After reading the first 2 books in the series, I really was looking forward to get to know Marcella's story.
Without giving too much away, the book has some of my favorite tropes in the romance genre: close proximity and second chance love. I'm not particularly fan of the "misinformation trope" and therefore the miscommunication on the plot, but in this case I think it served its purpose very well.
We finally get to see Marcella doing what she wanted to achieve in the past 2 books and in her element. Having Seb close and making her nervous and with butterflies was one of my favorite parts.
One thing I enjoy so much in Liz's books is that she flawlessly inserts information about the yachts and boats lifestyle. I'm a fan of the show "Below deck" so I'm addicted to this environment.
The ending was done in a very organic way, which felt real and with a possible premise for more?

Overall this book has all the elements for a great romance book and an easy read. Perfect to take on your next vacation or enjoy in your favorite reading place.

Disclaimer : I received an ARC of this book for free via BookSirens in exchange for an honest review

As usual with Liz Alden, this book was a really great mix between a love story and a way to escape. We already knew Seb and Marcella from previous books and I was curious about them ! The evolution of their relationship from former « enemies » to more (I’ll let you discover that by yourself) flowed easily and it made the book fast paced and easy to read.
If you want a quick, almost drama-free, steamy and dreamy read you can go ahead and read this one!

I really enjoyed the setting of this book! Ships are not something I read a lot about so it was neat to get a glimpse into that lifestyle. I thought the added characters of the boat guests were a nice addition to the story as well. It really made you realize how exhausting the service industry could be and on a boat there is really no true escape! The romance between the main characters unfolded at a realistic rate. and the ending tied things up nicely. Great book!

I decided to not finish The Second Chance in the Mediterranean by Liz Alden at 32%. Things started out great, and I was excited to read this book, but I did not love the writing style and the story started to drag for me pretty quickly . I wanted to read about an adventure on an expensive yacht. I wanted to read more details about the places they visited. By the time I decided to set it aside, nothing much had happened except the constant complaining and moaning from the heroine about her pretentious clients. What did she expect, taking a job cooking on a yacht like this that caters to such a rich and elite clientele? She was almost never happy and she never seemed to enjoy herself ever. When she wasn't complaining, she was simultaneously hating and lusting after Seb. I got bored and annoyed. I don't read books to hear people complain constantly. The hot and cold relationship between Marcella and Seb gave me whiplash. One moment they are arguing and hating one another and the next moment he's slamming her against the wall to make out, before storming out the door and slamming it behind him without a word. I do not like men like that. I'm fine with enemies to lovers stories and some of my favorite books include this trope, but this was just too much. I didn't believe it. He's hot, yes. They have a past that includes a one-night-stand, yes. But there's no romance here. It's just hate mixed with lust, and I need more of a connection than that to care about the characters.

Some of the sentences were clunky and there were some grammar issues. Here's an example:

"My family had always been small, just my parents and I, who worked themselves to the bone to keep the orchard afloat."

That should say, "just my parents and me." Also, I'm assuming it was just the parents who worked themselves to the bone, and not Marcella. This sentence makes it sound like Marcella was included in the "working to the bone". If that's the case, the sentence would make more sense if it said, "My family had always been small, just my parents and me, and we worked ourselves to the bone to keep the orchard afloat." If Marcella was not including herself in the work with that statement, then it would make more sense if it said, "My family had always been small, just my parents and me. They worked themselves to the bone to keep the orchard afloat."

All in all, I loved the idea of this story and I was excited to read it. It ended up not working out for me, though, and I've decided to not rate it or review it on my blog since it would not be fair for me to do that without finishing the entire book. Unfortunately, Netgalley requires a star rating in order to leave feedback. Otherwise, I wouldn't do it here either. I want to thank the author for the opportunity to read this book.

This book is part of a series but can be read as a stand alone. I will be going back and reading the other two books. Marcella is a chef, who is has been hired on a super yacht. She is getting a second chance, after being fired from her old job. Seb is a deckhand, who also has been hired on this super yacht. Marcella and Seb had a relationship on their old boat. Marcella blames Seb for getting fired. If you are fan of Below Deck, you will enjoy this book. Even if you haven’t watched the series, you will like this behind the scenes of yachting. This is a quick and enjoyable read. Thank you to NetGalley and Liz Alden for the E-ARC. This is my own opinion.

After reading the first novella "the night in Lover's Bay" and traveling through Panama and Polynesia in the following books, I couldn't wait to meet Marcella and Seb again.
They are having a one-night tryst in the Lover's Bay but things go south really fast, so they meet again in the Mediterranean as enemies.
I want to say that the book was what I was expecting but I really can't. It is an ok read but really bland. Marcella has been lovely in the previous books but she appears really weak in this one.
I needed a bit more of her sass and strength.
Unfortunately, this installment didn't transport me to the Mediterranean.

Thank you to @NetGalley for the ARC!

The Love and Wanderlust series has been a gem among the many books I've read this year, and The Second Chance in the Mediterranean is no different. Book three follows Marcella, a wonderful chef on a new adventure as a head chef on a yacht> But when she gets on board, she realizes she'll be working with a man who cost her her job 6 months ago. Can she stay away from him despite tight quarters and a major attraction?

This book is an adventure filled with incredible food descriptions and gorgeous destinations. It will leave you wanting all of the food and feeling like you are an a great adventure, and who doesn't need that these days? One thing I love about this series is that I feel like I learn so much about boating when I read. And despite knowing nothing about books, everything is explained in a way that I don't feel overwhelmed with technical terms. As for the romance, it was the perfect mix of steamy and sweet! I loved Seb and Marcella together! After reading this, I'm excited to see what happens next in the series!

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an advanced copy!

This was a cute fun romance! It’s set on a super yacht, and as a fan of Below Deck, it was interesting to read about life behind the scenes for the crew. It’s got a strong plot and fun characters and was an easy read. I’m looking forward to the next book! I actually went and got other Liz Alden books.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I went into this book not knowing that it was the third book in the series. However, it was well done and perfect even as a standalone! IMMEDIATELY ADDS REST TO TBR) This is how romance should be done. There were none of those overly dramatized tropes and the communication between Seb and Marcella was so realistically done! This book has quite the steam and I AM OBSESSED. Just what I needed this summer! You love close proximity? This is it for you! If you love age gap relationships? LOOK NO FURTHER! You pining for a second chance at love- Add this to your TBR!

Second-chance love? I'm a total sucker for it.

I want to start off by saying that this book was such an easy read, and I was totally invested in the storyline. This is the first book I have read by Liz Alden, and I was not disappointed.

I absolutely loved Marcella as a character, as she was someone that was written really well and put together, Such that, the decisions she made, made sense, but she was also able to admit when she was wrong about certain things. It was enjoyable to see an intelligent female character, in the role of a head chef position on a super yacht, and written in a way to show that she was confident in her abilities as a chef.

Moving on to the romance part of this book - Marcella and Seb's relationship felt totally natural. When there were problems, they talked it out like adults. It was refreshing to also see a female character in a romance novel that didn't get swept up in her attraction to the love interest, but that (once again) she made sensible decisions when it came to their relationship.

The only thing that had me confused were some of the nautical terms, but a quick google search didn't affect this novel's ability to hook me from the first page.

I'll definitely be reading more of Liz Alden's books in the future.

Liz Alden is very quickly becoming a favorite author of mine. A personal dream I have is to sail the world...and with her Love and Wanderlust series, I'm able to live my dream through reading! Each book has been uniquely different, yet so satisfying and fun to read! The third book in the series, The Second Chance in the Mediterranean, is no exception! I also love that some of the characters have carried over from book to book, so while this book is mostly centered around Marcella, this is not the first time that we are meeting her. This makes the story, and Marcella, more real and easy to connect to. If you like second chance and forced proximity romances that take place in dreamy settings, this book is one you won't want to miss! I can't wait to read more from Liz Alden, and I hope that this Love and Wanderlust series has no end in the near future!

Wonderful Story!

First of all, I would like to give an apology because I was supposed to write this review a couple of weeks back. But lately, I am trying to work through a couple of things that happened in my personal life and I haven't managed to read much. However, let me tell you, this book was a breath of fresh air, in these difficult times! 'The Second Chance in the Mediterranean' by @lizaldenwriter is about Marcella and Seb; they have both previously worked together on another superyacht, and their actions which resulted from their attraction to each other, left Marcella without a job. However, some months later they meet again on another job on another Superyaught! But Marcella has learnt from her previous experience, and so she tries to avoid Seb at all costs. Will she manage to do so? Or will Seb's charming personality cause her to repeat what got her here in the first place?

I enjoyed reading this book, the characters and the plot were amazing. However, what I was most excited about in this book about, was the fact that my homeland is mentioned in this book! So fun fact is that I live on an island, located right in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea - Malta, not many people know about it, but the fact that it was mentioned in this book was another reason why I loved reading this book so much!

Thank you so much @lizaldenwriter for giving me the opportunity to read this amazing book!

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Thank you NetGalley and author Liz Alden for giving me a free arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
3 stars
This is the third book in the Love and Wanderlust series! This book continues with our favorite character, Marce. When takes a chief position on a private Yacht, she comes face-to-face with her ex, Sebastian. Will they find their second chance on the high seas?
This book was a very fast paced read! I was immediately taken in by the setting, characters, and plot. The author did a wonderful job allowing the reader into the inner thoughts of the main characters as well as the underlying chemistry that simmered between Marce and Sebastian. There was also great character development for the rest of the crew as well. I also enjoyed the different destination details the author gave during their travels. Overall, this was a great summer read and I look forward to the next installment in this series.

This is the third book in the series, and it’s my absolute favorite so far. This story continues from the first two books with Marce. I absolutely love Marce and I loved her and Sebastian relationship. The story itself is fast paced and very interesting learning the in’s and outs of working on a yacht. I can’t wait for the next book.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in an exchange for an honest review.

Interesting story, I enjoyed reading it.

Liz does it again!

I love that these stories have a conflict and inner dialogue other than just the MC trying to find themselves. While it’s often still and undercurrent, and something we all face in life, her stories are more than that.

Plus they’re filled with adventure! It’s real and a contemporary romance but also a fantasy—because I’ll never end up working on a super yacht with a handsome fella.

This was a cute read. Past misunderstanding causes Marcella to blame Seb for losing a job. Now they're working together in close proximity on a superyacht. 2.75 stars

****************I received an ARC for my honest opinion.****************

It was ok. Met our main character Marcella in Liz Alden's The Sailor in Polynesia (also ok read) and there was a hint of Seb as she made her jump to this story. I appreciate Alden re-emphasizing the inequalities of the sailing world and how tough it is. After reading Float Plan and The Sailor in Polynesia with smaller boats, it was interesting to get a super yacht POV.

🛥Thanks @netgalley for this ARC!

🛥Desde The Night at Lover's Bay eu estava super ansiosa pela continuação do romance entre Sebastian e Marcella. Por isso devorei The Second Chance in the Mediterranean e foi tudo o que eu queria e mais um pouco.

🛥Com certeza Seb e Marce são meu casal favorito dessa série. Apesar de Marcella ser nove anos mais velha que Sebastian (o que achei o máximo essa inversão de diferença de idade), os dois são bem maduros e se entendem muito bem. De certo, ainda existe alguns assuntos inacabados de como tudo terminou da última vez e esse é o ponto onde Marcella se sente mais insegura em assumir sua relação com Sebastian, mas o marinheiro não vai desistir tão fácil assim. Fora que a química é 10/10, o que faz com que as cenas mais quentes sejam beeem quentes.

🛥Outro ponto legal nesse livro é a tripulação do Themis. Diferente do seu trabalho no passado, o clima e as pessoas no Themis são bem mais amigáveis e divertidos. Como passam muito tempo juntos em alto mar, é bem legal ver a camaradagem entre eles e como, de certa forma, eles se tornam uma grande família.

🛥Gostei de como a autora trabalhou as inseguranças de Marcella em se envolver com Seb de novo. Da última vez que se envolveu com Seb, ela foi quem saiu perdendo, mas calma que a culpa não foi dele; por favor abaixem as facas. Marcella quer mostrar seu profissionalismo e, devido sua experiência, acha que um envolvimento com alguém da tripulação irá trazer uma péssima imagem ao seu trabalho. Ainda bem que as pessoas com quem ela trabalha e responde são bastante sensatas e, antes tarde do que nunca, ela acaba percebendo que não precisa sacrificar sua relação com Seb para mostrar que é boa no que faz.

🛥Finalizei esse livro bem contente por ter reencontrado Seb e Marcella. Agora quero muito conferir The Rival in South Africa, um pequeno conto com dois personagens já apresentados aqui que, como o nome sugere, são inimigos mortais!

Thank you to NetGalley and Liz Alden for an advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! I read "The Sailor in Polynesia" a few months ago and loved it, and was so excited to get access to this book as well!

Marcella is a chef who has just been hired to work on the superyacht Themis. What she doesn't know, however, is that this job will reunite her with Seb, also known as the man she hooked up with 6 months ago on the Odyssey, and the reason she lost that job... will Seb prove to be a distraction yet again, or will there be a chance for love this time around?

This book is an easy read in that it moves and flows quickly, without taking any time to drag at all, which I appreciate. Seb and Marcella and the rest of the crew are fun characters, so reading about them is a joy. Overall an enjoyable read!