Comfort Plans Book Blog Tour, Review, and Giveaway #LoneStarLit

The moment Comfort Plans completely sucked me in was when main character Colette was hiding in the small turret room of that old farmhouse. She’s avoiding all confrontation, which I can totally get behind. She finds her backbone finally and decides to start fighting for what, and who, she wants. I can appreciate the growth she shows as a character. She puts on her big girl panties and takes charge of her life.

She wasn’t renovating a house.
She was the one being renovated.

From the cover blurb, I had certain expectations for the romance in the book; oh, how I was wrong. Beau really stood out from the beginning as the choice Colette should make.  If there was ever a race for slow burn romance, Beau’s and Colette’s would be leading the pack. Beau and Colette dance around each other, sometimes coming closer, other times further. I treasured how Ms. Fish wound the story of Colette and Beau into the story of the house. As the rebuild progressed, so did their relationship.

This was not a blinding love at first site. Or a love fashioned by family expectations. This was a love born for a lifelong commitment.

The story of the house and its original inhabitants (Laki and Colin) came together through Colin’s found letters. While this was a fascinating part of the story, one of my few disappointments in Comfort Plans was that I wanted more of Colin’s and Laki’s story. How did they meet? Where did they come from? There were hints in Colin’s letters, but it was only enough to whet my appetite! And then there is Cornbread the dog. I’m wondering if he’s related to the original dog that Colin sent to protect Laki? I want more!

While I’m okay with letting my imagination run free with Colin and Laki, one aspect of Comfort Plans threw me. There is a section in the middle where the narration randomly switched from Colette’s to Beau’s. The transition was jarring. I’m fine with dual narration, but when that change happens inconsistently and\or suddenly, I have an issue. In addition, I didn’t know what Colette was up to during Beau’s narration. For me, that part of Colette’s story was missing.

By the end of Comfort Plans, the mystery is solved. The house rebuild is complete. And I have a soft spot in my heart for this novel – and Beau and Colette in particular. Part mystery, part history, and part romance, Comfort Plans is well-plotted and un-put-down-able. Come for the romance between Colette and Beau. Stay to experience Colette’s growth. Time in Comfort, Texas is time well spent.