Amy Engel Books In Order

Publication Order of The Book of Ivy Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Amy Engel is an American author of suspense and youth adult genres. She was born in Kansas and spent her childhood in Iran, Taiwan and in several states within the United States including Kansas, California, Missouri, and Washington D.C. Amy has a law degree and was a defense attorney before she devoted herself full time to her family and to writing. She lives in Kansas City, Missouri with her husband and two kids. She spends her free time exercising, reading or shoe shopping. She is the author of the Ivy series.

The book of Ivy is the first novel of the series. In the book, after a brutal nuclear war, the US is left in ruins. A small group of survivors eventually come together, but only after fighting over which family would govern the new nation. The Westfalls family loses the fight, and fifty later, peace and control are kept by marrying the daughters of the Westfalls to the sons of the winning Lattimer side in a yearly ritual. Ivy is a great girl and in the beginning she completely believes in everything her father told her. It is her turn to get married and she has been tasked with the simple mission of killing the president’s son whom she is to marry and restore the westfall family to power. However, it doesn’t take long before all her beliefs are challenged and she is forced to try and make sense of everything. The president’s son, by the name Bishop Latimer, is the one person who seems to understand her. She realizes that things are not quite as black and white as she had taken them to be and decides that she wouldn’t be a pawn any more. The book opens as Ivy is dressing for the wedding and she is thinking of the color of her wedding dress. After the nuclear war, a white wedding dress is hard to come and is rarely worn. Her sister is helping her to dress and Ivy complains about wearing dresses because she is used to wearing pants. The weddings are done on the second Saturday in May and some years there is rain. Soon Ivy is escorted by her father and her elder sister Callie the wedding venue. When they reach the sidewalk in front of the city hall, people look at them, grinning at her father, some walking over to greet him, and women give Ivy reassuring looks and complement her on her appearance. They follow the long queue of bride’s into the city hall. All the brides are dressed in pale dresses with some clutching small bouquets and others like Ivy holding nothing. They are ushered into the main rotunda where which has a stage at one end.

The idea behind the practice of arranged marriages has two pillars. One is a practical purpose, the war shortened peoples life spans and fertility so people need to procreate as early as possible. The second reason is pragmatic, the winners of the contest for the leadership were smart enough to realize to maintain peace the losing side must be roped in and made stakeholders in the prevailing peace. While standing at the rotunda with the other girls, Ivy examines the grooms and seizes up the one meant to marry her. Her is older than the other boys and he is much more mature, in fact he has a gravity about him that no of the other grooms have. He doesn’t fidget; his gaze is cool, impassive and slightly amused by the all spectacle. He was meant to have married Ivy’s sister Callie, but on the day before the ceremony the Westfall family were informed that the groom wouldn’t be attending, will marry when he get to 18 years of age and that he will marry Ivy not Callie. The wedding starts and the first name to be called is that of Luke Allen. Mrs Lattimer tears the envelope containing his bride’s name and calls the name of Emily Thorne. After Mrs Lattimer has read the name in the last bride envelope there are stills many girls left without grooms. And that is to be their fate, to stay unmarried. Mrs Lattimer invites her husband the president to the podium and he announces that it is a special day because there is going to be a marriage between a Lattimer and a Westfall. While the president talks Ivy is thinking of injustice meted out by the Lattimers on the Westfalls. The president then calls out the name of his son Bishop Lattimer, tears the envelope containing his brides name and calls the name of Ivy Westfall. Ivy walks to the stage

The second book of the series is the Revolution of the IVY. In the book, Ivy Westfall is beyond the fence and lonely. She has been abandoned by the family and separated from her husband, the president’s son, Bishop Lattimer. Ivy Westfall must come up with a way to survive on her own in a land full of countless dangers, both natural and human. She has given up a more civilized type of cruelty forced marriage and murder plans for the hard and brutal reality needed to survive beyond the Westfall confines. But there is also hope beyond the fence. This Ivy Westfall finds out when she is befriended by a group of people who have survived off the land for many years. She slowly becomes used to the customs and rhythms of her new life while at the same time trying forget the people she had left behind in Westfall. Bishop Lattimer reappears again in her life and Ivy Westfall struggles to accommodate his presence because she is torn between fear and love. Ivy Westfall gets to understand that the real true love is unconditional and that if she is to open her heart again she must accept the possibility of pain. Bishop Lattimrer and Ivy Westfall settle into a new life outside the fence. When news comes that Ivy’s father and sister have staged a coup plot, and that Westfall has been thrown into confusion, Ivy takes the bold step of going back home with Bishop Lattimer by her side. She returns to Westfall stronger than she was forced out, confident of her heart and loyalties and ready to stand her ground for what she believes to be true and right.