You’ll have to be in a specific mood to enjoy The Ladies of Covington Send Their Love: namely you’ll have to be in the mood to read about warm friendships between mature, older women. Also don’t expect a lot of action, and don’t be in a hurry for the story to end.

Grace Singleton, Hannah Parrish and Amelia Declose meet each other at a boarding house in Philadelphia. Grace and Hannah moved in because their adult children couldn’t take care of them. Amelia has no children or other family. When Amelia receives property in the tiny little town of Covington, North Carolina, as a surprise inheritance, she persuades Grace and Hannah to check it out with her. The three women decide to move, fix up the house, and live there together. This huge change in their lives catalyzes many other changes and offers them opportunities that they never thought they’d have again.

Grace is the sweetheart of the group and the glue that holds them together. She’s sweet and nurturing. A sheltered life gave her no opportunity to do anything or go beyond the town where she was born. When her son uprooted her and forced her to live in the boarding home, it caused her to question her place in life. The loss of her friends and her husband has left her feeling alone as well. Grace’s relationship with her gay son is strained at best.

Hannah has a tough edge to her, a legacy from a past marriage to an abusive husband. Leaving her husband caused her to struggle and work hard as a single mother, resulting in a strained relationship with her daughters. They don’t talk much, and Hannah really doesn’t know her grandsons. A bad hip has caused her to leave her gardening business and retire.

Amelia is the most fragile of the group. Since she is used to the nice things in life, Amelia feels lost at the boarding home. She’s a fairly flighty woman at first, but she finds a new interest in her love of photography.

These ladies all go through some personal growth during this story. Grace becomes stronger and more confident, which was nice to see. By the way, her insecurity about a new relationship proves that women of all ages have the same worries and insecurities (and they seem just as silly at any age). The family relationships among the women are resolved in a satisfying way, and they all find something new to look forward to.

This all sounds good so far, right? Well, the trouble is that it’s all pretty boring. The book was nicely written and started off in a way that drew me in. Grace has to search Amelia’s room while Amelia is in the hospital to see if she has anyone to contact. They find letters from a long-lost cousin to Amelia that are quite touching. This leads to the move, then the book went downhill from there. The ladies move to Covington, they fix up the house, and life is good. Amelia gets into the same type of scrape more than once, which really makes her seem even flightier. Don’t get me wrong, the relationships are lovely, but there’s not a lot happening in this book. I don’t have to have serial killers popping up or presumed-dead spouses appearing, but some action would be nice.

One of the things that puzzled me most about this book was the lack of concern the women showed when it appeared as though they might lose their new home in Covington. At first Grace and Hannah push Amelia to find some missing letters that would solidify their claim to the house, and they even help her. When Amelia can’t find the letters, she ignores the situation, and acts like Scarlett O’Hara thinking tomorrow is another day.

This is a review that comes complete with many qualifiers. If you’re in the mood for something different and don’t expect much excitement and can simply get into the slow flow and pace of the book, you might enjoy The Ladies of Covington Send Their Love. As for me, I’m ready for a book with a faster pace right now, and hopefully a little romance.