Originally published in 1939, Sally-Ann by Susan Scarlett is a light and frothy romance that made for a quick read and reminded me of many 1930s romance movies. Susan Scarlett is the pseudonym that author Noel Streatfeild used to write a series of similar light romances that were very popular during the 1940s and today have been republished by The Furrowed Middlebrow

When a bridesmaid gets ill at a smart society wedding, Ann Lane, the beautician from Maison Pertinax is asked to take her place. After all just a few hours of high society then back to her life, but instead, she meets and all too soon falls in love with the best man, Sir Timothy Munster. Asked to keep quiet about the situation so not to arouse jealous relatives as to why they weren’t chosen to step into the bridesmaid role, Ann conceals her identity but this is a secret that is crying out to be exposed especially by the jealous Cora Bolt who wants Sir Timothy for herself.

A charming escapist read with one serious note that deals with Ann’s sickly younger brother. Although quite frivolous, it is interesting to note the insights into career women and gender roles of the day. I enjoyed my time spent with this book and look forward to reading more from Susan Scarlett and other Furrowed Middlebrow authors. ( )

I borrowed this without realizing it was Noel Streatfeild writing under another name. It was a pleasant-enough read, although quite simply written and a little dated. The heroine was sensible and resourceful until the storyline required her to become annoyingly self-denying and dramatic. The hero patronized her lovingly (yuk!) and the class distinctions which were part of the plot troubled me a bit even at the end. ( )

This was a charming, escapist candy-shop read, as I have a feeling that all of Susan Scarlett's books will be. First published in 1939, newly available from Dean Street Press!

Ann comes from a barely-middle-class family that has come down in the world. She works at a beauty salon and is tasked one day with going out to do the makeup for a high society bride on her wedding day.
Catastrophe strikes when one of the bridesmaids (Sally) gets carted off before the ceremony due to appendicitis. Ann is the only female around who can fit into her dress, and is pressed into service as emergency bridesmaid. The only catch is, she's asked not to tell anyone she's not really Sally (who was a school-friend of the bride that no one else had met before).

And voila! Dressed in the most splendiferous dress she's ever seen, Ann is transformed for one day into a sort of Cinderella. And she almost immediately catches the eye of the best man... which causes one of the other bridesmaids to start sharpening her claws...

This was sweet and funny, and it didn't fall into some of the traps I dislike in romantic books of long-running misunderstandings and manufactured disagreements. Yay! There's also a really wholesome, happy family life serving as the backbone of the story. I'm so looking forward to reading ALL the rest of the Susan Scarlett books.
Having already read Clothes-Pegs, I can say that it seems likely that a number of tropes will be recycled from book to book. So it's probably best not to binge them. But that's okay. They are exactly the kind of delicious confection I like to have in reserve in between other reads.

A few quotes to give you the tone:

The Savoy to Ann was the place where the dance music on the wireless came from. Though she had often listened to it she had never bothered to wonder what the place was like where it came from. The reality seemed crushingly grand. Ann needed all her ermine and pink tulle to take herself across the lounge...
The attendant in the cloakroom gave her a ticket for her box and coat. Standing before a mirror, she folded the ticket and put it in her bag. There was an odd rather sad little smile on her face as she did it. Ticket one hundred and ten. When the attendant got that back, a dream would be over. Bridesmaid Sally would disappear.
-------------------------------
At the end of dinner they danced.
"Might as well tread the light and fairy," said the hunting young man.
Ann glanced at Timothy. He seemed to be talking to someone across the table. Unwillingly she turned to say "Yes." Timothy caught her wrist.
"Half a second, duckie. This is ours, remember."
"Oh I say--" The hunting young man protested. "Have a heart."
Timothy laughed.
"I have. That's why."
------------------------------

And for some catty comic relief:
[Cora] woke at eleven with a bad hangover. Her mouth tasted like the bottom of a parrot's cage looks.
------------------------
And some shop-girl patter:
"[Sir Timothy's] marvelous. Going the places me and Connie go, we know him quite well by sight. When I saw Ann with him the first time, I said, 'My word, that's a bit of all right, all right."

Note on the text: It could have benefited from another proofreading pass-through. There are a few typos and missed punctuation opportunities, but they're not too egregious, for the most part. ( )