Julia London, Beauty Queen

Beauty Queen

Julia London

Berkley, Apr 2004

ISBN: 0425195244

Everyone believes that Rebecca Reynolds lives the life of a princess with her being the middle daughter of the immense Lear holdings. However, the mother of a small son, her gilded cage crashes when her spouse leaves her for a younger model and her father announces he is dying from cancer. Her confidence smashed to smithereens, Rebecca looks for employment, but no one wants a former Miss Texas whose only experience is that of arm candy to her father and her husband.

However that changes when State Senator Tom Masters asks her to help him with his campaign to become the Lieutenant Governor. Also working on the campaign is attorney Mike Parrish. As Mike and Rebecca work closely together, respect surfaces that soon turn to love. However, she begins to uncover questionable practices that if surfaced will derail the individual who deserves Rebecca's loyalty for giving her a chance to prove herself, but she wonders what will be the cost to her new found soul?

The second "King Lear" contemporary Texas romance is intriguing due to a delightful heroine. Though Mike is a fine protagonist struggling with the direction his legal partnership seems to be heading, the enjoyable story line belongs to Rebecca. She remakes herself into someone she can respect once she realizes how useless her life has been. Though her spouse comes across as a womanizing dirty rat who makes no time for his son, fans will appreciate this second chance at life and love story that works because Rebecca makes it so.

Harriet Klausner