A young, well-paid lawyer spontaneously quits her job and heads to Spain in search of happiness, where she discovers contentment with life comes from being true to herself and not those around her.
Kate Billings is a young lawyer working for Krapp & Lipschitz, L.L.P. a law firm in prestigious Scottsdale, Arizona. In theory, it’s a dream job for a young go-getter attorney, one that brings her six-figures a year, which affords her a great lifestyle. Reality, however, is quite another story. With all the hours she works, Kate doesn’t have time to enjoy her life. Plus she has to contend with the erratic and slightly hare-brained partners. When she’s shafted on her annual bonus, Kate impulsively buys a ticket to Barcelona and flies off in search of Diego, a foreign-exchange student who’d stayed with Kate’s family ten years previously when Kate was still in high school, certain he’s the love of her life.
KATE’S ESCAPE FROM THE BILLABLE HOUR is non-stop hilarity, with over-the-top situations presented in such a way that they’re entirely plausible. A not-so-gentle poke at what it takes to succeed in the corporate world full of stifling rules and regulations, author Petula Parker tackles the question of what it means to be happy and fulfilled when living life on someone else’s terms. Heroine Kate Billings is smart, witty, and prone to finding herself in the most absurd situations, and the supporting characters are just as quirky, which makes for enjoyable reading.
As with most Women’s Fiction, KATE’S ESCAPE FROM THE BILLABLE HOUR tackles issues which affect many women—weight and how both extremes can garner unexpected reactions, how one’s looks can be detrimental or advantageous in the workplace, what gender roles play in the larger scheme of things and how the stereotypes are broken—and does so with a hefty dose of humor and slapstick awkwardness. By doing so, Parker takes the sting out of serious issues and invites the reader to consider them without the severe emotional reactions they typically engender.
KATE’S ESCAPE FROM THE BILLABLE HOUR is just plain fun and is a great novel to use as an escape from the daily drudgery.
Reviewed by K.J. Pierce for IndieReader