Little Lady, Big Apple

The Little Lady Agency #2

by Hester Browne

Melissa Romney-Jones went from doormat to diva when she donned a blond wig, became Honey, a no-nonsense bombshell, and set up shop providing London's most clueless men with all the basic girlfriend services -- except, of course, for sex and laundry! Now, her business is booming, but when her flat-mate decides to renovate, she has to temporarily find a new place to live. Then Melissa's dashing American boyfriend (and former client) Jonathan Riley gets a promotion that takes him to New York. There's only one solution: an extended holiday for Melissa in the Big Apple.



Entrusting care of the Little Lady Agency to her tactless best friend and her melodramatic sister, Melissa crosses the pond and finds herself out of her depth among Jonathan's hard-charging friends and his interfering ex-wife. Although Jonathan works all the time, he asks Melissa not to take on any new clients while she's in his hometown. But when she's presented with a tempting new challenge, Melissa decides to put her expertise to use. Then her project lands her in the tabloids, which sets off a hilarious and heartbreaking chain of events that could force her to choose between the man she loves and the unique business into which she has poured her heart and soul.



Irresistibly funny and full of the magic of New York, Little Lady, Big Apple is another triumph that will have you rooting for Melissa all the way!

Genres: Chick Lit, Romance, Fiction, Humor, Contemporary, Mystery, British Literature

360 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2006

About the author

Hester Browne was born in England's Lake District, read English at Trinity College, Cambridge, and worked as a fiction editor before leaving publishing to write full time. She enjoys Scottish reeling, driving, baking, and trawling eBay for estate sale bargains. She doesn't enjoy hot weather, tax returns, or any talent programme where people have to plead to be allowed to juggle flaming chainsaws on national television.

Reviews

[Miranda · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have a love/hate relationship with this series. It's well-written and realistic and the characters are quite varied and nuanced, which is refreshing. But at the same time I find it incredibly frustrating that Mel, a character I really want to like, can be so utterly stupid and blind. WHY does she insist on wasting time with awful, AWFUL Jonathan? All he has to do is look vulnerable and tired and she goes into a witter about how handsome and perfect he is and tries to make up all these excuses for why he treats her like crap. ANY sane woman should be able to see at a glance that he has absolutely nothing going for him. He doesn't understand her or care about what she wants and what's important to her. He tells her he likes her how she is and keeps insisting she should 'just be herself', then tries to change her. He is an incurable workaholic who would clearly rather be at the office than spend any time with her (although of course he has a million and one excuses, none of which I would buy for a moment) and his idea of making up for it is coming out with some sappy, insincere statement about how much she 'means' to him, yeah right. He treats her like a naughty child and lectures her for doing things like 'keeping secrets' from him, when he does exactly the same things to her. He is not over his ex-wife. His lifestyle is completely non-compatible with hers. LEAVE HIM ALREADY AND GET WITH NELSON WHO IS SINGLE, PERFECT, AND SECRETLY IN LOVE WITH YOU.

But yeah. It's easy to see that kind of thing from outside the situation - I concede that it's realistic. And the fact that it annoys me SO MUCH is partly because I do really care about these characters.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the depth and detail of Hester Browne's Little Lady Agency books.

Here, in Book Two, protagonist Melissa travels to New York to stay with boyfriend Johnathan and see the city for the first time. But such a simple hop over the Atlantic comes with any number of issues: who's going to cover for Melissa's Agency while she's away? Johnathan's ex, Cindy, lives in New York - how will Melissa feel about this? Can Melissa just sit back and relax and really take a vacation from work? What happens when an old semi-friend needs her Agency-skill help? And can Johnathan even do what he's requested of Melissa, and take time away from work? What's more, *is* Johnathan *truly* okay with the Little Lady Agency? Oh, and Melissa's dear friend Nelson is going away for a few months to sea... (and, let me add here, that I adore Nelson!!!!)

I really like the characters in these books - a lot. Their issues are realistic and not over-dramatized. The main characters are all good people, trying to do good things, but sometimes life doesn't go quite the way they were thinking/hoping and then they have to deal with it. But they are always mature and act in civilized ways. There aren't really any major points where you can see the author's hand moving the pieces to fit the plot, instead the plot unfolds naturally and realistically.

I also quite enjoy Browne's writing style - fun, funny, and fluid, with a hint of the old fashioned. A lovely combination!

I'd definitely recommend this series to anyone looking for a good chick-lit -- or really just a good story. I think 'chick-lit' can sometimes have "fluffy" or "empty" connotations, but this book is so much more than that! Highly recommended!

[JayeL · Rating 2 out of 5]

Melissa agrees to leave the Agency and go vacation in New York while Jonathan tries to impress his boss into letting him, eventually, run the company. Melissa's helpful and exuberent personality as well as the stereotype of pushy demanding New Yorkers conspire to cause trouble for Jonathan and Melissa.

I finished this book and found, overall, that it was enjoyable, but it wasn't as good as the first one. It was entertaining, but jumps all around, tries to cram too much into the book (which is relatively long anyway) and parts were incomprehensible. What is the deal with Melissa's dad and his cheese thing? Is that whole section written so the reader is as confused as Melissa? Why was Jonathan always referring to a 'client' rather than being upfront with Melissa about who the clients were? Are New Yorkers really that uncaring about other people's feelings?

While the various parts of the story are resolved in the end, some themes grow up in the book that were not that enjoyable or believable. Jonathan becomes very controlling over Melissa, and especially what he wants her to do with the Agency. The ending is a little strange, though it ends positively.

Melissa's family is obnoxious and I would run screaming from them so fast, it would make your head spin.

Continuity errors: The author mentions Melissa driving her Subaru, but I thought she sold it in the first book? Perhaps I missed her buying it back?

[Love Fool · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Melissa Romney-Jones. I'm a huge a fan of her and would love to send a few men to her business. Her boyfriend sounds adorable and we all know how much I love NYC (it's my city)! So this was the perfect equation for a book. I also love drama that involves exes (maybe that's an issue I have in my life haha) and this brings it with Jonathan's ex-wife. I know this book got mixed reviews but I say give it a chance.

[Belinda Vlasbaard · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars - English Ebook

I've quite fallen for Hester Browne. I've also seemed to pick up "British" in my speech. Haha, just kidding. Seriously though, I have really enjoyed the Little Lady books.

Before I did read all of Sophie Kinsellas books, and I enjoyed those too, but in my opinion these books are far better.

For one thing, even though it's just fiction, Melissa is a believable character. She has charm and grace, but still has to deal with her own short-comings. Her family is truly horrible, and I don't know if that's relatable to anyone else, because I don't know any truly awful people like that, but it adds interest and color to the story.

I do find it weird that her flat mate is a handsome male, they share a flat and have a close relationship like a married couple, but without the physical attraction. I just don't know if that is possible for anybody. Even so, I like Nelson and he is a great character in the book. All in all I like these books, I'll probably spend a fortune reading the rest of this authors books.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A worthy sequel to The Little Lady Agency (which I absolutely adored and found surprisingly fresh, funny and well-written). I wasn't quite as wowed by this one, though I didn't feel that it sagged too much (as middle books in a three-part series tend to do). London-dwelling Melissa is convinced by her fabulous boyfriend to join him on his home-turf in NYC for a month or so giving her a chance to relax and get away from her business and see Jonathan at home, amongst his friends, etc. There are some wonderfully romantic moments when Jonathan shows Melissa around The Big Apple, yet she finds herself feeling a bit neglected when Jonathan is busy 95% of the time tending to clients--and she feels a little nervous when one of those clients happens to be his ex-wife. Yet when Melissa starts helping a friend-turned-actor fine-tune his public persona (a little bit of the work she does in London), Jonathan is none too pleased that she is "working" in NYC. Melissa must wrestle out why he doesn't want her to pursue her career when he is so entrenched in his--and whether there will be a future for them when their jobs seem to create so much tension. There are also some little family-squabbles on the side that Melissa has to tend to, and the little bother of Nelson going to sea for a month (she does miss her cozy chats with him!) I felt that the conflicts in the story (and the Melissa-Jonathan romance) were played out with honesty and integrity--we didn't have too many silly, obnoxious rom-com cliches going on, or people acting childish and moronic simply because they are in a love relationship. Once again, I appreciated the fact that we were dealing with genuinely good people trying to navigate through life while maintaining a relationship and aiming to stay true to themselves. I really was not sure what would happen in the end so I liked the unpredictability. Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable read and I look forward to the next novel!



ORIGINAL POST:
Melissa Romney-Jones has been my traveling companion for my past two airline trips. I hope to find time to keep up with this since Melissa only just made it to the Big Apple before I made it home from my trip!

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Melissa Romney-Jones transformed her blah life from being a doormat to her family and having horrible jobs to being the proud owner of a successful business, The Little Lady Agency, where she turns awkward bachelors into eligible men and scoring the boyfriend of her dreams, Mr. Perfect Himself, Jonathan (affectionately known as Remington Steele or Dr. No by Mel's friends). Business is booming and Mel is happier than ever when her flatmate and best friend, Nelson, tells her he is leaving for a few months during which their apartment will be undergoing severe renovations - translation: Mel has to find someplace new to live, fast. When Jonathan suggests she move to New York with him for the 2 months, Mel is hesitant to leave her clients, family, and London lifestyle.

Eventually she is persuaded to join him in the Big Apple, but once she arrives, Melissa finds it hard to compete with Jonathan's seemingly perfect Park Avenue friends, his demanding job, and the memories of his ever present ex-wife. Jonathan also forbids(!) Mel from employing her trade (aka helping out hapless chaps) while in New York and forbids her to wear The Wig. Oh no he didn't! The Wig is what transforms Melissa into her alter-ego Honey who wears skinny pencil skirts, has better manners than the Queen, and can plan any event in her sleep. Melissa agrees but out of loneliness and her very nice personality gets dragged into helping a fellow Londoner turned actor clean up his image. Things get very tricky in a hurry.

This second installment in Browne's Little Lady Agency series was good fun. The first I liked much more since this one was more uncomfortable with all the garbage Mel puts up with. That said, I like Melissa, not only is she funny, charming and so well mannered, but she happens to be so organized I'm envious. I only wish she'd learn to not let people (including Remington Steele himself) bulldoze her. And Nelson, oh how I adore you Nelson. Ever present with your fabulous home-cooked meals, foot rubs, and amazing advice, I think you are The Perfect Man. I'm crossing my fingers that some relationship rearranging will occur in the next installment.

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second in a series (following The Little Lady Agency) following a woman who runs an agency offering "girlfriend services" to the bachelors of London. No, not those services -- etiquette advice, shopping for clothes, going to Friday night dinners with their Mum. In the first book our heroine, Melissa Romney-Jones (a.k.a. Honey Blennerhesket) started up her agency and ended up falling in love with one of her customers, Jonathan Riley.

In this book, Jonathan, a highly placed real estate executive, has to go to New York on business for a few months. For various reasons, he brings Melissa along on the trip. Viewing the series as one story in three parts, this is the book of complications. Jonathan, who is allowed to fall into the easy role of "charming American heartthrob" in the first book is revealed to be - gasp! - a real person! Melissa's roommate Nelson, who seemed to have settled down happily with Melissa's friend Gaby, quickly becomes un-settled - a fact that unsettles Melissa quite a lot, for reasons that won't be addressed until the next book. Melissa's family, never exactly a paragon of stability, begins unraveling with enough speed to rival a Bugatti Veyron (Google that if you don't watch Top Gear).

And yet...for the book with all the complications, this is really quite...boring. It doesn't help that I spent the entire book angry with whoever was on the page I was reading - Jonathan for being controlling, Melissa for being blind, Nelson for being a mute idiot, or Gaby for being....Gaby. As a book unto itself, this would be a real disappointment. As the link between two otherwise fun and entertaining novels, it's just barely acceptable. My advice: read it quickly and dive right into the third book. Or, you know, just email me for a plot summary. Really.

[Adrienne · Rating 1 out of 5]

The One Sentence Review

Characterization: The protagonist remains quite a pushover in this novel, and as her love interest plays a more significant role in this novel, the reader may be taxed by his overbearing and less-than-communicatory nature.

Setting: Set partially in London and partially in New York, this novel contains fewer references to the locations and more characterization than the first novel.

Plot: The major plot in this novel involves the protagonist’s battle to maintain her identity and her continued confusion over whether the love interest truly loves Melissa (the protagonist) with all her flaws or prefers the perfect, put-together Honey.

Description: The novel contains some light descriptions of New York/Manhattan/etc…

Language: The novel is as clean, speaking of language, as the first, but there are far more sexual references in this novel than the previous.

Point-of-view: There were no particular issues with the novel’s point of view.

Prequel/Sequel/Etc:
This is the second novel in a three-novel series, and as such, without having read the first book, the reader might not make it through the second.

Detractors: In brief, the sequel contains more sexual references (ad nauseam as regards how “perfect” the protagonist looks, kisses, performs in the sack), and the love interest is absolutely unlovable, especially considering that he is supposedly so perfect but acts almost exactly like the protagonist’s father, whom she claims to despise.

Overall: I had to force myself to finish the book, as the love interest drove me nuts!

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 2nd book in the Little Lady series follows Melissa to New York City, sort of. I expected more of her charm and grace to explore the vast landscape NYC offers a London girl. Instead, it was a sort of meandering tale trying to weave together the first book into this one. Honey is gone, so to say, and only Melissa remains to deal with her crazy family, her friends, and her boyfriend. Jonathan comes across as a pompous ass, which is somewhat discouraging. Melissa seems to be even more naive than before, not realizing that things she does or says would have the potential to blow up in her face. The fact that she still does "business" with her father leaves me to wonder how much she actually learned in the first book.

Don't get me wrong, the book was enjoyable, just a bit of a let-down for me. I'm hoping the 3rd book is better.

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel like if you like romance books in general, you will like this book. It’s well written and sweet. It’s the sequel to “The Little Lady Agency” that I read last year. As I was reading this sequel, I kept wondering what made me want to read it. The angst and self-doubt and misunderstandings that are ubiquitous in romance novels/movies drive me crazy. But, I did find myself rooting for the heroine. There is another sequel after this one but I’m not going to read it. I’m going to end the story in my head exactly the way I want to...because so far, I don't like where the story is going.

[Brooke796 ☼ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Melissa heads across the pond to New York to spend some time with Jonathan, except she doesn't really spend time with him because he can't pull it together and give his ex the boot, which in turn lets us see Melissa's doormat personality that she is trying to get out from under. I still enjoyed the witty and quirky writing style, but I really missed Honey. And can I just say Melissa's problems would could be solved in one word: Nelson. So on to book three...

[West · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another snore. Snotty, simplistic tone of a character full of herself moving to NYC ~ dropped this boring beach book after maybe two chapters.

[Jane Thomson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the main character, Melissa and several of the others- Gabi and Nelson for example, , but her father and sister seemed "inhuman" in so many ways that it was hard to accept them as part of the story. Part way through, I thought the story line was getting silly, but having persevered, I came to understand that Hester Browne's commentary on modern life was quite interesting.

I totally agree with those who found the love interest, Jonathan, difficult to accept. Overbearing would not be too harsh an adjective for the guy who sees HIS work and ideas as the only things that are important whenever there is a hard choice to be made.

I will read other titles by this author as I am hoping she uses her incredible talent to create a cast of fully developed characters in the future.

[Penny · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good read, but I feel like I liked the first book a lot more. Unlike before, there were a few instances where I disliked the male interest and how Melissa became ironically the person she had been trying to change in other people. It was like watching a vicious cycle going on and on and ending up in a place where they've been before, which makes you actually want to see what's going to happen to this couple in the next book. What I did like about this book are the other supporting characters being given a lot more personality and growth. They were fun to read and made the whole plot more interesting.

[Aisha Hussain · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jonathan is a bloody pig. And why has the author left so many loose ends? Why did her father’s olympic scam and her mother’s WI scam not affect Melissa’s business as it went through her books?

Also, why is she fat and frumpy as Melissa, but if she puts on a blonde wig apparently she’s not anymore, she is now a bombshell? How does a blonde wig change the size of ur bum and thighs??

[Melinda Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m going to say this straight out – I don’t like Jonathan. When his career forces him back to New York, it seems straightforward that his girlfriend of a few months will drop everything whilst he plays alpha male.

For all the groundwork that Melissa gained in the first novel, against her father, her ex boyfriend and all of those in between that were taking advantage of her and using her to meet their own gains, it only took a bit of hand holding from the red headed Casanova for all of this to come tumbling down.

First she needs to abandon her business in London. “No work”, he says, and she leaves the agency in the hands of her Morticia Addams style elder sister, with a sinister divorce and other shady deals happening in the background that could tumble into Melissa’s life. And Gabi, the vapid best friend who is ‘dating’ Melissa’s other best friend Nelson (conveniently away for most of the novel on a ship, but more about Nelson later) and Gabi doesn’t have a work ethic bone in her body. Also, pretty sure last time we met Gabi, she was working for Jonathan? Did she get fired or leave and I missed it?

So her first acquiescence makes room for more – Melissa’s father is keen to have her sister out of his sights and offers to pay a handsome sum for her to ‘work’ for Melissa. Without so much as a blink of an eye, it was done!

Melissa travels over to New York and Jonathan continues to chip away at her being – putting her up in a dilapidated house that is being renovated
(the exact same thing that made her leave Nelsons apartment in London, mind you), skipping out on dates and turning the story around to make it sound like he’s peeved at Melissa and that it’s all her fault, sending her to parties to schmooze with his ex-wifes friends, leading to a few awkward moments where they razor her to the ground with put downs about her character and life with Jonathan, oh the list goes on!

She takes it all on the chin, and you get pretty tired of this. She agrees with everything Jonathan says, and she meekly tries to hold her own, taking some jobs on the sly that turn out to be less than discreet, causing her to get into more trouble with Overlord Jonathan.

When we finally get to the big gala of the book, and there’s a bit of a proposal in there (but mainly a lot of preening from Jonathan), she sees a glimpse of light and makes a bold decision.

Back in London she manages to get her business back into shape, and Nelson is back on the scene. After Gabi and Nelson called it a day (has there ever been a romance that was so devoid of romance? Those two were ridiculous), with none-too-subtle hints from Nelson, I was pegging for a nice get together between him and Melissa. Or the shy, misunderstood actor Godric. Or Braveheart, the aggressive little dog that Jonathans ex left him to manage. Or the guy down the street. I didn’t really care who she hooked up with, as long as it wasn’t Jonathan.

Well. I’m not going to spoil the book, but I am not that pleased with the outcome. Hence the two stars.

[Vicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars
I did not enjoy this book nearly as much as the first in the Little Lady series, primarily because Jonathan went from being a predictable love interest to a pompous jerk. It's an old standby that many problems in books, movies, and real life would be solved if only people would talk to each other, but it seemed to be even more egregious and annoying in this book. Jonathan won't talk to Melissa about how much time he has to spend with his ex-wife Cindy in the course of his work. Melissa won't talk to Jonathan about how she feels about him always being gone and how much she enjoys/misses her business. I can understand how Jonathan wouldn't love all aspects of the Little Lady agency, particularly since the fake girlfriend act is how they got together, but rather than discussing the business and how much she enjoys the other aspects of it, he assumes he can just order her to stop the job she enjoys -- helping people! When Melissa broke off her engagement 5 minutes in, went home to England, and moved back in with Nelson, I really felt like that's where she belonged and that she and Nelson should get together! Generally it's a bad thing to be rooting for the best friend instead of the love interest in a chick-lit book.

The redeeming aspects of this book come in the form of Gabi and Allegra's efforts to run the agency while Melissa is away and in Melissa's efforts to train Braveheart the dog.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Once again Melissa is doing her part to give the unkept,awkward, or simply clueless male population of London lessons on etiquette,help them shop, or give them a total makeover. This time however, she is branching out to New York as she takes an extended vacation with her new man. Well you know the drill, it is a fairly predictable scenario.... girl falls in love, couple has lots of good, cozy loving times before turmoil ensues. Again I was disturbed by how truely split her personality becomes. When she is her alternate personality; for work or because it suits her purpose; she becomes another person entirely. She holds herself taller, is bolder in attitude, dress and strangely enough sexier. In this book more than the last you really see how her alternate personality is really all just an act just as she is trying to make a awkward film star "act' differently in his profession even if he is really something totally different. I had a hard time sometimes deciphering the distinctly English wording, and thought it was funny when the author sometimes made her American characters speak more English than American. I guess I am done with this series though because my interest really had declined by the end of this book.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read "The Little Lady Agency" and couldn't put the book down! I was thrilled to have found a new series to read and immediately purchased Hester Browne's next two books, "Little Lady, Big Apple" and "The Little Lady Agency and the Prince."

I was expecting more of the same humor in "Little Lady, Big Apple," but unfortunately, after forcing myself to continue reading after the first couple chapters, I did indeed, "put the book down," and I haven't picked it back up. It feels that the author is trying to make Melissa, the main character, out to be very naive, with sex innuendos she doesn't catch, and while a few of those were cute, Melissa now just seems daft.

With an upcoming business trip, I do plan to take the book with me and give it another try, but I have been disappointed with the first third of the book.

[Dini · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice follow up to The Little Lady Agency. What I love about this series are: 1) The main character, Melissa, who beneath the charm and intensity still struggles with a lack of self-esteem, 2) Just when you think you know where the story is headed, it turns the other way, 3) The language flows easily but not cliched, 4) Melissa's roommate and best friend Nelson. The guy cooks for her, comforts her, and even rubs her feet when she's tired. I still think something can totally happen between those two. The main thing that bugs me about the book, though, is that Melissa gets harassed all the time but she seems to be too... accepting about it. But anyway, I'd still read the next Little Lady book.

[Katherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Little Agency in the Big Apple was the follow up to the aforementioned book. It followed Melissa and Jonathan (spoiler, although I wouldn't recommend the first anyway) in their journey to New York. Jonathan essentially wanted Melissa to give up to job, be an event planner for his rich NYC friends, and stop doing what she did best--rescuing people.

I wanted to murder Jonathan, had be been a real person. He was so demanding and controlling, and Melissa always justified his actions. I could never imagine myself allowing a guy to walk all over me the way Jonathan did, or give up something I loved just to make a guy happy.

[Plum-crazy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was so looking forward to this having loved its predecessor "The Little Lady Agency" but I'm sad to say I was very disappointed.

Melissa's family, while as obnoxious as ever, seemed over-the-top, the whole dog thing in New York I found a bit irritating for some reason & indeed the whole storyline was a bit thin. By the end of the book I was hoping Melissa would forget Jonathan & get it together with Nelson instead- maybe in the next one....

Strictly for chick-lit lovers only & I don't think this would convert anyone to the genre! I will still be tracking down the next in the series though just to give Mel one more chance....

[Carolyn Takara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not quite as good as the first book, probably because this one is set more in New York than in London and the London setting was what I really enjoyed. I was a little concerned about how Melissa and Jonathan would resolve their issues in the end and I'm not sure that it was. I'll have to read the third installment to see how that plays out.

[Kristin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I must have been drunk when I thought I liked the first one. Except I don't drink. I don't think I can read any more of these, "I love my man! He's perfect! But he finds things I do imperfect, so he's going to break up with me and I will be sad and then we will get back together," books.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the first one better; this one was acceptable, but not as pleasing as the first one.

[Rhonda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun summer read!

[crucnhRATsuprme]

didnt finish it. cuz why read books i am not going to enjoy
0/5 stars

[Chloe (Always Booked) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, I really didn't like this book. I haven't read the first one so maybe I'm missing out on a lot (probably the case) but I just found this so boring and so long I could barely get through it. I thought the whole notion of the Little Lady Agency was weird and unclear as to what purpose they're serving and it perpetuates the female stereotypes of being homemakers, organizers, fashionistas, cleaners, etc. that may or may not be true. I also thought her boyfriend, Jonathan, was terrible and not worth anyone's time so I was just frustrated reading about their relationship. The story also went off on a lot of tangents about side characters that I didn't care about, but I'm guessing that would've been better if I had read the earlier books. I would not recommend this book and Ill be hesitant to try the author again, but maybe this just wasn't a good series to jump into in the middle.

SPOILERS AHEAD:
This book is about a girl named Melissa. She runs a company called the Little Lady Agency and basically they do all the tasks a partner would do except for sex and laundry. But midway through this book she says they're also not offering the fake date service, so I really don't get what they do. Pretty much just fashion advice and cleaning I guess. Her friend and landlord Nelson says hes going away and doing renovations on their house for awhile so she needs to find somewhere else to live. Concurrently, her american boyfriend gets a job back in NYC and asks her to come there with him, so she does. She leaves her company in the hands of her best friend and her sister who is in trouble with the law because of her boyfriend being a drug dealer and of course, that doesn't go well. There's also her boyfriend, Jonathan's, ex-wife in NYC that she has jealousy issues about, etc. It was just boring and dull. He also gives her a hard time about how much she works but then repeatedly blows her off for work stuff so its really frustrating and annoying. He also doesn't want her working in NYC when she gets the opportunity to help a friend who is an actor make a better public image for himself. I thought the conflicts were realistic and not too over the top, but that didn't make it any more interesting to me. I will be unhauling.

[Marjorie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sequel to The Little Lady Agency and it definitely helps if you have read the first one. I would imagine this would work okay as a stand alone read but there is much left out here that presumes you have read the first book and already understand the nature of Melissa's work, friends and family relationships. Fortunately, I am reading in order (for a change) so it felt more like slipping a cosy pair of pyjamas on.

Melissa is just as we left her, in a relationship with Jonathan and sharing a home with Nathan in London. But that all changes when Nathan announces he has got a job crewing a Tall Ship for 3 months and is having the house renovated whilst he is at sea so Melissa is going to have to move out. Then Jonathan drops another bombshell as he just had a promotion in the International Estate Agency he works for and needs to move back to New York. Melissa is torn but decides to take up Jonathan's offer of a holiday stateside, leaving her Agency in the not-so-trustworthy hands of her best friend and her sister.

The writing has certainly stepped up a pace since the first book and the plot flows smoothly and the character interactions are much less "clunky". Again it is a tale of misunderstandings and manners told in a wryly humourous fashion; not laugh out loud but certainly makes you grin. With a cast of out of place Public Schoolboys who have never grown up and New York Socialites it romps gleefully along through the upper echelons of society. Somehow it all feels much more real than the first book.

This is a book to enjoy with a huge glass of wine and a box of very good chocolates by your side, the telephone turned off and your family and friends told to leave you alone. It is not great literature but it does what a good book of any genre should do - entertains and uplifts you.