Momma Says to Read

I don't read many historical romances, but the amnesia plot of this one caught my interest. The story does require a tremendous suspension of disbelief, but I expected some of that just from reading the blurb. What I didn't expect was how eye-rollingly over the top it would turn out to be. It's mostly fluff, and there's nothing wrong with that except it had so much potential to be something more. We have the gruff but redeemable hero, and a strong-willed heroine trying to break free of the bonds of the time period even if she has to do it in secret. But here's the problem, we're never given exactly what time period that is. Judging by several things in the story, I'm assuming sometime in the 1800s, but then some character actions would be better suited to something more current. The amnesia angle that drew me to the book in the first place was interesting, but I don't buy everything that happened in the two weeks that Lily didn't know who she was. Even that fact that she was allowed to stay with the Duke and his sister gave me pause, let alone everything else that happened. Then there's the Duke. I love a redeemable grouch, but the whole too emotionally broken to love anyone has been done and done again. Add to that the sheer amount of personal growth Nash went through in just two weeks, and I give you yet another eye roll. Yes, this pair fell madly in love in two weeks - two weeks that Lily didn't even know who she was or where she came from. And that led to another problem for me. Going on my assumption of setting, Lily's background pushed it over the edge for me. I'll leave those details out to avoid spoilers, but it seems pretty far-fetched. As it turned out, Lily's secret life as a columnist was the most interesting part of this one for me with the rest amounting to a fluffy, instalove story. The book is well-written, and the premise is good, I just really hoped for something more.