Chasing the Bride is the newest installment of Erica Ridley and Darcy Burke's Lords in Love series. The the books in the series take place in or adjacent to the annual matchmaking festival in Marrywell. I love how all the books build upon the world of Marrywell and we get the more in depth stories regarding interactions with side characters from previous books.

Tabitha has known since birth that she is betrothed to her father's friend, the Viscount Oldfield. Their marriage is supposed to mend a decades long rivalry between the families. Unfortunately, he's a lecherous old cad who is only interested in Tabitha's inheritance after her father passes. Her father is dying and Tabitha only wants to make him happy. Oldfield's man of business, Hudson Frampton, is tasked with making sure that Tabitha makes it to the matchmaking festival and ultimately to the wedding. During her week of freedom, Tabitha is able to be herself and enjoy spending time with Hudson. I loved the runaway bride aspect of this book! Hudson fought his feelings for so long before finally giving into them. Erica Ridley is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. I can't wait to read her backlog.

Tropes included: runaway bride, class difference, forced proximity, fake relationship, small town, only one bed, bodyguard, country festival

Thank you to NetGalley, Erica Ridley, and Webmotion for this eARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

👰🏻‍♀️ Such a joyful, fun book with lots of humour (despite the looming marriage to the horrible Viscount).

💕 It’s already in the blurb so hopefully not a spoiler, but so much chemistry between Lady Tabitha and Mr Frampton, that you can’t help but root for them. Tabitha is such an adorable character, and the delight she takes in simple pleasures is such a joy to read.

🥰 This is such a cute little heartwarming story, loved it!

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sorry but this just fell flat for me. The heroine irritated me beyond belief. She was prepared to marry a horrible old man simply because her father wanted her to. The man who loved her should have found someone else who was prepared to be brave.

It’s well written and there are some interesting scenes but it just didn’t work for me. I am obviously an exception judging from the 4/5 star reviews.

Tabitha wants to make her father proud and marry the man he's chosen for her. She's just having a hard time following through with the wedding. She ends up getting an extra week free of matrimony only to be caught by her husband-to-be right hand man. Tabitha returns home....does she get married? Read it find out!

At birth, Lady Tabitha Kerr was promised to Viscount Oldfield to try and mend a generations-old family rivalry. But despite her father’s desire for peace, she dreams of a love match. Ideally, with someone not a lecherous old man who stares down the chests of women even younger than her.

Mr. Hudson Frampton is Viscount Oldfield’s man of business. After she runs away, he is tasked with finding Tabitha and bringing her back, to drag her kicking and screaming up the aisle if he must. He’s not supposed to fall in love with her, but he can’t help himself; after all, this is a Regency romance we’re talking about.

So Tabitha and Hudson make a deal; she gets to have a week of freedom, and he gets to take her back “willingly” when it’s over. But as Tabitha and Hudson spend time together, they fall in love, and going back seems harder and harder. Still, with Tabitha’s father dying, she must.

There isn’t much more to tell; after all, Chasing the Bride is a short read at 197 pages. We see Tabitha and Hudson enjoying a week of freedom and falling in love. Hudson comes from humble beginnings, and there isn’t a title waiting for him to offer her, so he doesn’t want to ruin her. Tabitha feels that after the scandal of her running away at her wedding, all of this other stuff doesn’t matter. Hudson turns out to be an intelligent guy, more than capable of taking care of himself. Tabitha turns out to be surprisingly thoughtful about the reasons behind her marriage. I love that despite the hopelessness of her circumstances she does actually take action and make her own decisions.

Of course, there is love at the end. It’s a cute little story!

What more do you need from a book?

Another winner in the series! Lady Tabitha is the dutiful daughter trying to please her beloved father’s dying wish. A promise made before she was born to marry her father’s friend who was 3x her age. A horrible man with too many vices to list. His man of business, Hudson feels badly for the poor women. He also has feelings for her, but there is no way anything can come of it. She is promised to his employer and he must do as ordered to keep his employment. And as the wedding approaches the bride runs away and Hudson is ordered to bring her back.
There is so much to this story even though it’s a short read, I just kept turning the pages! Well done Erica! Thank you NetGalley for this eARC. I am voluntarily posting an honest review after reading an Advance Reader Copy of this story. #NetGalley #ChasingtheBride #LordsinLove

Lady Tabitha Kerr has never had a Season because she's been promised at birth to her father's friend, Viscount Oldfield, but she doesn't want to marry the lecherous man who's older than her father. She wants to make her own decisions. However, her father's health takes a turn for the worst, and Tabitha being the dutiful daughter, agrees to marry the lord until she can't go through with it and jilts him at the altar.

Mr. Hudson Frampton is Viscount Oldfield's man of business. Over the years, he has made a lot of money for the viscount as well as himself, but he thoroughly dislikes the lord's lecherous and spendthrift ways. He's been secretly in love with Tabitha for years, although he knows she'll never be his. When Hudson is tasked with finding and returning the runaway bride, he never expects the lady even to give him a second glance.

I really liked Hudson. He was an honorable man who wanted nothing but the best for Tabitha, even if that meant watching her marry another. I felt so bad for Tabitha, especially because her father used her as a pawn and didn't listen to what she wanted. There's a lot packed into this novella, and it was wonderful to watch Tabitha, and Hudson realize they could be happy together if only her father would consent. These stories about the village of Marrywell have been a delight to read.

3.6 stars, solid, cute, scratched the itch!
This was adorable! There was nothing revolutionary or mind blowing about the piece, but it's a 200 page regency era one-off romance, so it scratched the itch and gave me a delightful afternoon giggling and kicking my feet while the bridgerton & Emma 2020 soundtracks played in the background, (which is exactly what I wanted from it) <3

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Another visit to the quaint village of Marrywell. It's May Day and maybe the last chance for fun for poor Tabitha. Marrywell is known as the matchmaking town, their fairs and dances have matched many couples over the years. Tabitha knows that once she marries her father's best friend that she's out of luck, hope, and the chance for love. Lord Oldfield sounds horrible in both looks and personality.. His man of business, Hudson, is young, handsome but has no title. He's to trail along with Tabitha to the festival to make sure she doesn't run off. These two are so good together that right from the start you know there's going to be a lovely HEA. An enjoyable read and the characters were well thought out and likeable.

#netgalley #ChasingtheBride #LordsinLove #historicalromance #romancy #EricaRidley #

This is a short, entertaining read that I finished in one setting. Tabitha is part of the aristocracy, who has been betrothed to her father’s best friend her entire life. He is old and unpleasant and she prefers the company of his man of business, Mr. Frampton. I liked this historical romance fine. It just seems a little rushed and I feel like this was a good enough story that it could have been longer.

Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Chasing the Bride by Erica Ridley

Absolutely a fantastic book! Love, anger, fear, and happiness all combine into a perfect story and Erica Ridley delivers that into this book. Just such an excellent read, swoon worthy!

I just reviewed Chasing the Bride by Erica Ridley. #ChasingtheBride #NetGalley
[https://www.netgalley.com/member/book/292825/review]

This is a super cute and swoony romance.. I liked it very much.. It is sweet and charming, with lovely characters. Definitely a relaxing read after stressful day.

I received a copy from NetGalley; this is my honest review
-This story is a good example of why I hate dying wish. All's well that ends well but it took a while to get there.
-Classic Ridley book, fun at every turn even if sometimes it's sad at the same time: "Have you left for M. yet?" the viscount slurred. Obviously not! LOL. But the sure sign it WAS a Ridley book was the whole scene about a stolen kiss. It is hilarious and Hudson doesn't help Tabitha's case.
-I loved the way Hudson saw marriage between him and his would-be wife; just the fact that he was aiming for success by sunset told a lot. I loved how he responded to Mrs. Snowfeather's dares. Such fun, it's liberating.
-I loved how Tabitha reacted when she was not under her father; such simple things and yet, everything was fascinating. Fun to be with, daring.
-I think there's a bit of miscalculation in Tabitha's coming out. Chapter 14 tells us it's been 8 years but in a previous chapter, she was only 22.
-A bit of repetitions concerning the fact that Tabitha was doomed to marry Viscount Oldfield since even before her birth. Five or six times at around 80% and it doesn't stop there.
-We saw a glimpse of Vachon and the Duke of Southbury in Marrywell! They are both in the next and last book of the series.

I like this series and enjoyed it a lot, I also loved seing other characters from more recent books in the series as well.

Betrothed to Viscount Oldfield in the womb, Lady Tabitha Kerr, only child to the Marquess of Brigsby, spend her life being dutiful, prim and proper, and mostly ignored awaiting the dreaded wedding day. The only man to ever truly see her was Frampton. Attentive with the looks of a handsome highwayman.
She’s a vessel, a pawn in a long-time family feud, but it’s her father’s dying wish, so she must oblige. Or does she? What if she made a run for it? Frampton would find her, but could she get a taste of happiness and maybe even love?

Man of business and jack-of-all-trades, Mr Hudson Frampton has had his eyes on his employer’s fiancée for almost a decade guarding and assisting her. Respected and feared, she’s the only person cocky enough to tease him and stir his dreams. But a commoner and a Lady? Impossible!
He’s not really surprised when she disappears from the church, and easily tracks her down. What to do? Take her straight home as the viscount ordered? Or allow her a few days of freedom and possibly put his own heart on the line?

📚 Fast-paced, witty and captivating, I read this book in one sitting. Just couldn’t put it down!
Both bound by duty, kept apart by class, and desperate for a taste of the forbidden. The touching way - he’s been pining for her for so long - in which he brings her to bloom and supports her, is at odds with his stern and effective demeanour. No simpering miss or wallflower, she pricks and prods and teases until he’s utterly defenceless. The chemistry between these two! Wonderful! And funny, sweet and incredibly romantic! This series never lets me down! Highly recommended!
📚 Runaway bride/bodyguard, forbidden romance, steamy, open door, one bed, fake marriage

Thank you to Erica Ridley, WebMotion and NetGalley for this eARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was a short one by Ms. Ridley and I definitely wish it was longer. I would have loved to go into more detail about Tabitha and Hudson taking for each other. Having said that, I still like this one a lot. The plot kept me engaged. Their forbidden love was believable.

I hated the viscount. Old, creep, pervert. I wish there was an inclusion in the epilogue to say what became of him but oh well.

I definitely recommend this if you want a quick, light read.

Girl is betrothed since birth to an old lecher by a misguided father. Guy is lecher's man of business and hopelessly in love with her.

Hudson and Lady Tabitha fake it until they make it after she runs away from the altar, and he tracks her down. Instead of bringing her back to her terrible finance, they decide to pretend to be a married couple and have a fun flirty week to themselves. Tabitha is trying to seduce Hudson and he's trying as hard as he can not to let her.

A Fast-paced, quick (3 hour), feel-good read perfect for a rainy weekend. I got swept away and couldn't put it down. I'll be reading more of this series!

Chasing the Bride is a quick and fun read. There is plenty of heart, suspense, and conflict - but not to the point that it is sappy or overwrought. This is open door romance is spicy in the right parts, author deftly inserts humor, and all is well that ends well in the well written historical romance.

I received an ARC courtesy of NetGalley, the author, and the publisher. The opinions are mine alone.

Tabitha had been promised in marriage from birth to her fathers “friend” who has a reputation as a gambling womaniser, but in fulfilling her fathers wishes she will be solving a generation old feud, wanting to please her sick father she feels it her duty to go through with the marriage but runs away at the last minute. Hudson is send by his employer to bring her back so the wedding can go through, but Hudson has loved Tabitha for years and agrees to let Tabitha have a last week of freedom in Merrywell, pretending to still be searching for her. As Hudson shares her room throughout that week feelings are expressed on both sides and love, friendship and companionship abound, although it is difficult for them to go back and face her dying father and the viscount, Tabitha insists on doing her duty.. Once back at the wedding Hudson stops the wedding to confess his love for Tabitha.
I really enjoyed this addition to this series and enjoyed reading Tabitha’s story.

3.5 stars
this historical novel with an impossible love between lady Tabitha (already betrothed to another man) and a non-noble Hudson is a pleasant read. Personally in the first part of the novel I was much more on Tabitha's side, while after her escape and the week spent with Hudson I re-evaluated Hudson a lot. I was disappointed by Tabitha's attitude, flat and submissive, without even trying to change her fate throughout the book. Tabitha's father was terrible.