Cautious Grace Singleton, uncertain of her place in an intimidating world. Outspoken Hannah Parrish, harboring private fear that may change her life. Fragile Ameila Declose, shattered by devastating grief. Circumstance has brought these disparate women of "a certain age" to a Pennsylvania boardinghouse where three square meals and a sagging bed is the most any of them can look forward to. But friendship will take them on a starting journey to a rundown North Carolina farmhouse where the unexpected suddenly seems not only welcome, but delightfully promising. And with nothing more than a bit of adventure in mind, each woman will be surprised to find that they years they've reclaimed from the shadow of twilight will offer something far more rare: confidence, competence, and even another chance at love...
Hannah, cool-headed and calm, battles to save their beloved hills from the rapacious development that has already ruined Loring Valley, only five minutes form Cove Road. Amelia, giddy with a newfound love, abandons the ladies and her photography to please her dashing new beau. And Grace is driven to prove she has an eye for business when she and her steady companion, Bob Richardson, open the Cottage Tearoom. New friends and neighbors are introduced. Eccentric Lurina Masterson, an eighty-one-year-old bride, brings tears of joy to all when, wearing her childhood dream of white satin, she married "Old Man," who is ninety-one. And George Maxwell, the ladies' closest neighbor, provides an inspired solution to preserving Covington's lush hills and valleys.
The three spunky ladies who so charmed readers in T he Ladies of Covington Send Their Love and The Gardens of Covington welcome us back to the small Southern town of Covington, to their quaint white farmhouse with yellow shutters on Cove Road... From the Heart of Covington Life lessons abound as housemates Hannah, Grace, Amelia continue to surround themselves with love and hope, meeting each new challenge with equanimity and heart and placing their trust in one another as their friendship strengthens and grows. In helping a dear friend and neighbor cope with illness, the ladies develop a deeper mutual compassion and a true appreciation for the softness of heart and toughness of spirit that join them as women. Amelia, feeling strong and adventurous, takes a momentous trip to New York City to further her burgeoning photography career. Grace, kindhearted as ever, becomes involved with a little girl at the local elementary school who may be having terrible problems at home. Meanwhile, Hannah's daughter, Laura, is involved in a tragic accident that has serious consequences for all concerned. With the same compassion and heart readers have already come to know and love, Joan Medlicott once again reveals how life's journeys and challenges only strengthen our loving commitments to family, friends, and loved ones. It's another inspiring message of courage, self-acceptance, and hope.
“Settle back in a comfortable chair and enjoy your visit to Covington, a town rich with charm and character” (Debbie Macomber, New York Times bestselling author) with this continuation of a heartwarming series about three sixty-something women who have moved to a small mountain town in North Carolina. The three ladies of Covington—Grace, Hannah, and Amelia—must rebuild their old farmhouse after a fire destroys three houses on their road. Max proposes a marriage of convenience to Hannah, in which she can continue living with the other ladies, but also inherit his estate and Bella’s Park without having to pay taxes, and Hannah is conflicted about his offer. Meanwhile, when Grace’s companion Bob has a heart attack, she moves in with him to take care of him, then must decide whether to stay with him as he wishes, or return to the newly built farmhouse with Hannah and Amelia. And through it all, the crisis of the fire deepens their relationships with their local Covington neighbors.
In this acclaimed addition to Joan Medlicott’s USA TODAY bestselling series, new joys overcome new troubles as the unforgettable Ladies of Covington embrace life in their small North Carolina mountain town. A dark cloud is hovering over the usually cheery farmhouse that Grace, Hannah, and Amelia share. Grace has lost someone dear to her, and the mysterious diary from the past has turned Hannah’s life upside down. To raise their spirits, the three ladies take an exotic Caribbean cruise and return with many wonderful stories. But sharing such close quarters while traveling has stirred up conflict, and Amelia and Hannah are suddenly questioning whether they want to continue living in the farmhouse together. Meanwhile, Grace faces her own challenges: the young girl she mentors unknowingly becomes involved with an Internet predator, and Grace’s diabetes worsens. Yet new joy enters their lives when Hannah’s daughter has a baby boy—and when Hannah finally lays her past to rest, she may just be ready to set a wedding date with Max! With warmth and charm, this celebration of female friendship will inspire and delight readers, whether they’re meeting these wonderful women for the first time or visiting Covington once more!
In this wondrous holiday book from Joan Medlicott’s USA TODAY bestselling series, the Christmas season brings a host of surprises to the lovely ladies of Covington and their small North Carolina mountain town. The new pastor at the Cove Road Church in Covington discovers that a former pastor from forty years ago was never ordained as a minister, and was therefore not qualified to marry anyone—which means that five longstanding marriages are invalid! With their marriages thrown into crisis, it's decided that the couples absolutely must remarry on Christmas Eve. But with the church desperately in need of repairs and lacking the funds to fix the rotting floorboards and the outdated heating system, how can they ever get it ready in time? Sounds like a job for the ladies of Covington! Grace, Hannah, and Amelia step in to organize the weddings, while their friends and neighbors volunteer paint, lumber, and good old-fashioned elbow grease to fix up the church. But when last-minute obstacles threaten to stop the weddings, they're going to need a miracle to turn Christmas Eve into a wedding day that no one will ever forget. Brimming with warmth, charm, and the spirit of the holidays, A Covington Christmas is a delightful gift for new fans and returning fans alike!
Joan Medlicott's seventh novel in her bestselling series set in Covington, North Carolina, celebrating life, love, and the powerful bonds between the Ladies of Covington. For Hannah, marriage has never meant happily ever after. Having fled an abusive husband when her daughters were young, she's never had reason to marry again...until now. Her business partner, Max, has proposed because he doesn't want her to be taxed on his estate. Hannah is initially reluctant to enter such an arrangement but logic dictates that she accept. Then, after the wedding, she finds herself spending more time over at Max's and is shocked to discover that she loves him -- wildly and passionately! A part of her wants the marriage to become real, but she's scared of losing herself again -- and more scared, still, that Max doesn't feel the same. Right when she desperately needs the counsel of her two closest friends, Grace is wrapped up with her partner, Bob, and Amelia is away in New York, being tempted by the glamorous life. Will Hannah find the courage to pursue a real marriage? And what will happen to her relationships with Grace and Amelia if she does?
Can an old betrayal turn into a brandnew beginning? National bestselling author Joan Medlicott pens a heartwarming tale of a family found. Widowed Amelia always portrayed her marriage to Thomas Declose as complete perfection. They lived in Paris and entertained widely for a glittering crowd; only the tragic loss of their little girl marred what appeared an ideal existence. So when Miriam Smith arrives with her daughter Sadie on Amelia's doorstep in a snowstorm, claiming to be the illegitimate child of the long-dead Thomas, Amelia reacts with shock and fury. Could Thomas possibly have had a secret life he hid from her -- a life that would have made their marriage vows a lie? Rebuffing the wise counsel of her housemates, Grace and Hannah, Amelia dismisses the possibility of a family of her own and buries herself in the pain of betrayal and humiliation. Little Sadie is the spitting image of Amelia's own lost daughter, though, and she cannot help taking mother and child into her heart. But danger stalks Miriam, and it looks as if Amelia might lose this family, too. When Mother's Day arrives, will she be left with empty arms...or with her deepest longings fulfilled? This beautiful tale of mothers and daughters is an enchanting addition to Joan Medlicott's USA Today bestselling Covington books.
The ladies of Covington once again face life's trials and tribulations with help from their family, friends and community in this charming novel for women of all ages. In Covington, life seems settled into blissful domesticity. Happily married now, Hannah and Max together nurture the parkland they saved from developers. But their peaceful life is shattered when Max's estranged son, Zachary, returns from India with his pregnant wife, Sarina. Soon there will be a new baby in Covington, and Hannah and Sarina bond while shopping in preparation for the blessed event. But Hannah worries about the rift that still exists between Zachary and his father. Can it possibly be repaired? Despite her instant affection for Sarina—and for baby Sarah when she arrives—Hannah worries that Zachary's return may cause more heartache than joy. Has their quiet peace fled forever? Interwoven with the continued stories of Grace, Amelia, and others who have joined their circle, this beautiful and touching tale is a moving addition to the Covington series, sure to be cherished by readers new and old.
A buried cache inspires the ladies of Covington to plan an unforgettable Christmas for two families forever changed by a long-ago war. A rusty old tin box holding nineteenth-century letters and diaries is unearthed at the Covington Homestead, and the contents reveal a thrilling drama to longtime housemates Grace, Amelia, and Hannah. Two Civil War soldiers—one Union and one Confederate—were found dying on a battlefield by an old woman and nursed back to health. After the war, they chose to stay in Covington, caring for their rescuer as she grew frail . . . but they never contacted the families they had left behind. With Christmas coming, Amelia is inspired. What if she and her friends were to find the two soldiers’ descendants and invite them to Covington to meet? What better holiday gift could there be than the truth about these two heroic men and their dramatic shared fate? With little time left, the ladies spring into action to track down the men’s families . . . and to make preparations for the most memorable, most historic Covington Christmas yet.