The Little Lady Agency [Paperback]

Hester Browne (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 5, 2006

Hilarious and warmhearted, this "deliciously addictive" (Cosmopolitan) debut romantic comedy stars a woman who goes from doormat to diva when she sets up shop as the ultimate freelance girlfriend.

Melissa Romney-Jones can bake a perfect sponge cake, type her little heart out, and plan a party blindfolded. But none of that has helped her get far in life or in love. When she gets fired -- again -- she decides to market her impeccable social skills to single men. To avoid embarrassing her father, a Member of Parliament, Melissa dons a blond wig and becomes Honey, a no-nonsense bombshell who helps clueless bachelors shop, entertain, and navigate social minefields. She even attends parties if a client needs a "date." But when a dashing American starts to request Honey's services on a regular basis, it's only a matter of time before Honey's and Melissa's worlds collide....

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Sensible Melissa Romney-Jones proclaims to her enamored American client, Jonathan Riley, "I like to think I'm a vintage girl. A proper 1950s woman's woman," to which Riley responds: "A proper 1950s man's woman." Crackling with Brit chick wit, Browne's first novel stars a spunky whirlwind in search of love and money. Melissa, after losing her job as a London estate agent, starts the Little Lady Agency to attend to the social needs of single men. This requires Melissa to don a blonde wig and become Honey Blennerhesket, a posh "Mary Poppins in silk stockings." Running the new agency leads to the successful channeling of her inner glamour goddess and romance with Jonathan, but then she wonders, does he love Honey or Melissa? "Little lady" is a term that sounds as retro as Melissa's yearning for old-style romance, but her struggle to empower herself and deal with her feelings regarding the men in her life is as satisfying as free champagne. Browne's dead-on take revitalizes a genre already littered with worn-out Jimmy Choos and tattered miniskirts.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Brown's charming debut finds Melissa -Romney--Jones losing yet another job, this time to layoffs due to a company merger. Out on the town with friends, Melissa runs into an old school acquaintance who is working for their old etiquette teacher as a companion for wealthy men. Melissa looks up the teacher and begins to schedule dates, but she's horrified to discover her old teacher is in fact running an escort service. Melissa quickly gets out of the business, but she's taken with the idea of a chaste version of it, and starts the Little Lady Agency to help socially clueless men and those merely in need of dates. Using the name Honey, Melissa accompanies one man to a family party, and helps another dump his girlfriend. She lands her biggest client in handsome American Jonathan, who just happens to be running the company she used to work for; but Melissa starts to wonder if she's losing her objectivity when she finds herself falling for Jonathan. A warm, winning tale. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Gallery Books (September 5, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416527265
• ISBN-13: 978-1416527268
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #726,666 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and CLEAN!, April 4, 2006

By 

K. Williams (Huntsville, AL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Little Lady Agency (Hardcover)

I really enjoyed reading this book. It's been a while since I've found a book that I couldn't put down. Part of that may be how well I identified with the main character. The most pleasant surprise for me was how clean the story was. I enjoy reading the chick-lit beach books, but I don't like all of the sex that a lot of them have. This one was fantastic. I can't wait to read her next one; I hope it's an equally fun, clean read.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Amusing, April 22, 2006

By 

G. Greene - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Little Lady Agency (Hardcover)

This is a very good freshman effort from a new writer, who manages to make a novel interesting and readable without resorting to steamy sex scenes (not that there's anything wrong with those). The book has a dry with about it, and the characters are nicely drawn. The most engaging bit about this novel is that the heroine assumes a different persona -- a stronger, smarter, more attractive version of herself -- and who amongst us would not like to do that successfully from time to time? It's enjoyable to watch her integrate the different facets of her personality and resolve her assertiveness issues.

The ending could have been a tad stronger, but all in all, this is a very pleasant way to while away an afternoon.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Promising new chick lit author, July 9, 2008

By 

Invisible Moth 814 "jdm" (Northeast United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Little Lady Agency (Paperback)

Hester Browne has brought us a unique chick lit heroine. Melissa is not a Carrie Bradshaw; she is much more a Bridget Jones. Melissa comes from wealthy, snobby stock, but she is not one of them. She is sweet and naive, honest and determined. In short, I really liked her and cheered her on throughout the story.

"The Little Lady Agency" has a good premise, one that hasn't been done to death, and for a first novel, I thought it was superbly edited. Unlike other first-time authors, Browne obviously worked hard to bring consistency and realism to her writing, rather than letting laziness and inexperience creep in. This book was almost slightly too long, but it kept my attention -- and my caring -- until the end.

A lot of the plot devices -- such as trying to find your real path in life and doing so through an assumed persona -- are routine; yet because Melissa isn't stereotyped, and just felt so real to me, it was fun to read through her "masked" adventures. I also liked the secondary characters, they came to life more than in other romance and similar novels I've read.

This is a good summer read, or a good read-in-bed book. I haven't read the two sequels (as I tend to stay away from series, as a general rule), but I'd say if you enjoy "The Little Lady Agency," then Browne has started something wonderful for you.