COMFORT PLANS
by
KIMBERLY FISH
Genre: Contemporary Women's Fiction
Date of Publication: May 23, 2017
Number of Pages: 320
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As a San Antonio architect, she’d have vowed her career was to investigate the history and create new functions for the structures everyone else saw as eyesores. The old German farmhouse in Comfort, Texas, might be the screeching end of that dream job. The assignment seemed so ideal at the start; generous clients, a stunning location, and a pocketful of letters that were surely meant to explain the ranch’s story. All that goodness crashed louder than a pile of two-by-fours when her grandfather announced he’d lured Colette’s ex-husband back to San Antonio to take over the family architecture firm. Now, not only does Colette have to endure the challenges posed by Beau Jefferson, the client’s handpicked contractor, a house that resists efforts to be modernized, and letters that may hold the secret to buried treasure, but she also has to decide if she has the courage to fight for her future.
Set against the backdrop of the Texas Hill Country, Colette and Beau have to rely on plans neither of them constructed in order to navigate the changes of a house with a story to tell, and a future they couldn’t even imagine.
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"Kimberly Fish's unique writing style snatched me out of my easy chair and plunked me down into the middle of her character's life where I was loathe to leave when my real life called me back. Her descriptive visual writing drew me in on the first page. Can't wait to read more stories by Mrs. Fish."
--Vickie Phelps,Author of Moved, Left No Address
HALL WAYS REVIEW: Kimberly Fish is
back with the same rich writing and flair that I fell in love with in her
novel, The Big Inch. In Comfort Plans, readers are given main
character Colette, who initially is a world of mess. As she runs from place to
place, trying to seek refuge, solace, and answers, Colette begins to realize
that the power to heal and move forward and live her life is all her own.
My reading preference is generally not stories in which the primary
focus is romance, and Comfort Plans fits
the bill. While Colette clearly has man problems, and there are certainly sparks
and chemical reactions happening, I love that this book is all about Colette
and her exploration of who she is, where she’s been, and where she’s going. While the men are important to Colette’s life
story (each for a different reason), they are background noise and represent
obstacles that many of us encounter. I think most readers will identify with
Colette at one point or another as she grows through different phases. For
some, it will be a been there, done that kind of thing and the reader will nod
along at the memories. For others, it will be a glimpse of better days to come.
The bottom line is that Comfort Plans
offers something to which every woman can relate, and riding along on Colette’s
journey feels familiar and comfortable – and is worth every minute spent doing it.
While the main story line of a woman finding herself isn’t necessarily
unique, the peripheral stories swirling around Colette are a fresh take. The
history and mystery surrounding the original, long-ago occupants of the house
being renovated kept me fascinated – and I really wanted to know more about
Laki and Colin and their story. Any time
I road trip and see the remains of old homes and buildings, my mind
wanders into what stories are held within the crumbling walls. Author Kimberly
Fish gives readers interesting food for thought.
Fish has a real gift for creating beautiful imagery with her
sentences and manages to say a lot with a few well-placed words. For example, in talking about the houses of
the Texas Hill Country, she says, “These old, German homesteads boasted chatty
walls.” So much meaning! And speaking of
the Texas Hill Country, reading some of the descriptive passages of life outside
Comfort, Texas made me long to get out of the city to breathe it in and
experience it.
Stars of every
proportion and arrangement stretched fingers into the distance, and their
sheer, vast numbers ruined any memory she’d ever had of a previous starry
night. This was beyond stars on steroids. It was a curtain peeled back on
heaven.
Along with the lovely passages, Fish writes-in quirks, phrases, and
gestures that give her characters a life of their own – and also makes them
clearly Texan without going overboard. It is these touches that assure I will
continue reading anything written by Kimberly Fish.
My only wish for this book is that it gets additional proofreading
to address basic, easily fixed typos and errors and that the formatting issues (especially
page breaks) are addressed in future printings.
I did find some of them a bit distracting, but I don’t know that most
readers will be bothered since the story is so engaging.
Original, memorable, and a wonderful reading escape, Comfort Plans needs to be added to every
woman’s to-be-read list. I feel honored
that the author shared her story with me, and I anxiously await what’s next
from Kimberly Fish.
Thank you to Lone Star Book Blog Tours and the author for providing
me a lovely (THAT COVER!) print copy in exchange for my honest opinion – the only
kind I give.
She has since published in magazines, newspapers, and online formats and in 2017, released the first novel in a series set during the World War II years in Longview, Texas—The Big Inch.
She lives with her family in East Texas.
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Great review, Kristine! And I agree with your opinions!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lynn! And thanks for stopping by!
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