Guest Review: Kissing Comfort by Jo Goodman

Ames’ review of Kissing Comfort by Jo Goodman.

Bode DeLong knows that his playboy brother Bram isn’t really in love with Miss Comfort Kennedy, even though it’s clear that she’s enamored with him. With Bram’s motives for the engagement suspect, Bode figures the safest place for Comfort to be is in his arms. Now, Bode just needs to convince Comfort that the childhood fancy she has for his brother is no match for the incredible desire that sparks between them every time they touch.

The last book I read by Jo Goodman was Never Love a Lawman. I’ve always been meaning to pick another book of hers up so I thought I’d start with this one, for some odd reason thinking it was a contemporary. Well it wasn’t, but I was ok with that. LOL

Comfort Kennedy was named after a box of throat lozenges. Dr Eli Kennedy Comfort Lozenges came in a little red and white tin, something that Comfort was clutching in her hands when she was found by two former soldiers, Newt and Tucker. The wagon train she was part of was attacked and Comfort was the sole survivor. Newt and Tucker found her beside the wreckage and thought they’d save her and drop her off in the next town. Now it’s been 20 years and Newt, Tucker and Comfort are part of San Franciscan society, partners in a bank.

So Kissing Comfort opens with Comfort at her best friend, Bram’s, birthday party. And Bram has just announced to his guests that he and Comfort are engaged. No one is more surprised than Comfort, since it’s news to her as well. Bram quickly pulls Comfort aside and tells her he just said that because his older brother hadn’t shown up at the party and he wanted to give his mother something else to think about. Comfort is uneasy with this as she is an honest person and refuses to be a part of this. Bram coaxes Comfort into keeping up the charade for 6 weeks. Comfort agrees, but she is uneasy.

Being fake engaged to Bram brings Comfort and Bode, Bram’s older brother, closer together. Comfort has always kept her distance from the older DeLong boy but now he’s showing an interest in getting to know her better. But one thing the reader quickly learns is that Bode has always wanted Comfort, ever since her come-out ball when she met Bram. And Bode doesn’t realize the engagement is a sham.

Things change quickly when Comfort is abducted by the local street gang The Rangers and Bode comes to her rescue.

I really enjoyed this book. First of all, Comfort was my kind of heroine. She’s practical, she’s smart (she’s a freaking investment banker in the 1800s!) and she realizes before it’s not too late that she wants the wrong brother. Comfort fell for Bram when she was 16 and always loved him…but there was a safety to that love – she knew he’d never love her back. So at first she’s worried about herself during the fake engagement. And her uncles (Newt and Tucker) worry about this as well. But then as things develop, Comfort realizes that she doesn’t love Bram, she never really did and now she has to convince Bode of that.

Bode. *sigh* He’s the older brother who saves the day. The one who’s always secretly burned for the sweet young girl his brother charmed. Who always kept his distance. I loved that! Let’s just say, after he rescues Comfort close to the middle of the book, things just got better and better. He knew Comfort was smart and instead of trying to protect her and shelter her, he listened to her when she’d suggest ideas for foiling their unknown enemy. I liked that with these two, it was a true partnership. And I really liked their dynamic. At the beginning, she’s uneasy in his presence, but they’re quickly exchanging barbs and making each other laugh. These two were just good together.

I also liked the two plots and how they come together and how they were resolved. What I wish there was more of was a bit of Bode’s thoughts on Comfort-his secret yearning for years. That would have been icing on the cake! But we’re only given small mentions of it and then that’s it.

Kissing Comfort gets 4 out of 5.

This book is available from Berkley. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

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