Stuck in Shangri-La (Hqn Romance) [Mass Market Paperback]

Darcie "Darc" Reed may have a master's in business, but she always seems to pick the (insert an insulting word or two of your own here) of bosses. They hire her for her beauty and are always so surprised when she refuses to put out. No matter how much Darc tries to tone down her looks and come across as a professional businesswoman, her boss is going to make a move on her. And that is exactly what's happening when Attorney Clark Humbolt calls Darcie to inform her of her Uncle Horry's death. So Darc hands over her (insert another colorful word here) resignation, packs her bags, and heads to Uncle Horry's massive house and estate called "Shangri-La".

Hecuba "Horry" Willikins has always loved his toys and gadgets. His home is filled with toys of all types inside and out. (Including a stripper's pole decorated to resemble an anorexic barber pole in full working order, to the rows of solar powered frogs up either side of the driveway that croak as anything passes them. We won't even discuss the flamingo lawn ornaments or the Victorian mansion's paint job.) When Horry last saw his niece, Darcie, with her fiancé named Cameron "Cam" Pierce, he knew they were totally in love. However, the two did not really KNOW each other. So when they broke up, Horry had a new will made up in hopes of bringing the two back together.

Imagine everyone's surprise when the will is read and they discover that Darc and Cam must live together in Shangri-La for thirty days or watch the sizable fortune go to the cat, Lucky! And if anything happens to Lucky, the entire inheritance goes to Uncle Horry's estranged step-brother (that no one even knew existed)! To make things even more interesting, Lily Paige had been Uncle Horry's housekeeper and mistress for thirty years only to find out that she has been provided for (but not huge amount) and told that she may live in Shangri-La for as long as she wants. Needless-to-say, she is furious! Cam agrees to stay the thirty days so that Darcie will receive her Uncle Horry's inheritance, but he also hopes that he can use that time to win Darc back. It is only a couple of days before the step-brother, Edwin "Poobie", shows up with his latest arm decoration, Pookie.

Well Lucky is no stupid cat! He knows a target has been painted on his back for the next thirty days. And he makes sure that Horry's ghost knows it. As for Uncle Horry, he is aghast at what his will has caused to happen. Two people have teamed up to help Lucky have a fatal accident, but Lucky and Horry have no way of telling Darcie and Cameron that someone is out to kill Lucky, much less whom. One thing is for sure, the next month in Shangri-La is going to be anything but boring!

***** A modern day romance with some magical and ghostly elements. All the characters are so lively, even the feline and the dead one, that I hated putting the book down whenever reality forced me to. I fell in love with Lucky and Uncle Horry. I hated to see the story end. And I hope that Cam's partner gets his story told someday! I cannot recommend this hilarious romp highly enough! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

Darcie Reed's Uncle Horry has kicked the bucket, and his will is a doozy. If she wants to inherit his estate, called "Shangri-La," she has to live in the mansion for a month-with her ex, Cameron Pierce-and take care of Lucky, the cat. If anything happens to said feline, the whole enchilada goes to an obscure relative. She knew her uncle was eccentric, but the posthumous matchmaking did beat all.

Little does Darcie know that Uncle Horry's ghost is hanging around talking with his beloved Lucky. Horry means to get Darcie and Cameron together before he goes to meet the light, even if it means putting Lucky into some humiliating situations. If that's not enough, poor Lucky, a god among cats, of course, has to live in fear for his nine lives as someone is plotting against him.

In a voice as irrepressible as her cast of characters, Michaels paints a vivid picture of sophistication doused with a heavy layer of hilarity. Darcie's motivations were a little weak, and Cameron had a few childish moments almost on par with Uncle Horry. At times, these two flaws work, but at other times, they are a distraction.

While the characters aren't brilliant, each of them has enough depth to be interesting. In fact, the cat may have been the smartest one there. Unfortunately, the by-play between Horry and Lucky upstage the romance at times.

If you're looking for a madcap romantic comedy with more than a hint of naughtiness, "Stuck in Shangri-La" is worth the read.

-C.W.

This is the first book I've read by this author - and could quite possibly be the last. The writing isn't that bad but by page 100 I was so angry with these characters I seriously considered going on to another book even though I hate not finishing something once I've started reading it.

Stupid and Disturbed. That's the phrase that continually comes to mind when thinking about this story.

This is definitely not a romantic tale. There isn't a single character in it that is even likable, let alone loveable. Certainly not the two main characters who show absolutely no chemistry between them. Admittedly she's a bit scatter-brained but his dismissive treatment of her shouldn't be tolerated for a single second. And for her to find him kissing his ex-girlfriend not even 24 hours after they've had an argument should be enough to tell her that he's not the one for her. It should also be enough for him to realize that she's not the one for him either if his answer to an argument is to run out and start making out with someone else. We're talking about people in their twenties and thirties here, not their brain-addled hormone-raging teens.

I can only hope this book wasn't meant to be comedic because other than the various assaults on the lawn art by the characters there is nothing to laugh about here. The uncle's manipulation of his niece and her ex-fiancee are unforgivable and made me long for her to be able to tell the attorney where he could put this inheritance and walk away from it all. Especially with the uncle being in ghost form so he would be sure to know just how obnoxious she should have thought he was by coming up with such an abomination of a will. Any person with half a brain could have seen that such a will basically put a death sentence on the head of the poor cat, yet the uncle couldn't figure that out in the first place and the two main characters are continuously careless about the poor thing's well-being after the fact. And why would you saddle a niece you supposedly care about with the permanent presence of another person in what's supposed to become her home? That the housekeeper is a mean wretch on top of it is actually beside the point. And why would the niece invite two complete strangers to stay at the house based solely on a claimed relation? Disregard the fact that a potential heir is going to try and see that the conditions of the will go his or her way, either one of them could have turned out to be a homicidal maniac. That's not a smart move in anyone's book. (No pun intended.)

The only person in this story who is remotely likeable with a modicum of functioning grey cells is the cat!

This book left me with such a bad feeling that had it not been after 10:00 pm when I finished it, I would have immediately started another book just to get rid of the nasty aftertaste I had from this one. Thank goodness I picked it up from the library and don't have to feel bad about having spent money on buying it. I can actually feel good about returning it and getting it out of my house.