A Covington Christmas

When new pastor Denny Ledbetter and Grace are going through the church attic cleaning out boxes of old church items from years ago, they come across a startling fact. Pastor Simms that was the preacher there 40 years ago was a fraud, and had never been ordained. He had married 5 couples, knowing it wasn't legal and took off before he was ever discovered. When these couples who had been married for 40 years were told of this, they were thrown into crisis and knew that it must be made legal soon. With the church in need of repair though, there would not be time before Christmas, or would there? With Grace in the picture, she takes the bull by the horns and forms a committee of helpers for a new paint job on the church, and new heating system since the old heater is down and it would be much too cold for 5 weddings on Christmas Eve Day. At the last minute, everyone is scrambling to pull things off successfully, and Pastor Ledbetter is frantically driving to Tennessee for the new heating system when he gets caught in the snowstorm. But with any luck and prayers, things will come together well.

This is the first book I have read in the Covington series. I thought it was great. The author makes the mountain ways and saying sound authentic- even though she is from the Virgin Islands. I have never met anyone who found out their marriage was not valid, but this book definitely explored the topic and left you with lots to think about. I loved the parts where the mysterious flowers showed up in the church. I also liked Denny, the minister, and the way he was always praying and how God answered his prayers. This will not be the last Covington series I read. In fact, when I finish writing this review, I intend to buy the rest. If you like the Appalachain Mountains, you will love this book.

When the new pastor at the Cove Road Church in Covington discovers the former pastor was never ordained as a minister - making five longstanding marriages invalid - trouble begins when the couples mark Christmas as an occasion for getting married for real. With a church falling down, the ladies of the town decide to embark on a renovation fund - and trouble really begins. The 'Ladies of Covington' is delightful even without the warmth of the holidays: public libraries will find their exploits fun and the seasonal acquisition certain to receive repeated attention from patrons. Diane C. Donovan California Bookwatch

A pleasant read. The characters are developed so that they are easily visualized. It's nice to get away from murder and mayhem occasionally.

Ah! Yes! Our Ladies are back, and just in time for Christmas. To say I was absolutely delighted when I saw this newest book would be to put it lightly. Why? Because, through the years, the adventures of Grace Singleton, Hannah Parrish and Amelia Declose have entertained me more than I can put into words. Their lives are never dull, and, through this book, we have an opportunity to meet even more of their friends and neighbors and have another peek into their warm and creative personalities. As the story opens, we find Grace hard at work with the Church's new pastor, Denny Ledbetter, in the neglected attic of the Cove Road Church. As they clean away the layers of dust, they find a letter from 1963 that gives away the secret of a former minister and has quite an impact on five couples whom he married in the church many years ago. As it turns out, Richard W. Simms, the former minister, was never really a minister, so the marriages he had performed were invalid. Since these couples were never legally husband and wife, what will be the implications for their grownup children and grandchildren? Of course these couples must remarry - and quickly. So, they enlist the help of our Covington Ladies and settle on a multiple wedding with a Christmas Eve ceremony in the Cove Road Church. There is much work to be done with the new brides, which our Ladies can certainly handle, but the unexpected extra work in getting the church itself ready was soon almost overwhelming. Here in the middle of November, the church furnace dies and there are no extra funds in the church budget to cover the repairs. Of course, everyone recognizes that there must be heat in the church, not only for the Christmas Eve weddings, but also for the yearly Christmas Eve church service! Then, to add to their problems, it is soon realized that the very walls and windows (which sustained a lot of smoke damage during the fire a couple of years ago) must be scrubbed and then painted. Last of all, there was also the problem of rotting floorboards in several areas of the church, which simply must be replaced. As you might guess, due to the absence of any church funds our Ladies soon organize a wealth of volunteers to help with the work and supplies - no small task in itself. Then, we add to this mix the accidental finding of a valuable painting in the church, an unexpected snow storm, and a mysterious visitor who delivers beautiful, and very expensive, flowers every day as the work progresses. ***** I was enthralled with this story and with all the brides as they planned their wedding day. Each bride was unique and we got a glimpse into each of their lives up to this point, but I found that the predicament of one of them (May McCorkle) truly tugged at my heart. Regardless of whether you are new to the adventures of Grace, Hannah, and Amelia or a veteran of their antics, you will be mesmerized with this special holiday story. Joan Medlicott has done it again! ***** Reviewed by Ruth Wilson