The Last Boyfriend: Book Two of the Inn BoonsBoro Trilogy

Roberts' newest addition to her enormous body of work (after The Next Always: Book One of the Inn BoonsBoro Trilogy) fails to uphold the dictum that practice makes perfect—or at least makes better. Though Roberts has authored over 200 books, this second installment in the Inn BoonsBoro Trilogy falls flat. Owen Montgomery is responsible for seeing to it that the titular inn—recently restored by Owen and his brothers, Beckett and Ryder—opens on time. But then again, he wasn't planning on being sidetracked, especially by an old flame. Avery McTavish claims Owen as her first boyfriend, no matter that she was five years old at the time. Now Owen is determined to rekindle their love and make sure he's the last boyfriend she ever has. Helped along by the Inn's resident ghost, Owen's plan may work out in his favor, but a contrived plot and clinical romance leaves readers plodding along without excitement or seduction. Redeemed only by the mature manner in which the main characters handle their problems, this book is best left for the die-hard Roberts fans. (May)