Review: Alex Worth has to decide what is truly 'worth'while
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 16, 2012
"Worth the Scandal" by Karen Erickson is the contemporary romance novel that centers on Alex Worth and his assistant Tessa Crawford, the shy and innocent twenty-five year old assistant who has been working for the charismatic CEO of the Worth Luxury company for just over 6 1/2 months.  Their mutual attraction has been suppressed due to concern about the inappropriate nature of a workplace liaison, not to mention Alex's  worry about being 10 years senior to his attractive assistant and her own feelings of inadequacy.  A sudden change in plans results in Alex needing to make a tour of Europe and he leaps at the chance to bring Tessa along with him since he hopes that the enforced proximity will lead to their relationship deepening into intimacy.  Tessa is eventually swept off of her feet and succumbs to her desires despite her concerns about her healthy curves and her naivete.  A Cinderella experience seems destined to be everything she has ever dreamed of but her relationship with her complex boss is a rollercoaster ride which vacillates between extremes.  The issue of corporate espionage rears its ugly head and threatens to strike a mortal blow at the blossoming romance.  Unfortunately, each must learn to trust the other implicitly before they can have any kind of meaningful association and that may be an impossible goal.An entertaining read that conjures up exotic locales in Europe even as it explores the difficulty of romance in the workplace.  The three Worth brothers have very different personalities and Alex has guarded his heart carefully while he has shouldered the burden of restoring the family company to its former greatness.  He has to determine his priorities and decide whether he can trust the woman who seems to be too good to be true.  Tessa must learn to exist as a woman in her own right before she is overwhelmed by the dominant personalities characterizing the brothers.  She is a bit passive for my tastes and I think a bit more groveling was called for but this was an enjoyable read nonetheless.  I look forward to the next in the series.