Heartwood Hotel 3: Better Together: 08/13/19

Heartwood Hotel 3: Better Together by Kallie George is set in the spring. Just before the Spring Splash, Mr. Heartwood has to leave on business, leaving the hotel in the capable hands of his staff. Are they up to the task?

Mona Mouse has settled comfortably into her job and her life at the hotel. Henry Squirrel has also now moved in and seems to be winning the hearts of everyone, staff and guests included. Mona, though, might be a little jealous.

Things are further complicated by an influx of migrating birds and their eggs. Can the hotel keep these fussy guests and their future children safe and happy?

Finally there are rumors of a new hotel that's going to rival the Heartwood Hotel. The staff is nervous, afraid that they'll be out of work if they can't compete.

Like the previous two, this one sits on the road narrative spectrum. It also continues the progression downwards on the spectrum, through a change in the traveler. For this one, the traveler is the collective staff of hotel. As they are without their boss and are worrying that they aren't up to the task of keeping the hotel running successfully without him, they are marginalized travelers (66). Better Together is a 666666, or marginalized travelers protecting their home by offroad means.

Otherwise, the other two pieces of the equation stays the same across all the books. The destination is still home (66) — home being the the hotel. The route is still offroad as it is a forest setting (66)

The progression has gone from high in the spectrum with an orphan traveler, to slightly lower with sibling travelers. With the entire staff working without their boss, the next move downwards is a much steeper one. I suspect the fourth book will have the staff and Mr. Heartwood working as cohesive family. If that's the case, Home Again will be 336666 (family home offroad)

Four stars

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