[ARC Review] A Spinster by the Sea by Grace Burrowes

In A Spinster by the Sea, the third book in the Siren's Retreat quartet, Anne Baxter finds herself retreating to the coast to escape the gossip in town after she was left at the alter - again. But Anne is about to find respite in the last place she expected it: in the arms of her former fiancé's best man. Augustus, the Duke of Tindale, has struggled to leave his former life as a solicitor behind. But he and Anne connect like never before, and maybe having to finally accept his fate won't be so bad if Anne is his duchess. 

While each novella in the Siren's Retreat quartet can be read as a standalone, it's been great getting to revisit the same location throughout this series. The characters change, but the magic at Siren's Retreat stays the same. 

I loved who Anne and Augustus were able to become in each other's company. Augustus allowed Anne to feel seen and heard, and he never judged her as the secrets of her past were slowly revealed. Anne, in kind, encouraged Augustus to be himself, even when his solicitor background made him stand out in the ducal circles he now found himself in. 

These two main characters were refreshing in a historical romance. Both felt pretty strongly about their paths going forward, but they were able to find the love they both needed in order to make it all worth it. There was a fake-dating (ish) trope throughout most of the novella, but it was pretty clear early on that Augustus wasn't pretending and the fake courting was only for all the secondary characters' benefit. 

Both characters has some things to grapple with over the course of the novella, but I loved Anne's journey the most. She started off jilted and thinking quite low of herself. The secrets in her past did not help her as she felt bound for spinsterhood. It took a lot for Augustus to convince Anne that they could have something together, even after all the love they shared. 

Overall, the characters here were well done, even in the shortened, novella-length time we got with them. Anne and Augustus' love was sweet, and I'm glad they could find their way to each other, even after everything they'd been through. It was great to return to Siren's Retreat, and I can't wait to see what becomes of the main characters in the fourth and final installment of the quartet. 

A huge thank you to Erica Ridley for providing review copies of all four books in the Siren's Retreat series to her Review Crew!

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Release date: 3/29/22
Format: eARC
eARC provided via: Erica Ridley's Review Crew