Have you ever been to Pageant of the Masters?
I have been to Laguna Beach many many times but I have never been there for Pageant of the Masters. I have always been so intrigued by it. And I did see the Arrested Development episode where George Bluth hid in the painting.

Hotel Laguna is the stunning new novel by @nicolaharrisonauthor about Hazel, a woman who worked in an airplane factory during WWII and then made her way to Laguna after the war ended in search of work. She ended up becoming an assistant for a famous artist who had a scandalous past involving a Hollywood starlet. This book was absolutely riveting (no pun intended since Hazel was a riveter!). The descriptions were so detailed and the characters so multi-dimensional that I was fully immersed in life at the beach in the 1940s. I loved hearing Hazel’s story has an early feminist who was determined and independent and sought out opportunities that weren’t normally available to women. She was ahead of her time and so inspirational. I just loved seeing her follow her dreams and break out of the traditional roles.
The life in the artist haven of a beach town was so picturesque and so well-crafted that it made me remember why I love historical fiction.

I enjoyed this audiobook very much. It was predictable but I enjoyed the characters so much I had to find out if I was correct with what happened. There was a little bit of romance, history and mystery to keep it interesting. The narrator did a great job and I look forward to reading/listening to other books by Nicola Harrison. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Building a Life During WWII and After

Like many women during WWII, Hazel Francis left Kansas and moved to California to take a job in the aircraft industry. She was good at the mechanical tasks and earned promotions, but in 1946 when the men returned to take the jobs, she found herself unemployed.

With nothing to return to in Kansas Hazel takes a bus to Laguna Beach to look for work. She finds an ad for an artist’s assistant. She lands the job with Hanson Radcliff, a cranky well-know artist. She becomes close to him and learns about the incident that soured his life. Hazel also gets involved with the community and is well liked. One of the people who is important to her is Jimmy the bartender at the Laguna Beach Hotel. They become involved in a romantic relationship. It’s a satisfying life, but Hazel still has dreams of working with airplanes.

Hazel is a good character, independent and adaptable. Although her life changes several times, she adjusts and makes a success of her new opportunities. The historical aspect of the book focuses on how women, who were asked to play significant roles during the war, had to reshape their lives and goals when the men came home. I thought the author did a good job illustrating this transition with Hazel’s challenges.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for this book.

Based right after WWII, this book focuses on Hazel Francis and her decision to take a route less taken by women during that time. She doesn't want to be the traditional stay at home, have babies and take care of the house kind of lady; but to continue working outside of the house. Eventually she makes her way to the west coast, to a small town, Laguna beach, where she starts to work as an assistant for a rather crotchety old man and famous painter, Hanson Radcliff.

This was such a cute read! I loved watching the relationship between Hazel and Hason develop throughout the book. She was able to really get to know him and about his life when he was younger. Watching Hazel find her place in Laguna while digging into Hanson's past to try and find the most talked about portrait that Hanson ever painted and still haunts him.

This was fast read for me and a solid 4 stars! Thank you @netgalley for the advanced copy! #NetGalley #HotelLaguna

I enjoyed this book immensely. I didn't think the back and forth of the first few chapters going between 1942 and 1946 was necessary. I feel like it could have been told in the same way linearly like the rest of the novel. Other than that, this was enjoyable. Hazel Francis isn't your typical woman from this time period. She knows the midwest is not for her and decides to do something about it when the war starts and the aircraft builders are hiring women while the men fight in the war. She takes herself to California. After the war ends, she is left with no job and no idea where to go. She ends up in Laguna Beach. I found it interesting to have this story told from the viewpoint of a woman after the war because their lives were changed as much as the men that had been fighting overseas, just in a different way. They had their eyes opened that maybe they could do the jobs that me do and do them well. Hazel is a great character, and I think you will enjoy getting to know her and the others in her orbit.


Thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for free advanced copy, and I am leaving my review freely

I received an ARC of this book. Another winner by Nicola Harrison. I've enjoyed every one of her books so far. She writes interesting stories that pull you in and keep you enthralled until the very end. This book +did that as well. Great characters and a story to tug at your heart strings!

When WWII breaks out, Hazel leaves her life in small-town Kansas to join the workforce and support the war effort. Now, the war is over and Hazel loses her job to returning soldiers; desperate to maintain her freedom and avoid returning home to the midwest, Hazel finds a job working for a prominent artist, Hanson Radcliff, in Laguna Beach, CA. As Hazel attempts to curry favor with her new boss, she uncovers a lifetime worth of secrets that continue to haunt Hanson. Hazel makes it her mission to help Hanson reconcile some of his past trauma, all while continuing to make her place in the community. I very much enjoyed Hotel Laguna, Nicola Harrison is so masterful at bringing the reader into the historical world of the female protagonist and creating complex characters. I thoroughly enjoyed the plot but felt like the pacing was off in both the beginning (slow to build) and the end (quickly concluded). Overall, this was a touching piece of historical fiction with enough romance and mystery to please any reader!

Want to thank NetGalley and Saint Martin’s Press for granting me the pleasure of reading this early eGalley.

After being forced out of her job at an airplane factory due to the end of WWII, small town Kansas girl, Hazel Francis, finds herself in the artist's mecca of Laguna Beach, CA. She has no family, no job and no idea what to do with herself. A lucky break lands her a job as an assistant to the artist Hanson Radcliff, a somewhat eccentric local hero with a scandalous past. As Hazel begins to fall in love with the town and find her place, she's still unsure if it's what she wants. And with Hanson's troubled past threatening to come back to haunt him, it's time for Hazel to decide where her future lies.

I really enjoyed this book. It was very atmospheric in its description of Laguna Beach and all of its strange inhabitants. I felt like I was there. I enjoyed the many historical details too, such as the bathing costume descriptions and the scenes in the soda shop.

I thought the character of Hazel was well written. She was interesting and conflicted, but still a little naive and charming. She definitely made some questionable decisions and I hate when characters cut another character off thinking that they know what they're going to say when in fact, they don't. One thing that bothered me a little was that I found it unbelievable that a girl from Kansas could take to ocean swimming so quickly. But that's just being nitpicky.

My other favorite characters of course were Jimmy and Hanson. Both men were interesting and likeable despite being completely different. I really felt for Hanson and all he had gone through in his life. I think a book about his early life would be fascinating!

Overall, this is a great summer read. It's quick and light, has a little bit of mystery and keeps you entertained!

As I’ve shared before, I love books that are set in places I know. Laguna is just a quick drive up the coast from where I live.
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I read and enjoyed 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗚𝗶𝗿𝗹 by this author a couple of years ago so I was excited to read her latest work. Her historical fiction is unique, about subjects not told repeatedly by most historical fiction authors.
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Hotel Laguna is set in the early 1940s. Without a family of her own, Hazel does her part in the war efforts as an independent young woman. She finds herself in California desperate for work after the war and becomes the assistant to an aging artist. Here the story unfolds with community, a mystery, a love story, and a story of friendship. I loved the inside look at the work behind the Pageant of the Masters and the snippets of Laguna culture that were shared.
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Fans of historical fiction, art, and Southern California beach towns will want to pick this up.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book since it's my first time reading anything by this author. However, after finishing it, I must say that I'd love to read more of her work.

During WWII, she worked for Douglas Aircraft, helping construct bombers for the US military. After the war, she refuses to return to a life where women couldn't do much. They were raised to be wives and mothers, but she wanted much more to herself.

That's when Hazel Francis moves to Laguna in search of independence. At first, her situation isn't really good. She has nowhere to live, and working with Hanson Radcliff is not what she expected. She's unsure of how long this will last and if she'll be able to survive this way. Luckily, Jimmy, the hotel bartender and her friend, is always around to give her advice and support when things get tough.

It was a great read. I could feel Hazel's emotions throughout the book. It's hard not to wonder what I would do in her position. She had to make so many difficult decisions and trust her gut so many times. She's a very strong woman.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press for providing the ARC!

After spending most of the war working at Douglas Aircraft, Hazel Francis finds herself adrift and in desperate need of a job. She follows a lead in Laguna Beach to the home of an eccentric, and often inebriated, artist. Despite her reservations, she becomes his assistant and soon becomes involved in the thriving artists' community in Laguna Beach. She also is drawn to Jimmy, the bartender at the Hotel Laguna, who keeps her fed and safe when she first arrive. Hazel is crushed to learn he has a girlfriend and is even more crushed when she meets the beautiful but unappreciative woman.

Hazel soon discovers the source of Hanson's demons--a decades-old scandal that he cannot forget. She finds herself in a race against time to find a missing portrait before those with more nefarious goals beat her to it.

Author Nicola Harrison has crafted such a fabulous setting in 1946 Laguna Beach that I wanted to crawl into the book and live there for a while. The characters are also sympathetic. Just delightful. #HotelLaguna #NetGalley

Interesting story about Laguna Beach shortly after WWII. The story follows Hazel as she tries to find her place after losing work in the factories. The work Hazel finds has her exploring the artist community and while the characters were intriguing, the story was very slow and was difficult to get through. I was fascinated by the Pageant of the Masters but there wasn’t as much on this subject as there could have been. Hazel was a strong and resilient character but the book dragged on and could have been shorter.

Hotel Laguna, by Nicola Harrison, was one of the most enjoyable novels I have read all year. Set in California during the post-WWII, it provides insight on the women who stepped up to fill "men's" jobs and join the war effort when they were needed...and when they were no longer needed. More important, the plot is complex and combines love, coming of age, and mystery. The characters are memorable, unique and multi-dimensional. After so many novels populated by shallow, sniping characters, Hotel Laguna is a welcome change of pace. It is far from sweet, but it does recognize that most people are a mix of positives and negatives. I highly recommend this book. It won't change your life, but I hope readers will feel their time well spent. Five stars! Thanks to NetGalley and St. Marin's Press for the opportunity to read a digital ARC. It was my pleasure.

I was first attracted to Hotel Laguna when I read that the main character was a Rosie the Riveter. I can remember my grandmother showing me the pants she wore when she went to work in a factory during WWII. We first meet our main character, Hazel Francis, at the beginning of the war. Hazel leaves Kansas and gets a job at Douglas Aircraft in California. When the war ended, Douglas let the women go and replaced their jobs with soldiers that were returning home. Hazel had nothing to return home to in Kansas. Hazel takes what funds she has and decides to take a bus to Laguna Beach to find a job.

Laguna Beach offers love interests, mystery, Hanson, a cantankerous boss, who is a well-known artist, Jimmy, the bartender at Hotel Laguna, and several characters to make the story complete.

I think this book is a perfect “beach read.” I was totally surprised by the ending. I was not expecting it. Could there be a sequel? My thanks to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.

In 1942, Hazel Francis left Wichita, Kansas for California, excited to work for Douglas Aircraft, aiding the war effort. She became one of the “Rosie the Riveters,” helping construct bombers for the U. S. military. She found she was not only good at her job, but she loved it immensely. When the war ended, all of the women were let go, so that the men returning home would have jobs to return to. The women were just expected to go home and become good little wives and mothers, but that wasn't what Hazel wanted. Because there was no place for her there, she heads to Laguna Beach - a place she had heard mentioned many times before but didn't know much about - and tries to find a job there. She accepts a job as an assistant to famous artist Hanson Radcliff. Working hard to stay on her cantankerous employer’s good side, Hazel becomes a valued member of the community. She never expected to fall in love with the rhythms of life in Laguna, nor did she expect to find a kindred spirit in Jimmy, the hotel bartender whose friendship promises something more.

This book was excellent. It really transported me back to the 1940's. I loved Hazel, and how determined and industrious she was. I really liked Jimmy as well, and was rooting for the two of them to work their way towards each other. This was a fascinating book and if you are a fan of historical fiction then you will definitely want to put this on the top of your TBR pile. I also think this could make a really good beach read. I know reading about Hazel swimming in the ocean each morning made me wish I was at the beach right now.

I've loved Nicola’s books since her debut, and this is another amazing story of a woman going for what she wants and pursuing her dreams. It also centers around a 40-year-old scandal surrounding a mysterious missing painting and so, of course, I needed to paint it⁣

After the war Hazel is a bit lost. She loved being a “Rosie the Riveter” constructing bombers, but now that the men are home, they need their jobs back, and the women are directed to go back to “just being wives and mothers."⁣
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When she finds herself in Laguna Beach, a small bohemian artist town, she accepts the first job she finds - an assistant to a famous artist - and quickly becomes immersed the sunny art world of Southern California.⁣
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I am here for any story about art, and I really loved her vivid descriptions of not only place and time, but also of color, brush strokes, and light - such phenomenal writing where you can almost picture the paintings in front of you! ⁣
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Add in a hunky hotel bartender, her grumpy boss, a wannabe starlet, and a fun community of characters putting together a living art show - and we get a gorgeous story of found family, secrets and dreams, and finding change in yourself in a world changing around you.

Hotel Laguna is a historical fiction set in the period of 1942 and 1946. The story revolves around a young woman named Hazel and her struggles to find her own identity in a world where women were relegated to making a home after the war.

Hazel is a determined young woman and wants to be someone. She relocates to a new place after her work in the aviation comes to a halt after the war. She builds new relationships and is in the employ of Hanson, a famous painter with a notorious past.

I enjoyed this book. Hazel is imperfect, naive in a lot of ways. Her decisions are jaded and petty, but her heart is in the right place. I really wanted not to like her. But in the end, I understood her need for relationships and making decisions in the heat of the moment. If you are looking for historical fiction with a hint of mystery, small town, and community feel, pick up Hotel Laguna.

Thank you, St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for this book.

Hazel Francis wants out of her small town after her mother passes away. She sees an ad for “Rosie the riveter” and goes to California to help with war effort, making plane parts. She’s a little lost after the war ends and needs to figure out her next steps. Desperate for money, she takes an unconventional job as assistant to a local artist, Hanson Radcliff. He’s cranky and prone to mood swings, but Hazel just handles it well. She helps clean his studio, supplies, makes tea and sometimes models for him. She doesn’t know that he’s famous and now slightly reclusive.

She gets involved with the community art scene and makes a friend at the local hotel bar, Jimmy. She finds out her artist boss had painted a portrait of Isabella Rose who died suddenly after the painting was done. The artwork has been missing for many years and is considered very valuable.

I really liked how independent Hazel was. Each time life has thrown something at her, she rolled with it and made it work for her. It was interesting to see how the woman were used during the war, but that as soon as the war was over, they couldn’t get any factory jobs. The idea of community is a big one to Hazel. She has no family and no real friends so she loves her new adopted town of Laguna Beach.

Many thanks to @suzyapprovedbooktours and @stmartinspress for my gifted copy.

review will be posted on 6/21/23

Hazel Francis left her small town behind for California during WWII. She worked at Douglas Aircraft building aircraft for the military, but now that the war is over, so is her job. She is expected to return home. But what about all the women that did not want to return home to the status quo and wanted more for themselves? Well, Hazel is faced with that very problem as she doesn't want to return home, and happens upon Laguna Beach when looking for a new job. Laguna seems so promising with its artistic and boho vibe. Eventually, she does land a job as an assistant to Laguna's most successful artist, Hanson Radcliff. Hanson is mysterious and moody, but locally adored, so naturally Hazel finds him intriguing. As more time passes, Hazel becomes a member of Laguna's community, she finds a possible romance in Jimmy, a bartender, and perhaps her place in a post-WWII war. Nicola Harrison's Hotel Laguna is a solid historical read that highlights the struggles women experienced during this transitional time in America's history.

Hazel is a character you have to respect in Hotel Laguna. She stepped up to the plate during the war and built aircraft for the military and contributed to such an important cause. However, once the war was over, Hazel, like many American women, was dropped and just expected to return home to their former lives. While I am sure many women did happily, others wanted something else for themselves. Hotel Laguna highlights this struggle through Hazel's experiences post-war. I can't say I've read a book that details how difficult it was for women during the time, so this was a new concept for me and one that I appreciated wholeheartedly. I enjoyed her journey to finding something more for herself, a place in a new community, a possible love, and an unlikely friendship with her boss, Hanson.

The real star of the show in Hotel Laguna is Laguna Beach itself. Harrison did a wonderful job bringing it to life. The art show, the artistic community, the bohemian vibe, and the beautiful landscapes were done so well; it made me want to visit one day. If you love a memorable setting in your historical beach reads, look no further.

While Hotel Laguna wasn't a stand-out historical beach read, I still enjoyed Hazel's story and how it highlighted postwar America. It was a quick read (less than 300 pages), so it would be perfect for a long weekend at the beach.

Are you a fan of Nicola Harrison? Is Hotel Laguna on your TBR list? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

4.5⭐️

As the story begins we meet our protagonist, Hazel Francis in 1946 as she lands up in the coastal town of Laguna Beach, California, out of work after being laid off from a job at Douglas Aircraft, (one of many “Rosie the Riveters”) helping build fighter planes. Hazel is a small-town girl from Wichita, Kansas, having left her hometown in 1942 to do her bit contributing to the war effort in a job she truly enjoyed. Now that WWII is over and the men have returned from the front and reclaimed their spot in the workforce, Hazel finds it difficult to secure employment in the kind of work she enjoys and is good at. With no family left to go back to she ventures out on her own hoping to find her place in the world. She ends up taking a job as an Assistant to renowned artist Hanson Radcliff, whose eccentric personality takes a while to get used to. Hazel’s job description includes everything from modeling for her employer to running errands and helping out with the local art festival (Laguna Beach’s Pageant of the Masters, an actual event that was started in 1933, in which famous works of art are depicted through on-stage performances). Radcliffe is well respected in the art scene in the area and though their association is off to a bumpy start, Hazel develops a fondness for her elderly employer. With the help of Jimmy, the kind bartender at Hotel Laguna who befriends her and Hanson who eventually arranges for her to stay in an apartment behind the local art gallery in addition to her pay, Hazel begins to feel at home in Laguna Beach. As the narrative progresses we follow Hazel as she contends with her temperamental employer, comes to know of a scandal from Hanson's past that adversely impacted his reputation and continues to haunt him and tries to help Hanson cope with his past trauma and searches for a missing painting coveted by several individuals. Hazel has a lot on her plate, with the pageant coming up soon and her feelings for Jimmy complicating matters further.

I thoroughly enjoyed Hotel Laguna by Nicola Harrison. Hazel is an endearing protagonist. Strong and willful, she does make questionable choices and does get into a fair share of trouble but you can’t help rooting for her as tries to find her way in a world where opportunities for women were limited. The author does a wonderful job of crafting a story that gives us a sense of both time and place. I would have liked it if the segment on Hazel’s life during her stint at Douglas Aircraft would have been covered in more detail but given that the story revolves around Hazel and Hansen’s friendship, I understand why the emphasis was on Hazel’s life after the war ends. I loved the vibrant setting of Laguna Beach and the interesting cast of characters who made up the community (even the unlikeable ones). The pacing and the plot development were well executed and the ending. though bittersweet, was satisfying. Overall, this is an emotional, feel-good read with an element of mystery that touches upon themes of friendship, love, creativity and community.

I paired my reading with the superb audio narration by Carlotta Brentan which made for an entertaining immersion reading experience.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the digital review copy of this novel. I would also like to thank Macmillan Audio for the ALC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.