OCD kindergarten teacher Johanna hates Valentine’s Day. She hates romance, hates commercialism, and definitely hates her school’s annual charity date auction. She never expects her pre-auction night of drinking to land a sexy Brit in her bed. Or for that Brit to show up at the auction, bid thousands just to talk to her again, and get down on one knee in front of everyone and ask her to marry him.

Viscount Damon Hayes has never met anyone like Johanna. She’s neurotic, fascinating, and fun. She also doesn’t care about his title and doesn’t want his money, which makes Johanna perfect to fulfill a surprise clause in his father’s will: marry within three months and remain married for a year, or lose his fortune. A relationship is out of the question, but when passions ignite and the two fall in love, their marriage of convenience becomes anything but

On One Condition is a contemporary romance which I don't normally indulge in.  I've read more lately, since finding the awesome that is Jill Shalvis, and when I read this synopsis I thought it sounded like something I could enjoy.

Johanna doesn't come off as likeable at first.  She kicks a guy out of her bed after a one-night stand (without even learning his name), and then assumes the worst of him when she runs into him again.  Damon meanwhile is nothing like any Viscount I've ever read about, but then I've never read a non-historical book where an honest to goodness Viscount is the hero.  For all that he laments his misspent youth and his resolve to do better in his life, Alberts doesn't show us that side at all.  Other characters note his 'change' in behavior, and how serious he's gotten, but that's all we the reader ever see so the impact isn't so great.

The various obstacles in their paths are pretty routine--scheming exes, misunderstandings, lack of communication, but Alberts ties it all together in a nice enough bow.  I didn't forsee where the story was going with the exes, and I still contend what they did was so illegal I'm surprised lawyers weren't circling the house waiting for them, but that was really just a plot point to bring Damon and Johanna together.

Alberts has some intriguing plotlines that sort of flow in and out of the story, but don't really go anywhere.  A lady in Damon's life for instance is just kind of there and given a very broad stroke as a character.  And while I liked Damon and Johanna, they fell flat for me--neither really changing over the course of the story (despite what others' say).  At the end of the book Damon is still Damon, Johanna is still Johanna.