It's been a while since I read this, but I remember it being really quite enjoyable, despite—and occasionally because of—how ludicrous the premise gets with a straight face.
...I also seem to remember it veering off near the end and focusing on the love interest's relationship with a surrogate family member, to the exclusion of the heroine's side of the story—in retrospect, totally in character for this author, taking time to find and explore emotional depth in relationships that for most authors would just be part of the background.