The Little Lady Agency, by Hester Browne
May 6, 2008 by melissa
Melissa Romney-Jones has mastered the unappreciated art of planning a party, buying the right present, and dressing well. She has used her talents to work in various jobs, but she downplays her contributions and frequently is the one to get canned when companies lay off staff. After the latest administrative job goes down the drain, Melissa meets up with her old etiquette teacher, and in her naiveté accepts a job as an escort. When a client expects more than her entertaining company for lunch, Melissa quits.
She decides to market her organizational talents for her own business, the Little Lady Agency, targeting bachelors and clueless men who need to shop, entertain, and navigate social engagements. She sometimes poses as their girlfriend or fiancée to help the guy out with nagging mother or clinging girlfriend situations – but no hanky-panky. And even though it’s all perfectly legit, she dons a blond wig and a new persona, “Honey,” when she’s working so as not to upset her highly critical (and dysfunctional) family.
The new business starts to thrive, thanks in part to one particular repeat customer, an American executive named Jonathan, who just happens to be running the company she used to work for. When she starts to fall for Jonathan, she wonders if he really likes her – or Honey?
It’s chick lit romance with a British accent and traditional homemaker roles. But where I picked up several titles and put them down again, this one grabbed my attention and kept it there — all the way to the happily ever after ending.
