The secondary characters are fairly one-dimensional and exist only to move the plot or vomit bits of back story.Ī kidnapping plot late in the book, where Harry is held against his will and Poppy ostensibly saves him, is downright baffling. They were so underdeveloped that they congealed into a single character, one so cheerful that I expected them to break out in a Disney-esque song and dance number at some point. The hotel staff offers marriage counseling with a smile and a wink. We get pretty much all of Harry's tortured past divulged to us in two instances of dialog info dump, one when Cam confronts him over how he trapped Poppy in marriage and then much later when Miss Marks tells her supa sekrit tale of woe.
The novel's problem is that it relies on a lot of shortcuts, like the Byronic hero template I mention above. They bicker, they argue and you can cut the sexual tension with a knife. Because of his traumatic upbringing, he is a stranger to love and so treats Poppy like a precious collectible and doesn't understand why it doesn't thaw her out. Harry initially tries to win her over by lavishing money and gifts on her. Still, she's not terribly turned on by having been fought over like meat then had her future all but decided for her. While she maintains her feelings towards the outmaneuvered suitor, she also acknowledges that he chose not to anger his father by eloping with her, and that Harry did put up the bigger fight. She discovers his scheming before they marry, so she spends this time trying to reconcile her feelings for the man she likes but resents for betraying her. Much of the book, then, deals with Harry and Poppy as a married couple.
We've got a Byronic hero here, folks, lest the hamfisted imagery escape you.) He then secretly pockets her love letter, schemes to force this suitor out of the picture, and manages to force her into marriage with him (Questionable morals - check. Intelligence in spades - check.), he decides he simply must have her. Eccentric - check.) After a short acquaintance with her, showing her around his curiosities room where he keeps the automatons he makes along with gifts from around the world (Sophisticated and worldly - check. Harry Rutledge collides with Poppy as she chases the ferret down a passageway hidden behind a fireplace (Wealthy - check. Unfortunately, Poppy's sister's ferret has made off with this secret letter, and is running around the halls of the Rutledge hotel with it. He's written her a flowery love letter declaring his love for her, but stressing that they must be discreet while he works to bring his father around to the idea of their marrying. Poppy Hathaway is in love, and is loved back, but the object of her affection is the heir to a very old and very blue-blooded viscountcy. The premise itself is solid Kleypas fare.
It swings wildly from two-star eye rolling moments to five-star bits of brilliant dialog. This book was a serious see-saw of a story.
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