Scandalous

Prof. Theodore Dexter lusts after naïve Sasha Miller, a first-year Cambridge University student and physics phenomenon under his advisement. Once Theo manipulates Sasha into bed, it isn’t long before he also manipulates her future, stealing her groundbreaking theory as his own, which launches his career into the stratosphere. From that moment on, Sasha abandons physics in favor of cutthroat business so that she can obtain the fortune, fame, and power required to bring down Theo, who ascended to television stardom on the strength of her work. While Sasha’s eventual victory is never in doubt, Bagshawe keeps things interesting with multiple subplots incorporating Theo’s miserable wife, Theresa, and Sasha’s business adversary, Jackson. Hollywood glamour, Wall Street acumen, and English style dominate the action, and while both Sasha and Theresa get happy endings with nice guys, readers seeking the vulnerability, sexual chemistry, and humor that make romances fun to read will have to look elsewhere. Agents: Alexandra Machinist and Luke Janklow, Janklow & Nesbit. (Apr.)