Review - - Stages of the Heart

Stages of the Heart
by Jo Goodman
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: May 5, 2020
Reviewed by PJ
  

Experience has taught Laurel to be suspicious of the men who pass through Morrison Station. She's been running the lucrative operation that connects Colorado's small frontier town of Falls Hollow with the stagecoach line since she inherited it from her father, and she's not about to let some wandering cowboy take over the reins. But newcomer McCall Landry isn't just any gunslinger. He seems to genuinely care for Laurel, and with his rugged good looks and mysterious past, he could be the one man to finally tempt her off track...

Call Landry doesn't expect much from Falls Hollow. He doesn't expect much from anything anymore. But Laurel Morrison took him by surprise when she put in a good word for him, a virtual stranger, after the stagecoach was robbed--and she keeps taking him by surprise. Charmed by her clever wit and fierce loyalty, Call finds himself falling hard. Now all he has to do is convince her he means to stay--in her bed, in her life, and in her heart.

PJ's Thoughts:

One of the things I most enjoy about Jo Goodman's books is how she creates interesting, well-rounded characters then allows them to drive their story. That's the case once again in her newest novel, Stages of the Heart, a slow-burn romance with a solid mystery at its core, set in the post-Civil War, Colorado frontier.

I really enjoyed this book. It moves at a gradual pace, allowing the reader to slowly come to know the characters as they also learn about one another, but never feels like it's dragging. I loved the sweet, heart-tugging feelings that develop between stubborn and independent Laurel Beth and former soldier, Call. Laurel Beth's innocence and conflicting feelings alongside her desire and determination are perfectly portrayed. And Call is such a good guy. I was in his corner all the way. 

The mystery they need to unravel brings them together even as it brings danger to their door. Goodman does a good job of weaving all the threads together to keep the reader guessing until the reveal. She also surrounds Call and Laurel Beth with an array of secondary characters who bring humor, conflict, and an enjoyable richness to the story. By the end of the book, I felt as if I knew them all, wanting to be friends with some, and happy that others got the punishment they richly deserved. 

Take a satisfying trip to the Old West with Jo Goodman's Stages of the Heart. 

Review - - A Touch of Forever

A TOUCH OF FOREVER

by Jo Goodman

Publisher: Berkley  

Release Date: June 4, 2019

Reviewed by Hellie 

Lily Salt has sworn off men. After finally gaining her independence, the last thing she needs is another man telling her what to do. But the handsome railroad engineer from New York isn’t at all what she expected. He’s kind, gentle...and tempting enough to make her wonder what a second chance at love might be worth.

A self-acknowledged black sheep, Roen Shepard knows what it means to feel alone. Recognizing a kindred spirit in the reserved widow whose fascinating blue-green eyes have seen too much, and charmed by the warmth of her ready-made family, the two begin an unlikely friendship.

When a complication from his past follows him to Frost Falls, Roen proposes a mad scheme to protect the new life he’s built and keep the stubborn woman he’s accidentally fallen for close--a marriage of convenience. But Lily has secrets of her own, and the closer he gets to uncovering them, the more he comes to realize that the only truth that matters is the secret to unlocking her heart.

Lily Salt was one of the unforgettable characters in A TOUCH OF FLAME, one in which I hoped she may get her own happy ending due to the fact she surely had suffered enough. (In real life, it is acknowledged life is unfair and unchangeable, but in fiction, it is a sacred compact that readers want justice for their characters. Well, except readers of G.R.R. Martin--those readers know better.)

Lily is a widow with four children: Clay, Hannah, Ham and Lizzie; and she cares for her kids by doing sewing for a local seamstress. She’s able to make ends meet; and the family is far more stable than it was when she was married to an abusive alcoholic. Clay is the oldest, not quite a teen, and very much the man of the house. He is protective of his mother and is always looking for ways to bring in more income to their family.

Clay makes himself known to the new-to-town railroad engineer, Roen Shepard, who has come to survey the land and evaluate the best place to put the new railroad line, connecting to areas outside of the main line. Roen is from back East, the middle son of a bohemian family of artists, and is used to being the outsider treated with suspicion. He offers Clay a job as an assistant, promising Lily that he would make sure the work would not interfere with Clay’s schooling and would in fact build upon it, requiring an aptitude for math well-beyond most schooling in the area. She reluctantly agrees to a trial basis.

Soon Roen realizes the real math whiz is Lily, and with some persuasion he gets Lily to help him on his surveying trips. Additionally, while he is working and building trust with the family, he encounters a “blast from his past” that is sure to put a crick in his style--and which he decides to handle by offering Lily a marriage of convenience. After all, if the woman in hot pursuit of him finds out he’s already married, she’ll have to go home, right? (Seriously, do men think?) Lily, for reasons of her own, agrees to the marriage of convenience; and soon the marriage becomes anything but convenient. And despite being married, the woman Roen is trying to get rid of still refuses to leave.

Between being shot at while surveying the best place to lay track and becoming a suspect in the murder of the woman he was trying to avoid in the first place, Roen’s problems get bigger and bigger, not the least of which, how to win the trust and love of the woman he conveniently married. Lily’s growth in the story stems from growing out of her fear of living and dealing with her PTSD from her previous marriage--and it’s a joy to read. Jo Goodman does a good job of creating little scenes that layer in so much emotional meaning and impact for the relationship.

AND...we have a sweet secondary romance that almost steals the show as well as interactions with beloved characters from the previous installments of Frost Falls. All in all, a wonderful installment of this series. Worth the read.

Review - - A Touch of Flame

A Touch of Flame

By: Jo Goodman

Publisher: Berkley

Release Date: June 5, 2018

Reviewed by Hellie

Newly elected sheriff, Ben Madison, has been sent to pick up the new doctor for Frost Falls, Dr. E. Ridley Woodhouse. It seems Doc, who retired in a hurry but reassured Ben that the new physician would be perfect for the role, neglected to mention one tiny thing: the new doc is a woman. Which, Ben will assure you, he noticed right away. Although Ben finds the new Dr. Woodhouse to be efficient and capable in her profession, the town itself is not yet willing to embrace the modern idea of a woman doctor. Even if it is almost the 20th century.

Dr. Ridley Woodhouse has her work cut out for her. She anticipated the town would not be eager to replace the vacancy that the well-beloved Doc had left, but she knew eventually they would have to come around. In the meantime, she would take a few key suggestions from the sheriff by making herself visible in the community and making house calls whether she’s been directly asked or not. Things might even go smoothly if not for one particular family, a married couple with children, whose husband is prone to domestic violence. The laws of the turn of the century aren’t protective of married women in abusive relationships; and both she and Sheriff Ben are frustrated by how little they can do to fix the situation. Still, sticking your nose where it’s not wanted--and without the law on your side--can be quite dangerous, and Ben soon confronts his greatest fear as he may lose the woman he has grown to love.

This book is intense with high drama (which Goodman is known for) and high stakes, but it was the humor that makes me give this one a Top Dish rating. Oh my God did I laugh. I laughed until I was sick. Ben Madison is the funniest, most unflappable male I’ve ever fallen in love with. From the minute he picks up the new doctor--who insists on being called Doctor Woodhouse--and allows the good doctor to assume he is just some lackey sent to pick her up at the station and not someone of such high station as the sheriff, to the time he has to help her dress for a funeral and is holding her corset, equating it to saddling a horse, to trying to guess what the E of her first name really stands for, Ben Madison is stubbornly good-humored and even-keeled.

Ridley is just starchy enough to not be so blessed with such a sense of humor, but this is easily forgiven since she pursued her degree in a field riddled with men who did not take her seriously, so she had to be twice so in order to get the respect she deserves. She is no nonsense, pragmatic, practical, and quick to call anyone on their bullshit. She’s just the kind of heroine we all want to be or be friends with.

This book has it all: sexy love scenes (that feel real and not gratuitous), constant real action that keeps a good pace without being exhausting, detailed setting and historical detail for any lover of historical novels, and well-rounded characters, not just the two main characters themselves. Jo Goodman makes it all look so easy; and it’s so readable it’s easy to appreciate. But as a writer, I know there was a lot in the background we don’t see that was nothing but hard work, as much as her own characters work, I’d say. It is a pure delight to read, a greater delight to admire.

Review - - A Touch of Frost

A Touch of Frost

By Jo Goodman

Publisher: Berkley Sensation

Release Date: June 6, 2017

Reviewed by Hellie

Readers get their books from a number of sources. Like you, I come to The Romance Dish because I trust the people here as those who are steady, open-minded readers of fiction. There are several authors I’ve picked up due to The Romance Dish. I’ve picked up books recommended by my favorite authors; I’ve picked up books recommended by my best friends; and I’ve picked up books recommended by whichever woman’s magazine I’m reading that week. Now I’m sure there have been a number of reviews about Jo Goodman’s books, done by those listed above, but like some books (i.e. Harry Potter), sometimes it takes me longer to believe the hype.

I picked A Touch of Frost because the lady I take grocery shopping (a mother figure who is not my mother) has recently gotten back into reading again--chiefly romances--and I’ve been determined not to let this opportunity for her mental good health go unassisted when I can help. She is the kind of reader that romance writers write for, I believe--well, we write for all kinds--but my friend suffers from depression and bipolar disorder and has for many years before the right medications and care began to work for her. When she was younger, she used to read romances all the time; and then for about 20 years, she refused to read them at all. So when she started reading them again--and asked me specifically if I could bring her some books--I came loaded with books. I asked her preferences. Cowboys, she said.

At the library, I saw that Jo Goodman’s books had cowboys on the covers and I put several in the bag for my friend. The next week at our usual grocery-shopping-McDonald’s excursion, I asked what she’d read and if she liked anything. Normally she’ll say, “They were good. Nothing stood out.” But this particular week, she said, “The cowboy books were really good.” “You mean the Jo Goodman books?” “Yes,” she said emphatically, “I liked those.” You have to understand that this lady’s demur “liking” of something is my equivalent of a Harry Potter Is Coming squeal. So when PJ sent out a list of ARCs allowing us reviewers to pick and I saw a Jo Goodman book, I thought, “Linda likes her books. I’ll try that one.”

And much like when I finally picked up the first Harry Potter book--after years of ‘ignoring the hype’--I fell into the book like Alice down the rabbithole, thinking, why hadn’t anyone told me about these books before? This woman is amazing!

When A Touch of Frost opens, Phoebe Apple is on a train, headed west to Frost Falls, Colorado, to visit her sister, Fiona, and new brother-in-law, Thaddeus Frost, when the train is robbed and she is kidnapped for a ransom. A stranger on the train--one who had been watching her ever since St. Louis or Chicago--rescues her, only this is no stranger. Remington Frost is Thaddeus’ son, who asked him to keep an eye on the young woman to make sure she arrived to Colorado safely. Fortunately, Phoebe is rescued without much effort; however, the rest of the book turns around the mystery of who kidnapped her and why. Thaddeus, strangely, doesn’t care and isn’t even interested in getting back the $2000 he paid to the kidnappers. Unfortunately, Phoebe’s own sister seems to be the biggest suspect behind the kidnapping, which is only reinforced by Thaddeus’ insistence to let the whole thing drop.

Secrets are revealed. And then more secrets are revealed. And then the mother of all secrets is revealed. Jo Goodman is extremely light-reined in maneuvering the reader into believing one thing and then revealing something else altogether. While reading and enjoying the story, I couldn’t help but admire Ms. Goodman’s deftness at weaving her story. If writing a story is basket weaving--and in romances, there are critics who certainly give the impression there is no trick to basket weaving--she takes simple materials, but weaves such a fine steady pattern that by the time the product is completed, it will definitely hold water. She creates a story that holds up in plot, characterization, historical accuracy (social mores) and romance. The setting is complete but not intrusive; the banter between the two main characters is natural and endearing; and the love scenes were at once realistic but so sensual and warm, you want to dog-ear the pages to show a willing participant later. 

Remington is the kind of hero to root for and to revel in, a man of honor and humor and patience. Phoebe is capable, compassionate, and curious. The mystery that unfolds (because if you guess who did it, you should be a Sherlock) is well-played; and the relationships between Thaddeus and Fiona, Fiona and Phoebe, and Phoebe and Remington are real, complicated but cohesive. Communication is key in all these relationships; and Ms. Goodman demonstrates why these relationships hold together and thrive despite some rather sticky circumstances.

I can’t decide which I enjoy better: her dialogue or her ability to create realistic characters and scenes. It all just works, and she makes it look easy.

Have you read Jo Goodman's books?

Do you have a favorite?

What's the last book you fell into?

Review -- The Last Renegade

The Last Renegade

By Jo Goodman
Publisher: Berkley Sensation

Release Date: September 4, 2012


 

On a train bound for Salt Lake City, Kellen Coltrane is more curious than annoyed at the stranger sitting cross from him disturbing his reading. Kellen quickly learns that the man, who is on his way to Bitter Springs, Wyoming Territory, has been stabbed and offers his paperback book to help him staunch the blood. The stranger identifies himself as Nat Church, though Kellen doesn’t believe him since that’s the name of a popular character in dime novels. Kellen goes in search of a doctor and comes back to see Nat closing up Kellen’s valise. Before he dies, Nat tells Kellen, “Pennyroyal. Should find her...tell her...she’s waiting.” Kellen assumes he is speaking of a person named Penny Royal, but finds out differently when he arrives in Bitter Springs. After Kellen discovers what Nat put in his valise, he decides to stay and get to the bottom of Nat’s cryptic words.

Lorraine Berry owns the Pennyroyal Saloon and Hotel in Bitter Springs. After several months of secretive correspondence, she anticipates Mr. Nat Church’s arrival on the latest train. What she doesn’t expect is the man who arrives in his place. Raine is upset after Mr. Coltrane explains what happened to Nat on the train and she holds herself partly responsible. After all, he was coming there to help put an end to the recent murders in Bitter Springs. After speaking with Kellen, Raine asks him for help, but is still skeptical. 

“You’re hiring me?” 

“Yes.”

“The same arrangement you offered Mr. Church?” 

“I don’t know your experience. Perhaps you aren’t as practiced.” 

Kellen refrained from pointing out that he was alive while Nat Church was very much not. 

Raine and most of the town have good reason to suspect the Burdicks of the murders, though they would never say so out loud. Uriah Burdick and his sons own most of the property in the area and consider themselves the “law of the land”. When more killings occur, Kellen and Raine know that time is of the essence; especially when the people who end up dead share a connection. 

I know I sound like a broken record, but Jo Goodman is a master storyteller and one of the reasons I love historical romance so much. She has an adroit way of drawing me in from the first page and holding my attention to the very end. And I know I’m not alone in this sentiment. Every time I had to put this one down to make dinner or help my kids with homework, I thought about the story and found myself wondering what was going to happen next. In my opinion, that’s a clear definition of a really great book. 

In The Last Renegade, Goodman pairs together two people who harbor secrets, but find solace and an unexpected measure of contentment with the other. Kellen is a man who thinks before he acts and speaks, so he isn’t spending fruitless energy or wasting his breath. He is pensive and sizes up others by observing them, which makes him an excellent judge of character. In Raine, he sees a woman who has been through a great deal and still remains strong. 

Raine stood outside his experience. She was strong-minded, unafraid to challenge him. She was also willing to listen and allow that she could be wrong. She had a soft heart for rascals and a hard one for people who wronged her. He knew from her letters that her decision to hire a protector was not the judgment of the moment. She carefully considered most of the things she had to confront. She was thoughtful in ways that demonstrated different meanings of the word. She did not shy away from thinking through a problem, and she was clever. 

With Raine, his protective instincts come to the front and he is willing to do whatever it takes to safeguard her. Raine knows that Kellen is only in Bitter Springs to do a job and afterwards will move on. She is determined to help him (for good reason), and despite trying not to, she can’t help allowing her heart to get involved. I absolutely love that about her and I admire her courage and grit through the tough times...and there have been plenty tough times for her. 

Much of the time it’s what Goodman’s characters don’t say that tells a lot. I truly appreciate that she allows her readers to figure things out on their own. She layers in little details that perhaps don’t mean much right away, but later on make perfect sense when the reader works it out. I love this and it is one of the reasons she has been an auto-buy author of mine for so many years. In fact, the only bad thing about Goodman’s books is that we only get one book per year. Though, if that is what it takes for them to be this exceptional, I’m good with that. J 

The Last Renegade is an outstanding historical western. It releases today and I highly recommend it to everyone. Even if American historicals aren’t your cup of tea, Goodman’s writing is brilliant enough to convince you otherwise. I guarantee you will not be disappointed!

 

~Andrea

 

Good news: Jo Goodman is now on Facebook!! You can “like” her page here: https://www.facebook.com/jogoodmanromance

Review -- Kissing Comfort

Kissing Comfort
By Jo Goodman
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Release Date: September 6, 2011

I read my first Jo Goodman book back in 1992 and promptly fell in love with her beautiful writing and glommed her backlist. When I pick up one of her books, I am guaranteed an extremely clever, thought-provoking, and emotional story. Kissing Comfort is no different.

Deep in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, prospectors Newton Prescott and Tucker Jones come upon the site of a wagon train massacre. Newt and Tuck do the honorable thing and bury the dead properly. When they’re about to leave, they hear a muffled cry behind some rocks and discover a traumatized little girl. They debate over what to do with her and decide that the only way to keep her safe is to keep her with them. Because of the tin of Dr. Eli Kennedy’s Comfort Lozenges she holds and won’t let go of, they name her Comfort Kennedy.

Twenty years later, Newt, Tuck, and Comfort live in San Francisco and own and run the very successful Jones Prescott Bank. Newt and Tuck had struck it rich thanks to some sound investments and since Comfort has a head for numbers, it seemed only fitting for them to open a bank. At a birthday party for his brother, Comfort’s friend Bram DeLong makes the surprise announcement of his engagement to Comfort. It’s even a surprise to Comfort. Bram is her dear friend, but Comfort knows he doesn’t really want to marry her and doesn’t know what game he’s playing. Bram asks her to go along with it just for a little while and she reluctantly agrees. Afterward, she walks through the garden and encounters the birthday boy, Bode DeLong, lounging on a bench.

She noticed that he didn’t stir. He remained in a half-reclining positioning the corner of the bench, an arm extended across the scrolled back, one leg drawn up at the knee and the other stretched and angled in her direction. He regarded her without any particular interest, as if he were already bored by their brief exchange. It made her wonder why he’d spoken in the first place. She might easily have passed without noticing him. Almost immediately, she corrected herself. For reasons she did not entirely understand, failing to notice Beauregard DeLong had never been possible.

Bode may seem as if he’s not interested in what Comfort has to say, but that is far from true. He first noticed her at her come-out party nine years before, but never got the chance to talk to or dance with her once his charming younger brother captured her attention. After that, Bode left to fight in the Civil War and now runs Black Crowne Shipping, the family enterprise. Comfort tells Bode about her exchange with Bram and Bode agrees that his careless brother is up to something. Later that week, she and Bode share a kiss and neither one know what to think. After they share a second kiss, Bode decides to make his move and explains as much to a laid up Bram.

“Newton Prescott and Tucker Jones made an appointment last week to see me at Black Crowne on Wednesday afternoon. Miss Kennedy will accompany them.”

“That’s good. You can talk to her.”

“I’m certain to talk to her, but not about you. I’m going to throw my hat in the ring, Bram. I thought it was fair to let you know.”

“Throw your hat in the ring? Fight me for her, you mean?” He looked down at himself and then to Bode. “How is that fair?”

“I hope it won’t come to a fight. I recognize you’re at a disadvantage, but I know you’re not helpless. You never are.”

Bram pushed himself as upright as he was able. “She won’t have you, Bode. You scare her. You always have. It can’t have escaped your notice that when you walk into a room, she walks out.”

“Oh, I’ve noticed.” Bode dropped his feet to the floor and rose from his chair. Favoring his brother with a faint but consciously shrewd smile, he buttoned his jacket, “You’re so used to women showing interest in a particular and obvious way that you don’t know that some of them reveal it in another.”

“Wait!” Bram called after Bode as he started to leave. “What are you saying?”

Bode merely smiled to himself and kept on walking.

Newt, Tuck, and Comfort are on their way to meet Bode when their carriage gets ambushed and Comfort is kidnapped by a notorious gang. Bode takes matters into his own hands, but can he rescue Comfort and win her heart before it’s too late?

Jo Goodman’s books are one of the main reasons why I love historical romance so much. She draws readers in with her multi-layered and complex stories and unravels the secrets slowly. She doesn’t give anything away until it’s time for the reader to know. Her characters are intuitive and convey a great deal without having to spell it out. Bode is a responsible and contemplative man who understands Comfort and knows what she needs better than anyone. Comfort appreciates Bode and how patient he is with her. Their mutual respect for one another is not only evident through their words—it is shown by their actions. I love protective heroes and heroines who think before they speak or act. Even the secondary characters are vivid and memorable. I simply adored Newt and Tuck!

If you like profoundly intelligent historical romance, I can’t recommend Kissing Comfort enough! And if you’ve never read a Jo Goodman book, what are you waiting for?

~Andrea