COMFORT SONGS
a companion novel to Comfort Plans
by
KIMBERLY FISH
Genre: Contemporary Romance / Women’s Fiction
Publisher: Fish Tales, LLC
Date of Publication: September 19, 2019
Number of Pages: 348
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Award-winning author of Comfort Plans, Kimberly Fish, delivers a novel about family, forgiveness, and the seeds of second chances.
Eight years ago, Autumn Joy Worthington, still reeling from the bitter divorce of her Grammy-Award-winning parents, endured the betrayal of a man who’d promised her a wedding. Running from pain seemed the logical response. Reinventing herself in Comfort, Texas, as a lavender grower, she creates a wildly successful gardening haven that draws in tourists and establishes an identity far removed from her parents’ fame. Her mother’s retirement from stardom inspires AJ to offer her refuge and nurse the dream that they could move past old hurts and the tarnish of the music industry … to find friendship.
A grandmother in the early stages of dementia and the return of AJ’s father complicate the recovery, but nothing sets the fragile reality spinning like the arrival of Nashville music executive, Luke English. As Alzheimer’s slowly knocks away the filters of their family, AJ comes to appreciate the true meanings of love and forgiveness — and that the power of redemption can generate from the most unlikely sources. When AJ uncovers the grit to make hard choices, she also discovers that the flowers that bloom the brightest can have the most tangled roots.
Eight years ago, Autumn Joy Worthington, still reeling from the bitter divorce of her Grammy-Award-winning parents, endured the betrayal of a man who’d promised her a wedding. Running from pain seemed the logical response. Reinventing herself in Comfort, Texas, as a lavender grower, she creates a wildly successful gardening haven that draws in tourists and establishes an identity far removed from her parents’ fame. Her mother’s retirement from stardom inspires AJ to offer her refuge and nurse the dream that they could move past old hurts and the tarnish of the music industry … to find friendship.
A grandmother in the early stages of dementia and the return of AJ’s father complicate the recovery, but nothing sets the fragile reality spinning like the arrival of Nashville music executive, Luke English. As Alzheimer’s slowly knocks away the filters of their family, AJ comes to appreciate the true meanings of love and forgiveness — and that the power of redemption can generate from the most unlikely sources. When AJ uncovers the grit to make hard choices, she also discovers that the flowers that bloom the brightest can have the most tangled roots.
I received a copy of this book for free. This is my honest and thoughtful review.
If you’re a fan of the show This Is Us, then you will absolutely understand what it feels like to be completely captivated by a family that makes your heart swoon in one beat, but break in the next. Every moment and emotion of this redemptive tale was vivid, richly portrayed, and masterfully relatable, casting a magical spell over me while reading that made it so rewarding to reach the end, yet so hard to say goodbye to these characters.
“Good thing you came to Comfort. We specialize in changing folks’ lives.”
For the Worthington women, Comfort, Texas, by definition, truly becomes a place that helps ease their pain and sets them on a hopeful course to discover who they can be. Beautifully captured by the author’s breathtaking descriptions and stunning imagery, you begin to feel that you are either already there or you need to get there as fast as you can!
AJ’s picturesque lavender farm becomes a safe place to fall, but also the spot that all of her stressful family members run to as well. Each is mourning their own distinct loss while desperately trying to hold tight to their individual agenda. Life doesn’t always work out according to a plan, and more often then not, the beauty is all the unexpected blessings that come along the way. Luke is definitely one of those, and his mesmerizing energy is a force to be reckoned with for characters and readers alike.
“She and July still had a lot of bridges to build, but AJ had been wrong to funnel all the songs of a thirty-year career into a storage box. Part of respecting her mother meant acknowledging that music was organic to her.”
Whether we realize it or not, sometimes the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, and our stories are more connected then we could ever begin to believe. AJ acknowledges very early on that talking to each other more would not only answer some very deep seated family questions, but could also lead to them “treating each other in a kinder, more mature way.” That is definitely the understatement of the year for this entire family! Interspersed throughout the book are chapters that flash the reader back in time to pivotal moments in Inez’s life that help readers to understand her character and watch her development in a way that her family will never be able to see given her advanced state of dementia. As Shakespeare so wisely stated, “what’s past is prologue,” and so much of this family’s history is interwoven into the seeds they plant for tomorrow. It can be hard to rewrite your future when it’s filled with so much grief, misunderstanding, and bad choices, but this story is a testament to the power of forgiveness, second chances, grace, and unconditional love.
“Sometimes, we all need a moment to forget the world and fall into a song.”
You’ll fall in love with this discordant group of individuals and tenderly watch as they all become delightfully harmonious. And just as enchanting will be learning the lessons of Lavender Farm in quotes from AJ’s coveted book appearing before most chapters. Her keen insights and knowledge about gardening can be directly tied to the care we express to others, making it an invaluable resource in cultivating healthy relationships, and perhaps, a more positive inner dialogue within ourselves. One of the best books I’ve read all year, making it highly recommended!
Kimberly Fish is a professional writer with almost thirty years of media experience. She’s been telling stories far longer. She published her first novel, a WWII historical fiction novel, because of a true story in her adopted hometown that was too good to ignore. She quickly followed that success with a sequel. Since then, she’s continued writing fiction and added a contemporary second-chance romance series set in Comfort, Texas, to her list of fun, fast-paced novels. Kimberly lives with her family in East Texas.
GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!
SIGNED COPY OF COMFORT SONGS+ HUMMINGBIRD FARMS HAND CREAM & HAND SOAP
OCTOBER 22-NOVEMBER 1, 2019
(U.S. Only)
a Rafflecopter giveaway Best of luck!
Many thanks to Lone Star Book Blog Tours and the author! It was a pleasure reading, reviewing, and hosting! And be sure to check out the other stops on the tour for more opinions and extras!
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That's What She's Reading 
FABULOUS review! I am so pumped to read this book!
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YES! this books sounds wonderful!!@tisonlyme143
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