Paris DeMarcé and Vic Alarie are at it again. As the heirs to prestigious adventure event company ADG, they have it all, and they probably should be grateful. But Paris is prone to bouts of kleptomania and overdosing on Percocet, and Vic is sleeping with a new woman every week. After one too many negative pieces in the press, the DeMarcés and the Alaries decide to get serious. Paris and Vic will be demoted to studio apartments and low wages, and they’ll have 12 weeks to climb back up the corporate ladder—together. If one fails, they both fail, and they’re both disowned.
With the help of assistants Mya and Chase, the two struggle through mail rooms, janitorial work, and coffee runs. As they work their way back up, they reconstruct their lives, which fell apart after the tragic loss of the people closest to them. As Paris rebuilds bridges with former best friend Mya and Vic works on anger management skills, the two also explore a relationship with each other. But that, and their jobs, are in danger when machinations from coworkers lead them astray. Will 12 weeks be enough to get their lives in order?
CORPORATE ESCAPADES is a great deal of fun, romance, and intrigue undercut by some strange choices, the strangest of which comes early in the book. Paris expresses suicidal ideation, with an overdose kicking off the action. While forcing two spoiled grown “children” to clean up their act makes for a rewarding story, destabilizing the life of a suicidal addict and pinning her success on a historically unstable man seem like horrible things for a parent to do. Paris also suffers multiple head injuries early in the story that require medical attention. In short, Paris DeMarcé is visibly, worryingly unwell. A 12-week “grow up” boot camp is a great idea for a story, but the leading lady’s situation is not a good match for that. Mya’s side story also muddies the waters: while it’s interesting, it feels more like a distraction than anything else.
Overall, CORPORATE ESCAPADES is a lot of wonderful ideas interwoven with concepts that could safely have been omitted. There’s a strong story of support through and recovery from grief, but it’s hard to take it seriously when a suicidal woman’s world is being unsettled around her by the people claiming to help. It has moments of real satisfaction and beauty, and it’s a shame to see those clouded over.
T.K. Ambers’s CORPORATE ESCAPADES is packed with romance and scandal, keeping readers on board despite its flaws.
~Kara Dennison for IndieReader