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Nicola Sparks, an orphan whose only relations are the Grouser (Lord Renshaw, her father’s cousin) and the Milksop (Harold Blenkenship, Lord Renshaw’s son), is invited to spend her first summer outside of school with the Bartholomews. Ecstatic about being able to live together in the same household as "the God" (her nickname for Lord Sebastian Bartholomew), Nicola hopes this living arrangement will bring about a proposal from him.

Nathaniel Sheridan, the elder brother of her best friend, Eleanor, greatly disapproves of this match, saying that Sebastian is simply an oarsman, or boat racer. Nathaniel went to Oxford University with Sebastian and thinks the God is not as splendid as Nicola believes him to be. Nicola refuses to listen to his warnings about Sebastian and goes on loving the God. She denies all evidence that he’s less than perfect. However, when she discovers some secrets, she begins to question her feelings for the God and finally realizes whom it is that she actually loves.

The only reason I picked up this cheesy romance from the library was because I saw my friend reading it and thought it might be worth my time.

Well, it wasn’t.

Maybe it was the setting of the book, but most of the characters seemed snobby and shallow, judging others on their looks and financial status. I had mixed opinions about Nicola because, while seemingly shallow at times, she is intelligent and headstrong. She wants to marry someone who loves her and not just someone who thinks she’s pretty. I liked that she stubbornly sticks with her decisions despite the pressures surrounding her.

The etiquette of being a lady really annoyed me: no running, be patient, don’t shriek (except occasionally in the presence of a mouse), and all those other rules that dainty little misses must follow in order to secure a good husband. I guess the characters were like that because it was society’s way during that time when a person was judged solely on their wealth, reputation, appearance, and sometimes, their intelligence.

The romance didn’t appeal all that much to me. It was a bit annoying; Nicola obsesses over the God, Nathaniel tries to dissuade her, she thinks Nathaniel hates Sebastian because he’s an oarsman and, all the while, she’s under pressure from the Grouser to sell the only home she has- Beckwell Abbey. Only toward the end, when their love was professed, did I find it a bit cute and thought "Aww, how sweet." If you’d like to know whom she ends up with, read it and find out for yourself.

Nicola and the Viscount is a book that I didn’t particularly like because I found the plot a bit too simple and didn’t like the characters (except for Nathaniel). If you like romance novels written about girls in England, maybe you’d like it better than I did.

Nicola and the Viscount is by Meg Cabot ISBN 0-06-000552-1