The Lyric Hotel

by Susan Sisko Carter

Overview

Six months after the loss of her husband, Jeanette moves to the last place she felt truly alive: The Lyric Hotel - where she spent a night with a musician. A night that changed the course of her life.

A successful director of commercials, Jeanette doesn't tell her rep. She doesn't tell her oldest friend. Not even her mother. She vanishes from the world she knew and takes up residence in a hotel that caters to musicians on the road. At the hotel, Jeanette can be the architect of her evolving self: a woman unfettered by preexisting conditions of who she was - or wasn't.

Jeanette's quest to lose herself is funny and heartbreaking as she encounters an assortment of complicated men. But there is one constant: longing; like the longing of a Brandi Carlyle song or the moan of an electric guitar through the wall of her junior suite.

Inspired by Susan Sisko Carter's real-life adventures, The Lyric Hotel is an escape from a harsh world of disappointment and loneliness to a world where music, the right tone, and the right touch, are synonymous with aliveness. And where a Privacy-Please sign keeps out the past so the present might flourish.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798891322691
Publisher:	Atmosphere Press
Publication date:	07/16/2024
Pages:	298
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.81(d)

Editorial Reviews

2024-06-29
A woman embarks on a journey of self-discovery at a hotel with a connection to her past in Carter’s second-chance romance.

In 2019, Jeanette Coles, a commercial director from San Francisco, spent an unforgettable night in Los Angeles at the Lyric Hotel. While walking her dog, she met Evan Jameson, a cello player who’d performed with such world-famous musicians as Sting and Diana Krall. Their instant connection led to a night of passion; however, both were married, and Evan was reluctant to start an affair because “the only woman he’d give that much of himself to was his wife.” After returning to her home in San Francisco, Jeanette’s world was shattered when her husband, Michael, was killed in a car accident. Eight months later, Jeanette returns to the Lyric Hotel for an extended stay with no set departure date. Meanwhile, Evan’s busy performing schedule becomes complicated when Nancy tells him she’s pregnant with their second child. As he navigates the responsibilities of marriage and parenting with his life as a musician, Jeanette copes with her grief through a series of business and romantic encounters with other guests at the hotel. As the December holidays approach, Jeanette gets an invitation to join her mother in Paris, which offers the possibility of a surprise reunion with the man she’s unable to forget. Carter’s debut is a sparkling romance with vivid characters and sharp, crystalline prose. Jeanette is an instantly memorable protagonist whose journey through her grief is heartfelt and poignant. Evan is a strong foil for Jeanette, and their scenes together crackle with romantic tension. The author also shows a knack for clever chapter titles (such as “Loathing Me Loving You”) and witty character introductions, as when Jeanette meets with an aging actor to film a commercial: “One historical landmark leaned against another. Charles Millburn stood among the gnarled roots of the 120-year-old fig tree, resting his silver pate against a venerable branch, eyes closed as a makeup woman dabbed foundation onto his nose.”

A page-turning tale of the healing power of love.

Kirkus Reviews