Review: The Next Always by Nora Roberts

The Next Always
Book 1 in the Inn BoonsBoro Trilogy
Author: Nora Roberts
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Genre: Contemporary Romance
ISBN: 9781455806850
Release date: November 1, 2011
Author's website:  Nora Roberts

The historic hotel in BoonsBoro, Maryland, has endured war and peace, changing hands, even rumored hauntings. Now it’s getting a major facelift from the Montgomery brothers and their eccentric mother. As the architect of the family, Beckett’s social life consists mostly of talking shop over pizza and beer. But there’s another project he’s got his eye on: the girl he’s been waiting to kiss since he was fifteen…

I became interested in this book after receiving it and learning that takes place in Maryland.   I live in Maryland and couldn't wait to dive into this book to read it because the premise of 3 brothers working together sounded intriguing.  The Montgomery brothers, Beckett, Owen, and Ryder are a fun bunch to read about as they spend most of the book picking at each other.  But all jokes aside, they have a love for their craft and the renovation of the Inn at BoonsBoro is something that they are very serious about.   Along with their mother Justine, they transform the Inn into something the town can be proud of.  As it is the official first building in the town, they want to do it right and their talents truly show as they transform the building into something special right before everyone's eyes. 

The main part of the story is about Beckett and the crush that he has had on Clare from the time she was 15.  He never got the opportunity to let her know his true feelings since she was dating his friend and eventually married and raised a family with him.  She is now a widow to 3 young boys and runs a successful bookstore across the street from the Inn.  Beckett and Clare see each other all the time and eventually they realize that they are attracted to each other.  Their romance is sweet and enduring as Beckett becomes a part of her family.  Beckett wants to take care of her but since Clare is used to doing things on things on her own, this leads to a little friction in their relationship.  I feel that Clare is a strong female character because of her successful business and that she is used to doing things on her own.  It takes time for her to realize that she has someone she can count on and I thought their relationship was very realistic because of this.  Beckett is also adorable with her 3 boys and I enjoyed reading the scenes between them.  

I'm giving The Next Always a rating of:

The relationship between the characters is what I enjoyed most about the book and I'm looking forward to reading the other books in the series.  I did however have an issue with the haunted part of the storyline.  It started out fun and then became just too much that it became comical, and not in a good way.  I really think the haunted part of it could have been fun and interesting if it would have been simple.  I don't want to spoil what happens just in case you want to read it for yourself.  I've talked to others that have read the book and they agree that it was a tad too much.  I'm hoping it will be simplified if it's going to be a part of the other books in the series because I do want to read those.  The Montgomery family is interesting enough and I feel as if they don't need anything extra added to make them more appealing.