Kate Hewitt: Comfort Reads

Some days I’m in the mood for a comfort read. You probably know what I mean: the literary equivalent of a cup of hot chocolate, a warm fire, or a bubble bath. The kind of book you can just sink into and sigh happily as you read; it’s an escape from work, from dirty dishes or whining children or ill relatives or unpaid bills or whatever else life is throwing at you at the moment.

Lately I’ve been gorging myself on Carla Kelly’s backlist of Regency romances. These books are light without being too frothy; her heroes and heroines are genuinely nice people but they have often have some emotional baggage. And yet that baggage, whatever it is, does not cause them too much angst; Kelly’s Regencies are full of witty repartee and intelligent banter and of course a few sparks, although in general the romances are quite sweet and the bedroom door is very much closed.

I’ve read five or six of them in the space of a week, usually in the evening when the children are in bed and I can disappear for a short while into a world of eligible marquesses and women who tend not to have two pennies to rub together, but plenty of charm and wit. If you are new to Carla Kelly, I’d recommend Libby’s London Merchant and its semi-sequel, One Good Turn. I also particularly like The Admiral’s Penniless Bride.

Of course there are other books I turn to for that much-needed comfort read: Anne of Green Gables, Tisha, Wintercombe, and any Harlequin Presents by Sarah Morgan also can often fit the bill! What about you? Do you have a favorite comfort read? Please share your recommendations—I’d love to have a few more on my go-to list!

Happy Reading,

Kate