Don't Let It Be True [Paperback]

Jo Barrett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 10, 2009

A few Texas society gals are hiding sordid pasts as strippers, pole dancers, call girls, Democrats . . . But socialite Kathleen Connor King's secret is far, far worse.

The flamboyant oil heiress, philanthropist, shopaholic, and hostess of the city's most prestigious annual gala, Kathleen King has a skeleton in her closet that, if revealed, will obliterate her good name and cherished social standing: She's broke!

Her longtime beau, Dylan Grant, is similarly busted, ever since his now-deceased father lost the last of the family's oil properties to A-List wannabe Bo Harlan in a poker game. So Kat and Dylan have a plan, and with the help of a small cadre of loyal friends and allies, they're ready to resort to outrageous tactics—not all of them legal—to keep up appearances, win back the lost Grant oil money, elude a psycho Vegas mobster...and solidify their lofty positions among the crème de la crème.

From the acclaimed author of This Is How It Happened (Not a Love Story) and The Men's Guide to the Women's Bathroom comes a hilarious tale of love and deception in the world of the Texas oil uppercrust.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Although Kathleen Connor King’s family is wealthy, she has purposely descended into genteel poverty. Every penny of Kathleen’s sizable trust has gone into her foundation, which funds medical care for seriously ill children who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford it. However, this starving philanthropist needs to keep up the facade of wealth with her rich friends and associates, because she relies on them to make huge donations at her annual fund-raising event. Dylan Grant has loved Kathleen since grade school, when she punched him hard. Now they live together in an upscale Houston high-rise. Dylan learns that dear old departed dad lost the entire family fortune in a poker game. To make matters worse, Dylan’s brother, Wyatt, has moved to Las Vegas and owes half a million dollars in gambling debts to a mobster. Barrett portrays the Texas oil elite with a nice balance of pathos and humor as fully dimensional characters, unexpected plot twists, and clever dialogue make for a hard-to-put-down novel. The author of last year’s This Is How It Happened (Not a Love Story) has once again proven to be a master storyteller. --Shelley Mosley

About the Author

Jo Barrett was born in Okinawa, Japan. She moved to San Antonio, Texas, with her family and attended the University of Texas, Austin, where she received the Normandy Scholarship. From Texas she moved to Washington, D.C., to work on Capitol Hill. While working full-time, she earned a law degree from Georgetown University. Instead of taking a legal job, she moved to New York City to become a writer.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; 1 edition (March 10, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061241172
• ISBN-13: 978-0061241178
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,753,840 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Don't Let It Be True...., February 8, 2011

By 

HollisBookShelf "Connie" (Texas) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Don't Let It Be True (Paperback)

Will the high society crowd find out that Kathleen is actually broke? Will Dylan and his brother become oil tycoons? A great romance novel!

This review was written for Connie's Book Reviews and More on Facebook.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars amusing satirical spin on the American dream, March 10, 2009

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Don't Let It Be True (Paperback)

Houston socialites are noted to hide scandalous secrets from their past with being outed as a Democrat perhaps the most hideous skeleton in the upper crust closet. However, Kathleen Connor King's secret makes concealing being a donkey seem minor. The oil heiress is broke leaving her ranch and King Foundation in jeopardy and is considering canceling the vaunted annual family sponsored charity fund raiser. Her own trust fund went bust for a good cause when she financed the Pediatric Cancer Center at a time she was ignorant of her family's poverty level.

Her live-in boyfriend former Enron lawyer Dylan Grant is stunned when he learns his recently deceased father destroyed the family estate and his inheritance. Apparently the oil properties were lost to nouveau riche Bo Harlan in a poker game. Kat and Dylan compare notes and come up with a grand but legal scheme to keep up appearances, win back the Grant oil revenues, and avoid a Vegas mobster

Although lighthearted and the ending can be seen from the moment the lovers realize they are broke, this is an amusing satirical spin on the American dream of earn wealth the old fashioned way through inheritance. The lead couple is a likable pair though neither thinks in terms of gainful employment because it could spoil their image; instead they choose a ruse to take back the loot Bo won. Mindful of the movie Fun with Dick and Jane, fans who enjoy a soft spoof will want to read DON'T LET IT BE TRUE.

Harriet Klausner