Like in Love With You

by Emma R. Alban

Review

Like In Love With You was my first experience with Emma R. Alban’s writing, and it absolutely made me want to read more from her. Catherine, newly arrived in Bath, and Rosalie, who has lived there her whole life, begin their story thinking they’re in competition for the same man. Very quickly, they discover neither of them ever wanted Mr. Dean — they each only assumed the other did. What adds real depth to their relationship is the weight of their mothers’ shared past: unresolved hurt, misunderstandings, and emotional scars that have lingered for decades. Instead of simply stepping around that history, Catherine and Rosalie slowly learn how to acknowledge it, push against the expectations rooted in it, and carve out space for their own choices.

The audiobook made their journey even more immersive for me — the narrators captured Catherine and Rosalie’s emotional growth so clearly that I felt every shift in how they understood one another. I especially loved watching how their connection strengthened once they stopped competing over a future neither wanted and instead began confronting the expectations shaped by heartbreak they didn’t cause. Emma R. Alban balances tenderness, longing, and personal agency so well that I found myself fully invested in their ability to redefine what family legacy looks like. This was a moving, layered look at Regency romance, and I’m genuinely excited to explore more of Alban’s work.