you enjoy books with lovable, a-bit-too-perfect characters you want to root for, this book ought to work for you.

Much recommended to readers of clean historical romances.

My thanks to Thomas Nelson for providing the DRC, and to HarperCollins Christian Publishing for providing the ALC of “Beyond Ivy Walls” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.