A jealous and scorned lover who held a position of power had others give false testimony against Monette Victor.  The result was fifteen years in the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women.  Writing a bestselling book had gotten her story to the public creating enough of an outcry that Winn Barron was forced out of the position he had risen to in the interim, Attorney General for Louisiana.  With new testimony supporting her claims of innocence, she is finally out on parole with a shot at a pardon. 

Monette must stay at a halfway house called New Beginnings, perform community service and seek employment as part of the terms for her parole.  She continues as an author, finds her stride as host of a radio talk show and spends time counseling young women at risk. 

This is not to say that her problems are over.  She made some poor choices in her past.  Trying to stay away from the path that had inadvertently led her to jail is more complicated than expected.  Not everyone expects or supports her bid to succeed. 

Jayson Odum is the owner of Quality Car Care Centers.  He has grown up more like the Huxtables to Monette’s girl from the ‘hood.  Can he show her that what he offers can be for real? 

This is an interesting though fairly straightforward story of a woman who had been caught up in a bad situation and is in the process of turning herself around to become a success.  The flow of the story does occasionally lag but the interplay between the residents of New Beginnings help to keep the pages turning. 

A thorough effort is made to show the relationships from past and prison and how they are affected when the heroine is moving out of the comfort zone of those friends and family.  The pains to be seen as characters grow or fall brings readers the joys and sadness of change. 

One finds the characters themselves are a bit stereotyped in views and attitudes.  However, there were some interesting discussions on prejudice as an issue and use of prejudice as an excuse, non-conclusive though it was. 

The romance between Monette and Jayson is low-key but worked quite well for this story.  A wonderfully supportive hero able to see the strong worthwhile woman in spite of her feelings of inadequacy from her mistakes certainly warms the heart. 

Readers may find the accomplishments of the heroine to be rather difficult to credit but one is also gratified to see that many issues both legal and personal are not glossed over or given a trite end. 

This is an entertaining and worthwhile read.

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