Athena Smith is a museum curator who has a fascination with vintage clothing, and she believes that the ultimate pieces for her museum are four gowns known as the Bertha Palmer gowns and owned by the Clayworth family. Athena wants them to be the focal point of a collection she is coordinating in hopes of establishing a scholarship fund to benefit not only her assistant, but future fashion design students.

The Clayworth family has finally been persuaded to let Athena display the gowns, but something goes awry. The gowns disappear, but not before Athena has seen them, and begun an evaluation of two of them.

What Athena discovers in the folds of the gown have more to do with her personal history than just the fashion history of some dresses. How it affects her in her personal life and her business life make for interesting reading as Athena teams with her first love, now turned worst enemy Drew Clayworth.

Pick up a copy of A BLACK TIE AFFAIR and get swept away in the history of vintage clothing, and lost love rekindled. As you read dream of yourself wearing some of the fabulous gowns and jewels described in the pages, and you'll see why Ms. Bodine is the talented writer that makes you pick up her books, and not set them aside until the last page is turned.

Athena has two sisters, and while they are secondary characters in this story I can't help but wonder if I will see one of them soon matched with Drew's cousin, Conner. I surely hope so, but as now I don't see any news on that...I guess I'll keep watching.

Book Summary