The Spirit of Covington — Joan Medlicott

If you're meeting the Ladies of Covington for the first time, prepare to fall in love with Hannah, Grace, and Amelia -- three warm, strong, and wonderful sixty-something women who are so real, they'll soon become dear friends. If you've visited Covington before, you know how much you're going to enjoy catching up on their lives, as the ladies face new challenges with generous hearts, a hearty dose of practicality, and good cheer.

Hannah, Grace, and Amelia are devastated when a fire destroys their beloved old farmhouse on Cove Road. As they begin the long, difficult process of rebuilding, they find an unexpected silver lining as the crisis creates deeper bonds with the locals in their adopted North Carolina mountain town.

Of course life doesn't stop just because there's an emergency, and new developments arise from the situation. After Grace's dear companion Bob has a heart attack, she moves into his hillside condo to take care of him -- and then must decide whether to rejoin the other ladies when their new farmhouse is finished.

Without the buffer of Grace's ease, Hannah and Amelia find their very different person-alities clashing. To ease the strain, Hannah temporarily moves in with George Maxwell, their across-the-street neighbor, with whom she works side-by-side in creating Bella's Park. And when Max surprises Hannah by offering her a marriage of convenience, where she can continue living with the other ladies but also inherit Bella's Park to safeguard it, she has a very difficult decision to make.