Kissing Comfort (Berkley Sensation)

My absolute favorite Jo Goodman book so far. There's just a lot of nuances and depth to her characters, and the dialogues flow so well, with humor sometimes so subtle it would catch me off guard.

Comfort Elizabeth Kennedy is spirited, intelligent - practical but doesn't take herself too seriously. Like many of Goodman's heroines, Comfort is dealing with trauma and scars from her past. Bode DeLong is a quietly passionate man, strong but kindhearted. He has secretly loved Comfort for a long time but remained in the peripheries, waiting for the right time.

This is an interesting story set in an uncommon time (at least for the romance genre). It opens in 1850 in Sierra Nevada during the Gold Rush and hundreds of families were migrating, show more hoping for a better life. There are enough twists and turns to keep the reader engaged. Everything comes full circle in the end.

Wonderful read! show less

Ms. Goodman writes excellent historical romances, though she excels in Western historicals. In this book, she's ventured further west to San Francisco. Comfort Kennedy is the adopted daughter of two miners who found her in a wagon train where everyone else was massacred. Now wealthy, Comfort is in love with Bran DeLong though she's surprised when he announces their engagement at his brother Bode's birthday party. Bode distrusts his playboy brother Bran and to complicate matters, he's also in love with Comfort.
I don't always like love triangles, but this one worked for me. Bran is a rascal, but Bode and Comfort truly are the best pairing. The two uncles are fun characters too. There's also an engrossing mystery to do with Comfort's origins.

This was thanks to Goodreads giveaways.

This is the first book I have read from Jo Goodman. I really enjoyed the book. Comfort's "Uncles" had me laughing out loud. I did get a little confused in the beginning between Bram and Bode (which was which) but that's prob attributable to old age! LOL
I really liked Bode, he was so "devoted" to Comfort without really letting her know it, I think she is too independent to have put up with
much! I'm glad she finally came around to his way of thinking!

An excellent novel from Goodman. I enjoyed the characters and the overall story arc. It's one I know I'll read again. (full review to come).