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    The Next Always
    The Next Always
    The Next Always
    Audiobook11 hours

    The Next Always

    Written by Nora Roberts

    Narrated by MacLeod Andrews

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts introduces you to the Montgomery brothers—Beckett, Ryder, and Owen—as they bring an intimate bed-and-breakfast to life in their hometown.

    The historic hotel in Boonsboro has endured war and peace, the changing of hands, and even rumored hauntings. Now it’s getting a major face-lift from the Montgomery brothers and their eccentric mother. As the architect in 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 sixteen.

    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. Though busy and 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 both the building and the man behind it.

    With the grand opening inching closer, Beckett is happy to give Clare a private tour—one room at a time, in between blueprint meetings and kindergarten pickups. It’s no first date, but these stolen moments are the beginning of something that could arouse the secret yearning that resides in Clare’s independent heart—and open the door to the extraordinary adventure of what comes next…

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateNov 1, 2011
    ISBN9781455806881
    The Next Always
    Author

    Nora Roberts

    Nora Roberts is the bestselling author of more than two hundred romance novels. She was the first author to be inducted into the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame. Since her first bestseller in 1991, Nora’s books have spent more than two hundred weeks in the number one spot on the New York Times bestseller list. There are more than five hundred million copies of her books in print, published in over thirty-four countries.

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    Reviews for The Next Always

    4/5

    652 ratings58 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Nora Robert's never disappoints. Now to find book two to see what comes next.
    • 3/5
      As much as I usually like NR's books, this one felt wrong. The first half of the book reads as a combination between her memoirs and a sales brochure for her myriad of businesses in Boonsboro. In the second half the story finally took off, although it was almost - dare I say it - boring.
      I don't what's happening with NR. I missed the usual spark in the Bride Quartet books and here again. Hopefully it's because both these series have been written based on personal experience. And hopefully NR will go back to writing as she did before.
    • 5/5
      First one and so good as usual . Cannot wait No 2 here I come
    • 4/5
      Excellent start to the trilogy. Nora gets you interested in characters
    • 5/5
      Great listening. Flowed well and keeps your interest. Thumbs up
    • 5/5
      This was a wonderful first book in another Nora Roberts series. I loved that Clare was a bookstore owner - talk about dream job! And how she was so present for her three boys. And how the crush Beckett has had on her since he was 15 comes to fruition. This was such a sweet romance with a touch of suspense. And Clare's three boys in the story just made it all the sweeter.
    • 4/5
      It was interesting to find out that the book follows what was actually created in the Inn Boonsboro in real life.
    • 4/5
      I have mixed feelings about this trilogy. First off, while the characters are engaging, they are all rehashes of other Nora Roberts characters... (Ryder is Malcolm from the Brides quartet and Xander from The Obsession, Hope and Owen are both Parker from Brides, etc). And presumably the character of Justine is meant to be Nora Roberts herself, as her family does seem to own about half of Boonsboro, MD...which pretty much makes the trilogy one long advertisement for her businesses. All that being said, the advert worked, as I am ready to take a trip to stay at Inn Boonsboro (perhaps in the Eve and Roarke room, wink wink nudge nudge).
    • 4/5
      I liked this. Slow sweet romance. A little suspense but not too much. Admirable characters and an interesting and fresh setting for the characters in a small town in Maryland.
    • 4/5
      Typical Nora Roberts fare. Claire and Beckett knew each other in high school, and reconnect years later after her army husband is killed, leaving her with two young sons. Background plots include the restoration of an old inn in town (apparently inhabited by a friendly ghost), and Claire's other "suitor." A good, quick, escape read. First in a trilogy.
    • 4/5
      I loved this book. It was a fun romance that is classic Nora Roberts. I think my favorite character is the Inn. I love watching the brothers remodel the inn and bring it to fruition. I love the naming of the rooms after famous literary couples that found their happily ever afters. I love that in this book in particular the heroine owns a bookstore. While listening to this book, I found myself looking into the practicalities of making a trip to Inn Boonsboro for myself (and it looks quite doable). At first, I was thrown off a little bit the sound of MacLeod Andrews voice as the narrator of the series. Mostly, I think, because I was expecting a female narrator but once the book got to going, he was perfect.
    • 5/5
      This books is a lovely start to a new series. There is a great cast, a beautiful environment, and a little bit of the supernatural thrown in. I have to admit, I went and look up the Inn Boonsboro website to check the pictures against the descriptions in the book, and I loved how meta Nora got by actually include Eve and Roarke as a couple for one of the rooms. Beckett and Claire are a great new couple to follow, and now I cannot wait for book two.
    • 4/5
      Cosy for a sunny summer day.
    • 4/5
      As I began to read this book I thought it was just a simple romance story. Widow (Clare) returns to her hometown with her children, the boy (Becket) who loved her in highschool becomes her friend and eventually it becomes more than that, and eventually they get married. Well, this was all in there, but there was more to the story. This is the first book in the Inn Boonsboro Trilogy featuring the three Montgomery brothers. They are renovating and old Inn hoping it will become a boutique hotel and bring in tourists to their small town. The dynamics in this family are great, they love their mother and have such a wonderful relationship with her. The Inn has some surprises in store for the reader and there is also a rather scary situation involving Clare. Becket has to convince Clare that she doesn't have to do everything on her own and it is okay to accept help from friends and that is not as simple as it sounds. It is a nice romance but there is some drama and suspense thrown in as well. I am looking forward to the rest of the series.
    • 4/5

      The three Montgomery brothers, Beckett, Owen, and Ryder, and their mother Justine, have bought an old inn and are rehabbing it to reopen as a high-end bed & breakfast.

      Widowed Claire Brewster is raising her three boys, and running a bookstore called Turn the Page across from the old inn. Her best friend Avery runs a restaurant, Vesta, nearby.

      Their other best friend from college, Hope, is a hotel manager who wants to relocate away from DC.

      Since this is a Nora Roberts romance novel, it hardly seems like a spoiler to say that this book is Claire and Beckett's story.

      The setting is small town Virginia near a variety of tourist attractions. Roberts as always makes the character's likable and interesting, and adds a bit of the fantastic with ghost haunting the old inn. There's also an all too realistic, believable villain. It's a satisfying, enjoyable romance, with just enough excitement to keep it interesting.

      Recommended.

      I bought this audiobook.
    • 4/5
      Love Nora Roberts. Love country inns. Love buildings and the details that go into them. Really sweet story.
    • 4/5
      Welp, my first Nora Roberts (not counting J. D. Robb) and it was just what I needed after my last intense listen, and a very personally stressful week. I really enjoyed the characters, the setting, and the little bit of paranormal activity that wasn't the center of the story, but was very important nevertheless. I will most likely be listening to the rest of the trilogy, since I really want to see gruff Ryder fall! I loved Beckett's interaction with Claire's boys, that was great. And the reason for Liam wanting a Barbie, that made me laugh out loud.
    • 3/5
      The Montgomery brothers are restoring an historic property as a hotel in Boonsville, MD. Romance and a ghost.
    • 3/5
      After reading the "Bride Series," I thought I would try another series. Although the first book in this series was good, It did not tempt me to keep reading the series.
    • 4/5
      Nora Roberts is predictable. The book was good, but a tad too much graphic sex for a YA novel. Too bad, because the story line is just what would appeal to a teen.My niece Jennifer stayed at the Inn and had a wonderful time. I ordered the trilogy simply because of her. So, bottom line, meh. I have two more Roberts books on my phone to read when I'm too tired to think!
    • 5/5
      I know these trilogies are very predictable, but I always like a Nora Roberts story. She sucks you in so you like and care for the characters. Of course I know what is going to happen but her writing is so smooth it doesn't matter. This was a very enjoyable book and I read it really fast. Can't wait for the other 3.
    • 2/5
      ??1/2 rounded down to ??

      First off I want to say that this isn’t my usual reading fare, but I started it after finding it in playaway format while going through the small playaway section at my library. The playaway broke, but that wasn’t the worst thing since the man who was reading it was good at men’s voices only, not too good with women’s and horribly with children’s voices, although that last part might be the fault of the director. So I read more than half of this instead of listening to it while enjoying working in my garden.

      Clare, a widowed mother of three boys who owns a bookstore, becomes involved with Beckett, a man who has longed for her since high school and one of three brothers involved in renovating an old inn, which happens to be haunted by a friendly ghost they call Lizzie. In the meantime, another man they went to high school with, a pompous jerk, is trying to get Clare to go out with her, but she isn’t interested. As the novel progresses, it becomes fairly obvious that Sam is a stalker but also that Beckett gets along well with Clare’s sons. Naturally, things are set up so that there are potential romances waiting to happen with others involved with the Inn as this is Book One of the Inn Boonsboro Trilogy.

      I’d have probably liked this better without a. the ghost and b. the swearing (do you really need this just to show that men are men? These are the nice guys and in a line I did not like that I am paraphrasing, Beckett is happy that Clare cares enough to swear over something that happens to him). Also, to be fair, I didn’t realize that this was romantic suspense, which is something I enjoyed in high school (well, historical romantic suspense with Victoria Holt or Daphne DuMaurier style), and had I known there would be a stalker (not clear from the blurbs I saw), I’d have passed on this.
    • 2/5
      A little slow.
    • 4/5
      Claire and Beckett

      This was a delightful story; Claire and Beckett coming together, two happy families each with three boys, the rebirth of a grand building and Lizzy the Ghost.

      I keep wishing I could return to the story a week after I finished reading.
    • 3/5
      I did like the realistic descriptions of the renovation process, and Lizzie the ghost, and the nitty-gritty details of mothering three young boys. But the audio reader was pretty awful. He actually did the male voices okay, but did not manage to make the women sound at all admirable, and his childrens' voices were just plumb BAD.
    • 4/5
      "I swear I trip up more with you than anybody. I love you, Clare. I always did, but it’s different loving who you are now. It’s so damn solid. You’re so solid, so steady, strong, smart. I love who you are, how you are. I love those boys, you have to know." - Beckett MontgomeryToo long... It's been too long since I've had a good dose of NR - honestly, I really needed this little break from ARCs! Can't believe I actually lasted this long away from this woman's books!Meet the Montgomery boys! Ryder, Owen, and Beckett! In this amazing trilogy, they're trying to rebuild their town's inn, with the intention of bringing it to its previous glory. But the building hides more than just its golden history. A ghost - named Elizabeth by Beckett - haunts its rooms and hallways. Still, the ghost doesn't seem to be harmful to visitors. A certain man who stalks Clare Brewster, young widowed mother of three boys, though, is certainly much more dangerous. With his high school crush on her becoming something more stable, something stronger, Beckett will have to use any trick he has - and a little bit of help from Elizabeth - to make sure he can finally have his happy ending. But is Clare up for the ride? Or is she still in love with her dead husband?Like I said, it's completely unbelievable - and I should feel ashamed for it! - that I stayed away from any NR stories. Reading this book proved it, I'm nuts for doing so, and cannot possibly live withour reading words written by her. A trilogy focusing on three brothers (btw, dibs on Ryder, if no one has staked a claim on this fictional guy yet!), a small friendly town, an awesome, badass mother (I'm talking about both Clare AND Justine), steamy romance that is never too vanilla or too vulgar, old ladies that are full of life and so damn creative... Any wonder why I love this author to death?!Beckett and Clare were just what I needed after straying from the right path of fictional romance. So sweet and hot together, yet strong and hilarious when they were hanging around other people. I loved how Beckett seemed to have always been in love with her. Still, I loved the fact Clare was getting ready to fall even more. It showed that not all widows in romance were unsatisfied with their spouses, and that even them deserve a second chance. Her three sons came as a bonus, and at the end of the story, it was impossible to imagine her without those three running around her feet. I also adored the fact Beckett was all for being a real couple, sharing their troubles and plans - even if it was irritating at some point to witness the stress Clare put him through because she was used to being alone in her duties....Nora Roberts, however, is not just a romance writer. The woman knows her craft well, so she gave us not only some suspense with Clare's stalker (I'm not talking about his identity, I'm talking at the way things went downhill) but also some paranormal scenes with a ghost! She even made me cry! *sighs* It's been so long since I've cried because of her words, I'm telling you this is true magic! The only problem with all this was the fact everyone kept talking about the inn. Wait, not just talking - it's like they had nothing better to do! Then again, I guess that's true - as they all said it was like some big awesome news or whatever several times in the book - so it can be ignored... Now I'm off to read Owen's story - damn, Ryder is the last one to go, why is my favorite lead almost always in the end of a trilogy?!"You brought them dogs I didn’t think I wanted, and you were so busy talking me into it you didn’t see me fall at your feet. I love you, Beckett, without any doubt, without any worry." - Clare Brewster
    • 4/5
      "Awesome! Being in the business, can relate......Loved Nora Roberts' all-new trilogy-inspired by the inn she actually owns and the town she loves (her husband owns the book store and son the Pizza shop).

      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 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, Clare ....Could not put it down and looking forward to reading (The Last Boyfriend #2 in series and The Perect Hope #3). May even make a trip one weekend to visit the inn and the bookstore!
    • 4/5
      When I was last lamenting my "try, try again" attitude concerning romances, someone suggested Nora Roberts. I read "Dark Witch" when it came out last year and liked it; but I hadn't really thought of it as a "romance" even though I was aware that's really what it was (I was totally focussed on the witch thing, I guess). So I was at work yesterday with a lot of downtime and I was bored. One of my GR friends had just rated book 3 of this trilogy 4 stars so I thought, "what the hell?" and bought The Next Always. Not bad. Ms. Roberts writes characters really well (one would hope, since she certainly writes more than her fair share of them) and she doesn't make her love interests spend all their time together. More importantly, she doesn't make the reader spend all their time reading about the love birds together. I think that's one of the major problems I have with most romances I've read to date (not many, it should be said): the characters seem to have no lives outside of each other. There is only so much "togetherness" I can take, I guess. Clare has her bookshop, her kids and her friends; Beckett has his brothers, his business, his work at the inn. The reader gets to spend time with each while not with the other and it felt like a more rounded story because of it. There's a ghost that plays a small but ultimately important part to the story, and I enjoyed her "talks" with Beckett; they were light and amusing. In addition, there's a small "female in danger" sub-plot to the story. I suppose the author needed the dramatic tension to act as a turning point and give the story zing. It was a small part of the story, really, and the climax ended as quickly as it began. I'll read the next two and I'll see how formulaic it all feels at the end, but at least I know there are romances out there that I can enjoy and that means my reading tastes have expanded just that little bit. Progress.
    • 3/5
      After reading a number of romances by Nora Roberts, I’ve come to recognize that she has a distinct pattern (I guess all romances do, though). It’s probably this simplistic pattern that enables her to churn out her novels as quickly as she does each year. But, all that predictability aside, her novels are fun, light reads. I’ve loved the covers of the Inn at Boonsboro trilogy since they came out, so when I realized that a friend of mine had the books, I had to give the first one a try.

      Like all of Nora’s novels, the story flows well and the lead male character is a dreamy hunk with a heart of gold. Why can’t all men be like a Nora Roberts’ male protagonist? Amazing physical shape, intelligent, witty, caring, soft hearted, comfortably well off if not all together wealthy, good in bed, great kisser, protector, animal lover, kind to children, etc…. The lead in this story is of course all of those things and more. Reading the story, I couldn’t help but fall in love with Beckett, the youngest of the Montgomery boys. I dare you to try and resist his charms!

      The story of Beckett and Clare was a nice read. I enjoyed it enough. While the novel was predictable, I do always enjoy the amount of research that Nora Roberts (or at least her assistants) put into building a setting and storyline. I’d recommend The Next Always to any Nora Roberts fan or to someone looking to delve into the romance genre.
    • 3/5
      I have been listening to this book on my way to and from work. I like being able to do that as it makes my commute a little less painful.

      I enjoyed this book, there was humor, romance, family, community all the elements of a good book.

      This was the story of Beckett and Claire. Beckett being one of three brothers remodeling the Inn and Claire owning the bookstore and raising 3 boys.