Hotel King: An Enemies to Lovers Romance (California Suits Book 1)

CONTEMPORARY: Ryan Michaels is an entrepreneur creating a string of luxury boutique hotels in California with a team of military men/partners and his brother. Charlotte “Charlie” Ray is the new VP of Sales and Marketing. She is excellent at her job, which is good because this has turned out to be her dream job. Unfortunately, Ryan harbors some resentment because she earned a promotion a few years ago that he thought should have been his. Plus, the circumstances around her hiring have caused additional strain as well. She has new ideas that are impacting his vision for the hotel. There is a strong attraction here, but Ryan is Charlie’s boss, and that complicates everything.

Charlie is a strong and capable protagonist. She is a good match for Ryan and helps him find some balance. Ryan has a few ego issues to navigate throughout the story, which help to flesh out his character and make him more likeable. The conflicts that occur both within the story arc and between the main protagonists are resolved satisfactorily as the plot progresses. The pace is moderate, but still engaging. The tension ramps up in a few places within the story, but mostly toward the end, as the separate pieces fall together for the conclusion. This is the start of a new series, with each story revolving around opening a new hotel with one partner at the helm.

The sound quality is excellent. There aren’t any background noises, missing phrases or skips detectable. This is a dual-narration audiobook, and it is easy to get lost in the storytelling by these talented narrators. They do an excellent job of keeping the character’s voices distinct from each other. The pacing and mood are conveyed clearly through the skillful narration of both Mr. Paige and Ms. Edwin.

Carey Sullivan