Whether you’re excited about the 2024 Paris Olympics or a round of minigolf with friends, these sports romances will hit the spot this summer.
Let’s begin the first inning of this fabulous list with baseball romances. KT Hoffman’s THE PROSPECTS features minor league baseball teammates Gene and Luis, with narration from Shaan Dasani. As Gene and Luis grow closer on and off the field, Dasani hits it out of the park with well-crafted relationship building as well as distinct voices for teammates and sports broadcasters.
Next up to bat is narrator Joel Leslie with his reading of Cat Sebastian’s YOU SHOULD BE SO LUCKY. Leslie doesn’t just bring listeners a historical romance featuring a reporter and a struggling shortstop, he brings all the feelings—from Mark’s annoyance at having Eddie as his assignment to Eddie’s confident facade and internal fears. Listeners will be there for all the game day drama and the off-day romance.
No need to call an audible and change anything about these sparkling football romances. Enjoy the contrasts in Emily Spowage’s narration of WHEN GRUMPY MET SUNSHINE by Charlotte Stein. A football player and his ghostwriter fake date to hide their real partnership. Spowage manages to be both irreverent and elegant in this opposites-attract banter-driven audiobook.
For another friction-centered romance, Taleen Voskuni’s LAVASH AT FIRST SIGHT is narrated by Christine Mirzayan. Armenian Americans Nazeli and Vanya are vying for the same Super Bowl commercial. Despite their family’s antagonism, the two women fall for each other. Mirzayan’s bold, straightforward reading is smoothly delivered and full of warmth.
Hathaway Lee and Will Damron perform THE RULE BOOK by Sarah Adams. Nora’s reputation as a sports agent is on the line when her NFL client is Derek, a college boyfriend. Lee and Damron mix deadpan humor and awkward nostalgia into a winning combination.
It's coast-to-coast skills with these basketball romances. In Cindy Steel's THE ONE WITH THE KISS CAM, Nora and Duke get their five minutes of fame when a basketball game kiss cam spotlights them on their blind date. Narrator Justis Bolding depicts their slow-build romance with sweet sensitivity.
It’s coast-to-coast skills with these basketball romances. Narrators Lindsey Dorcus and Gail Shalan perform an impressive alley-oop dual narration in Anita Kelly’s HOW YOU GET THE GIRL. High school coach Julie Parker and former pro basketball player Elle’s love of the game soon turns to deeper feelings for each other. Shalan’s throaty voice and Dorcus’s eye-rolling humor pair well together.
In THE PARTNER PLOT, another high school basketball coach finds unexpected love—with his high school sweetheart, now a celebrity stylist, after a wild night in Las Vegas finds the two of them married. Aure Nash and Benjamin Charles tag-team the narration of this delightful second-chance romance.
Golf fans won’t be able to resist FANGIRL DOWN by Tessa Bailey, read by Callie Dalton. Imagine superfan Josephine Doyle’s surprise when pro golfer Wells Whitaker suggests she become his caddy. The sexual tension is immediate, while Wells’s golf game takes a little longer to hit its stride. Dalton’s voices for this unlikely couple are playful, romantic, and realistic.
For something a little more serious, Jenny Holiday’s CANADIAN BOYFRIEND features narration from Joshua Jackson and Emily Ellet. Pro hockey player Mike Martin reconnects with Aurora Evans as he looks for a nanny for his daughter. Jackson uses an appropriately somber tone that slowly changes as Mike’s relationship with Aurora builds. Ellet’s brisk pacing is matched with clear, appealing phrasing for Aurora’s interactions with Mike.
Let’s end with LOVE IN TANDEM by Becca Kinzer, read by C.J. Bloom. Charlotte and Zach enter into a tandem bicycle race, with the proceeds benefiting Charlotte’s music program. Bloom’s sensitive reading encompasses all the hilarious moments that bring Charlotte and Zach together on their whirlwind 500-mile road trip, as well as the contrast between Zach’s wanderlust and Charlotte’s small-town joy.
