The Little Lady Agency
14. Hester Browne, The Little Lady Agency
For some reason I’m having trouble describing the plot of this book, so here’s a summary from Amazon: “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.”
I picked up this book expecting a light, fun read, and that’s pretty much what it delivered. Mel is similar to a lot of chick-lit heroines - career and love life both in disarray, horrible family, body image issues, a bit of a pushover - but her interest in old-fashioned etiquette and vintage clothing makes her somewhat unique. The plot is pretty implausible, too; I mean, she wears a wig when she’s pretending to be Honey, and somehow this makes her magically unrecognizable? But I did like how this book explored the idea of what it would be like to become someone else and finally do all the things you’d normally be too scared to do. The romance angle also intrigued me, but I’m a bit torn because there’s another man in the picture whom I prefer. The ending is fairly unsatisfying, but I guess that’s to be expected since there are two more books in the series. All in all, a fairly entertaining chick-lit read, and I’ve already picked up the sequels from the library.