It’s been a few weeks since I’ve let y’all see what I’ve been reading, mainly because classes are keeping me super occupied. Fortunately, they end tomorrow. Unfortunately, they end tomorrow. But in 15 minute chunks I inhaled Kellie Coates Gilbert’s latest novel, A Woman of Fortune. I honestly didn’t know if I’d have time to read this book, but the cover drew me. I LOVE that red dress. Then the characters and their problems sucked me in. In an author note, Kellie writes about what inspired the book. Essentially it was thinking about the families of men who engage in huge fraud cases. What would it be like to have everything ripped away from you? To learn that your entire life was built on fraud?

That’s exactly the position that Claire Massey and her kids find themselves facing. They each respond in different ways, and the book reads like a slice of real life as Claire has to confront what has happened, and how she will ever piece her life back together. Everything from finding an apartment to locating a job is a challenge. But that’s not what kept me turning the pages and thinking about the book when I couldn’t read. What kept me glued to the story was the thought, What would I do? How would I respond?

This book was a rare treat in women’s fiction. While I don’t usually read women’s fiction, this one is going on my keeper file, and I can’t wait for the next book in the series!