Review of The Suite Spot
Upon being falsely accused of making a sexual advance toward the customer who groped her, Rachel is fired from her night concierge job in Ft. Lauderdale. She finds a new job at a brewery hotel on Kelleys Island, Ohio. After driving cross country with her daughter Maisie, Rachel meets owner Mason who informs her that the hotel does not yet exist. But if she wants the job of building the hotel from the ground up, it is hers.
Unable to resist the opportunity, Rachel takes the job. She finds her boss sometimes gruff and moody, sometimes kind. And Mason is always willing to talk about brewing. I enjoyed reading about Rachel becoming a part of the small island community – making friends and making impressions, all while trying to get to know her boss. While she is building her new life, Maisie’s father challenges Rachel, adding complications to the budding romance.
Maisie is adorable. She immediately charms Mason by agreeing that Woodstock beats Snoopy and informing him that their names are kind of alike. But Mason is reluctant to get too close to Maisie because she stirs sad memories.
Rachel’s new BFF, Avery, is also a great character. As the island insider, she provides guidance and balance as well as introductions to the rest of the island characters. There is a great cat who doesn’t like anybody, but immediately hits it off with Maisie.
I liked that both Rachel and Mason are family-oriented. Even though Rachel left her mom in Ft. Lauderdale, Mom continues to be a part of the story. And Mason’s family are not to be left out. His Japanese mother had a big influence on Mason’s life, taste and even on the beer he brews.
The story of building a hotel from the ground up was fun. Floorplans, antiques, art, and beer menus keep the reader interested in what could be a dull construction project. As the hotel comes together, so too do Rachel and Mason. Which was pretty predictable, but so much fun to read about!
This book is a charming, refreshing contemporary romance that made me want to visit Kelleys Island in Ohio. The Suite Spot is the warmest thing I’ve read all winter.
I won an early copy of this book from the publisher. My review is my honest opinion.
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About The Suite Spot by Trish Doller
Rachel Beck has hit a brick wall. She’s a single mom, still living at home and trying to keep a dying relationship alive. Aside from her daughter, the one bright light in Rachel’s life is her job as the night reservations manager at a luxury hotel in Miami Beach—until the night she is fired for something she didn’t do.
On impulse, Rachel inquires about a management position at a brewery hotel on an island in Lake Erie called Kelleys Island. When she’s offered the job, Rachel packs up her daughter and makes the cross country move.
What she finds on Kelleys Island is Mason, a handsome, moody man who knows everything about brewing beer and nothing about running a hotel. Especially one that’s barely more than foundation and studs. It’s not the job Rachel was looking for, but Mason offers her a chance to help build a hotel—and rebuild her own life—from the ground up.
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