The Magnificent Esme Wells by Adrienne Sharp

Esme has pretty much relied on herself her whole young life. Her dad is a hustler who worked the track and a million other schemes and her mother is a glamorous wannabe actress who will use whatever means available to get herself a casting call. Life is not easy for the family so when family friend Bugsy Siegel offers Esme's dad a piece of the action at the new hotel he is opening in the desert - off they go to Las Vegas. Esme goes from "Baby E" to a showgirl after meeting a dangerous player and soon learns that you have to play the game to win the game. She is smart, she is beautiful and she could be very powerful if she doesn't fall prey to the dangers of all that glitter and endless parties.
As fast as her rise to stardom is, the fall can be even faster. Starting with the golden age of Hollywood to the glamorous world of the early Las Vegas strip - Esme Wells is a study of a family both the one you are born with and the one you choose. She compares her relationships to that of her parents all the while looking for love and acceptance she didn't find at home.