An Ideal Match (Zebra Regency Romance)

Rating:
Summary: 2 1/2 stars: a bit of a bland read...
Review: While a pleasant enough read, "An Ideal Match" was a little bland. Elizabeth Drayton is a young widow just out of mourning who has been living with her dour mother-in-law in the wilds of Yorkshire. But Elizabeth has had enough of life with the grim Dowager Countess of Allward, and has decided to leave Yorkshire in order to set up a house of her own so that she can enjoy a life of peace and independence. But once she makes her escape, she discovers that she has exchanged one horror for another. Because her fashionable cousin, Alice, has decided what that Elizabeth needs is a new husband, and has heartily thrown herself into the task of finding Elizabeth one. One night, Elizabeth meets a gentleman to whom she finds herself unexpectedly attracted. The gentleman, Harry Marlowe is a widower and an amateur botanist, and as coincidence would have it, in possession of a sister who would like nothing better than to see him married. In no time both Elizabeth's and Harry's relatives are plotting to throw them into each other's company. And while both Elizabeth and Harry find themselves attracted to one another, Elizabeth is (still) quite adamant about having her own house and leading a quiet life of independence. And so Harry comes up with the notion of a pretend courtship, one that would satisfy both their interfering relatives, and one that would protect them both from the other matrimonial minded parties. Elizabeth finds herself agreeing to the scheme, but at the back of her mind lies the worry that she might lose her heart to the charming Harry Marlowe... But, after that in the story, nothing much happens. Harry and Elizabeth settle into some comfortable flirting, he helps her find a house, get settled, design a garden ... and all the while both of them ponder over the ridiculous situation they've found themselves in. They're both attracted to each other and think that each is the ideal mate, but both are leery about making this sham courtship real because each believes that the other has no intention of marrying. Even the introduction of a school friend of Elizabeth's who shows an interest in Harry fails to add any tension to the story. Part of the problem was the pacing which was at times rather slow and plodding. The other part of the problem was Elizabeth and Harry, both who seem rather nice but who weren't exactly charismatic or engaging. On the whole, because of the simple storyline, and not very engaging hero and heroine, I'd suggest borrowing this novel rather than buying it.