FOR ALL THE WRONG REASONS

Sex in the morning, sex with tea and sex in the evening—it's always well-scrubbed, perfumed and always engaged in at the snobbiest addresses, by beautiful people wearing Calvin Klein and Victoria's Secret skivvies beneath their glitzy couturier labels. This American debut by the author of four erotic bestsellers in the U.K. serves fair warning that there's a new sexy romance queen panting at the gates, with one difference: Bagshawe doesn't try to sugarcoat her characters' ruthless, selfish or venal behavior, giving her story a witty edge. Silly but rich British heiress Diana Verity marries a ruthless U.K. commoner and publishing enfant terrible, Ernie Foxton, dreaming of the adventure of moving to New York as the hostess with the mostest befitting her hubby's newfound position as CEO of the Blakely's publishing empire. Founder of Green Eggs Books, Michael Cicero is a chauvinistic, womanizing self-made publisher whose classic children's books, formerly out-of-print, are flying off the shelves. Finding her husband in bed with an Oriental dominatrix in her own bedroom, Diana walks out on him, only to be skewered in a vicious divorce. Michael also becomes a victim when he makes a deal with Foxton, who misleads him into thinking he is entering into a partnership. The wronged duo join up to deal in electronic games and—after a few setbacks, lots of shopping and name dropping, and plenty of explicit, devilishly prurient sex—manage to get back on their feet (pun intended). Designing Women meets The Wife of Bath's Tale in this blithely erotic name-dropping romp through Tiffany's, Cartier and an entire Yellow Pages of designer showrooms and posh eateries. (Apr.)

Forecast:With a bit more push and flashier packaging (perhaps in paperback?), this title could hit the big time—Jackie Collins, watch out!