Successful business entrepreneur Nate Kenny is thrilled to marry the beautiful and intelligent Monica, chiefly because it means he can at last fulfill his lifelong dream of having a family. While he isn't happy about it, he agrees with Monica to wait three years before trying for pregnancy. Once those three years are up and the couple discovers that she is unable to bear children, any love he once felt for Monica is gone, and Nate wants out of the marriage. But he's worried about losing half of his sixty-million-dollar fortune in a divorce settlement. Desperate for an out, he searches for a way to exploit the infidelity clause in the couple's prenuptial agreement.

Enter Lewis Waters. With his baby's mother addicted to drugs, Lewis is already seriously down on his luck when he accidentally smashes his car into Nate's Bentley. Without auto insurance or any way to pay for the repairs, Lewis is at the end of his financial rope. But the scheming Nate sees another way for the attractive young man to repay his debt: as sexual bait for Monica. And so Nate sets up Lewis with all of the accessories he believes Lewis will need to earn Monica's love, or at the very least, her lust: a big house, a fancy car, expensive clothes, and a full bank account. But as is often the case when it comes to matters of the heart, things don't unfold according to plan. When Monica falls hard for Lewis, Nate panics -- was protecting his fortune more important than trying to save his marriage? As he finds himself overwhelmed by second thoughts, Nate is willing to do anything to get Monica back.

An inspired fusion of realism and romance, The Million Dollar Divorce is an unpredictable caper of lust, betrayal, and family ties.

Million Dollar Divorce

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"Does it have a name?" Vivian asked Walter.

What would be the proper question to ask her husband of nearly twenty years, when he brings home is illegitimate baby as casually as a bag of groceries? Although Walter's frequent infidelities became increasingly obvious to Vivian, she struggled to accept them. After all, she reasoned, they came with the Mercedes, the beautiful house, and the prestige of being Mrs. Carlson, the Texas state representative's better half. Having long since abandoned her attempts at motherhood, Vivian resigned herself to her law studies and a lonely existence asthe perfect political wife in suburban Austin.

But Vivan draws the line at her husband's unexpected arrival. And once one line is drawn, she discovers that she can draw others. Left alone with this tiny, helpless bundle that disgusts and fascinates her, Vivian faces some of the hardest choices of her life. On the brink of a long-forgotten freedom, she begins the painful, empowering process of rebuilding her shattered life—and the reawakening of her sould to the possibilities of love.

An emotionally charged, razor-sharp take on the myriad challenges facing women today, Evelyn Palfrey's witty and suspenseful novel establishes her as a refreshing new voice in contemporary women's fiction.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

This contemporary tale of a woman wronged fails to chart new territory, but engages with its attractive, sympathetic heroine. Up-and-coming black Texas state representative Walter Carlson has a history of philandering, but when he dumps the baby he recently fathered with his latest mistress on his long-suffering (and infertile) wife, Vivian, it is the last straw. Livid, Vivian is forced into keeping the infant when her husband holds a press conference and announces that they have adopted a homeless baby. Soon, however, Vivian succumbs to her maternal needs and falls in love with the infant, whom she names Passion. She determines to leave Walter, taking Passion with her, and begins a struggle to maintain her law-student schedule, spend time with her baby and find adequate child care. Rescue comes in the form of Marc Kline, a divorced father and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer who teaches at the local university and is working on a book about adoption. A subplot about Passion's birth mother adds suspense, as well as a touch of originality, to the otherwise pedestrian romance. Walter, who belatedly comprehends the value of a good woman and wants Vivian back in his life, gets a satisfying, if heavy-handed, comeuppance. (Oct.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

Chandra Y. Sparks - Romantic Times

Evelyn Palfrey is a hidden talent. Billing her novels as romances with a touch of grey at the temple, Palfrey has taken the romance world by storm.