It Happened One Autumn by Lisa Kleypas is one of the most forgettable books I've read in a long time. I finished it two days ago as I type this and I'm really struggling to even come up with the names of the main characters. Not exactly a ringing endorsement for a book, I guess, especially for as beloved an author as Kleypas is in the world of romance. Oh, well, I guess everyone is allowed an occasional dud.
In the previous book in this series, we met four young women who were ignored by the eligible bachelors of the ton. They formed a pact to see that each of them is wed and it's Lillian Bowman's book. She's a rich American and her parents really want her to marry an aristocrat. She's bold, headstrong, and really likes scents. Marcus, Lord Westcliff, is an aristocratic snob and he's secretly attracted to Lillian, even as her unconventional approach to life repulses him.
Interesting characters: Not at all. I'm sort of over romance novel heroines with "quirks" that aren't really fully developed. Lillian's father is in the soap business and her obsession with scents could actually be interesting, but it feels like a throwaway detail, rather than one that's actually a consistent element of her personality. Her inner monologue should demonstrate her obsession with the topic, but it's never mentioned. Westcliff is just another boring hero with daddy issues.
Believable conflict: Do I believe that a coarse American woman and a peer would butt heads? Yes. Do I care? No.
Emotional tension: I still don't believe that Westcliff enjoys Lillian's presence, so I don't think this was well-executed. I believe that they had sexual tension, so the enemies to lovers trope was definitely in play, but there wasn't any enemies to love demonstrated in the novel.
Happily ever after: I honestly don't remember the end. They got married after she was kidnapped by Westcliff's friend (who I think is going to star in the next book) on the behest of Westcliff's mother and then Westcliff sent his mom away forever? Does that sound the beginning of a life well lived?
The next book in the series is a classic, so I'm muddling through this series. Fingers crossed that I find it as delightful as the rest of romance world says it is.
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