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The Next Always by Nora Roberts - The setting is Boonsboro, Maryland - not very far from where I live - and author Nora Roberts is also local, so I chose this novel for part of a Reading Challenge to read a book by a local author. Believe it or not, I've never read anything by Nora Roberts before, and since she writes contemporary romance, it's not exactly my preferred genre either. But I was very pleasantly surprised in many ways!
The three Montgomery brothers - Beckett, Ryder, and Owen - have pooled their various building skills to restore an historic hotel in Boonsboro. Beckett is the architect and in charge of all those logistics in the project. He's also very interested in the young widow that runs the bookstore across the square from the inn. Clare Brewster was a schoolmate of Beckett's, and he's had a thing for her all along. But she married someone else and had three sons before her soldier husband was killed. Clare has built a new life for herself and her boys back in her hometown, but just maybe she's ready to love again.
The development of the inn and its grand opening is the backdrop to the drama that unfolds as Beckett and Clare explore the possibilities of their new relationship, and many other small town dramas as well. Beckett claims the inn has its own ghost, Clare's friends Avery and Hope are major players in the relationship and building projects, and Clare and Beckett also need to figure out how to handle another old schoolmate - the entitled guy that thinks Clare is the woman for him, whether she agrees or not.
A lot of the interest for me was the fact that I'm familiar enough with Boonsboro and area to recognize the features of the town that are mentioned. The inn, the restaurant where Avery works, and the Turn The Page bookstore are real!
The characters are interesting, believable, and likable. I was rooting for both Beckett and Clare as soon as I met them, and enjoyed the realistic banter and arguing between the brothers. The relationship moved along quickly, predictable in that they clearly belonged together, but some twists as they realized that and overcame the obstacles. The Montgomery brothers are past the age where their mother can wash their mouths out with soap, and it shows in the language they use. Lots of f-bombs and some vulgar terms. I don't like it, but it's actually pretty realistic. There are also a couple of bedroom scenes that more graphic than what I think is appropriate, but short enough to skim past if you're like me and don't need the description.
This is a book by a local author for the Modern Mrs. Darcy 2020 Reading Challenge.
The three Montgomery brothers - Beckett, Ryder, and Owen - have pooled their various building skills to restore an historic hotel in Boonsboro. Beckett is the architect and in charge of all those logistics in the project. He's also very interested in the young widow that runs the bookstore across the square from the inn. Clare Brewster was a schoolmate of Beckett's, and he's had a thing for her all along. But she married someone else and had three sons before her soldier husband was killed. Clare has built a new life for herself and her boys back in her hometown, but just maybe she's ready to love again.
The development of the inn and its grand opening is the backdrop to the drama that unfolds as Beckett and Clare explore the possibilities of their new relationship, and many other small town dramas as well. Beckett claims the inn has its own ghost, Clare's friends Avery and Hope are major players in the relationship and building projects, and Clare and Beckett also need to figure out how to handle another old schoolmate - the entitled guy that thinks Clare is the woman for him, whether she agrees or not.
A lot of the interest for me was the fact that I'm familiar enough with Boonsboro and area to recognize the features of the town that are mentioned. The inn, the restaurant where Avery works, and the Turn The Page bookstore are real!
The characters are interesting, believable, and likable. I was rooting for both Beckett and Clare as soon as I met them, and enjoyed the realistic banter and arguing between the brothers. The relationship moved along quickly, predictable in that they clearly belonged together, but some twists as they realized that and overcame the obstacles. The Montgomery brothers are past the age where their mother can wash their mouths out with soap, and it shows in the language they use. Lots of f-bombs and some vulgar terms. I don't like it, but it's actually pretty realistic. There are also a couple of bedroom scenes that more graphic than what I think is appropriate, but short enough to skim past if you're like me and don't need the description.
This is a book by a local author for the Modern Mrs. Darcy 2020 Reading Challenge.
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