Author’s Note
I hope you enjoyed spending Christmastime in Ivy Hill, whether this was your first visit to the village, or you are a returning friend who’s read the entire TALES FROM IVY HILL series.
I had so much fun writing this novella and researching Christmas traditions in nineteenth-century England. If you want to add a British flair to your own modern celebration, you might buy (or make) mince tarts, Christmas pudding, or fruit cake; place Christmas “crackers” (pull-apart gift tubes) on your table and wear the included paper crowns; refer to Father Christmas instead of Santa; watch the monarch’s annual Christmas broadcast; and wish everyone a hearty “Happy Christmas.”
Now, I’d like to express my appreciation to a few special people.
Thank you and love to my first reader, Cari Weber. Also to Anna Paulson for her input and help with the move all game scene. As always, thank you to my editors, Karen Schurrer, Kate Deppe, and Raela Schoenherr, and to everyone at Bethany House Publishers who designs, reviews, edits, proofreads, and promotes my books. Fond affection also goes to author Michelle Griep and agent Wendy Lawton for their critiques, prayers, and friendship.
Gratitude and admiration to author Jane Austen, who never ceases to inspire me. Keen readers may have noticed a few nods to her novels Emma and Pride and Prejudice within these pages.
Finally, I want to thank every store and library that carries my books and every one of you who reads them. I would not want to do this without you.
Happy Christmas!
Honeycroft Honey-Spice Biscuits (Cookies)
½ cup butter (softened)
⅔ cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1 egg yolk
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon fine salt
¼ cup granulated sugar or colored sugar (e.g., red) for a festive touch
½ teaspoon cinnamon
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add honey and egg yolk. Mix till smooth.
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, baking powder, and salt together and add to wet mixture. Stir and knead until dough holds together. Form into walnut-sized balls.
In a small bowl, mix the cinnamon and sugar.
Roll the dough balls in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10–11 minutes at 350° F, until tops begin to crack. Do not overbake. Transfer to wire rack to cool.
Makes approximately twenty cookies.
Julie Klassen loves all things Jane—Jane Eyre and Jane Austen. Her books have sold over a million copies, and she is a three-time recipient of 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 RITA and Carol Awards. A graduate of the University of Illinois, Julie worked in publishing for sixteen years and now writes full-time. Julie and her husband have two sons and live in a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota. For more information, you can follow her on Facebook or visit www.julieklassen.com.
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Table of Contents
Cover
Half Title Page
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Contents
Map of Ivy Hill
Epigraph
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Epilogue
Author’s Note
Honeycroft Honey-Spice Biscuits (Cookies)
About the Author
Back Ads
Cover Flaps
Back Cover
List of Pages
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