The Scornful Heart (The Heart Series, #1) / The Heart Series (ePub)

She thinks it's an arranged marriage. He thinks it's a scientific experiment. But soon it becomes clear he's obsessed with her. Will her laughter and zeal for life jolt him into recognizing how little control he has—or even needs—before she discovers the harsh truth about his cold-hearted intentions?

Through blackmail and bribery Jude Weatherall (30) convinces Portia Fairchild (24) to marry him in a month's time. Jude, a billionaire math-quant genius-professor, believes scientific principles should govern human relationships. Planning to fix the mistakes of his past, Jude launches a secret experiment using Portia as his subject. Portia, an ambitious actor and aspiring comedian, wants to turn their relationship into a love match. But as Jude proves time and again that he has low emotional intelligence and high self-restraint, Portia has an uphill battle. Meanwhile, she pushes herself to her limits trying to meet his expectations.

When Jude's former graduate student threatens to steal his trade secrets and his conniving cousin blackmails Portia, Portia discovers she'll go to great lengths to protect Jude. But have lies driven an immovable wedge of mistrust between the lovers? Will the conflicts of their relationship make each of them stronger, or will this be the end of the beginning?

This spicy contemporary romance captures two points of view.

This first part of a two-part series has a cliffhanger at the end. The sequel, The Vulnerable Heart, concludes the story.