Haunted Hearts Hotel

Genuinely cannot believe this is supposed to be CoG's product from their [b]romance[/b] line, because it's the most disagreeable thing in what is already a subpar story. I tapped out as soon as I finished the first "intimate" romance scenes with Remington. It's only a make-out scene but it's supremely awkwardly written. I do not understand how the writer thinks this is sexy? It lacks any subtlety, straight up go to your face and be like "here's who will lead in this scene, being in control is so sexy, can you see how sexy it is?" Remington lost so much of his charm in the make-out scene because of the way he talks about being the dominant one. It's foppish and posturing. The options are like "let him own my mouth/my behind/throat." and straight up they're spanking in the first make-out scene? It's weird that it's even an option. Remington left immediately after that without escalating the scene further to actual intercourse. Frankly, I would too after that embarrassing display. What in the world.

My issue isn't necessarily with the length of any product, it's more with how that short length is packaged. In this case, this experience falls into the painfully common CoG/Heart's Choice curse of feeling like there were missing pieces or that the author wanted there to be more - but that it was all cut, unrealised, forgotten, and rushed. A short story should plan within its boundaries and feel like a complete piece that does what it wants to do with its runtime, this feels like things were added for padding rather than use. I feel this is very pronounced when it comes to the unnecessary connection subplot with the town of Deep Springs, and Remington's entire story line that has NO conclusion or payoff. The 'spicy' scenes are very awkwardly written and stunted to the point where you almost want it to just commit to fade to black because you're not experiencing much. There is not much time to build friendships either, you get very much hard locked into having to do certain tasks for the sake of a final monetary goal rather than be given multiple opportunities across the three in-game weeks to spend time getting close with characters or exploring mysteries. I can't really say I e…

“Haunted Hearts Hotel” is a sweet, evocative read that succeeds on the strength of its prose, even if its pacing leaves something to be desired. (7/10) The story moves at a breakneck speed, leading you into a romance with a curiously corporeal ghost after only a conversation or two. It’s undeniably rushed, yet there is a certain charm to the writing that makes the 'love at first sight' conceit easier to forgive than usual. While I would have preferred a slower burn, the romance itself is genuinely endearing. It’s a short experience, but a lovely one. If you’re looking for a quick, supernatural romance that doesn't demand hours of your time, this is an easy recommendation. (7/10)

Haunted Hearts Hotel is a cute and laid back story that does suffer from some uneven pacing and too little focus. The erotic elements feel pretty tame all things considered (maybe I'm ruined 5ever by AO3) but there has definitely been a few times I've been genuinely impressed by Grace's ability to convey tactility in a way that almost makes it feel like something is brushing up against my skin as I'm reading. I've definitely enjoyed my time with this novel! I have a bit of a weakness for stories about nurturing spaces, and I think the setting of this book delivers pretty well on that. Hotel Lexington is a pretty appealing setting that I ended up caring about, even though I think I would have wanted to see more more in terms of feedback of how the actions taken in the game have impacted the hotel as a space. And the characters who inhabit the setting are also quite nice, making for a pretty varied cast with enough charm to make me want to get to know more about most of them. If anything it might be a little bit too nice and cozy, especially with the seemingly very easy and relaxed game mechanics. Pacing is the main weakness of this work. I think the biggest push back for me person…

Good