Making Merry

I’ll admit, I side-eyed the premise at first: *stranded spinster meets sexy ghost at Christmas* sounded like a Hallmark script gone rogue. But *Making Merry* subverts every trope it flirts with, and the audiobook elevates it further. Stella Hunter’s Vanessa is a revelation—her performance walks the tightrope between waspish intelligence and vulnerability so well that you believe this is a woman who’d argue Latin with a specter *and* melt when he recites Burns in Gaelic. Shane East, meanwhile, doesn’t just *play* the ghost; he *is* the ghost, his voice a rough purr that somehow conveys centuries of sorrow without tipping into melodrama. Their back-and-forth in the opening scenes had me laughing out loud, but it’s the quiet moments—like when Vanessa reads aloud to him, and East’s voice cracks on a single syllable—that linger. The pacing is where this audiobook *shines*. At 2h42m, there’s no fat, no meandering subplots—just a tight, emotionally efficient story that balances banter, grief, and simmering attraction. That said, the abrupt time jumps in the latter half might frustrate listeners who want more scene-by-scene immersion, and the resolution (while satisfying) leans a touch too hard on metaphor for my taste. Still, the production quality is impeccable: the ambient sounds of the storm and the inn’s hearth are subtle but immersive, never overwhelming the narration. If you love historical romance but are weary of wallpaper-historical fluff, or if you’re craving a holiday listen with actual teeth, this is your audiobook. Just don’t blame me if you start Googling Jacobite history afterward—Byrne’s research is that infectious.