Member Reviews
Love Letters by the Sea was an enjoyable read featuring a romance between two anonymous letter-writers.
As the proprietress of the Siren's Retreat Inn, widow Mrs. Deborah Cartwright has dedicated her life to helping her guests find love. Deborah has already had her great love but that doesn't mean she can't engage in a little flirtation with the anonymous letter-writer she's been corresponding with. When Mr. Patrick Gretham, the man-of-business for a powerful lord, comes to town wanting to buy the Siren's Retreat to turn it into a gaming hell, Deborah is determined to stop him by whatever means necessary.
The premise of Love Letters by the Sea reminded me a bit of the movie You've Got Mail so I was interested to see how everything would play out. The anonymous letter-writer aspect of the story was fun and I liked that it wasn't revealed to the characters right away that they were writing to each other. I liked Deborah's character, she's devoted herself the to inn since her marriage to her husband as they created the Siren's Retreat together and she's continued to run it since he passed away. Patrick is a man who has worked his whole life to become someone important and he's become quite useful to the earl he works for. I struggled a little with the romance in this one as Patrick deceives Deborah about his true intentions on why he's in Brighton and keeps up that deception until someone else tells her why he's really there. At that point they had already started to get close so I wasn't super happy about his continuing to lie to her. The grand gesture at the end of the book made up for a lot though as it was incredibly thoughtful and sweet.
Overall Love Letters by the Sea was a nice ending to the series and I would recommend the books for readers looking for a series of quick reads.
Erica Ridley is always a go-to read for me - This enemies to lovers novella does a great job with the emotion building in a novella. Especially I love that it's a slow burn with the relationship starting out with love letters - then moves to enemies based on Mr. Patrick Grethem's intentions to purchase Deborah's Siren's retreat. BUt once they come into contact with one another, after the initial conflict which pits them against one another, they are able to understand and respect one another - and of course, find their HEA.
I loved this twist on the enemies to lovers romance trope, with a beautiful historical backdrop for it to unfold on. What happens when you fall in love through anonymous letters, then find out your enemy is the one you've been corresponding with? Sparks of course! This might be a novella, but the slow-burn of the romance will have you practically screaming at the pages for Deborah and Patrick to put their differences aside and admit their feelings for each other. A sweet, quick read that will capture your heart.
This is a delightful historical romance reminiscent of You’ve Got Mail with a little taste of An Affair to Remember.
I enjoyed it, even though it lacked the steam I usually relish and an Erica Ridley romance.
Erica Ridley does it again! This series is fantastic, a great escape into the regency world. I loved the location change- most books are set in London, so the chance of scenery was refreshing and exciting. The partnership with Grace Burrows was also fun- I would love to see more collaborations in the future.
I really enjoyed Deborah and Patrick's story. I loved that Deborah had a second chance at love which she never expected to find again. It was fun watching these two come together!
Um YES! I love Erica Ridley and this mini series was very cute and lovely. Great setting and the characters are the best.
Another fun, enemies to lovers romance by Ms. Ridley. An enterprising widow goes head-to-head with the man who is trying to run her out of business. Definite must-read.
Thank you Erica Ridley, WebMotion and NetGalley for allowing me an advance copy for my honest feedback.
Heartwarming second chance romance filled with engaging charters, intriguing story line, witty banter, heart racing twists and undeniable passion. Really enjoyed this emotional and exciting journey!
I enjoyed this historical romance story with all of the characters. The two main characters were Mrs. Deborah Cartwright and Mr. Patrick Gretham.
Mrs. Deborah Cartwright runs a beautiful Siren retreat. It is legendary for helping her guest to find their perfect match. But there is a blackguard in town that is trying to get her to sell her inn.
Mr. Patrick Gretham is a powerful lord and a man of business. He wants the property of the retreat so that he can make it into a gambling hell. But the own will not sell it.
This was a fun story to read. It has action and drama with in. It also had a few laughs and giggles to.
I received a complimentary copy via Netgalley. This is my honest unbiased opinions.
It's been a while since I read this one. It wasn't bad, but I didn't find it particularly memorable either. I feel like it could have been a bit longer and more fleshed out.
Erica has done it again. Once again I’m hooked in the first chapter. I love the whole pen pal to enemies to lovers theme. This story is not that long but captures the essence of a lengthy novel. I hate I have to go back to read the other 3 books but I’m sure they won’t disappoint.
Finally, we get the love story of Deborah, Manager of the Siren's Retreat. After helping others to their HEA, it's fitting we get her story now. She has been writing this amazing guy. Then, she meets another amazing guy. Next, there's a villain trying to help snatch the retreat right from under her. How about these guys are 1 and the same. Oh boy. Patrick has some explaining and some woo-ing to do! Great story.
I love Erica Ridley and this was another great story with amazing characters. I love the mis-identity trope and it was used so well in this story. Deborah and Patrick's story is so sweet. I just love Patrick and what he does to help Deborah and show his love for her. Beautiful.
A great enemies to lovers romance. I loved the plot.
Many thanks to WebMotion and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.
In the beachside setting lovers meet and true love wins. In this enemies to lovers story, Deborah is a widow who runs Siren's Retreat and is unlucky in love while playing matchmaker to other young couples who pass through the seaside town.
Bother Patrick and Deborah are good hearted people, and you root for them to fall in love. This story is very reminiscent of You've Got Mail. Enjoyable and well rounded for a novella length.
Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book, all thoughts and opinions are my own and freely given.
I got an ARC of this book from Netgalley. It’s really just a novella, part of a bigger series called Siren’s Retreat. I love Erica Ridley so I was happy to receive this.
This is the story of Deborah, the proprietress of Siren’s Retreat, and Patrick, man of business for Lord Edgewood. Lord Edgewood has determined that he will buy the land upon which Siren’s Retreat sits and sends Patrick to facilitate the transaction. Despite being on opposite sides, he and Deborah fall in love. If Patrick doesn’t finalize the deal, he will lose his job, but if he does, he will leave Deborah homeless and heartbroken. The challenge is to figure out a way to keep Deborah’s brother-in-law Stanely from selling the property, and for Patrick to keep his job. Stanley has received a very generous offer for the property and it would be foolish for him to turn it down. He tells Deborah that her rent will be doubled if she wishes to keep it, so she works to figure out how to make that happen. Patrick helps her because he can't help himself. He wants her to win even if that means he will lose.
It’s a sweet, romantic story with lovable characters. I recommend it and would love to read more in the series.
While I preferred the previous book in this series this was still a recommendable read.
This book strongly reminded me of the film You've got Mail, but I preferred Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan to the couple in this story.
I received an arc of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Does falling in love depend on the perfect location or two perfect people finding each other or a little bit of both? If you ask Mrs. Deborah Cartwright, who manages Siren's Retreat, she would say the location, specifically Siren's Retreat. After all dozens of couples found their true love in Brighton at Siren's Retreat including she and her late husband. Can love only happen once in one's lifetime? Deborah thinks so, but is she wrong? This is the last (fourth) book in this series. I love how the characters are intertwined within the series so readers can "catch up" on them. Deborah and Patrick are perfect for each other, they just don't know it yet. There are lots of obstacles in their way including Patrick's boss wanting to buy Siren's Retreat and turn it into a gambling hell. The author is a master at solving problems so love can win out, but can she do it this time?
This is the final book in the quartet by Grace Burrowes and Erica Ridley. They all stand just fine on their own, but are a treat to read as a set.
In this final installment, we get to meet Deborah Cartwright - proprietress of the Siren's Retreat Inn. She was once a famed soprano touring England, but gave it all up when she met her late husband. They ran the Inn together, and since his passing 5 year ago, she has run it by herself. Now, her husband's brother is threatening to raise the rents, and a developer wants to buy the land for a gaming hell.
Patrick Gretham is the Earl of Edgewick's man of business, and is known to be a shrewd negotiator when it comes to getting what the Earl wants. He arrives in Brighton fully prepared to make an offer to the Inn's owner that they can't refuse.
What neither of them realize is that they already know each other as pen pals. This is a wonderful take on one of my favorite old movies - "The Shop Around the Corner' - a sweet enemies to lovers tale that has had countless retellings over the years.
Needless to day, Deborah & Patrick eventually learn the truth about one another and their happily ever after is assured.
I loved the entire series, but I think this is my favorite for its charm and wit. Highly recommended.