House of Seven

The year is 1913, and the setting is in the town of Taylorsburg of the Covington Chronicles. Beth DuBard, a lovely, single author, moves to a new town after her uncle gives her a house and a newspaper business. Leaving an undesirable suitor behind, she takes whacky Aunt Genie, who demands constant attention while doling out witty sarcasm. Beth's best friend, also a cousin and the family housekeeper, goes along and becomes a force of strength. Along the way, others join the household. The seven unlikely souls don't always like each other, but they need to be together. Mary Lou Cheatham blends romance, comedy, and mystery in a fast-paced yarn told through the viewpoints of multiple characters. In each novel of the Covington Chronicles series, comic relief brightens dark moments. Taking a different tone, House of Seven shows everyday life from a humorous perspective. Even though it is full of romance-laced with mystery and adventure-it is primarily written to give the readers fun. House of Seven is the sixth Covington Chronicle, but it is not necessary to read the five preceding books-Secret Promise, The Courtship of Miss Loretta Larson, The Dream Bucket, Manuela Blayne, and Travelers in Painted Wagons on Cohay Creek-before reading House of Seven. Only one of the seven major characters, Cecil Canterbury, has appeared in the other novels. Although he has been a minor character in the other books, the time has come for him to fall in love. One man, Jacob MacGregor, the local store owner, shows up in all the Chronicles, but he is most often in the background. Other townspeople drift in and out of the books of the series but cause no difficulty in understanding the current book.