Customer Reviews

Comfort of a Man

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
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Adrianne Byrd, Comfort of a Man (Arabesque, 2003)

I'm not a big reader of romances. (In fact, this will be only my fourth romance review since I started documenting such things in 1999.) Adrianne Byrd is a regular on a forum I used to frequent, so when she announced the publication of this one, I figured I should check it out. But feel free to take all that follows with a grain of salt; for all I know, this is identical to other romances in the same vein. All I know is, it ain't like any romance I've read before. Or much of anything else I've read before, for that matter.

Comfort of a Man, despite being burdened with something of a cumbersome title, is one heck of a good ride. It's smart, funny, incisive, well-paced. Oh, yeah, and sexy. Sexy as all get-out. The story revolves around Brooklyn Douglas, a real-estate broker from Atlanta, and Isaiah Washington, a sales and marketing rep from Austin. They meet during a trip to New York (Isaiah's for business, Brooklyn's for pleasure) and, through the various machinations of Brooklyn's friends and an optimistic bartender, end up having a one-night stand. (The process of getting from meeting to bed could have been lifted from a Bunuel film. Byrd knows how to keep the tension high by throwing in all sorts of ludicrous, but realistic, delays.) Due to (imagine big roll of thunder here) a series of coincidences, the two find themselves thrown together again the next summer, and from there, well, you know the drill. If it doesn't have a lot of getting together, pushing away, and ultimately a happy ending, it ain't a romance, is it?

Where Byrd differs from the Steels, Cartlands, Blakes, et al. Of the world is in two very important places: her characters and her realism. The characters to be found in Comfort of a Man are not your usual cardboard cutouts, but real, multidimensional characters that a reader can identify with, instead of the paper constructs one has to stretch to even empathize with. Also, while the coincidences require suspension of disbelief (oh, my, do they ever), the situations Brooklyn and Isaiah find themselves in once the coincidences are past are realistic. Uncomfortably so, at times, for someone who's been there, done that, and bought the (ripped!) shirt.

The book's flaws are few, and the majority of them can probably be attributed to an editorial staff who weren't quite diligent enough. A few cliches here and there, some typos and grammatical flaws. Nothing, though, that really stops the book's flow. A few of the minor characters border on the cardboard (especially Brooklyn's son, Jaleel), but they only get a few pages of screen time. (In horror novels, they'd be the folks walking around with "KILL ME" signs.)

I really never thought I would so unapologetically recommend... a romance novel. But there it is. *** ½

From the last few books of hers that I have picked up, I've come to the conclusion that an Adrianne Byrd novel is sure winner.

In "Comfort of a man", Byrd doesn't disappoint. Brooklyn Douglas is reeling from a bitter divorce when her girlfriends suggest a harmless romp in the sack as just what she needs. When Brooklyn encounters Isaiah Washington in a bar during an annual girlfriend's weekend away in New York, she decides on the spur of the moment to take her girlfriends advice and proceeds to have the best night of her life with Isaiah. Despite Isaiah's desire to keep in touch and see where the road takes them, Brooklyn walks away and fully expects never to see Isaiah again.

A few weeks later, however, Brooklyn reencounters Isaiah and the sparks are reunited. In the ensuing drama, Brooklyn and Isaiah embark upon a cat and mouse game of pursuit with Isaiah chasing a reluctant Brooklyn. Author Adrianne Byrd crafts a fine relationship tale that leaves you anxiously waiting for her next work. This was a SUPERB novel!

This is one of the best books I have read. With this book Adrianne Byrd is easily up there with Rochelle Alers and Brenda Jackson with the romance genre. I don't always love Adrianne Byrd, but this one was definitely HOT. The story involves a 40 year old divorcee with a 16 year old son and an ex-husband (who cheated with and is now dating his ex-wife's best friend) and a very handsome single professional looking for love. The story moved at such a fast pace that I read the book in a day. I like my love scenes tasteful but HOT all the same! And Adrianne did not disappoint. Well worth the $$$ I paid for it.

This book was a good read. Brooklyn's approach was very daring. I love dares! Many women can relate to this story! Ladies...don't tell your friends everything about your relationship with your man...this book is the perfect example of why not to and it also shows hope and that good things may come from a bad situation!

I loved this book!!! The hero is strong, loving, paitient, determined and the relationship was "steamy and hot" it is a must read. Thank you Ms. Byrd

This book is a great love story. It takes you through the stages of losing one love and finding another. Very well written, one of her best.

I just finished reading Comfort of a Man by Adrianne Byrd. All I can say is.....wow! The story was captivating from start to finish. It just goes to show that in spite of it sounding cliche, true love can conquer all. The characters were fleshed out. This is realistic fiction at its best! I read this book in a few hours. Thank you Ms. Byrd for a great read. It was not sexually explicit. It was more implied. Sometimes things are better left to the imagination!

This story was extremely enjoyable. Brooklyn was a wonderful character that has been hurt and was fearful of being hurt again like so many women. Isaiah has been hurt as well but his desire for Brooklyn allowed him to pursue his desire. It was a great read from beginning to end. Now the supporting characters. I loved the relationship between Yasmine and Isaiah, I hope Ms. Byrd uses that type of friendship in future stories. I absolutely could not stand Macy (enough said on that). This book is definitely in my re-read stack.

I don't want to spoil the story and my review is from my point of view. Pick it up and check it out for yourself. I always welcome feedback from my reviews. Happy reading.

This book is excellent. I couldn't put it down. I down usually read romance novels but this one had me captivated. I would recommend it to anyone.

This was a nice modern love story. Both people had been hurt before and were relunctant to try love again. I enjoyed their chance meetings and watching their relationship grow. I do wish I could see Evan suffer more, he was a jerk who did not get his appropriate punishment. Again, good book.