Little Lady, Big Apple (Wheeler Hardcover) [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Hester Browne (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2007 | Series: Wheeler Hardcover

At home, Melissa is a pushover in an Alice band. But at the Little Lady Agency, she transforms herself into blonde bombshell Honey: a super confident supernanny to hapless men all over London -- with a desk diary that's bursting. Only now her American boyfriend Jonathan has invited her to New York for a holiday - on the condition that Honey and the blonde wig stay at home. Reluctantly leaving the agency in the hands of her tactless best mate and terrifying sister, Mel flies out! Before she knows it, she's agreed to polish the talented but rude rising star Ric Spencer, who just so happens to be an ex, while having to juggle Jonathan, his manipulative ex-wife, a wilful terrier, and escalating crises back in England. Can Melissa put the manners back into Manhattan? Or is this a challenge only Honey can tackle?

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

As readers of The Little Lady Agency know, Melissa Romney-Jones makes her living by offering helpless London bachelors "every girlfriend service a man could need, except sex and laundry." Her clients know her only as Honey Blennerhesket, but her up-and-coming American realtor boyfriend, Jonathan Riley, loves the real Melissa. His invitation for her to stay with him in New York for a month sets up the action in this delightful, Atlantic-straddling sequel. Melissa is initially unsure about the holiday—business is booming and her personal life is overflowing with drama—but she is soon noshing on bagels and strolling through Central Park. Jonathan begins making noise about getting engaged, but what would happen to Melissa's beloved agency? An observant and witty narrator, Melissa provides a grab bag of nifty outsider observations (Kate's Paperie is "a vast temple to stationery-based politeness"; an Upper East Side apartment building is "more lavishly appointed than most London hotel bars"), though Americans' dialogue can come off a bit stiffly British. Browne's series (a sequel is not so subtly hinted) is a bright spot in a bloated genre. (Feb.)
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

Browne's follow-up to The Little Lady Agency (2006) finds Melissa Romney-Jones still happily dating handsome Jonathan Riley and running the Little Lady Agency, the business she created to help socially challenged men. When her flatmate Nelson kicks Melissa out of their apartment so it can be renovated, Jonathan invites her to accompany him on an extended business trip to New York. Tempted by the opportunity to experience life in the glamorous city, Melissa agrees, only to be faced with constant reminders that Jonathan's ex-wife, Cindy, resides in the same town. While at a party hosted by friends of Jonathan and Cindy, Melissa runs into Godric Ponsonby, an English actor she knew (and fooled around with) in high school. Godric's agent immediately latches on to Melissa, hoping that Melissa can help tame Godric's bad manners, but Melissa's willingness to help creates friction between her and Jonathan. Lighthearted and full of funny moments, Browne's second novel is sure to charm fans of her first. 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

• Hardcover: 633 pages
• Publisher: Wheeler Publishing (May 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1597224952
• ISBN-13: 978-1597224956
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,754,218 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Poorly Researched, June 17, 2007

By 

Hawaiian Eye "Hawaiian Eye" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Little Lady, Big Apple (Hardcover)

Browne's editor wasn't asleep at the switch in this sequel to The Little Lady Agency. No, this time the editor must have been in a coma.
How else to explain the glaring plot holes bigger than a subway opening?
For a start, not one single New Yorker depicted in the book sounds like a living, breathing actual New Yorker.
Jonathan "The Boring Man" Riley says he tried to call Melissa, but her phone was engaged. Americans just don't say that. They say the number was busy.
For another, Jonathan picks her up from the airport in a series of limousines and town cars, until one mysterious trip, he's driving a vehicle we never hear of before - or after.
The worst infraction however, is Jonathan and his dog Braveheart flying to London and arriving dewy-eyed on Melissa's doorstep.
How is this possible?
There are strict quarantine laws in England. You CANNOT bring an animal into London. France, oui, London, No.
I know this is fiction but Geez Louise, at least make it semi-believable.
As for leaving her hard-earned business in the hands of two moronic women - her complusively stupid best friend Gabi and her sinister sister Allegra, both of whom possess the common sense of lettuce leaves - please...this Little Lady needs her head examined.
I won't be reading the next book, this one was a painful experience.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Amusing, April 14, 2007

By 

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

This review is from: Little Lady, Big Apple (Hardcover)

This book is a nice sequel to the Little Lady Agency, though the plot was not quite as interesting. I missed seeing Melissa transform herself into Honey, and the interactions between Honey and her clients were largely missing in this book. That said, it's still a fun read, and I'm interested in seeing what these characters are up to next, now that Melissa's love life seems to be back on track.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fish Out of Water, March 27, 2007

By 

Monkeyville Citizen (Arlington, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Little Lady, Big Apple (Hardcover)

Melissa had made a great life and created an enterprising and unique business of her own in London. However, when her American boyfriend asks her to come to New York City with him for a month she faces the classic dilemma of career or relationship. What makes this book particularly entertaining is Melissa's determination to have it all. She morphs her business to fit her new schedule and her new home. At the same time, she maintains her commitment to her own career even if it means giving up her boyfriend. Delightfully written and very entertaining. A great read!