From the award-winning author, of Comfort Plans, Kimberly Fish delivers a novel about family, forgiveness, and the seeds of second chancesEight 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, … 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.
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Put together some washed up musicians, a cantankerous grandmother, a young woman trying to hold everything together, and a man that sees potential in everything and you have discovered Comfort Songs, a story that will touch your soul and make you laugh and cry all at the same time.
Each chapter starts with a snippet from a book that AJ is writing called Lessons from Lavender Hill. Knowing the author and her love of the outdoors and plants, this was a natural fit for her and her characters. The description of the farm brought forth colorful images in my mind as I imagined waves of lavender waving in the wind with the various shades of the lavender plants – so picturesque!
This story has so many facets that engage the reader and invest us in each character and the town of Comfort. I am not sure who is my favorite character because several really struck home. Inez is AJ’s grandmother and her mind is starting to go and as the story progresses we see how dementia is affecting her and it is heart breaking. But at the same time, she reveals more about her earlier days with her husband and dealing with her mother-in-law. July is AJ’s mother and a very talented musician who has had rocky years and has decided to retire. But is that the right thing for her? Most likely not since most musicians are musicians until the day they die. There is always music in their hearts. Roger is AJ’s dad and he has had his share of issues in the past and Inez has bailed him out a time or two. He is like Peter Pan, he really hasn’t grown up and it is frustrating to see him leave the responsibility of his mother to AJ. Luke thought he was coming to Comfort to see July but didn’t expect to meet AJ or fall in love with her. I enjoyed watching their story unfold, learning about Luke’s past, his hopes and dreams, and how AJ might fit into his life.
Then there is AJ and she is a bit of a hot mess considering who her parents are and the impact they have had on her life. She is actually quite normal despite that fact but she still has issues. I enjoyed watching her grow and become more confident in her own skin.
This family has a lot to deal with and like most families, there is one person that is the glue that holds it all together. That is AJ’s role. Not one she really wants but accepts wanting to help her family and do what is right. But while she appears to be the glue, her life isn’t perfect and having everyone home at the same time brings that to light. Thankfully, Comfort is a small town and AJ has some close friends that help support her and encourage her to lighten up and not shun what is right in front of her face. Luke plays a large part in that support and he and AJ complete each other. They may not see it for some time, but it is there.
This book has so much going for it from dramatic scenes to those that will make you laugh. And then the ending…you’ll have to read the book to see how it turns out!
These are some of my favorite lines (I had more but tried to choose my ultimate favorites):
“This meal made him see he’d underestimated the people involved in July’s story. They were all mourning things they’d lost.”
“Luke stared at AJ, wondering how she could sound exactly like the woman who walked into this house dirtier than a hound dog, but now, a mere half hour later, appeared a goddess.”
“Did these people even see the layers of effort she put into an ordinary day? He doubted they had any notion of what she created on the other side of the hill. They only saw what she could do for them.”
“Was it possible that below the grizzled exterior was a man who felt protective of his cub?”
“They were too much alike. Too artistic. Too self-centered. Too destructive. Too removed from the one great thing they created together. the miracle of their gifts – their daughter.”
“Since driving off the interstate, he’s entered a world where a man’s character was judged by how well he could navigate heavy equipment and a fishing rod. And he’d not totally flunked.”
“In all honesty, I’ve always followed a carefully planned course.” His voice dropped for her ears alone. “But you make me want to be a better version of myself, and apparently that means letting go of agendas.”
“Mom has a way of turning the simplest melodies into strings of notes and lyrics that once they’re in your head, you can’t forget.”
“So, a widower and an almost-bride, you know, we’re a lyric waiting to happen.”
This book just sings to us and we give it 5 paws up
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!
Many thanks to Lone Star Book Blog Tours and the author for providing me with a free copy of this book. This is my honest and thoughtful review.
“Sometimes, we all need a moment to forget the world and fall into a song.”
Comfort Songs by Kimberly Fish is the perfect combination of sweet romance, rocky relationships, hurtful assumptions and grudges, songs to mend broken hearts and create new beginnings, a field of lavender to soothe the soul, and a dog named Beans that offers soft kisses and constant companionship.
Autumn Joy “AJ” Worthington owns and runs a lavender farm in Comfort, Texas, that actually reminds me a little bit of Wildseed Farms near Fredericksburg, Texas. Comfort is a quaint little town in the Texas Hill Country, and Kimberly Fish captures that small-town vibe to perfection. I especially loved the reference to PoPo Restaurant near Boerne because now I’m craving their fabulous blackberry cobbler and all the comfort food you can eat.
Comfort Songs is entertaining and engaging, and the dynamics between AJ and her grandmother Inez and her divorced parents, Roger and July, drive this story and give it an emotional and thought-provoking edge all the way through. AJ has always preferred to remain in the shadows cast by the blinding glow of her parents’ musical success, infamous divorce, and crash landing from the spotlight, all of which have provided far too much sensational fodder for the tabloids and gossips. When AJ moves back to Comfort after a breakup, she finds healing and peace by tilling the land and creating the lucrative Lavender Hill farm/store. When her mother moves in, crushed and newly retired from her musical career, AJ is determined to shelter her and give her time to heal. However, Luke English from Nashville has other plans. When AJ’s grandmother starts showing signs of dementia and when AJ’s bankrupt father shows up on her doorstep, AJ is forced to navigate a minefield of fragile egos, her grandmother’s mental decline, and a budding affection for Luke who naturally and skillfully steps in to help out and subsequently steals everyone’s heart.
Comfort Songs is an incredible journey of healing, forgiveness, self-realization, illness, and revelations that threaten to break apart a family that is already broken and bruised from a lifetime of bitterness and bad choices.
Several things make this story remarkable. Kimberly Fish’s literary writing style is lyrical and appeals to the senses because you can almost smell the lavender and feel the warm Texas summer. The characters are real and messy and full of emotional baggage. Many scenes are filled with raw moments of reflection and realization, especially when AJ finally realizes that the only thing she can change and control is herself. The gardening advice at the beginning of many chapters called “Lessons from Lavender Hill” are the perfect companion to the action in the story because nature is always ready to guide us in the right direction. And finally, the flashbacks to young Inez and her tumultuous life with her husband George and his family, especially his mother, show that history often has a nasty habit of repeating itself, even when we vow to be different.
So many interesting characters, scenes, and moments are tucked into the pages of this wonderful story that is primarily about accepting our beautifully flawed and damaged selves as well as our loved ones who often simply need a safe place to land and a favorite song to remind them that they are loved and that they still have a lot of life to live and a lot of love to give.
I received a free copy of this book from Lone Star Book Blog Tours in exchange for my honest review.
Everyone has a backstory. And as you read Comfort Songs by Kimberly Fish, it is easy to envision how the lives of those who have gone before us can have so much influence on what makes each of us who we are today. Strong work ethics, stubbornness, soft-heartedness, the need to control, the desire to create and so many other personality traits are tightly woven into the strands of our DNA. It seems, our ancestors can have stronger influences on the way we live and breathe and perceive than we are ever aware of.
Ms. Fish has a unique way of finding that intricate balance between the past and the now. Her writing style brings clarity to the machinations haunting three generations of women from the same family. The way the stories of AJ, July, Inez and even the dour, loveless woman in the black dress were woven together made the events at the lavender farm in the little town of Comfort, Texas vibrate in my own psyche. There was so much love. . .and animosity swirling in the backgrounds of mother, daughter and grandmother. The humiliation, pride, pain and suffering almost overshadowed the love and compassion that each one wanted so desperately to be capable of expressing.
Like it is for AJ’s mother July, songwriting is also a passion of mine. So, it is easy for me to understand her over-whelming need to write and sing to express her feelings and views of the world. But since, I also now have a little bit of the wisdom that comes with age, I can also commiserate with July’s daughter, who is achingly tired of seeing her mother suffer through the trials and tribulations that come with maneuvering through the roller-coaster life of a country music star. AJ just wants to save her mother from all of that. . .and possibly from herself, too. The thing is…AJ’s notions about how to accomplish such a feat simply do not mesh with July’s, especially after Luke’s arrival on the scene threatens to swoop the aging star back into the music world.
This is such a good book filled with so much emotional depth that many times, it was hard to keep reading through the flow of tears. Not all of those tears were sorrowful, though. Sometimes, it was because I was so struck with emotion by the writer’s flawless ability to give lucidity to a tender moment. Contrary to how it may appear in the previous paragraphs, Comfort Songs is a wonderfully sweet love story between AJ and Luke that fills one with hope for the future. It takes place in a colorful backdrop of lavender fields, golden sunrises and moonlit nights that are full of the heartbeat of music.
I love that there are no cringe worthy moments in this beautifully written clean romance. I highly recommend it for readers of all ages.