Hotel King

Everyone knows not to mix business and pleasure. Don’t they?
Entrepreneur Ryan Michaels never loses. Well, except that time, a few years ago when he lost a promotion to spoiled rich girl, Charlotte “Charlie” Ray. Now he’s forced to hire his nemesis to secure funding to develop a string of luxury boutique hotels. Not only does she not fit his corporate vision, but she’s too damn attractive for her own good. And his.
Working as VP of Sales and Marketing for a luxury hotel is Charlie’s dream job. Too bad her boss is Ryan Michaels, the same pompous stick-in-the-mud that she remembers. If he tells her that this project is his legacy one more time, she might scream. Or maybe kissing him will get him to shut up?
Because that’s the other thing. The sizzling attraction between Ryan and Charlie is impossible to ignore. But everyone knows not to mix business and pleasure. Don’t they?
**Hotel King is the first book in award-winning and USA Today bestselling author Claire Marti's new spin off contemporary romance series, California Suits. The series will follow the adventures of five best friends who are opening a string of luxury boutique hotels from La Jolla to Monterey to Beverly Hills as each one finds true love…usually where he least expects it.

Hotel King is the first book I’ve read from author Claire Marti, and it definitely won’t be my last. I’ve already added her other books to my TBR on Goodreads because I really enjoyed this book. It’s an Enemies to Lovers, Boss/Employee, and Workplace Romance, which is always fun to read, at least for this reader. It’s also a Slow Burn, which means it will take a bit for the two stubborn characters to get over their obstacles and finally admit they have feelings for one another. 

I’ve always loved Enemies to Lovers storylines, and this one was well done and unique compared to others I’ve read in Contemporary Romance. The MMC, Ryan Michaels, is an Entrepreneur who is working with his best friends to open a new chain of luxury boutique hotels in California. He’s forced to hire Charlie Ray to be his VP of Sales and Marketing, even though she’s his archnemesis, all due to her getting the promotion that he thought he deserved when they used to work together years ago. His friends are surprised at first that he hired her, especially when they have a history. The second the two work together, they butt heads, and Charlie beings to question why Ryan hired her if he doesn’t trust her to do her job as VP of Sales and Marketing. 

I loved Charlie and how dedicated she was to proving herself to everyone. She wasn’t going to give up, even when Ryan was being a douche to her. Yes, I said, douche. He couldn’t get over the fact that Charlie had gotten that promotion, and he wouldn’t accept her advice at first with the hotel he was trying to open. I found him unlikeable at times because of it. Charlie deserved better, but I knew he would come around when they spent more time together. 

I did like Ryan and how he was dedicated to getting the hotel up and running, but he definitely needed to get over the past. He has a soft side, and it came out when two kittens that Charlie was fostering wiggled their way into his heart. I love the scenes of Ryan, Charlie, and the two kittens. It was adorable and even humorous. (There needs to be more animals in romance stories because they make everything better and sometimes steal the story.) 

The tension between Ryan and Charlie was completely obvious, even if they tried to hate each other, and the whole time, I wanted these two to give in to that sexual tension. They do, don’t worry, it just takes time and it was steamy when they did. They had to overcome those obstacles along the way, especially the big one at the end of the book. 

The HEA for Charlie and Ryan was absolute perfection, and I’m so glad these two enemies became lovers. I give their book four stars and can’t wait to read the rest of the series, especially since Claire Marti introduced the other characters that will get their books. 

Story Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Steam/Spice: 🌶🌶

Would I recommend this book? Yes.

Standalone or Part of Series: It’s part of the California Suits series but could technically be read as a standalone since each book follows a new couple.

Genre/SubGenre(s): Romance | Contemporary Romance

Trope(s)/Element(s): Enemies to Lovers | Boss/Employee Romance | Forbidden Romance | Office/Workplace Romance | Slow Burn

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About Claire Marti

Claire Marti is an award winning and USA Today Bestselling author of swoonworthy Contemporary Romance novels set in Southern California, including the Pacific Vista Ranch series and the California Suits series. She lives in San Diego with her husband, silly dog, and two clever cats.

Claire started writing stories as soon as she was old enough to pick up pencil and paper. After graduating from the University of Virginia with a BA in English Literature, Claire was sidetracked by other careers, including practicing law, selling software for legal publishers, and managing a non-profit animal rescue for a Hollywood actress.

When Claire's not writing, she's teaching yoga. You can find her sixty+ online classes on the international website www.yogadownload.com. A breast cancer survivor, Claire is a sought-after speaker on the power of yoga and meditation. She's been published in numerous magazines with articles on wellness and is the author of a memoir, Come Ride with Me Along the Big C, on her experience beating breast cancer.

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FranJessca

Owner/Reviewer at A Book Lovin' Mama's Blog

I guess I should type a bio here. I'm FranJessca, or Fran for short. I'm the owner/reviewer behind A Book Lovin' Mama's Blog. I've been reading and reviewing books on my blog since leaving the Navy in 2011, and I will keep doing it as long as possible. My favorite genres will always be Romance & Fantasy, and I read every subgenre underneath those two genres. (Sorry, not a fan of nonfiction, so don't try to convince me to read it.)
My obsession with reading started over 30+ years ago when I went to my first Scholastic Book Fair and found R.L. Stine's Fear Street series. Later, I came across Anne Rice's novels at my public library when I was fourteen when my obsession with vampires started. I was the girl who preferred to be a vampire over a princess any day. My husband says I would leave him a heartbeat for a vampire that looked like Spike or Angel (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) or Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries. (It's true, though, and he's accepted it.)

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