I received a free copy of, Almost Like Being in Love, by Sariah Wilson, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Maren Kelly and her friend Penny are in a blizzard in Scotland, and are a wee bit lost. Maren meets Duncan who she falls in love with, but has to go back home to The US, to take care of her mother that is dying. So many emotions in this book. I really enjoyed Maren and Duncan, they are a great couple. This is a great Christmas novella.

Charming! This was a treat to read. I enjoyed the storyline and setting quite a bit. Would love to read more books set here. I thought it was well written and flowed well. Im not a super big fan of "insta love" but still enjoyed the romance and characters.

Sariah Wilson has done it again. She's an automatic read for me and this one doesn't disappoint.
What happens when a modern Ohio woman falls in love with a 17th century Scottish Highlander. A swooney time travel Christmas novella. I really enjoyed it!
Thank you to Sariah Wilson, Montlake and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review

This was a fun holiday read!

I figured a book titled after a song from a musical had to be good, and I was totally right. The storyline was fun, the characters were adorable, and the writing was great.

I'd read this one again!

This book was so cute! So many times when fantasy melts into a story, it's not done well and many times, not believable. Sariah has created a story that is both believable and well written. Almost Like Being in Love is the story of Maren, a snowstorm, a castle and an attractive Highland hero. These characters draw you in and before long a beautiful story unfolds. A little bit of magic goes a long way to make this story swoony and a delight to read. From the beautiful scenery, to the characters, and the well written plot, this book will not disappoint.

Aside from the fact that I desperately want to re-watch Brigadoon now. (It’s been a very long time), I was both stressed and enchanted by this novel. As always, Sariah Wilson delivers the swooniest of heroes, and I really enjoyed this heroine.
Definitely a bit of a tear-jerker to go with the swooning, so bring the tissues.

Recommended, especially around the holidays.

I tried to like this one, I really did. But the insta-love, the accents, the time travel. It just wasn't for me.

I just had a hard time suspending my disbelief for this one. I like the premise of the magical village but I couldn't get into how quickly Maren and Duncan are in love (instantly) and how she's willing to get over all the major inconveniences of going back centuries. The ending saved it from being a lower rating but otherwise I struggled to connect to it

WONDERFUL! I love. Time travel romance but this wirtes a nes page in the genre. Very original plot and highly compelling characters, When I finished it I get the impression the real principal character is Love in all its forms. I highly recommend it.

Time travel books are not my usual pick but I have loved all of Sariah Wilson’s books. This was not my favorite of hers but I still really enjoyed it. It had me thinking about what I would do in the same situation. Fun characters and definitely a slight twist to the time travel trope.

Every modern girl needs a 17th century Highlander to get her into the spirit of Christmas! If this magical, swoon worthy, love story doesn’t warm your heart then nothing will.
Our hero is chivalrous, romantic, and talented in more ways than our heroine can count. Will their love span the test of time or will it all disappear when the clock chimes midnight on the seventh day? Grab a blanket and some coco, snuggle in and find out! You won’t regret spending Christmas in Scotland.

This was the first book I have read by Sariah Wilson and I’ll definitely be reading more. This book was great I enjoyed the plot and the characters. The plot definitely kept my interest and couldn’t put it down until I finished it.

Maren Kelly and her friend Penny are lost somewhere in the Scottish Highlands in the middle of the blizzard of the century when their car suddenly dies. It's Maren's dying mother's wish for her to experience the magic of the Scottish Highlands, and lo-and-behold, Brigadoon style, a handsome Scottish stranger, Duncan Campbell, comes along to rescue them.

This was a cute story, but Maren's ability to just believe she was in a magic fairy tale felt forced to me. I didn't really get a good feel for the characters, so it was a little harder for me to get into. But if you're in the mood for something fantastical with the holiday spirit, you might enjoy this one!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

“A modern-day Ohio woman and a seventeenth-century Scottish laird fall in love at first sight in a magical holiday romance”

Almost Like Being in Love, while slightly implausible, was endearing and charming and a nice light read that’s oftentimes a necessary palate cleanser.

Thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Pub date: 11.14.23.

I love a good time-travel story, and bonus points for a FMC from Ohio, my own home state, but I struggled getting through this, short story though it may be. Between the way the characters so easily accepted the sudden step through time- and then adjusted to easily to all the changes (even down to no indoor plumbing) as though it was no biggie whatsoever.

The author spent a lot of time explaining the differences in holiday practices from then vs now, but seemed to ignore any other sort of differences, from technologies and sanitation to women’s rights/roles. I guess who cares if you’ve got Christmas feasts and chastely romantic hunks?

That said, if you love Christmas, and clean romance, enough to suspend your disbelief, this story may be more your cup of tea than it was mine.

Thank you Sariah Wilson, Montlake, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was a cute and heartwarming holiday novella and it had one of my favorite story plots: time travel. There’s something utterly romantic in how love defeat all logic (even chronologic) and I like how inventive writers get in resolving the temporary hiccup. If you like time travel in your romances, fun tidbits about Christmas, and a Highlander that could charm your pants off, this one is for you!

Maren travels to Scotland with her best friend Penny. They end up in a very bad snow storm and their car simply gave up on them. Luckily they were found and brought to Highglen, a magical time bubble and Maren instantly fell in love with the laird, Duncan Campbell.

The courtship was really cute, and while I usually don’t like characters falling in love that instantly (there wasn’t even a meet cute) I could easily look past that, because (1) this was a novella and (2) Duncan Campbell was the sweetest charmer out there since centuries.

I really liked this novella and at times I wished it was a full fledged novel. It would have been so nice to hang around at Highglen a bit longer. Maren and Duncan were really cute together and I thought they deserved more time to grow even more fond of each other before moving on to the I-love-you-stage, but there was simply no time and that was okay, I really enjoyed their cuteness anyway.

Wonderful story!

This book was so good! Fanciful, magical and beautiful. Set in parallel times between modern day and Scotland at varying times, a story of time travel and love that knows no time.

Maren travels to Scotland to find her uncle, it’s her mother’s dying wish to find out what happened to her brother. She never could have imagined what she found, yet it all somehow makes sense. It was a fast read, holiday book that I enjoyed.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book but my opinions are my own.

Sariah Wilson is an automatic read author for me.

This is a whimsical, magical Scottish romance with a sprinkling of interesting historical information about Christmas traditions.

The blurb:

"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?"

Many thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars! What a lovely, romantic story! A delightful homage to one of my favorite musicals, "Brigadoon". I could hear Gene Kelly in my head singing the title's song as I read. I really enjoy reading this and will probably read it again to get me into the holiday spirit when it's released in November.

Wilson has once again combined the best elements of a sweet love story with the characters' challenges around making tough decisions while providing the reader with lots of lovely snarky dialogue. Oh yeah, and a little bit of magic.

No profanity or sex scenes...just some smoldering and longing glances and kisses.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.

I am a fan of books like Outlander - heroine goes back in time and meets hunky Scotsman. Yes you have to suspend your idea of reality but it drags you in. In “Almost Like Being in Love” Maren and her best friend Penny travel to Scotland at Christmas in search of her uncle who had disappeared in the highlands. After getting caught in a freak snowstorm and their car breaking down they do the incredibly “smart” thing - they get out of their car in the middle of nowhere (remember it’s snowing) thinking they “saw a light.” Enter said hunky Scotsman (from the 1600’s) who saves them before they die of hyperthermia taking them to his magical Christmas village where he (gasp!) falls madly, immediately in love with Maren.

Now don’t get me wrong - I love a Hallmark Christmas movie and this seemed to be ripped right out of a script. I’m sorry, though - this was too cringy even for me. Now I know it’s a novella so there is little time to build up the angst… but come on, give me a little tension between the male and female protagonists. I wanted to like it but found myself cringing way to much.