A Woman of Fortune

Lack of subtlety is compensated for by a stolen glimpse into the lifestyles of the Texas rich and famous in Coates’s (Mother of Pearl) contemporary romance, the first in her Texas Gold series. Claire Massey is a woman who has it all: three beautiful grown children, a husband of 30 years who adores her, friends, hundreds of millions of dollars, and a reputation as the consummate hostess. Her world seems perfect until the night when the disclosure of her husband’s financial perfidy tears away almost everything they built together. In the aftermath, Claire is left alone to rebuild her life and see to the needs of her children, while her husband, Tuck, accepts his punishment. Harkening back to the days such television shows as Dallas and Falcon Crest, the story is dependent on stereotypes, and Claire’s obvious Job-like journey through trials follows a predictable path to the ending, making this a shallow guilty pleasure. Agent: Natasha Kern, Natasha Kern Literary Agency. (June)