Hotel Laguna
(Book)

"In 1942, Hazel Francis leaves Wichita, Kansas, for California to do her part for the war effort. At Douglas Aircraft, she becomes one of many "Rosie the Riveters," helping construct bombers for the U.S. military. She excels at the job and takes a pride in her work that she's never felt before. But when the war is over, men return to their factory jobs, and women like Hazel are dismissed, expected to return home to become wives and mothers. With no home or husband to go back to and unwilling to be forced into a traditional woman's role in the Midwest, Hazel remains on the West Coast and finds herself in the bohemian town of Laguna Beach. Desperate for work, she answers an ad for a model/assistant to famous artist Hanson Radcliff. Beloved by the locals for his contributions to the art scene and respected by the critics, Radcliff lives under the shadow of a decades-old scandal that haunts him. Hazel 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. Yet even as Hazel is further drawn into Laguna's art world, she still wants to work with airplanes--maybe even learn to fly one someday. Torn between pursuing her dream and the dream life she has been granted, she is determined to uncover the truth about Hanson's past, to open her heart to love--and to be the independent woman she has always wanted to be."--,Provided by publisher.