Penniless and Pregnant in Paradise

So, my library bought a bunch of Harlequin books, and I was dubious. Rightly so, it turns out. I guess I'm not the audience for this kind of too-escapist, calmingly predictable romance with 2D characters and 2D settings.

This book reads more like a travel advert to Bali, Perth, etc. than a book that wants to help you actually feel these real places. The characters had lots of interesting features, but read kind of flat to me. I mean, I finished it...but I won't be going back for more. I've been to a lot of countries, and I know what it feels like to travel in a new culture, and none of that was portrayed beyond the backdrops being pretty. No cross-cultural nitty-gritty, and I do love that in a book.

Want some more real-feeling travel-the-world including settings in Australia? I remember Evie Snow's books doing that well.