First published 2014
Alexis Austin peers into another broken pipe at the Hotel Angeline. The fourteen-year-old has become the unofficial manager of this rickety former mortuary on Capitol Hill while her landlady mother remains absent. Rain patters against the windows as Alexis tends to an eccentric collection of tenants who depend on her for everything from plumbing repairs to emotional support. These colorful misfits and aging rebels have made the hotel their sanctuary. When Alexis discovers someone plans to sell their building, she faces an impossible challenge. She must find a way to save the only home her tenants know while searching for her biological father and navigating her surrogate father's troubled history. Romance complicates her already overwhelming responsibilities. Through it all, Habib the crow watches from his perch, perhaps the only creature who truly understands the chaos swirling around the Hotel Angeline. Alexis carries the weight of everyone's problems on her young shoulders, but saving what matters most will test every ounce of her determination.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, underdog
Setting: Capitol Hill, Hotel Angeline, Seattle
Period: Contemporary
Kindle Edition · Open Road Media