Little Lady, Big Apple

November 13, 2006
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.

February 1, 2007
Melissa Romney-Jones, alias Honey Blennerhesket, is back in Browne's second novel (after "The Little Lady Agency"). And this time she is in New York City, where she's taken refuge with her American boyfriend, Jonathan, while her apartment is being renovated. Melissa has left her business, a freelance girlfriend service she runs as Honey, in the unreliable hands of her best friend, Gaby, and newly divorced sister, Allegra. Jonathan is pleased to see brunette Melissa, but he's not as excited to have blond Honey meet any of his friends. When Melissa finds herself doing some agency work for an expatriate British actor, she is forced to choose between the career she loves and Jonathan. Meanwhile, Jonathan seems to be spending a lot of time with his ex-wife under the guise of selling their jointly owned co-op apartment, and Gaby and Allegra seem to be missing in action, all of which necessitates some transatlantic juggling. Chick-lit fans will enjoy this fast-paced and entertaining book.Lisa O'Hara, Univ. of Manitoba Libs, Winnipeg, Canada

Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2007
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.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)