In The Suite Spot (Beck Sisters #2) by Trish Doller, Single mom Rachel Beck hasn’t been happy for some time. But with a 
beloved–and very active–three-year-old daughter, a full-time night manager position at a Florida hotel, and her sometimes boyfriend Brian pulling her in different directions, she’s bound to be stressed, right? It all comes to a head one night at the hotel when Rachel is accused of something heinous by a guest. A very rich guest. Even though her boss knows she’s not at fault, she gets fired, leaving her with minimal options.
“You don’t always have to be the strong one. You’re allowed to fall apart.”
“I don’t want to fall apart. I want the universe to bend my way for once.”
When Rachel learns of a boutique hotel manager position–her dream job, actually–she wants to give it a shot. But it’s in Ohio. Seemingly a world away from her mother and everything her daughter Maisie has ever known. But Kelleys Island beckons Rachel so she takes the chance. Although things are definitely not as described when she arrives, with the lodging still under construction and her boss, Mason Brown, grumpy and closed off. As they break the ice working together, Rachel learns why Mason is so guarded and wonders if she could be the one to help him start over again–and possibly even love again. After all, Kelleys Island is a new beginning for her and Maisie as well.
‘He seems scattered. Lost. And fixing him is not my responsibility. Especially not when I’m trying to get my own shit together.’
A story of healing, hope, friendship, and a love that was too strong to ignore, The Suite Spot was lush with emotions that author Trish Doller detailed to perfection.
“You’ve turned my life upside down in the best way, and I want you to stay for…as long as you want.”
For a second it almost seemed like he was going to say forever.
Trigger warning: View Spoiler »
While there were some sad moments, The Suite Spot was a feel-good story overall. It found both main characters at a crossroad in their lives–one ready to move forward, the other stuck in a grief-filled holding pattern. Our heroine Rachel (this book is told from her POV) hadn’t been treated very well by the men in her life, so Mason became a steady, kind presence who knew when he had something worth cherishing. Even if it was tough to admit it. And after the losses he’d suffered in the past few years, Rachel was the bit of sunshine in his life that helped Mason reemerge into the world again. It was sweet and they honestly felt so right as a couple, perfectly complementing each other in personality.
I adored how Mason got tongue-tied around Rachel and that he was this wonderful mix of alpha and beta characteristics–the science geek who was also smoldering hot, outdoorsy, and such a warm, generous person. Doller did a great job building the tension between Rachel and Mason, making this a slow burn romance. And it made sense for their situation. Rachel herself was a smart, capable, lovely single mom who had just been through an ordeal that finally snapped her to attention with the knowledge that she needed to do better–for her *and* for darling little Maisie. It wasn’t an easy thing to start over, but I thought Rachel was brave for taking the chance to improve her and her daughter’s lives. And aside from one little hiccup towards the end with a decision Rachel made, I couldn’t have been happier with how The Suite Spot drew to a close.
QOTD: Are you more of a fan of sweet love stories with minimal angst or do you prefer an intense romance with lots of drama?
Book Info:
Publication: Expected publication: March 8th 2022 | by St. Martin’s Griffin | Beck Sisters #2
Trish Doller’s The Suite Spot is a charming romance novel about taking a chance on a new life and a new love.
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.
