The Next Always by Nora Roberts
Review by Susan R. (Sue-in-AZ)
Story Synopsis
After her army husband is killed in the war on terror, Clare Brewster returns to her small-town roots with her three young sons. Clare dedicates herself to raising her family as a single working mom. She’s holding it all together, but there’s no room in her life for a new romance. She’s not even sure she wants romance at this point.
Beckett Montgomery has known Clare all his life. And he’s had a hopeless crush on her since high school. But he’s not sure his interest is welcome, so he hides his interest behind casual friendliness. He stops in at Clare’s bookstore every morning for coffee, but otherwise keeps his distance.
Beckett, along with his two brothers, is busy rehabbing an old, historic hotel. Long the town eyesore, the brothers have a plan to return the hotel to its former glory as a country inn – with lots of modern comfort and convenience. One morning, getting coffee at Clare’s shop, Beckett casually invites Clare to see a tour of the work in progress at the hotel. Clare jumps at the offer – everyone in town has been itching to see the work inside. While getting the grand tour, Clare trips on some construction material. Beckett catches her and they pause for a moment with Clare in Beckett’s arms. They “almost” kiss, before coming to their senses.
Initially, they are both very embarrassed at the “almost” incident, but then one thing leads to another and soon the two are an item. Add in adventures with Clare’s three sons, a dangerous stalker, a ghost in the hotel, and lots of romantic tension, and this is a great story!
My Review
I have to confess that I love Nora Roberts’ books. I always want to be girlfriends with her female leads; and the male leads are always believably human.
She does a great job of painting a small town where everyone knows everyone else’s business – and the difficulty that can lead to when starting a new relationship. Interaction with Clare’s girlfriends & sons, and Beckett’s brothers really do a good job of rounding out the story and giving depth to the personalities involved. The scenes of Beckett interacting with Clare’s sons are really well done. There’s a hilarious scene where Beckett is babysitting the three boys for the first time – and domestic disaster ensues.
I found this to be a really fast, fun book to read. There are two more books to come in the series, with the story lines set up in this first book. I can’t wait until they come out!
——————————————————————————-
