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Ladera by the Sea #3
Safe Harbor
If he stays, she's in danger. But if he leaves...
All Mike Ryan can tell her is his name. Revealing any more to this beautiful stranger would put her in danger. And he's not willing to jeopardize Stevi Roman's--or her family's--safety any more than he already has. Why this angel has taken him in, nursed him and trusted him, he can't fathom. But it has been the best few weeks he's ever known. For the first time, Mike can imagine having a real life, a real identity, a real future. Stevi has done more than save him. She's inspired him.
And that's why he has to go. The safest thing he could do for all of them is to disappear...
All Mike Ryan can tell her is his name. Revealing any more to this beautiful stranger would put her in danger. And he's not willing to jeopardize Stevi Roman's--or her family's--safety any more than he already has. Why this angel has taken him in, nursed him and trusted him, he can't fathom. But it has been the best few weeks he's ever known. For the first time, Mike can imagine having a real life, a real identity, a real future. Stevi has done more than save him. She's inspired him.
And that's why he has to go. The safest thing he could do for all of them is to disappear...
213 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 29, 2014
About the author
Marie Ferrarella
1,230 books276 followersMarie Rydzynski-Ferrarella
aka Marie Charles, Marie Michael, Marie Nicole, Marie Ferrarella
Marie Rydzynski was born on March 28 in West Germany to Polish parents. She moved to America at the age of four. For an entire year, Marie and her family explored the eastern half of the country before finally settling in New York.
Marie swears she was born writing, "which must have made the delivery especially hard for my mother." From an early age, Marie's parents would find her watching television or tucked away in some private place, writing at a furious pace. "Initially, I began writing myself into my favourite shows. I was a detective on '77 Sunset Strip,' the missing Cartwright sibling they never talked about on 'Bonanza' and the 'Girl from U.N.C.L.E.' before there was a 'Girl from U.N.C.L.E.,' not to mention an active participant in the serialized stories of 'The Mickey Mouse Club.'" Marie began to write her first romance novel when she was 11 years old, although she claims that, at the time, she didn't even realize it was a romance! She scribbled off and on, while dreaming of a career as an actress.
Marie was only 14 when she first laid eyes on the man she would marry, truly her first love, Charles Ferrarella. During her days at Queens College, New York, acting started to lose its glamour as Marie spent more and more time writing. After receiving her English degree, specialising in Shakespearean comedy, Marie and her family moved to Southern California, where she still resides today.
After an interminable seven weeks apart, Charles decided he couldn't live without her and came out to California to marry his childhood sweetheart. Ever practical, Marie was married in a wash-and-wear wedding dress that she sewed herself, appliqués and all. "'Be prepared' has always been my motto,"the author jokes. This motto has been stretched considerably by her two children, Nikky and Jessi, "but basically, it still applies," she says.
In November of 1981, she sold her first novel for Harlequin. Marie, who now has written over 150 novels, has one goal: to entertain, to make people laugh and feel good. "That's what makes me happy," she confesses. "That, and a really good romantic evening with my husband." She's keeping her fingers crossed that her reader's enjoy reading her books as much as she enjoyed writing them.
aka Marie Charles, Marie Michael, Marie Nicole, Marie Ferrarella
Marie Rydzynski was born on March 28 in West Germany to Polish parents. She moved to America at the age of four. For an entire year, Marie and her family explored the eastern half of the country before finally settling in New York.
Marie swears she was born writing, "which must have made the delivery especially hard for my mother." From an early age, Marie's parents would find her watching television or tucked away in some private place, writing at a furious pace. "Initially, I began writing myself into my favourite shows. I was a detective on '77 Sunset Strip,' the missing Cartwright sibling they never talked about on 'Bonanza' and the 'Girl from U.N.C.L.E.' before there was a 'Girl from U.N.C.L.E.,' not to mention an active participant in the serialized stories of 'The Mickey Mouse Club.'" Marie began to write her first romance novel when she was 11 years old, although she claims that, at the time, she didn't even realize it was a romance! She scribbled off and on, while dreaming of a career as an actress.
Marie was only 14 when she first laid eyes on the man she would marry, truly her first love, Charles Ferrarella. During her days at Queens College, New York, acting started to lose its glamour as Marie spent more and more time writing. After receiving her English degree, specialising in Shakespearean comedy, Marie and her family moved to Southern California, where she still resides today.
After an interminable seven weeks apart, Charles decided he couldn't live without her and came out to California to marry his childhood sweetheart. Ever practical, Marie was married in a wash-and-wear wedding dress that she sewed herself, appliqués and all. "'Be prepared' has always been my motto,"the author jokes. This motto has been stretched considerably by her two children, Nikky and Jessi, "but basically, it still applies," she says.
In November of 1981, she sold her first novel for Harlequin. Marie, who now has written over 150 novels, has one goal: to entertain, to make people laugh and feel good. "That's what makes me happy," she confesses. "That, and a really good romantic evening with my husband." She's keeping her fingers crossed that her reader's enjoy reading her books as much as she enjoyed writing them.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 14, 2015
I bought this book and book 4 in the LADERA BY THE SEA series to try the Harlequin Heartwarming line of books to see if they’re something I might enjoy. I crave sweet stories to mix in with my not-so-sweet reading and I haven’t read any in this line of books before, or this author’s writing previously, so it seemed like a good place to start.
Stevi Roman discovers a man lying on the beach when she’s out for a run. He’s breathing, but unconscious and bleeding from a gunshot wound. Enlisting the help of her family’s gardener, who just happens to have medical skills Stevi has never suspected, this unconscious man seems like a stray in need of help, just like the gardener and several others Stevi’s father is in the habit of rescuing. This time it’s Stevi saving someone and keeping it from her family. Will this be the worst or best choice for Stevi’s future, or will she bring danger to her family by this rash decision?
I think SAFE HARBOR may be a little too sweet to be believable for me. Even though there are bad guys, the family and their outlook on life in general seems a bit isolated from current day. I think that there is definitely an audience for this style of innocence, but I need a bit more grit or realism in my romantic suspense so that the sense of danger is imminent. I didn’t connect with Stevi and Mike Ryan as a couple. I wasn’t convinced of their attraction or love by their interactions. I thought Mike would have been a bit more aggressive, considering his line of work, so his subtle approach with Stevi didn’t match his character for me. Stevi seemed to trust an unconscious stranger a little too easily when I thought she should have been more careful. I didn’t read book 1 or 2, so I may be missing important details of Stevi’s character by starting in the middle of this series.
I did like the premise of the inn as a location for a series and the heroine’s appeal as an artist which is what drew me into the story in the beginning. I also enjoyed the idea that several people with difficult pasts have found their way to this inn and to this welcoming family, so I'm hopeful that book 4 will connect more for me. For those who love a really sweet love story with a bit of suspense and a few surprises, then you may find this book perfect for your taste.
Stevi Roman discovers a man lying on the beach when she’s out for a run. He’s breathing, but unconscious and bleeding from a gunshot wound. Enlisting the help of her family’s gardener, who just happens to have medical skills Stevi has never suspected, this unconscious man seems like a stray in need of help, just like the gardener and several others Stevi’s father is in the habit of rescuing. This time it’s Stevi saving someone and keeping it from her family. Will this be the worst or best choice for Stevi’s future, or will she bring danger to her family by this rash decision?
I think SAFE HARBOR may be a little too sweet to be believable for me. Even though there are bad guys, the family and their outlook on life in general seems a bit isolated from current day. I think that there is definitely an audience for this style of innocence, but I need a bit more grit or realism in my romantic suspense so that the sense of danger is imminent. I didn’t connect with Stevi and Mike Ryan as a couple. I wasn’t convinced of their attraction or love by their interactions. I thought Mike would have been a bit more aggressive, considering his line of work, so his subtle approach with Stevi didn’t match his character for me. Stevi seemed to trust an unconscious stranger a little too easily when I thought she should have been more careful. I didn’t read book 1 or 2, so I may be missing important details of Stevi’s character by starting in the middle of this series.
I did like the premise of the inn as a location for a series and the heroine’s appeal as an artist which is what drew me into the story in the beginning. I also enjoyed the idea that several people with difficult pasts have found their way to this inn and to this welcoming family, so I'm hopeful that book 4 will connect more for me. For those who love a really sweet love story with a bit of suspense and a few surprises, then you may find this book perfect for your taste.
June 26, 2014
Safe Harbor by Marie Ferrarella (Ladera by the Sea)
4 STARS
This is the first book of Ladera by the Sea that I have read and would love to read the first two books of the series. Their are four daughters and their father that live and work the family Inn right on the ocean. This is Stevi Roman story. Stevi just graduated from College in art. She is dreaming to go away. As she is jogging on the beach she finds a man hurt.
Mike Ryan has been shot and washed up on the beach. He is face down on the beach with a gun shot. All he says don't call police. When Mike wakes up he does not tell anyone how he was shot. He fakes loss of memory.
Stevi decides to trust him so she gets help to sneak him in his room. When she is coming up with excuses to tell her father she is funny.
This is a charming story. It is a sweet story with drama, suspense and some action but mostly it is a look at life at the inn. I have to admit I loved the humor in the book. It is a clean read too.
The setting is a family inn on the California coast. I would love to stay their. Two of the sisters are now married and live in the Inn with their husbands.
I enjoyed getting to know the different characters at the inn. They all believe in helping others when they can.
fast read at 165 pages.
I was given this ebook to read for review. All opinions are mine. Received book from Net Galley and Harlequin.
4 STARS
This is the first book of Ladera by the Sea that I have read and would love to read the first two books of the series. Their are four daughters and their father that live and work the family Inn right on the ocean. This is Stevi Roman story. Stevi just graduated from College in art. She is dreaming to go away. As she is jogging on the beach she finds a man hurt.
Mike Ryan has been shot and washed up on the beach. He is face down on the beach with a gun shot. All he says don't call police. When Mike wakes up he does not tell anyone how he was shot. He fakes loss of memory.
Stevi decides to trust him so she gets help to sneak him in his room. When she is coming up with excuses to tell her father she is funny.
This is a charming story. It is a sweet story with drama, suspense and some action but mostly it is a look at life at the inn. I have to admit I loved the humor in the book. It is a clean read too.
The setting is a family inn on the California coast. I would love to stay their. Two of the sisters are now married and live in the Inn with their husbands.
I enjoyed getting to know the different characters at the inn. They all believe in helping others when they can.
fast read at 165 pages.
I was given this ebook to read for review. All opinions are mine. Received book from Net Galley and Harlequin.
November 24, 2014
Stevi was running along the beach when she found Mike Ryan unconscious. He has been shot and washed up on the beach. All he requested from her is not to call the police before he unconscious. When he woke up, he said that he could not remember anything. But he was lying. Stevi, however, decided to trust him and took him back to her room. She decided not to tell anyone but soon she found that it is not something that she would hide from her family.
It is a sweet story though I find that Stevi a little too innocent in this story. She basically took things that their face value. As the setting of the story was basically in Stevi’s family hotel, the author did a good job in narrating the story despite of lack of background change with a dash of love and humor in the story.
It is a sweet story though I find that Stevi a little too innocent in this story. She basically took things that their face value. As the setting of the story was basically in Stevi’s family hotel, the author did a good job in narrating the story despite of lack of background change with a dash of love and humor in the story.
October 6, 2014
Stevi finds a man unconscious on the beach while she is out for a run. Mike doesn't remember much but he finds himself washed up on shore with a gunshot wound. Steve take a him to the inn and nurses him back to health. He fakes memory loss because he doesn't want to the people who have helped him get in the middle of what he's been caught up in. Stevi and Mike have feelings for each other but will they act on them?
This was a sweet romantic short read. It has the right amount of drama, suspense, romance, and humor. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
I was given a copy by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
This was a sweet romantic short read. It has the right amount of drama, suspense, romance, and humor. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
I was given a copy by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
November 29, 2021
I was so happy to see another book in the Ladera by the Sea series. This book is Stevie's story and she has graduated college and back helping at the Ladera Inn. She is trying to decide if she should leave for Paris or New York City to start her Art career. She finds Mike on the beach, washed up by the waves with a gunshot wound. A great love story, a great reunion with our previous couples and a happy ending for everyone. Perfect light read for hot summer days.
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January 12, 2016Miniseries: Ladera by the Sea
July 27, 2014
3.5 stars
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews