What happens in Vegas doesn't necessarily always stay there. There are times when events spawned by liquor and glitz come back to haunt you and invade your everyday life.

Matings Rituals of the North American WASP tells just such a story when a drunken wedding of strangers impacts not just their own lives, but those of their families and friends.

In this somewhat familiar feeling tale of an un-fairy tale romance, the author feeds readers two main characters with the potential to be memorable. Yet for quite awhile in this book, they simply are not. Husband Luke Sedgwick and Wife Peggy in this marriage of convenience are both social misfits about whom the reader can predict that they will discover they fit very well together in spite of themselves.

After their impromptu Vegas nuptials, Peggy and Luke agree to stay married for one year so that they may take ownership of his Great Aunt Abigail's house—the longtime home of the Sedgwicks of New Nineveh, Connecticut.  Peggy commutes from her apartment and the soap / bath products store (aptly named Acme Cleaning Supply, so you know it is doomed to fail) she owns with her best friend, Bex, to Connecticut every weekend to play house with Luke and Abigail so that their marriage will seem real. Much ado and fuss occurs, and Luke and Peggy do fall in love, but neither will admit it.  Both are stubborn for different reasons, and it seems to take forever for the inevitable conclusion.

Yet, with all of the above said, I really did enjoy the book! It took quite a few chapters, but Luke and Peggy finally grew on me. I loved Great Aunt Abigail, and the ecological lessons of the book were heartfelt. I was even impressed with what must have been on-the-fly editing with a mention of the election of President Obama! The author pays great attention to detail, ultimately the characters are likeable and this is a very good summer beach read. Recommended as light reading for an escapist afternoon in the sun, or a rainy day read to curl up with a cup of tea and a cat by your side.