Almost Like Being in Love

A Novella

By: Sariah Wilson

Narrated by: Paula Nederhorst

Length: 4 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

A modern-day Ohio woman and a seventeenth-century Scottish laird fall in love at first sight in a magical holiday romance by Sariah Wilson, the bestselling author of The Chemistry of Love.

Maren Kelly and her friend Penny may be lost in the Scottish Highlands, yes. They may be caught in the blizzard of the century, sure. But despite their dire straits, Maren is going to honor her ailing mother’s wish for them to experience all the magic, mystery, and whimsy Scotland has to offer, even if she freezes to death trying. When they’re rescued by the dashing Duncan Campbell, who seems like he walked straight out of the seventeenth century, Maren is more than a wee bit bewildered.

Their shelter is Duncan’s castle in Highglen, a captivating village that feels somehow familiar…as does the laird himself. Brimming with holiday cheer and friendly, boisterous family members, Highglen is a safe haven in the frigid winter storm. Maybe it’s the carolers and the warm hearth—or Duncan’s comforting brogue and stolen kisses—but Maren feels as though she’s come home. And in Duncan, she may have found her long-awaited soulmate.

But is this a miracle that could last a lifetime?

©2023 Sariah Wilson (P)2023 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Disappointing audiobook from a really talented writer

I have read all of Sariah Wilson’s books. She rarely disappoints but this is one of them. The story starts very slowly and then goes into the fantasy realm. I enjoy a good fantasy occasionally but this did not quite make it. As I said it started slowly and then seems to be a little romance and a little historical monologue, but very little humor which is Sariah Wilson’s specialty. I have read and listened to many of her books multiple times and they never seem to get old. I have seen this similar story and I feel it was portrayed better. I was bored through the majority of this book. I almost quit several times but I held on and finished. There were interesting facts about middle aged Scotland revealed. I would not recommend this book.
The performance was okay given what they were working with. Please Sariah, more Rom-Coms with the emphasis on the Com.

A perfect holiday listen.

#InstaLove #TimeTravel #Holiday #Novella #Audiobook

I picked up this novella through Kindle Unlimited read & listen. I was looking for something that I could listen to while I cleaned house for the holidays and finish quickly if I finished cleaning before the audiobook ended. This was actually the perfect length for what I needed to accomplish today, and I finished the audiobook at just the right time. This holiday standalone is written in first person from Maren's POV that ends with a HEA.

Maren is an admirable character. I loved her relationship with her mother and her desire to be with her during her terminal diagnosis. I loved how accepting she is of the time travel and of the people and custom s when she finds herself in 1647. She falls fast for Duncan , and who can blame her? He is romantic, poetic, gorgeous, and a gentleman. Basically, he is all that and a laird to boot.

I really enjoyed the blending of the customs from the two time periods over the holiday. Though this is fairly clean, with only some stolen kisses and some hand holding, I did not miss the heat that is most of the books I read. I think this is partially because I listened to it and steamy scenes can sometimes be awkward to listen to as opposed to reading them. I would say the heat level of this was bout the same as a Hallmark movie-maybe a few more kisses. The author did an excellent job of keeping me guessing as to how they could possibly end up together and how they would overcome the obstacles they faced.

The narrator, Paula Nederhorst, does a fantastic job bringing the story to life. She managed to distinguish each character with a separate voice and it never felt weird when she spoke as a male character. It was also fun to hear her go back and forth from a Scottish to an American accent throughout the book. She made it seem effortless and I was completely engaged. Fun and light with a sweet HEA, I would certainly recommend this audiobook for a holiday read.

Sweet whimsical read

This was such a sweet, whimsical, totally fictional love story. The Scottish accent added greatly to the fun. Very short, I listened in less than a day as I ran errands.

Great fun.

What a fun book. When I this story was about Scotland and magic, I was sold before I read it. I fell in love with Scotland when I visited and was oh so tempted to move there. The characters glowed even through some tough times and the magic was just right. I toggled between reading and listening and enjoying it all the way through. Paula Nederhorst did a great job of narrating all the characters, American and Scottish alike. An HEA to remember.

Could not finish

Simplistic, annoying story. Woman soon to graduate from Veterinary school (so, you know, a doctor) is sucked back in time to the 1600’s and the only thing she is obsessing over is how cute the hero is?!? Scottish accent is frequently indecipherable.

I need a sequel!!!

Super stinking cute! Minimal adult content (making out but no fondling) which makes me happy to allow my 13 year old to read.

Fun twist on time travel love relationship.

I love time travel stories and they often involve love and a lot of disbelief for the traveler and those they visit. But this was very refreshing given that both parties had some clues about what was going on. The performance and accents were excellent.

Sweet dreamy story

Such a sweet little story. Loved the magic aspect within it! What a dreamy MMC!

Light, lively, just lovely

I love this clean, low angst, fun romance. Totally sweet without smut. just refreshing! More please!

a darling little romance novella

outlander meets insta love hallmark in this one and i am obsessed.

maren travels to the scottish highlands to try to find information for her dying mother about her brother who disappeared. she gets lost in a blizzard and is rescued by duncan who takes her back to his seventeenth century castle. strangely enough, highglen feels familiar with its cozy christmas traditions. and she has an instant connection with duncan that leads to romantic stolen kisses and all the swoony moments. it feels like coming home but she knows she can’t stay.

i listened to this on audio while i decorated my christmas tree and it is adorable, emotional, completely unrealistic and absolutely magical christmas romance.