The premise of this book is interesting: a Lord must marry well to maintain his title and fortune. He finds himself on a dating show but falls in love with a penniless shopkeeper.
Unfortunately, this book was a letdown from almost the get-go. The ‘hero’ is an absolute ass – arrogant and pushy, with pretty much no redeeming features besides his looks, title, and wealth. He cannot work out why he is so attracted to a woman so unlike his normal type (‘gorgeous and simpering’). The heroine is somehow struck with a terrible case of insta-lust on their first meeting and therefore is unable to say no properly, even when he pushes his way into her life, her shop, her room – even crashing her college course. At one point, he makes to go through her personal things, only stopping when she physically tackles him. Worst of all, he enjoys baiting her and making her mad. She gets genuinely upset on several occasions and he sits there, enjoying the show. That’s not burgeoning love, that’s just being a dick.
The side characters seemed to step straight from a stock persona dramatis. The third member of the unnecessary love triangle (who I was rooting for, not going to lie), the odd ‘fairy godmother’ character, the Cinderella-like stepmother and stepsister, the TV producer who is inexplicably the hero’s friend, the other contestants on the show (almost unanimously portrayed as greedy and grasping), Lord Rushwood’s aristocratic family – all could have been interesting with more fleshing out, but were instead paper-thin.
Some of the description is beautiful, especially when it comes to the environment. When applied to the characters, it borders more on abuse of adjectives, with far more telling than showing. This became less apparent as the book wore on, but I’m not sure if the descriptions became more subtle or if I started skipping over them.
The ending felt like a poorly plotted deus ex machina, but since I was hanging out for it, I can’t complain too much. I’m just glad this book is done. At least the spelling and grammar were good, saving it from single star disgrace.
Two disappointed stars.
I received a copy of this story from the author through ReadingAlley in exchange for an honest review.
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