cover image LOVE ON THE DOTTED LINE

LOVE ON THE DOTTED LINE

David E. Talbert, . . Simon & Schuster, $19.95 (256pp) ISBN 978-0-7432-4720-7

Morgan, a contract lawyer, and Marcus, an investment banker, may not be married, but they're still the perfect couple: they're good-looking and well-to-do, and in addition to their romantic all-night conversations they enjoy "an unconscionable supply of trashy, tribal sex." Or they were perfect, until Mo spies the diamond tennis bracelet she thought was her birthday present on the slim brown wrist of another lady. Spirited Mo dusts herself off pretty quickly, thanks to the encouragement of her "ace boon" best friend, Altima, and the attentions of Charles, the gorgeous former NBA player who sells her a pretty, "pre-owned" (not "used," he insists) Lexus and then flies her to Paris on their first date. Before Charles and Mo get it on, though, Mo has him sign this handy little contract—a "pre-prenuptial"—whereby he guarantees his fidelity. Which means that when he inevitably screws around on her, she takes him to court, and hilarity, of a modest sort, ensues. Side action rounds out the thin but amusing plot: there's the mayor's sex scandal, the "prison cut" neighbor's search for love and Mo's sweet flirtation with a fellow lawyer in this frothy tale of love and legal wranglings by the author of Baggage Claim . Agent, Alan Nevins. (May)