Simply Angela : The Next Always by Nora Roberts

The historic hotel in Boonsboro 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. Beckett is the architect of the family, and his 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.

After losing her husband and returning to her hometown, Clare Brewster soon settles into her life as the mother of three young sons while running the town’s bookstore. Busy, with little time for romance, Clare is drawn across the street by Beckett’s transformation of the old inn, wanting to take a closer look . . . at the building and the man behind it.

With the grand opening inching closer, Beckett’s happy to give Clare a private tour - one room at a time. It’s no first date, but these stolen moments are the beginning of something new - and open the door to the extraordinary adventure of what comes next . . .

Series: Inn Boonsboro #1 | Publisher: Brilliance Audio | Narrator: MacLeod Andrews |Length: 11 hours and 21 minutes | Genre: Contemporary Romance| Source: Audible | Rating: 3.5 Cups

Challenges Read For: Reading Through Nora Roberts

So, I’m slowly—very slowly, kind of like turtle speed slow—reading through Nora Robert’s backlist.

I was a bit hesitant dipping into the Inn BoonsBoro Trilogy. I had heard mixed reviews about this series so I wasn’t really sure what to expect but for some reason, while browsing through Audible trying to use up my monthly credit from the membership I received for my birthday, the cover for The Next Always caught my eye. And I’m really glad I gave it a go.

Here’s what’s going on: Beckett’s an architect working alongside his brothers and mother to restore the historic Boonsboro inn. He always been lucky with the ladies except for with Clare, who he’s had a crush on since he was a teenager. Six years ago, after the death of her husband, Clare returned to her hometown to open a bookstore. Taking care of her three boys and running her own business keeps her on her toes, so dating hasn’t been her top priority until she starts to get reacquainted with Beckett.

I loved Beckett. He’s sweet, kind, caring, protective, and willing to take on Clare’s brood of boys. He’s also willing to let Clare set the pace of the relationship since she’s still getting over the death of her husband. He’s also made friends with the inn’s resident ghost, which he calls ‘Lizzie’ because she haunts the Elizabeth and Darcy suite.

I liked Clare but there were a few times that I wanted to shake some sense into her. I understand that she’s used to doing things on her own so it’s going to take some time for her to allow Beckett to help her, but considering that someone was, in a sense, stalking her it just sort of became annoying.

Beckett and Clare had a nice connection. It was fun watching them fall in love with each other and watching their chemistry grown. Their relationship was the slow burn type but it worked for them.

While I enjoyed watching Beckett and his brother’s fix up the inn, all of the details of the renovation seemed to bog down the plot. I could have had done with less talk about the renovation and more focus on the characters although the inn is an actual inn that Nora Roberts owns, so I can see why she put so much detail in.

This was my first time listening to a book narrated by MacLeod Andrews and it took a bit of time to get used to his style of narration. While he does an amazing job with Beckett and his brothers, his female narration style is a bit whiney as was the narration for Clare’s sons.

Overall, I enjoyed this one. I could have done with a little less detail about the inn, but I’m eager to see how the next two books unfold.