Shipped

Angie Hockman's story about two competing coworkers on a cruise to the Galapagos Islands is a fun, light-hearted read. The characters are likable, the setting is stunning, and the romance is slow and sweet.

Henley Evans is bright, ambitious young woman looking to move up in the cruise line company for which she works. When a promotion becomes available, she finds herself pitted against her business adversary, Graeme. Their boss sends them on a cruise to explore the customer experience in order to create a marketing proposal. When the two are thrown together, they are forced to see each other for who they really are, not who they believed each other to be. To complicate things, it turns out they are attracted to each other. How can Henley destroy her competition when she actually wants to embrace him?

The two main characters in the story are very likable and relatable. Henley is a woman trying to get ahead in a business environment that favors males. Graeme is nice guy trying to get the promotion so he can move back to Seattle but also trying not to ruin Henley's dreams. They are genuinely good people, which is nice in a romance. The secondary characters are entertaining, especially the Russian that takes a liking to Henley on the cruise ship.

The romance in this book is set against the backdrop of the beautiful Galapagos Islands. The two characters learn to like each other's company as the go on hikes, snorkeling excursions, kayak rides, and other fun activities. They see the beautiful landscape and wildlife of the islands. Reading this book makes me want to cruise to that region.

I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of reading this book. I hope that Hockman writes more stories in a similar style in the future.