From Publishers Weekly
This four-week PW bestseller portrays the conflicts and quandries of a single mother who wins $60 million in the lottery. Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
Another novel from the PC of Judith Michael--really a husband a wife writing team based in Aspen and Chicago, known for their popular, plumped-up category-style romances (Sleeping Beauty, A Ruling Passion, etc.). And guess what happens on page one? The hard-working, divorced, beautiful-but-unaware-of-it, 35-year-old heroine, Claire Goddard, of Danbury, Connecticut, wins $60 million in the lottery- -which poses the book's ber-issue: Will money ruin her and her knockout 17-year-old daughter, Emma? Not surprisingly, shopping follows the windfall; indeed, Claire ``could not stop buying,'' beginning with two Mercedes, a million-dollar home, and a makeover. The new ``look'' stands her in good stead when she takes Emma on a cruise to Alaska, where the Goddard girls meet the Eiger boys. ``You're a cool breeze over the dung of the people I spend my time with,'' is how Quentin Eiger, head of a cosmetics company, romances Claire. His son, Brix, woos Emma with cocaine and an offer to be the Eiger girl, modeling a special new line of makeup called PK-20. The problem is just that PK-20 causes rashes and blindness-- information the Eigers are trying to suppress. Emma will make a big mistake by confronting Brix about it, since he cares more for PK-20 than he does for her. Meanwhile, Claire figures out that Quentin is more a part of the dung heap than separate from it. Fortunately, though, there's a handsome journalist waiting in the wings to console her. This is what it is: cherry Jell-O, with a dollop of fake whipped cream in the form of awful writing. (Literary Guild Dual Selection for November) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

ANNOTATION

Seven spectacular New York Times bestsellers have proven that readers can't resist Judith Michael's dazzling combination of romance and intrigue. Now she takes one of our most universal fantasies--winning the lottery--and spins it into glorious, spellbinding reality. In the midst of new-found luxury and glamour, a hard-working single mother is suddenly faced with the dark side of wealth.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

In this sensational new novel, Judith Michael takes one of our most universal fantasies and spins it into glorious, spellbinding reality. Claire Goddard is thirty-four years old, of modest means and looks. She has raised her teenage daughter, Emma, by herself, working as a designer, but without the confidence or means to fully realize her talent. Her only indulgence, once a week, is buying a lottery ticket. Then, one week, she wins sixty million dollars. Overnight everything changes. She quits her job, indulges in the shopping spree of a lifetime - new house, new clothes, new car, new hairstyle and makeup - and then treats herself and Emma to a celebratory cruise in Alaska. There they meet Quentin and Brix Eiger. Handsome, glamorous, a wealthy entrepreneur, Quentin sweeps Claire into his fast-lane fashionable world, while his temperamental son, Brix, engages Emma in her first love affair. Suddenly Claire and Emma are living in the glittering, colorful world of wealth and power. But inside the rainbow, all is not what it seems - Brix persuades Emma to choose a modeling job over college, and has seduced her into his dangerous round of fashion, sex, and drugs. And as Claire discovers a shallowness and predatory drive in Quentin that has been disguised by his manipulative charm, she realizes that his world is in no way superior to hers and that in buying a new life she is losing touch with everything that has always meant the most to her - her daughter, her friends, her work, her sense of home. But Quentin will not let Claire go easily: he and Brix have their own plans for the Goddard women. And when another man, more open and idealistic, more real than Quentin, enters Claire's life, she discovers what she always possessed but never fully recognized - an ability to love deeply and to protect those she loves - strengths and inner resources more valuable than any pot of gold. Judith Michael creates a world as fabulous as a glossy dream, as exciting as a once-in-a-lif

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

This four-week PW bestseller portrays the conflicts and quandries of a single mother who wins $60 million in the lottery. (Aug.)

Library Journal

Claire Goddard, a single mother barely making ends meet, wins $60 million in the lottery. Money changes people, of course, and Claire is no exception. She and her daughter, Emma, buy an estate, designer clothing, two luxury cars, and a cruise with the first installment. During the cruise, the Goddards meet the Eigers. Quentin Eiger runs a multimillion-dollar cosmetics firm. Brix, his son, works for him. Claire and Emma find themselves attracted by the lifestyle of the rich and famous until the seams begin to show. Claire must realign her values in order to pull Emma back from the brink of disaster. Margaret Whitton gives an extremely polished reading. Her ability to distinguish voices by age and sex is laudable, making for easy listening and comprehension. There are some narrative gaps, but the crux of the story is clear. For all public libraries and most general collections.-Jodi L. Israel, Westwood, Mass.

BookList - Ilene Cooper