This is the second in a quartet by Grace Burrowes & Erica Ridley, but all four stand well on their own. However, the stories are delightful, and well worth reading as a set.

In this book, we meet Allegra Brown, who has spent years delighting her younger cousins with fantastic tales of her long-lost love - Captain L'Amour. Imagine everyone's surprise when he finally does turn up, in Brighton of all places. At least, he fits the glowing descriptions of the famed Captain, down to his walking stick.

John Sharp is a solicitor who longs for something more, and when he is mistakenly identified as the Allegra's love, he decides to go with it on a lark. Sparks fly between them almost immediately, and soon the false tale of love starts to become very real.

John & Allegra have unmistakable chemistry, and you can't help but root for their happily ever after. The cousins are delightful matchmakers as well.

I highly recommend this story to anyone looking for a rollicking good time.

I found An Affair by the Sea to be a total delight in every way. Erica Ridley delivered once again with a zippy, romantic, lovely historical number.

These two MCs aren't haute ton, and I think that made the story feel more approachable. Sure, there was a dowry and some money at play here, but these two were sort of fringe society people. I liked how both MCs had passions (music and cooking), and they related with their creative sides, even if one more more free-spirited and spontaneous and one more exacting. I think they had excellent chemistry, and the way they met each other felt like out of a romantic story (ha!).

You have to get past the meddling cousins (I didn't mind them but I think they were a little intrusive) and the bad guy uncle and way the way the story wrapped up very cleanly and quickly, but I was still swept away by the romance. These two felt lovely together, and I didn't want to put the book down.

A totally delightful book from Erica Ridley, and a nice intro (for me) into this series.

This was cute and a quick read. Not what I would probably call historically accurate, but I don't read Regency romance for the 100% historical factor all of the time so it didn't bother me here.

I loved the storyline, I loved the characters (John may be my new book BF he's so great!), I really like how they both had their own things that they were passionate about and I did like how the "big bad" had an actual REASON for being bad. Didn't make him a good or nice person, but it was understandable why he was the way he was.

The ending seemed a bit vague to me, I wasn't sure if they had actually gotten married to get the extra money or not, but I might have read it too quickly and missed that part.

Definitely one I recommend to Regency readers, and romance readers in general.

4, very musical and yummy, stars!

My thanks to NetGalley and Webmotion for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

4.5 stars

Aw, this was a cute book filled with fun characters and snappy dialogue. It's second in a quartet of novellas (it seemed more like a short full-length novel to me), but it definitely stands alone. It follows Allegra and John from their surprising meet-cute to true love, with very little drama along the way

Allegra, closing in on 30, has been an unpaid companion/governess for her two beloved cousins for most of her life. She has her eyes on the prize, however. When she reaches 30, she'll inherit enough money to set her up comfortably if not fashionably for the rest of her life. In spite of the fact that her uncle is a total jerk who took advantage of her, she's remarkably pragmatic about the whole thing. In fact, she's grown into a ball of fire who is unafraid to take risks.

John is in many ways her opposite. A successful solicitor, he depends on rules and order to ensure that his life runs smoothly. It's a little odd then that his dream is to leave his practice and become a chef. Watching him try to apply rules in order to a job that is typically barely organized chaos is entertaining,

The two meet when Allegra nearly runs John over with a carriage. John's resemblance to the description Allegra gave her cousins about her fictional long-lost true love is uncanny, and soon John finds himself playing a part that he both revels in and doesn't identify with.

Allegra and John are hilarious together, and Allegra's cousins are equally funny. Although the book refrains from getting too deep into emotions, I still found myself attached to our protagonists and rooting heartily for their HEA.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion. Thanks!

Allegra's parents have died. She spent the last few years working as a governess. She loves the girls she cares for. They are ready to come out and want Allegra happy, too. Especially they are waiting for the mysterious, adventurous Captain L'Amour to come back for her.

Allegra has made him up, adding bits and pieces to the story over the years. One day, while riding a carriage they almost run over a guy, who loves remarkably like the Captain she talked about so much. Girls are over the moon, however, Allegra is dumbstruck.

Mr John Sharp is a lawyer, who wanted to do something more, to be a chef. When his first attempt went up in flames, literally, he moved to a small town by the Sea.

When they mistake him for Captain L'Amour he plays along. However, it will be hard to maintain a fake relationship with all the chemistry brewing between them.

It's a lovely story, but for some reason, I just couldn't get into it.

The second book in the Siren’s Retreat Quartet series. Orphaned pianist Allegra Brown and Mr. John Sharp's story of drama, laughter, sadness, twists, turns, mistaken identity, pirate Captain L’Amour, and romance. The story is well written with a very good storyline that held my interest throughout. I want to read more in this series. I received a copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

An Affair by the Sea is a light and charming short novel that takes place in a beautiful seaside setting away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

It was nice to see Allegra's supportive cousins and women building up women. Allegra's fictional fiancé becomes flesh and bone with her chance meeting with John Sharp, who just wants to retreat on holiday and do something more than practice law. John loves predictability, Allegra is fantastical.

Both characters were nice. The story was nice. It lacked a bit of impact for me, but sometimes you just need an easy, breezy story to get you through the day.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. The thoughts and opinions are my own and freely given.

Erica Ridley is the best! My only complaint is that I wish this story had been longer.

Allegra was a fun herione. It's sometimes hard to imagine non-conformists in such a tightly conforming society, but this author manages to make it work.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Historical romances are my jam. They are good and bring a bit of romance and loved it. this one was a good one.

Erica Ridley weaves a spell with her writing. Allegra has an imaginary beau.. Captain L'Amour, an excitingly, handsome pirate. When he shows up in the flesh, what is she to do? Mr John Sharpe is definitely not a pirate but has all the characteristics of the Captain. Her charges automatically assume it's him. Now what.? It's a tangled web that can only lead to confusion and maybe love. Thank you Net Galley and WebMotion for a great book.

Siren's Retreat the famous boarding house in Brighton by the sea where the lodgers are rumored to find their love match. Book two in the Siren's Retreat series, An Affair by the Sea, is a nice change of pace. Most historical romance are filled with the beau monde and servants. This book features the middle class love a solicitor on holiday as he dreams of opening a tea shop. John Sharp runs into or should I say is nearly run over by Allegra Brown, poor relation to the sister Portia and Dorcas but a brilliant pianist. The girls were trying to teach Allegra how to drive a phaeton, it didn't work. During their youth Allegra had filled the girls heads with tales of her imaginary suitor Captain Hamish L'Amour, who looks very much like Mr. Sharp.

Mr. Sharpe being a gentleman goes along with what the girls assume thinking it is a brief encounter. Little does he know what the girls have in mind! They believe he has come to claim Allegra's hand after a decade at sea. His well ordered life is about to be upending with some delightful results.

I simply adored this book, it was like a sea breeze lightening my heart. The perfect weekend read.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC copy for review; this is my freely given opinion.
I found this book so lovely! The story had a good pace and it was funny. The main characters were great, and the secondary characters were funny.
Allegra Brown is a poor relation who lives with her uncle and his two daughters; Allegra is the girls' governess. She is set to receive a full inheritance after she gets married, or half of the inheritance when she turns 30. She is prudent and loves to play the piano. While she raised the girls, she told them stories about her "fake" fiance, a pirate named Captain L'Amour.
Mr. John Sharp is a solicitor who wants to become a chef. While he is looking for a place to buy and start his own cafe, he gets into an accident with Allegra and the girls. As if a coincidence, Captain L'Amour, and Mr. John Sharp have the same characteristics, so the girls assume that John is Captain. He doesn't deny and Allegra doesn't correct the situation. Funny situations happen as the girls try to make Allegra and John together all the time since they grew up hearing amazing stories about Captain L'Amour. The situations are funny and believable. John supports and encourages Allegra, and she does the same with him. Especially when her uncle disavows her and kicks her out. I enjoyed Erica's writings and I recommend this book.

Allegra is working as a companion for her cousins and counting the days until she comes into her inheritance.

Through her time with her cousins, the tales of her (imaginary) fiance Captain L'Amour a famous pirate and swashbuckler.

All is going well until they reach Sirens retreat in Brighton and come face to face with Captain L'Amour.

A bright and enjoyable story with well scriped characters definitely worth a read.

A very cute novella in the Siren's retreat series! I really enjoyed getting to know John and Allegra and Captain L'Amour after having seen them in the other books in this series. I really enjoy Erica Ridley and she is quickly becoming one of my favourite historical romance authors.
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review!

This is a voluntary review of an advanced copy.

This book was so much fun to read! Allegra spun some pretty wild tales as she invented her missing fiance and the tales she came up with were hilarious!

Allegra is stunned when her younger cousins see a man that fits her fiance's description and then it is up to John to pretend to be the Dread Pirate.

Allegra is not your typical young miss waiting to get married and has her life planned out when she reaches the age to claim her inheritance and then have her independence. She was not looking for love and was not really happy to see John.

Great HEA for Allegra and her cousins!.

This was my favorite of the series. I loved both main characters and the younger cousins were so much fun!

I really enjoyed this one. The characters were amazing and I really enjoy the siren’s retreat. I loved how the heroine had made up a suitor, and then the hero just being thrown into the role. The cousins were also amazing and I loved their comments about the hero and the heroines relationship

This book is one hilarious fiasco after another. Yet in the middle of all of the nonsense a really sweet and touching romance blooms. I really enjoyed reading this story and would recommend. #netgalley #AnAffairbytheSea

I enjoyed this book - it was a quick romance with some heat, a little sadness, injustice, and a nice happy ending. I wish it had been more fleshed out, but I think the point was to give the reader a brief escape from reality, which would have been hindered by more details about relatives and back story. All in all, a great book that was easy to read with the time period descriptions I’ve come to appreciate from this author.

I received an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are mine alone.

Ok in true Erica Ridley style we find ourselves laughing hysterically, falling in love with rich characters, but biting our nails anticipating reaching the end of the book. This is what awaits you dear readers when you pick up An Affair by the Sea. Allegra Brown is an orphan whose well-meaning family want to see settled and perhaps happily married. What else is a spinster to do but create a fake swashbuckling suitor. John Sharp is solicitor, with the heart of a chef who dreams of owning his own tearoom. Now what are the chances that John would turn out to look exactly like Allegra’s made-up pirate betrothed. This has the hands of fate written all over it for these two per the legend of the Siren’s Retreat. The pairs agree on a fake courtship and hilarity and cuteness overload ensues, but will there be a happy ending? This is my first read of the series, but I certainly plan on getting my hands on book 1. I say grab the book and find out! I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.