Stuck in Shangri-La

Failure is not an option for Darcie Reed. So when yet another employer suggests they play ‘run around the desk’, she considers herself having failed in the corporate world. In the midst of quitting her job Darcie learns that her beloved Uncle Horry has died and she’s being summoned for the reading of his will. Cameron Pierce has also been summoned to the reading of Uncle Horry’s will. Cameron figures his presence means Horry was up to no good before his death; and boy is he ever right. The conditions set forth in Horry’s will are absurd. Horry has basically forced Darcie and Cameron back together, a situation that Darcie is not too thrilled about. Nine months earlier, Darcie had walked out on Cameron when his ideas of marriage and family didn’t coincide with her climb up the corporate ladder; well that and her walking in on him kissing another woman. In short, Darcie and Cameron have to cohabitate at Shangri-La, Horry’s name for his house, for thirty days. If either of them break the terms of the will then everything, the house and a substantial fortune, goes to Lucky; the talking cat.

Kasey Michaels delivers a lighthearted, amusing read in Stuck in Shangri-La. There are flamingos, along with the ribbiting motion sensor frogs and a pink and purple Victorian house; Stuck in Shangri-La is packed with comic relief. Eccentric to say the least, Darcie’s ‘houseguests’ add something special to this book. Darcie herself is a formidable heroine. She’s very strong and independent, but she’s also a little confused. She doesn’t know what she wants out of life, thus her argument with Cameron. She doesn’t want to go from home, to school and then directly into being Cameron’s wife. Her argument is sound and completely reasonable, but since he is in a different place in his life Cameron doesn’t exactly understand. What I really liked about this book is how Darcie and Cameron learn that although they are great together in bed, they don’t really know each other; neither of them talked about anything of real substance. Cameron isn’t happy when Darcie stated that he couldn’t love her because he didn’t really know her. He realized that although Darcie, to some extent had a point, when you love someone you just know. Darcie knows that she loves Cameron but she also wants to know herself as well. Ms. Michaels nicely tackles common relationship problems and resolves them in a logical manner. What could have been a sermon like lesson was actually inspiring and eye opening. As Kasey Michaels is a new author to me, I can only attribute this to her remarkable style.

Reviewed by: Jaymi