The Rayburn Affair

Art, ambition and desire collide when a strugglingacademic becomes entangled in the marriage and creative lifeof her literary idol.

By day, Dr Ruth Morgan lectures on 'AI: the new frontier of storytelling' at East Toronto University. By night, she toils away at a collection of short stories, fantasising about a writing career to rival that of the internationally renowned Shelby Rayburn, a literary icon widely hailed as the voice of Ruth's generation of women.

When Shelby and her husband, Oscar, make an appearance at an annual faculty party, Ruth can't believe her luck. The trio instantly hit it off, and an intoxicating intimacy builds between them, underwritten by a simmering sexual tension.

Everything changes when Shelby makes Ruth an offer she can't refuse - one she can't tell anyone about, including Oscar. As boundaries blur and secret alliances form, distrust takes root and threatens to implode it all. Ruth and Shelby need each other, but each has their own agenda when it comes to friendship, love and literary stardom.

Author: Laurie Petrou

Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945), Romance

Published on 27 Aug 2026 by Verve Books.