FOR ALL THE WRONG REASONS

A Manhattan spree from British author Bagshawe, last spotted (Triple Feature, 1997) in Hollywood having a lot more fun.

Diana Verity can stop pretending she works for a living and give up her pointless jobette with British Vogue. She’s going to marry Ernie Foxton, who’s been tapped to run Blakely’s, an old-fashioned New York publishing house, and turn it into a lean, mean, international book machine. He’s a cutthroat businessman with a bottom line where his heart ought to be, but guileless Diana hasn’t figured that out yet and, with Ernie’s millions, she plans to climb the social ladder. In Bagshawe’s fantasy Manhattan, Fifth Avenue socialites actually cross the park to visit the newcomer on Central Park West and introduce her to the mad whirl of glamorous charity benefits. Too bad Ernie has a dirty secret that’s going to ruin everything: he likes to be dominated by cruel little women in spike heels, office assistant Mira Chen being his favorite until Diana catches them in the act. Snubbed for her naiveté by her so-called friends and forced to slum it in a small apartment, she finds a job and a hero: Michael Cicero, Bronx-born stud and publisher of classy children’s books. When not dazzling various adoring women with his amazing sexual prowess, Michael makes a deal with the devil—Ernie Foxton, who plots a takeover of Michael’s fledgling but highly profitable press. Even though Blakely’s hasn’t published any bestsellers since he took over, Ernie hopes to hang on to fabulous book-biz perks like his very own jet (another Bagshawe fantasy), and he’s been altering sales figures and accounts to cover his tracks. Can anyone stop him? Yes! And honest, handsome, horny Michael throws Diana over his shoulder and makes her wildest dreams come true while he’s at it.

Dated in tone, glitz galore—and innumerable plugs for luxury goodies.