The Next Always by Nora Roberts

This one almost slipped by me!  Roberts' newest trilogy begins with The Next Always, which will be released November 1, 2011.  It looks like fact and fiction will be merging for this trilogy, which takes place in a family renovated bed-and-breakfast in Boonsboro, MD (Nora and her family have actually renovated a B&B in Boonsboro).  Following is the synopsis from Amazon:

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 eccentric 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...

Can I just say that I love the front cover of this book?  There's something very warm and romantic about the old stone building, the colours of the wood and the flowers.  If this is the front of the actual B&B I think I might need to take a road trip.  And talk about great free advertising for it!  If any fan of Nora's didn't know she owns a B&B in her hometown, they will now!  Seeing as how this book is about a mother and two sons, I wonder how many of Nora's fans will be asking her how much of her life made it into this book? 

I am looking forward to reading this book, I love a romance in a small hometown where people fall in love with someone they have known all their life, but never considered.  But, enough with the trade size!  I knew this would happen when Roberts' Bride Quartet came out in Trade.  I hate that size!  For one thing it is more expensive, and another thing, it is not comfortable to hold while reading.  I want the mass market book back for the trilogies!  I will definitely be borrowing this book from the library instead of buying it, even though Roberts is usually an autobuy for me.

30 Days of Books - Day 2

A book that you've read more than 3 times.
This was hard, and having looked over the list, I think it is only going to get harder to narrow down my choices each day.  Over my lifetime I have read hundreds, if not thousands of books.  Many I have read once and forgotten, but a lot I have read over and over again.  I think it all started with Cinderella. I have always loved to read and believe that a good book is like a good friend.  Some I have read for the first time to only finish it and immediately start again.  I did this the first time I read Nora Robert's Heaven and Earth.  

Ripley Todd just wants to live a quiet, peaceful kind of life. Her job as a sheriff's deputy keeps her busy and happy, and she has no trouble finding men when she wants them - which, lately, isn't all that often. She's perfectly content, except for one thing: she has special powers that both frighten and confuse her - and though she tries hard to hide them, she can't get them under control... Distraction soon arrives in the handsome form of MacAllister Booke - a researcher who's come to investigate the rumours of witchcraft that haunt Three Sisters Island. Right from the start, he knows there's something extraordinary about Ripley Todd. It's not just her blazing green eyes and her sultry smile. There's something else. Something he can detect, but she'll never admit. Fascinated by her struggle with her amazing abilities, he becomes determined to help her accept who she is - and find the courage to open her heart. But before Ripley and Mac can dream of what lies in the future, they must confront the pain of the past. For Three Sisters shelters centuries of secrets - and a legacy of danger that plagues them still...

This is one of my favourite Nora Roberts' series.  All three books are stellar, but the second one, Heaven and Earth, has just a little bit more oomph.  Ripley, although tough, shows some vulnerability.  But Mac just does something for me.  I think it is because he is smart, rich (shallow, I know) yet clumsy and awkward at times.  Throw in a picturesque island town, the supernatural, and I am hooked.  I return to this book at least once a year.

Review - The Sweetest Thing by Jill Shalvis

The Sweetest Thing is the second book in the Lucky Harbor trilogy.  This book is oldest sister Tara's story.  Six months after her mother has died and left the sisters an inn, Tara finds herself still in Lucky Harbor.  Helping her sisters renovate and open the inn up, Tara longs to find control and a plan for her life.  Things are far from under control though, when her ex-husband, Logan and her ex-lover, Ford decide to win her love.  Thrown in are town folk with Facebook commentary and polls on the love triangle and a secret from Tara's past making an appearance.

Overall I found this book to be a good read.  Tara, although a Type A personality, had enough vulnerability and humour to balance it out.  While Ford is determined to win Tara back for good this time.  The two together have hot, sizzling chemistry together.  The story was a little slow to begin with but picks up speed by chapter 10.  Although it was refreshing to see that Logan wasn't given the bad guy rap, I'm not totally convinced that he was needed in the story.  At times it just felt like filler.  Jill Shalvis is definitely working her way to being an auto-buy for me.  Her characters have depth and the story lines are filled with romance hot sexual chemistry, and humour.

While the second in a trilogy, I think The Sweetest Thing can stand on it's own, but why would you want to read just this one?  If you haven't read the first book, Simply Irresistible, do it.  I am looking forward to Chloe and Sawyer's story in Head Over Heels, I am sure Chloe will keep him on his toes.