Review: The Next Always by Nora Roberts

The Next Always
Author: Nora Roberts
Published: November 1, 2011
Genre: chick lit
Paperback: 324 pages
Source: borrowed from the library

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Synopsis (from GoodReads): 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 . . .

My Thoughts: This is the first Nora Roberts novel that I have ever read. I have seen quite a few bloggers reading her books and they always give them positive reviews, so I figured I should try one. And this was nothing groundbreaking, nothing that made me think or expanded my mind in anyway. It was pure fluff and I ate it right up. This story takes place in a small town and has romance, a bit of danger, and some laughs. It wasn't like a romance novel where it's focused on two people falling for one another and passionate love scenes. There is a whole cast of characters who add to the story, and each is an individual, bringing something to the story without cluttering it. In addition to Clare and her three boys, there are the Montgomery boys, grown men working on the run-down inn located in the town square. They are all clearly different and it's obvious to figure out early on that the subsequent novels in this series will focus on one of the brothers. Which I'm fine with! This was a great book to read and get lost in, which I needed after reading so many heavier books lately. It was light and fluffy and I cannot wait to finish the rest of this trilogy.