OMG, An Affair by the Sea is another beautiful romance by Erica Ridley & I highly recommend it for your next read!👍. It’s the tale of Allegra, orphaned, taken in by her cruel Uncle, made a nanny to her young cousins, a governess, a music teacher & a maid to perform any chores demanded of her‼️ She loves her sweet cousins, Portia & Dorcas & now that they are young ladies her final task is to help them find suitable husbands as they holiday in Brighton for the summer! They are lodging at the famous Sirens Retreat‼️ John Sharp, a successful London solicitor is on sabbatical in Brighton hoping to become a chef in his own tearoom, is strolling along when a runaway phaeton almost crashes into him! The three terrified cousins were just chatting about Capt. Hamish Amour, a fantasy fiancé whose wild life & adventures on the high seas Allegra had conjured up to entertain them as girls. Now they see John as the Captain - he looks just like his description‼️😱. John spies Allegra from the ground where he lay & is reminded of a goddess❣️❤️. What happens in Brighton is a fun-filled, chaotic adventure with John seeking a new career, Allegra awaiting her 30th birthday, the two of them suddenly thrown together, Allegra dazzling an audience with her brilliant performance playing the pianoforte & John accepting an offer to replace an injured, local French chef! How will chaotic madness turn into an HEA for everyone is for you to discover - grab your copy of An Affair by the Sea & once you delight in Ms Ridley’s story, I believe you’ll agree with my 5-star rating‼️👏. Enjoy‼️ Carol R. Florida

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.

This is a lovely story. Allegra and John have big dreams that they think they have all mapped out. Until they meet each other! They find out dreams aren’t always what we end up wanting.

Allegra Brown, an orphan who chaperones her younger cousins, wishes to purchase a small house and a large piano. John Sharp, a successful solicitor, wishes to become a chef and own his own tea room. These two have nothing in common, except that he looks exactly like the adventurous, and perpetually absent, pirate her cousins believe is her betrothed. The girls are convinced that the legend that if you stay at Siren’s Retreat, you will find your true love, and insist this means their cousin and her pirate will now have their happily ever after. The only problem is that there is no fiancée. For reasons of their own, they concoct a pretend courtship. Once the girls are betrothed, the family leaves Brighton, and John has his tea room, they will go their separate ways. What could possibly go wrong? This is a charming story filled with laugh-out-loud characters and situations. Uncle is a grump, but the other characters are delightful. Portia and Dorcas are sweet, caring, and funny. Both Allegra and John are serious about their goals, and will get the opportunity to prove themselves. The two of them and their unconventional romance are entertaining. The chemistry and attraction are obvious, and they are good for each other. By the end of the story, there is a chance for several happy endings, Allegra and John (of course), Portia and Dorcas, even Uncle. Cute story, cuter characters. Loved it! I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.