The virginity bit...is further evidence of romance novel misogyny. The Rules required her to be worthy of him in ways to make up for her being an evil French spy.

The thing about the blindness is that as soon as it was revealed how she was blinded, I knew she'd get her sight back. It's another rule. But like you asid...it's like she became a moron because she had to for the plot. The same Annique with her sight would have long since left Grey in the dust.

The annoying part is that even as I was reading and growling, I could tell that the author could probably do a whole lot better than that. She just had to follow the freaking rules.