Usually I have no problem beginning a Nora Roberts book, but the first fifty or so pages in The Next Always caused me to wonder if I was reading script for an HDTV decorating show. After the romance heated up a little, I was pulled in, but it sure took a while. Plus, since Ms. Roberts and her husband own Inn BoonsBoro and Turn the Page bookstore in real life, the two properties owned by the hero and heroine, reading about them in this book almost made me feel like I was reading advertising copy for the author’s businesses.

After watching the old inn in their home town deteriorate year after year, it becomes too much for Beckett, Ryder, Owen, and their mother, Justine, owners of Montgomery Family Contractors. Restoring the inn becomes a labor of love for the family, much to the delight of the community and the inn’s ghost. The new business will be good for the town, especially Clare’s bookstore and her best friend Avery’s Italian restaurant.

At fifteen Clare fell for Clint at first sight. Four years later she married him, becoming an Army wife at nineteen. She gave birth to her first son at twenty while her husband was on his first tour of Iraq. After Clint returned, they had almost a year together and their second son was born. Clint returned to Iraq for his second tour and three weeks later, a sniper shot and killed him, leaving Clare a widow with two children and a third on the way. Her life shattered, she moved back home. She grabbed onto the idea of opening a bookstore as a way to combat her sorrow. With the lump sum from the Army, she opened Turn The Page bookstore to keep her from spiraling out of control with grief. Now, almost six years later, her life is filled with her three sons and her parents, her business, and her friends.

Beckett always had a thing for Clare. Even though she has been back in town for five years, he is terrified to change their status quo. However, he is addicted to visiting her bookstore every couple of days, hoping for a glimpse of her. After she expresses interest in the progress at the inn, he gives her an off the cuff invitation for a personalized tour of the building. The next morning, she and Avery show up and her enthusiasm convinces Beckett that she is the perfect person to write the brochure copy. When she comes back for more detailed information, she and Beck almost kiss and Clare has stirrings of sexual attraction. Embarrassed, Beck attempts to put their relationship back on friendly footing but goes overboard with his distance, causing Clare to confront him. After realizing that she feels interested rather than angry, he asks her out. Of course Beck not the only man who has his sights set on Clare. Clare has been saying no to wealthy Sam Freemont for a long time, but he is not getting the message.

Clare and Beckett’s romance is so realistic that it feels mundane in both good and bad ways. The good part is that Roberts captures the trials and tribulations of single parent dating, from cancelled dates because of childhood illness to having sex when the kids are at a sleepover. She easily illustrates the truism that the way to a mother’s heart is through her kids and Beckett conquers this task with babysitting at a moment’s notice and family dates. I have no doubt that these types of scenes play out heartwarmingly in people’s lives every day. At times it is very cute and sweet, but also sometimes lacking in magic. While Clare is very special to Beckett, Clare’s awakening seems more related to timing than to Beckett himself. She has dated a couple of times, but now with her youngest son entering kindergarten and the fading wounds from her husband’s death, she feels more open to having a relationship. I ended the story thinking that Beckett happened to be in the right place at the right time rather than believing she has a burning passion for him.

While the story is sweet, numerous items impacted my grade. The paranormal aspect of the story is enjoyable and adeptly done for most of the book, but the way it is incorporated in the ending seems almost ridiculous. Also, it made no sense that every detail of the business was being scrutinized with a fine-toothed comb, but Beck just casually gives Clare the important job of writing brochure copy. If the author had elaborated on Clare having actual talent or experience, perhaps this wouldn’t have brought me out of the story immediately.

As someone who has complained before about the first book setting up the next couple of books, I feel strange complaining when it is the opposite. However, it really did bug me here. The set-up for the next two books is done almost nonchalantly. While there is a bit of foreshadowing on Ryder’s romance, Owen and his heroine hardly interact at all. And while I did read a proof rather than a finished book, I do hope that someone catches the issue of the timing of Clint’s death in relationship to Clare’s pregnancy. In one scene she is barely pregnant, and then in the next, she was feeling flutters at the time of his death. While one scene covered the notification and the other the funeral, there is no indication given in the book that these scenes took place several months apart.

While engaging at times, too many plot devices kept me from feeling the love with this book. If you are a rabid fan, then you may find enough to appease your Nora fix. If you are on the fence about Nora Roberts’ books, then I don’t think this book will win you over.