SWEET COMFORT
Comfort and Joy Trilogy, #1
by
KIMBERLY FISH
Women's Fiction / Later-In-Life Romance
Second-Chance Romance / Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Fish Tales
Page Count: 359 pages
Publication Date: January 21, 2023
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Welcome to the hometown everyone wants to call their own.Gloria Bachman, a retired bank executive, has eight weeks to flip a location on Comfort’s High Street into a boutique chocolate shop. Defying expectations for “women of a certain age,” Gloria rediscovers talents and a sharpening of skills. If only she could read people as well as she does a spreadsheet. Even with the renovation in good hands, the subsequent struggle to name the shop brings Gloria and her business partner into conflict with a shady citizen. While Gloria is capable of remaining in her retirement rut while opening a business, two competing social groups try to lure her into their networks, causing Gloria to wonder if she ever knew Comfort at all. A murder rocks the community and revives investigative instincts honed by years in the banking industry.
Mason Lassiter, a disgraced CEO, has his own dramas to escape and the offbeat town seems the perfect place to recover his self-esteem. What was to be a quick reversal of fortunes becomes a quest to right a deeply felt injustice. Fascinated by the women driving the energy of Comfort, he extends his stay to find out why the small town is the backdrop to their best tales. Tangling with his neighbor Gloria becomes his favorite pastime and the key to unlocking the mystery of his past—if he can convince her to trust him.
Chocolate and joy become the glue bringing an unlikely cast together, which just might change Gloria’s and Mason’s course for the better. With characters familiar from previous Comfort novels and introducing fresh names, Sweet Comfort will entertain those who like their stories seasoned with coziness and sweet, second chances.
Review:
Sweet Comfort is the story of Gloria and her latest stage in life. She has already lived a good deal and done a lot. Now she is trying to do things differently in Comfort, Texas. With her already acquired experience and the help of her friends and community, Gloria begins a new and very entertaining chapter. She is working on opening a chocolate shop with her friend, Kali. She is also working on opening up her heart to Mason.
The strength of Sweet Comfort is that it has a lot of heart and a lot of different thematic plot points, without ever bogging itself down or biting off too much. The story provides the feel of a small town, while bringing together the complications of life that come with aging and finding oneself anew. There is definitely a lot going on and the town has a lot of history, but it's still a great entry point. This is the first book in a new trilogy, spinning off of a previous series by Kimberly Fish. I haven't read that series, so I can't speak to how it connects, but I had no problems jumping into this book.
I really enjoyed the cast of characters and I love that there are several things going on. I like the mystery, the romance, and the struggles with self-perception that Gloria is experiencing. She isn't a typical heroine, which is also very refreshing. I initially came for the mystery, but I stayed for the cozier community elements that abound in Sweet Comfort. The title really does say it all. I give Sweet Comfort a Lone Star rating of ✯✯✯✯ stars.
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Thanks for sharing your thoughts about this series starter! I am also enticed by the new element the author's added (the mystery), but it sounds like there's so much more! Can't wait to read it.
ReplyDeleteReally enjoyed the review. Like you, I liked Gloria a lot and it was a pleasure to share her story.
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