[ARC Review] Chasing the Bride by Erica Ridley

Publisher's synopsis: Lady Tabitha Kerr was promised at birth to be the Viscount Oldfield’s bride. Their families had warred for generations, and this union will heal the longstanding rift. But Tabitha doesn’t want to be a pawn—or a consolation prize. She dreams of a love match, and failing that, at least one night of true love. Even if she has to run away to find it!

As Viscount Oldfield’s trusted man of business, Mr. Hudson Frampton is his lordship’s right-hand man, attack dog, and fixer. When a nervous bride jilts the viscount at the altar, Hudson is meant to find and return her to his employer posthaste. He is not supposed to fall in love. Or kiss his employer’s bride. Or say yes when Tabitha makes an indecent proposal that will ruin them both…

My thoughts: I'm always amazed at the amount of story and depth that Erica Ridley packs into a novella. Chasing the Bride give a well-rounded plot that worked well on its own, but also fit nicely into the larger world of the Lords in Love series. Readers can easily read this novella as the sixth story in a series or completely as a standalone; any mentions to events or characters from the rest of the series were brilliantly worked into Tabitha and Hudson's story, enhancing the story if you've read the series but not detracting from it if you haven't. 

Chasing the Bride introduced readers to two fantastic main characters blurring the line between doing what's responsible versus following their hearts. I absolutely loved Tabitha as a character. Torn between fulfilling her father's final wish and letting herself dream of something more, Tabitha was a perfect combination of dutiful daughter and rebel. There was real emotion behind her actions, and readers will easily get swept away by Tabitha's courageous actions and her sass when it comes to Hudson. And as for Hudson, I really loved that Tabitha spurned a viscount and fell for his man of business. Not every historical romance needs to feature a duke or an earl, and Hudson is a prime example of the love and happiness that can be found outside of the upper echelons of society.

This was a fun, easy novella that didn't compromise on Ridley's storytelling or character development. At just under two hundred pages, Chasing the Bride was a quick read that packed in a lot of action and a lot of great characters. I could have easily devoured a full-length novel for this story, but was still left satisfied with Tabitha and Hudson's romance. 

[Chasing the Bride was read and reviewed as part of Erica Ridley's Review Crew. Opinions are my own.]

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Release date: 6/9/23

Format: eARC

eARC provided via: the author