The Last Boyfriend

I didn't love Next Always so I had mixed reservations when I started to read Last Boyfriend and I LOVED this one. It made me almost want to give Next Always another try.

Owen, the detail man, and Avery, the pizza shop owner and restauranteur, have been friends forever and soon they realize they mean more to each other than they cared to admit.

There are some surprises which I loved and I have to admit I fell in love with Avery's dad Willy B... how could you not?

One of my friends mentioned that it was hard to keep the cast of characters straight where I loved it, it made me feel part of the family.

The first three chapters were a bit slow but once the action started I couldn't put it down.

Also, Beckett and Claire's story is continued show more and you get to learn more about Lizzy the ghost. show less

"It’s not about spine. It’s about love and faith, and hope, I guess. I watched my brother marry Clare, and I knew I wanted that. I’ve always wanted it, but I thought, sure, eventually. Eventually I’d settle in, settle down, make a family. It’s eventually, Avery, because the other thing I know is eventually never came until you. It’s always been you. My first girlfriend." - Owen Montgomery

There's nothing better for the end of summer than a good ol' NR romance. And Owen's book was just sweet enough to brighten this bookworm's days lately.

Owen Montgomery and Avery MacTavish have been close friends since forever. But when a certain matchmaking ghost causes an incident that leads to a kiss between the two, a spark they didn't show more know existed comes to life. Suddenly, things that they admired and liked about each other start bringing them even closer. Still, Avery has some issues to work out before she can truly accept the happy ever after Owen is offering her.

While Owen and Avery were not a couple that had many ups and downs, I found myself enjoying their story a lot.

For one, NO DRAMA! Yes, it's interesting whenever it's around, but it's nice to just have a book where things go smoothly for the most part once in a while. It feels like... home. Sweet and warm, and funny and lively. Those two were meant to be, just like almost every NR pair, of course, and it was glaringly obvious in the story.

Still, Roberts never lets us down in terms of storytelling. While there was no "bad person" here to try and break the two or harm any one of them, there was some tension and a couple of psychological issues to be solved. It wasn't hard, by no means, but it certainly wasn't as easy as one might think. It was calm, though, and full of friendship and understanding and love, and that's the most important thing to remember.

Avery was a little ray of sunshine, buzzing with energy and always making others smile and cheer up. She was messy and way too spontaneous, but that's what made her perfect for Owen, who was some sort of a control freak. They balanced each other out.

Owen, on the other hand, was patient and understanding, and while he was awkward because he knew Avery mattered and he wanted everything to be right and perfect, he was adorable in his attempts to be cool about the whole thing but failing miserably. Plus, that scene where he realized he wanted to marry Avery... God, the cuteness overload was too much! Ryder did ruin it a bit with his humor, but hey, I still love the big oaf.

Speaking of Ry, his book is next - my IT of the trilogy! I can't wait to get my hands on him - errr, I mean his book!!!

"You make my heart flutter, Owen. You always did. I got used to it—and maybe getting used to it I didn’t value it enough. When we started to be with each other, it was more than a flutter. Something more, and I didn’t know what to do with it. No one else ever made me feel the way you did—do. I thought something was missing in me because I couldn’t FEEL enough. But the only thing missing was none of them were you." - Avery MacTavish show less

I love Nora Roberts--her suspense novels, her "witchy" and spooky novels, her trilogies of whatever theme. I love them all. I know when I pick up one of her books, I'll be immersed in whatever town or universe she's created, I'll make friends with her characters, and I'll identify with the mom figure in the story. I don't read Nora if I'm looking for social commentary or a plot that makes me question the meaning of life.

Reading Nora, I might learn something along the way about gardening, or in this case running a pizzeria (or reconstruction projects, or opening an inn), but I read her books for enjoyment and a few moments of escapism. That's exactly what I got in "The Last Boyfriend," a good, solid love story with all the components of show more my favorite Nora stories.

It doesn't matter that I know from the start of the series that each of the girls will end up with one of the guys. It doesn't matter that pretty soon I'll be able to pair them up. What matters is that I like the characters and the setting, and I enjoy reading their journeys as they make their way to HEA-ville.

"The Last Boyfriend" was no exception.

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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).

Nora continues to be one of the absolute best writers out there. Her characters are so good, you feel like they are good friends immediately. She is amazing at developing a character, and with real depth, so quickly and completely that the reader feels as though they've known them forever. This is a unique story for me, as someone involved in renovation and family businesses, but I enjoyed it all the more because of it.

Great characters; a good plot; can't wait for book #3!

Almost got four stars. It's a romance, but it rings true to life, both in the brothers' interplay and the types of misunderstandings between the lovers. I've been impressed by the amount of loving accurate detail given over to the renovation process. I thought the author must have experience; and so she has! She owns the real Boonsboro Inn and was involved with it's renovation. Turns out the whole downtown is true-to-life as well. That is sweet.

Owen Montgomery is an organised man, to a fault, however the only thing that can distract him is Avery McTavish. They were childhood sweethearts and although they drifted apart they're now starting to drift together.

As usual you know where it's going, it was pretty predictable but the dialogue sparkled and the scene with Owen and his mum and her lover... oh man I laughed out loud at the three of them. Plus the occasional flashbacks he had. I'm smiling at the memory.

Fairly typical Nora Roberts fare and you can almost see how she uses reality as a backdrop for forging a story around it.