Beauty Queen: Amazon.ca: Julia London: Books

Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

The second installment in London's contemporary Lear sisters trilogy (Material Girl, etc.) showcases her talent for depicting the progress of intimacy between two equally strong and unpredictable lovers. As a young woman, Rebecca Lear gave up her dreams of an artistic career to be a dutiful daughter, a beauty pageant queen and a glittering socialite wife. Now, a divorcee with a five-year-old son, she discovers that a life spent meeting others' expectations has left her with no marketable experience and even less self-esteem. She dives into self-help books and searches for a confidence-bolstering job but has little success until she finds a position helping manage Tom Masters's campaign for lieutenant governor of Texas. At campaign headquarters, she immediately butts heads with campaign consultant Matt Parrish, a handsome trial lawyer with a bossy, arrogant demeanor, but as they work on the increasingly problematic campaign, the two find common ground. There's little complexity of either plot or subplot to fill this book's considerable length. But the pace picks up smartly in the later chapters, and the exchanges between Rebecca and Matt are winningly fresh and funny throughout.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Rebecca Lear is tired of everyone thinking her life is perfect. Even though she comes from one of Texas' most wealthy families, is a former Miss Texas, and has a handsome husband and a young son, Rebecca's carefully cultivated life is quickly unraveling. After her car dealer husband trades her in for a newer-model wife, Rebecca discovers just how hard it is to find a job when you have no marketable skills, no college education, and no self-confidence. When Senator Tom Masters asks her to work on his political campaign, Rebecca sees a chance to finally gain some experience. The only drawback is an arrogant and sexy lawyer, Matt Parrish, who has no intention of working with a former beauty queen and political novice and doesn't mind telling her so. A wonderfully endearing heroine, a delightfully roguish hero, some sizzling chemistry, and writing that sparkles with sexy, sassy charm all come together beautifully in the second in London's fabulously entertaining Lear family trilogy. John Charles
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Inside This Book (Learn More)

First Sentence
Exhausted, her body aching deep in the marrow and covered with a three-day grime from schlepping across the mountains, Rebecca Lear could only pray that she did not stink as bad as she feared. Read the first page

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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover

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Customer Reviews

10 Reviews

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Average Customer Review

4.6 out of 5 stars (10 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars heartfelt writing is a winner!, April 15 2004

By

Victoria Devlin (Chicago. ILL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beauty Queen (Paperback)

This book follows the second sister in the Lear family. Daughters of a selfmade man who is dying. He wants his daughters lives to get on track, so he can die knowing they are happy and secure. Sometimes his meddling is not good, but that is a father, eh?

In the second sister, Rebecca. She was perfect daughter, perfect beauty queen, perfect wife and then perfect mother. None of that prepares her for life's realities when hubby dumps her for younger woman.

She has to struggle to make a way for her son and herself, but along the way she had to find her own self value.

As she is getting footing she joins a political campaign and immediately comes to verbal blows with Matt Parrish. Only, she is not the same only perfect person...hurrah!!!

A gentle journey of self discovery for the character, under the masterful pen of London!!!

Gotta go get sister #1

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5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful fun, from a talented writer, April 13 2004

By

Deborah MacGillivray "Author," (US & UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Beauty Queen (Paperback)

This book will likely play better for baby-boomers. They came from a generation of stay-at-home mums, so they will relate to this premise better. But it's a fun, insightful read. The second in the saga of the Lear Sisters. A beauty queen - literally - Rebecca's life, along the way, came second to a husband and family. She gave up college and career, to become the perfect social wife, perfect mum. But, being a former beauty queen does not prepare Rebecca for the harsh realities of life, when the dream crashes down on her head. Hubby dumps her for a younger "version" and Rebecca is faced with moving on.

Suddenly, she is forced with putting herself first for a change, just to make a life for her and her 5-year-old son. She soon finds being a mum, wife and beauty queen prepared her for little outside of those roles, and certainly nothing in the way of career potential.

Hard fighting Matt Parrish, a litigator, has second thoughts about joining the campaign for Tom Master, as he runs for Lt. Governor. And those misgivings really firms up when Rebecca comes on board. Of course, sparks fly between the two and opposites attack.

It's a gentle journey of Rebecca's finding self-worth and finding a life for herself. London serves up vivid, emotional roller coaster for the readers making us crave book three in the series.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful fun, from a talented writers, April 13 2004

By

Deborah MacGillivray "Author," (US & UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Beauty Queen (Paperback)

This book will likely play better for baby-boomers. They came from a generation of stay-at-home mums, so they will relate to this premise better. But it's a fun, insightful read. The second in the saga of the Lear Sisters. A beauty queen - literally - Rebecca's life, along the way, came second to a husband and family. She gave up college and career, to become the perfect social wife, perfect mum. But, being a former beauty queen does not prepare Rebecca for the harsh realities of life, when the dream crashes down on her head. Hubby dumps her for a younger "version" and Rebecca is faced with moving on.

Suddenly, she is forced with putting herself first for a change, just to make a life for her and her 5-year-old son. She soon finds being a mum, wife and beauty queen prepared her for little outside of those roles, and certainly nothing in the way of career potential.

Hard fighting Matt Parrish, a litigator, has second thoughts about joining the campaign for Tom Master, as he runs for Lt. Governor. And those misgivings really firms up when Rebecca comes on board. Of course, sparks fly between the two and opposites attack.

It's a gentle journey of Rebecca's finding self-worth and finding a life for herself. London serves up vivid, emotional roller coaster for the readers making us crave book three in the series.

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Most recent customer reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Hard to get through
I found this book very hard to get through. The dialogue with the all the "hello" inserts was juvenile. I found the secondary characters very clichéd. Read more

Published on July 14 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars Sequel to Material Girl
Former beauty queen Rebecca Lear found that her title, former marriage and motherhood by proxy did not prepare her to find happiness and fulfillment after her divorce. Read more

Published on Jun 16 2004 by C. Penn