An Affair by the Sea

I loved this contribution by Erica Ridley to the jointly offered Siren’s Retreat quartet by her and author Grace Burrowes. This is the second work in the quartet. Our heroine is Allegra Brown, orphaned as a child when her parents died and then taken in but not welcomed by her uncle. She acted as a governess to her younger cousins as well as performed other household duties with no compensation or time off. She always entertained her cousins with stories of her fictional fiancé, the pirate, Captain L’Amour. John Sharp, a successful solicitor who longs to be a chef, takes a respite from his job when he meets Allegra and her two cousins. To the cousins, he is the epitome of the descriptions Allegra had given of her fiancé. John falls into the ruse opportunity the cousins present when they mistake him for the pirate as at his first sight of Allegra, “she looked like a force of nature…what he’d always imagined goddesses to really be like…an explosion of life trapped in human form.” I was hooked by then on their story. I smiled a lot when I read this absolutely charming novella. John and Allegra are such likable characters as are her cousins who truly love Allegra. Her uncle is nasty and he treats her poorly. Her one solace has always been playing the piano. I loved when John made arrangements and paid the rent so Allegra could play the piano during her stay by the sea. She gave John the boost of confidence he needed to prove he could be a chef and he was willing to accept Allegra on her terms. Such a delightful read and worthy of 5 stars and a 3 ½ - 4 level of steam. The writing flowed well and held my interest till the end.

I loved this book! This is the second novella in the Siren's Retreat Quartet of Regency romances. All of the stories take place in the same seaside location, but each is about a different couple and stands alone. Orphan Allegra Brown is a talented pianist, a devoted governess to her two mischievous younger cousins, and a spinner of wild tales about her (fictional) fiancé, the daring pirate Captain L’Amour. While she and her charges are on holiday in Brighton, they encounter former solicitor and would-be chef John Sharp, who coincidentally looks just like Captain L’Amour. Allegra doesn’t want to lose her cousins’ trust, and John doesn’t want to disappoint Allegra, so the two are thrust into a fake relationship with John assuming the pirate captain’s identity. The fake relationship is one of my favorite romance tropes, and I can’t think of a better example of using this trope to great effect. Allegra and John both have very sweet motivations for playing along, until their feelings inevitably turn to love, and they realize how perfect they are together. Each encourages the other’s dreams, and I love their passions for their creative pursuits. All of the characters were charming and delightful except Allegra’s uncle, and even he becomes a slightly more sympathetic character by the end of the story. The dialog is witty, the romance is swoon-worthy, and everyone gets a happy ending. Hooray! I was offered a free ARC, and I volunteered to provide an honest review.

Fun, fresh and fanciful. Erica Ridley delivers with her latest book. John is a solicitor, a wealthy, successful one who ironically would like nothing more to be a pastry chef. His recent failure and humiliation finds him in the seaside town and meeting Allegra. At almost thirty, Allegra has made up fantastical stories about her fictional captain, whom John resembles to the letter. They are instantly attracted and aware of the other. They both have their own agendas, Allegra to be independent with access to her dowry and freedom. John to nurture and feed people (with a prim and proper kitchen). I enjoyed this book so much. Recommend.