Almost Like Being in Love by Sariah Wilson

4*

One of my favorite old Hollywood musicals is Brigadoon, so it’s no surprise that I really enjoyed this adaptation set at Christmas. Unlike the film, in which the quaint Scottish village appears out of the mist once every hundred years, this book’s Highglen appears during a week-long snowstorm at infrequent intervals in response to an unsuspecting visitor in need of some Christmas spirit. Four hundred years in the real world is a mere 7 years in Highglen, where it’s still 1647.

Maren and her friend Penny have left America in search of her uncle who disappeared about 30 years prior while on a research trip. She reluctantly leaves behind her mother, who has cancer, to fulfill her dying wish of finding her long lost brother. So imagine Maren’s surprise when, after her rental car breaks down, she’s rescued by a handsome Scottish laird, Duncan Campbell. It’s love at first sight, with a vague sense that they’ve met before, but can they ever have a future if she has to return to be with her mom and he has to remain with his large family and the villagers who depend on him? Is there a chance for a Christmas miracle?

Unlike most time travel books, this one doesn’t worry about changing the future by incorporating modern conveniences into 17th-century Scotland because the Campbells are able to benefit from the knowledge and resources shared by their visitors, whether it’s the culinary skills of a chef who appeared in the 1800s or Maren’s veterinary skills. Duncan has six sisters, and there’s definitely something in the air when it comes to them finding love with hapless visitors, including Maren’s Uncle Bobby. 

If you’re looking for a quick read full of Christmas spirit and a hunky, poetic, Scottish book boyfriend, this one fits the bill. It’s a love at first sight, sweet, clean romance with unchallenging dialogue, low angst, and the perfect chosen family.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Montlake through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.