Review: More like a teen romance novel than anything else
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 10 15, 2013
The whole plotline of this book seems very soap-opera-y:  girl wins big NY state lotto, has lots of money but not really any family or friends (there is one foster sibling/friend she grew up with and mention of a foster mom and other foster siblings, but that is it).  She decides to write a novel, and in doing research, learns of an impoverished 21st century British earl, and then comes up with the idea of arranging a marriage with him in order to save his estate and for her to be able to live in England.  A 6 week trial period is arranged, for them both to decide if they want to be married at the end.Within less than 24 hours of her arrival in England, the two are already kissing a fair bit.  The guy is lusting after her (he hasn't had sex in a year, gosh, how horrible for him! He really is in need!)  Surprisingly, however, they still hadn't had any heavier foreplay before chapter 5, when, honestly, I thought that the author was going to dump them in bed together within the first 48 hours, as so many of these novels do.I don't know why, but I almost immediately pictured Tommy Lynley of the tv series `Inspector Lynley' in the guy's role, and since they had made a passing reference to the girl's resemblance to Meg Ryan, I pictured Meg Ryan (obviously an earlier Meg, not today's Meg at 51!).  With this picture firmly in my mind, I just couldn't see these two getting together, but then the real Meg Ryan has been with John Cougar Mellencamp for 3 years, and I just couldn't see that one either, so who knows?I tried to keep reading, but by chapter 5, the book just felt too much like a teen romance novel, so I gave up on reading any further.  If you are someone who doesn't care about realistic, life-like stories, and can put up with sappy make-believe, then this would be a good book for you to read.  However, if you prefer a bit more `realism' in your novels, I wouldn't recommend it.