Rating: 
Summary: Smashing Success!
Review:
Rebecca Lear reads every self-help book published trying to find her inner self, and ends up on an adventure that leaves her dirty and sweaty as she tries to conquer a mountaintop in Colorado seeking The Vision. The trek has her swearing and crying, but she finds the determination to make it over the top ? even if she is the last in the group to do it ? and the cheering of her fellow climbers makes the former beauty queen believe she can do anything, whether her father or ex husband believe it or not.
Becky is closed to losing her newfound confidence when she begins filling out applications and going on interviews. Seems she has no experience and is not qualified for any position. In desperation, she asks her father to make a connection for her. He?s a powerful figure in Texas, and though he could, he refuses to help her get a foot in any door. He has other ideas for her, but he and her ex-husband have been telling her what to do and when to do all her life, and she?s tired of it!
Her newly found confidence is nearly gone when Becky runs into Tom Masters, a Texas senator. Tom is running for Lieutenant Governor and Becky is speechless when he asks her to accept the position of campaign strategist. An honest to goodness, real live job! Becky has no earthly idea what she?s getting into, but there?s no way in this lifetime she?s refusing this offer. After she meets Matt Parish she may wish she hadn?t accepted; he isn?t going to make life easy for her.
Matt Parrish is a young, hot-shot lawyer on the rise and when Tom Masters and his party wave the flag of future District Attorney at him, his pride swells a little more and he jumps at the chance to run Tom?s campaign. Little does he know Miss Beauty Queen was given a lead job. Well?. you get the idea?. Tom is left brained and Rebecca is all right brained ? oil and water ? they don?t mix well and are constantly opposing each other. What an event this will turn into.
BEAUTY QUEEN is a showcase for the new voice of Julia London. Second in the Lear trilogy, Rebecca?s story flows through the pages. Julia London?s descriptions and words bring the characters to life, allowing readers to get inside and know their moves and thoughts. Ms. London reveals the challenges Rebecca faces after being coddled and treated like a woman with a beautiful figure and no brains. She?s just gone through a divorce and must find a way to support her little boy. Her true character comes through and it?s a story of struggles and triumphs. Tom Masters is taught a few lessons and the macho man is brought down a peg or two to the enjoyment of readers. He finds qualities and fun in places he didn?t know about, and a little boy and a beauty queen have him thinking differently than he ever has.
BEAUTY QUEEN is a very well developed story, filled with realism and lessons of life; it?s funny and serious and Julia London?s voice shines brightly in this novel. I now anxiously await the story of the third sister and can?t wait to see what happens between the Lear parents, who have their own problems. I highly suggest Julia London?s contemporary voice to her fans, and give BEAUTY QUEEN the highest marks, for an exceptional read.
Rating:
Summary: The Julia London I love!!!
Review: After reluctantly giving Material Girl a three star rating and not being overly excited about reading Beauty Queen (I would though because I love JL's books), I was really happy when I got to the end of the book and thoroughly enjoyed the entire book from page one to the end. Matt Parrish was as intriguing and as exciting a hero as Julian Dane (Ruthless Charmer), Arthur Christian (Beautiful Stranger), The Duke (Wicked Angel), and we can't forget Michael Ingram (A Devil's Love). It was fun to watch this romance develop through the book and how they rediscovered themselves with the help of each other. However, I did think after the blow out at the Four Seasons, it should have been her apologizing to him and not vice versa. She did string him along and she was a bit 'empty' and she knew Matt was right but JL had him groveling, which is usually what happens in most her novels, even if the heroine is wrong. And though it's fun to watch the hero grovel occasionally, Matt was the perfect hero and Rebecca was the one with the issues. But all in all, I really enjoyed it, could hardly put it down. Her writing was witty, her characters believable, and it made for another page turner by an extremely talented writer.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful storytelling
Review: 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
Rating:
Summary: Sequel to Material Girl
Review: 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. Cut off from her former friends when her ex-husband immediately remarries and integrates wife number two into their social circles, even Rebecca's wealth cannot provide purpose to her life. Then her sisters provided her with a birthday present that leads to transformation in the form of motivation and a relocation. Her suddenly nannyless five-year-old son and she must find their own way for the first time. Being a former beauty queen unexpectedly leads to her first job as part of political campaign where her smoozing and party arranging skills have extraordinary value. Unfortunately, her first day on the job brings her back in contact with Matt Parish, with whom a mix up already has put them at odds. While Rebecca might be the most beauty woman he has ever met, Matt has little faith in her campaign skills. As he struggles with the direction his legal partnership seems to be heading, his constant sparring with Rebecca fails to conceal their mutually sizzling chemistry. As Rebecca transforms entertainment skills and political connections into usable job experience, she becomes a force be reckoned with both in the office and in her relationship with Matt. An irreverent sense of humor and snappy dialogue make BEAUTY QUEEN a quick read, even as the humor lightly conceals a poignant tale of transformation and second chances. Rebecca's womanizing ex-husband is drawn with a black brush with his inconsiderate treatment of their son, but his unthinking cruelty to both Rebecca and the child inspires Rebecca to extraordinary growth. She soon discovers, however, that transformations require ethics and values that do not necessary receive respect in the political arena. Meanwhile, Matt's reevaluation of his life goals mirrors Rebecca's struggles and adds to their fiery relationship. Their brutal honesty with each other rips away the lovely masks each presents to the world, forcing them to be honest with each other and with themselves. Overall, author Julia London does an amazing job of balancing the ridiculous with the sublime, the humorous with drama. The result is a wonderfully entertaining read that comes very highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Hard to get through
Review: 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. I felt the use of the heros needing to be contrasted and compared to gay men to be a bit offensive and totally unnecessary to the story. The gay men in Beauty Queen and the words used in Material Girl became sterotypes. The idea of the story was a good one, it had great potential and their were a few moments that were engaging. I have been disappointed by Julia London's last 3 books and I hope the last one of the series gets back to her old form.
Rating: 
Summary: Had the potential for much more....
Review: I loved the premise of the book, and the author clearly knows how to do humor, but I just couldn't warm up to the characters, and I didn't really believe they fell in love. They both seemed too shallow for any real depth.
I think one of my problems was the junior high language that was used with a sledge-hammer throughout the book. As in: "You are so not cool," or "Oh. My. Gawd." Both main characters, supposedly in their 30s, talk like this non-stop. A little of that thrown in for spice is fine, but a steady diet of it? It made the characters seem shallow to me.
The book also went on and on. And on. It could have been edited down by 20% or so and worked much better.
Rating:
Summary: ~ Julia Dose It Again ~
Review: Julia London has done it again, I loved, loved "Material Girl" I could not wait for Beauty Queen and when it arrived at the book store I almost fell over from the excitement of seeing it on the bookshelf. I enjoyed reading Beauty Queen it was so funny Rebbeca had me laughing this whole story was an enjoyable read, I was not disappointed at all. I am trying to wait patiently for the third book " Rouges Of Regent" I am sure I will also enjoy that book as well. Happy Reading
Lisa
Rating:
Summary: ~ Julia Dose It Again ~
Review: Julia London has done it again, I loved, loved "Material Girl" I could not wait for Beauty Queen and when it arrived at the book store I almost fell over from the excitement of seeing it on the bookshelf. I enjoyed reading Beauty Queen it was so funny Rebbeca had me laughing this whole story was an enjoyable read, I was not disappointed at all. I am trying to wait patiently for the third book " Rouges Of Regent" I am sure I will also enjoy that book as well. Happy Reading
Lisa
Rating:
Summary: A winner!
Review: Rebecca Lear had always been pretty, popular, and part of the wealthy Lear family. She had even been Miss Texas years ago. Now she was recently divorced, had a five-year-old son, Grayson, and trying to prove that she was NOT worthless, at least to herself. She decided to start with something small like a job, any job. But no one would hire her for anything! Rebecca had never been taken seriously in her whole life. She was sick of it! So when Senator Tom Masters asked her to join his campaign team, she was thrilled. Lawyer Matt Parrish had been helping Tom campaign for lieutenant govenor. Tom even had thoughts about running for District Attorney sometime in the future, himself. Matt had been shocked when Tom made Rebecca his campaign strategist. She knew nothing about politics or the needs of Texas. In fact, from the moment Rebecca had called him cheap, she had managed to turn his life upside down and inside out. ***** Author Julia London has another winner here! Each character has a personality all their own. The story flows smoothly and a touch of humor keeps everything going at the perfect pace. An awesome story by one of today's most talented authors! Brava! ***** Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.
Rating:
Summary: Smashing Success!
Review: Rebecca Lear reads every self-help book published trying to find her inner self, and ends up on an adventure that leaves her dirty and sweaty as she tries to conquer a mountaintop in Colorado seeking The Vision. The trek has her swearing and crying, but she finds the determination to make it over the top - even if she is the last in the group to do it - and the cheering of her fellow climbers makes the former beauty queen believe she can do anything, whether her father or ex husband believe it or not. Becky is closed to losing her newfound confidence when she begins filling out applications and going on interviews. Seems she has no experience and is not qualified for any position. In desperation, she asks her father to make a connection for her. He's a powerful figure in Texas, and though he could, he refuses to help her get a foot in any door. He has other ideas for her, but he and her ex-husband have been telling her what to do and when to do all her life, and she's tired of it! Her newly found confidence is nearly gone when Becky runs into Tom Masters, a Texas senator. Tom is running for Lieutenant Governor and Becky is speechless when he asks her to accept the position of campaign strategist. An honest to goodness, real live job! Becky has no earthly idea what she's getting into, but there's no way in this lifetime she's refusing this offer. After she meets Matt Parish she may wish she hadn't accepted; he isn't going to make life easy for her. Matt Parrish is a young, hot-shot lawyer on the rise and when Tom Masters and his party wave the flag of future District Attorney at him, his pride swells a little more and he jumps at the chance to run Tom's campaign. Little does he know Miss Beauty Queen was given a lead job. Well.... you get the idea.... Tom is left brained and Rebecca is all right brained - oil and water - they don't mix well and are constantly opposing each other. What an event this will turn into. BEAUTY QUEEN is a showcase for the new voice of Julia London. Second in the Lear trilogy, Rebecca's story flows through the pages. Julia London's descriptions and words bring the characters to life, allowing readers to get inside and know their moves and thoughts. Ms. London reveals the challenges Rebecca faces after being coddled and treated like a woman with a beautiful figure and no brains. She's just gone through a divorce and must find a way to support her little boy. Her true character comes through and it's a story of struggles and triumphs. Tom Masters is taught a few lessons and the macho man is brought down a peg or two to the enjoyment of readers. He finds qualities and fun in places he didn't know about, and a little boy and a beauty queen have him thinking differently than he ever has. BEAUTY QUEEN is a very well developed story, filled with realism and lessons of life; it's funny and serious and Julia London's voice shines brightly in this novel. I now anxiously await the story of the third sister and can't wait to see what happens between the Lear parents, who have their own problems. I highly suggest Julia London's contemporary voice to her fans, and give BEAUTY QUEEN the highest marks, for an exceptional read.
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