Last Boyfriend (Inn at Boonsboro Trilogy #2) (Inn Boonsboro Trilogy)

“As the second in a trilogy, The Last Boyfriend is as much about what happened before and what will happen next as it is about what’s happening now. Though this particular romance is brought to a satisfying conclusion, other elements are unfinished, obviously a set up for the third title.”

The Last Boyfriend takes up the Inn BoonsBoro Trilogy where The Next Always left off.

The pretty inn in a small Maryland town is nearly ready to open, and the happy couple from the first book are planning their wedding. It’s hard to figure out who the main characters are as the opening of this book shifts through multiple points of view, but the focus finally settles on Owen Montgomery, one of the brothers renovating the inn and his childhood friend Avery, a feisty restaurant owner.

As the second in a trilogy, the book is as much about what happened before and what will happen next as it is about what’s happening now. Though this particular romance is brought to a satisfying conclusion, other elements are unfinished, obviously a set up for the third title.

The inn has a ghost, and the characters are getting closer to uncovering her story, but it’s clear the real drama will happen in the final book. In the meantime, we are also catching up with Clare and Beckett, the couple from the first book, and hinting at the third romance. All the subplots detract a little from the main story, but they also help keep things moving.

The romance between Owen and Avery is surprisingly conflict-free. Avery has some commitment problems, and they both make mistakes, but every frustration is quickly overcome through calm, rational talking (or at most a little wrestling match).

On the one hand, it’s delightful to see characters building a healthy relationship through open communication, when many romance novels build conflict through a series of lies, secrets, and misunderstandings that make you wonder if the couple is really well suited. On the downside, the story lacks tension and must depend on the likability of its characters.

Fortunately, the characters are likable, from the lead couple on down to minor family members and friends. Everyone is incredibly hard working. Although she already runs a successful pizza place, Avery also dreams of opening a classy restaurant and bar—and she has the business plan to back up that dream. The Beckett family doesn’t let work on the inn stop them from building houses and planning new businesses.

This portrayal of work ethic might seem overdone until you consider the author’s own career—200 novels published—and she shows no signs of slowing down. She also renovated and now operates the real-life, historic, bed-and-breakfast in the Civil War-era town of Boonsboro, Maryland, where she and her husband also own a bookstore and fitness center. The Inn BoonsBoro Trilogy is her homage to the town she obviously loves.

In the books, the inn itself becomes a character described in sensuous detail, a kind of home-decor erotica, from the decorative tile rug of the entryway to the kitchen where “warm wood cabinets, creamy accent pieces, smooth granite paid complement to gleaming stainless steel appliances,” to minor details like the lampshades and the corner shelf in the bathroom. No doubt reservations at the actual inn will skyrocket after each book is released as fans hunger for the wholesome charm and luxury portrayed in the story.