She does a great job of bring new characters in and mixing old and new together. I think her Knights Bridge stories, look forward to the next one.

This was an excellent book. Ms Neggers never fails to deliver a fast passed attention grabbing book.

Both Charlotte and Greg need a break from life and volunteer to babysit the inn that is not yet open.
Nether one know that other volunteered. They met at Charlotte's cousins wedding and Greg's Best Friend.

I enjoyed how their friendship evolved into romance and the involvement of Greg's Son and Daughter.

I highly recommend this book.

Although fans of the series will probably enjoy Red Clover Inn, particularly for its ongoing glimpses into previous characters’ lives, I didn’t find it a great introduction to Neggers’ books or the Swift Valley River series. There were too many things that simply didn’t work for me, from some of the characters to the structure to the writing style.

I don’t want to imply that Red Clover Inn is a bad book. There were many things I did enjoy, including the inn and the town of Knights Bridge, which are charming and evoke a sense of New England. Greg’s kids, Adam and Megan, are terrific: nice, level-headed, well-behaved but realistic teens. I loved the inn’s feisty, independent, elderly neighbor, Evelyn Sloan. I also rather liked Samantha and Justin, the protagonists of book 3 in the series (Cider Brook), and would like to read their story. And I enjoyed the heroine, Charlotte, though I had reservations about the hero, Greg.

Charlotte is a marine archaeologist currently on leave from her job, so we never see her in her element. She’s a sympathetic character, caring and perceptive, but at the same time reserved and somewhat complex. She’s dealing with two losses, both emotionally difficult, but she is very private about her feelings — to the extent that I had to infer a lot of them. I’m all about showing, not telling, but the writing does need to “show” in a way that lets the reader in rather than keeping them at a distance. When Charlotte does finally start talking about the larger of her two issues, I was surprised. I didn’t see a clear progression between keeping it to herself, and being ready to talk about it, particularly to three people she hadn’t known for long. I would have expected her to confide first in someone closer to her.

Greg, on the other hand, never quite clicked for me. He’s straightforward but rarely prone to introspection, and if he feels strong feeling, he doesn’t usually let on. To anyone, reader included — which made it hard to feel I knew him. He doesn’t grow or change much through the course of the book. I could tell he is supposed to be likable, but I found him a bit irritating at times; he likes to tease or dig at people, in a way I’ve never really cared for.

Given the ways in which Greg and Charlotte are each portrayed, it was hard to get a sense of a deep connection between them, which made investing in their romance difficult. There is blossoming attraction and a growing trust, yes, but I wasn’t sold on — I wasn’t even entirely sure — how and why that attraction became love.

Some structural issues bothered me as well. The plot meanders. In dialogue, the speaker sometimes changes subjects abruptly from one sentence to the next, within the same paragraph, leaving me scratching my head as to the connection between the two sentences. There are also several conversations in which one secondary character or another tries to explain at length to Greg or Charlotte the relationships between all the previous heroes and heroines of the series, and how they connect to one another and to the town of Knights Bridge. As someone who hasn’t read any of the previous books, I began to find that annoying, mainly because the explanations aren’t always easy to follow without knowing the players — and the speakers know it, often using the word “confusing” to describe the relationships.

Finally, I know this is nitpicking, but the former English teacher in me cannot stand the way the author condenses adjective phrases into single words. “Blueeyed” is bad, “almostdrained” is worse, and don’t even get me started on the longer ones like “upcloseandpersonal” or “smokybutnottoosmoky” (to describe a whiskey.) This is English, not German! If you’re going use adjective phrases, please use hyphens instead of running words together! I know that ARCs aren’t perfect or final, and it’s possible that this running together of words is just a typesetting error, but it is so clearly restricted to adjective phrases that I have to think it is intentional.

I know Ms. Neggers’ books are popular, and the blurb of this book really appealed to me. I wanted to love it. But in the end, I couldn’t muster up much enthusiasm for it. Hopefully I’ll have better luck with some of the other books in the series, since several of them are already sitting on my Kindle.


A note on my rating: I gave Red Clover Inn 2.5 stars — in other words, right in the middle, half-way between “it was amazing and I loved it” and “omigosh this was dreadful.” My ratings tend to align with Goodreads’ definitions of star ratings, under which 3 stars is “I liked it” and 2 stars is “It was OK.”

I loved being back in the world of Swift River Valley and seeing the familiar characters there. This story revolves round marine archaeologist Charlotte, and diplomatic security services agent Greg. They are immediately attracted to one another, and feelings soon develop between them, but they both have to get past their baggage if they want a future together.

Loved the characters and the picturesque settings in this one.

Carla Neggers writes strong and unique main characters in Red Clover Inn. Charlotte is a tough marine archaeologist who is taking some time off to attend her cousin’s wedding … and mentally recover from a diving scare. Greg is a diplomatic security agent attending the same wedding and recovering from a gunshot wound.

I was pleasantly surprised that these two took time to develop a sturdy friendship before having a physical relationship. I enjoyed watching them maintain their cool facades – what they’re used to in their jobs – while intuitively seeing what’s really underneath in the other person. Neggers managed to write the push and pull without being annoying or cliche – outstanding!

While Charlotte and Greg leave the wedding in London and fo their separate ways, they coincidentally end up in the same inn in Massachusetts. They fall in to solving a couple of little mysteries and meeting some of the many locals who are related in convoluted ways. Neggers could have done without trying to explain how everyone was related – I skipped over those parts because they weren’t necessary to the plot, and they held me up.

I do think the writing is classic Carla Neggers – a really good plot but technically uneven. The creative storyline and intriguing characters made up for it, and I couldn’t put down my kindle because I needed to know what was happening next!

https://randombookmuses.com/2017/04/10/review-red-clover-inn-by-carla-neggers/

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1967923500

A leisurely moving lovely tale about family, friends, and starting new chapters in life. I enjoyed the story with its several subplots and the multitude of characters. I can imagine that the fans of the series, who have read every book before this one, enjoyed the visit with the old friends.
With the destination wedding in England, most of the two large families and they friends were introduced in the story. Either for the first time in the series or as old characters. I felt that was overwhelming, and took a lot of attention away from the developing romance at the Red Clover Inn.
Part of the story is lived through the honeymooners in Scotland as they are trying to build the backstory of one of the protagonists. As a reader, I was already aware of the issues coming to the light so I didn't see the necessity of the frequent visits with them, more of a distraction from the main story as well.
Charlotte Bennett and Greg Rawlings were both great characters. They are mature and both of them have seen and experienced a lot during their lives. They had depth and personality to back up their convictions. Their banter and wit were clever, the chemistry between them was great. With everything else going on in the story, I felt like I kept waiting for something to happen between them, the focus to be on them as a developing relationship and a future couple, yet the moment kept on building and when something finally happens it was time to wrap up. I would have liked to see much more story about them, instead of things happening around them. But that is just my personal preference.
A relaxed and nice story about life, finding your place in it, finding your destiny, letting go of the past and moving on to the new direction. It is well written and has a fluent flow to it, making it an enjoyable read
~ Three Spoons with a teaspoon on the side

Sometimes our friends can see what we need before we know ourselves. A little meddling goes a long way though and should be dealt with care.

Charlotte first meets Greg in a tavern. Unfortunately, first impressions tend to stick with you even after they have been disproven. Luckily, they have both been given directions to house-sit the Red Clover Inn. Greg is not only the first to arrive but he has been given a heads-up that Charlotte will be joining him for the holiday.

Family on both sides of the pond throw advice. That is what family is for. Even the happy honeymooning couple stay in touch enough to make their opinions heard. As always, in a Carla Neggers, you cannot just read a love story. There must be a puzzle, or mystery to solve. There must be international travel. AND Let's not forget to trap someone where they don't belong!

This was a lot of fun to read and it was nice to catch up with some old friends.

The meeting between Charlotte Bennett and Agent Greg Rawlings does not get off to an auspicious start. They're at a rehearsal dinner for Charlotte's cousin and Greg starts off by telling Charlotte she's too uptight. And it doesn't go uphill from there.
Greg is attracted to Charlotte and is delighted to learn that she is going to be at the Red Clover Inn in the Swift River Valley so he can spend more time with her. Well, Charlotte and his teenage children from a youthful first marriage.
I liked that this was a quiet story. Slow and steady, Charlotte and Greg built their relationship and fooled no one but themselves as they did so.

Four stars
This book comes out March 28

This is book 7 of the Swift River Valley series and it's easier to keep track of all the couples and family if you've read the previous books. Carla Neggers does a pretty good job of background for the new reader. This is Charlotte's story who is facing a crisis in her career and is distracted by Greg at her cousin Samantha's wedding. While Greg is part of the diplomatic security like many of the other men in this series, he is a little older with more baggage in his background. I like the way these two balance each other and give each other the space to solve some personal conflicts. a nice addition to the series.

My first reaction to Neggwrs was correct- she's really not for me. Greg is a completely unlikeable jerk and had zero redeeming qualities. The plot is full of unnecessary information about charlotte's extended family. I will not be going back for a third Neggers.

another great book by Carla Neggers. Not my favorite story of hers but you never know where she is going with her characters

Carla Neggers never fails to entertain with her wonderful stories! Charlotte and Greg meet the night before a wedding. Their banter and back stories make them such wonderful characters that you really can't help but cheer them on as their relationship grows.

Another interesting Bennett/Sloan family novel. I enjoy how Carla Neggers keeps you in touch with former main characters through her books. The taste of Scotland adds depth to the story that all fans will enjoy.

For RT Reviews review in the April digital edition