As Shakespeare said, “If music be the food of love, play on.” So press play on these new romance audiobooks with musical themes. With international locales, dual narration, and series favorites, there's something here for every listener. Versatile narrators take us from the local karaoke bar to international tours in giant stadiums.
Let’s begin with some memorable musical settings. LOVE AND HOT CHICKEN by Mary Liza Hartong, with narration from Dorothy Dillingham Blue, is lovingly placed in small-town Tennessee. It’s hard not to fall in love with the Southern cultural quirks in this charming romance. Blue shares the sweet courtship of recently bereaved PJ Spoon and her coworker Boof, an up-and-coming singer. Mela Lee and Preston Butler III present an homage to the Harlem Renaissance in A LOVE SONG FOR RICKI WILDE, a time-slip romance starring a florist and a musician. Lee’s versatility and Butler’s melodious voice create a spellbinding experience.
For some pub romance, try LAST CALL AT THE LOCAL by Sarah Grunder Ruiz with narration from Gary Furlong and Karissa Vacker. Musician Raine finds herself at The Local, an Irish pub, arguing with the owner Jack about his business strategy. Furlong’s Irish accent and Vacker’s emotional sincerity combine for a winning listen. Stay in the pub world with SING ANYWAY by Anita Kelly with narration from Aven Shore and Yvonne Roberts. In this queer romance, Sam and Lily find each other at the karaoke bar. Both are challenged to find the courage to be themselves, on and off the karaoke stage, and issues of identity are handled with sensitivity by both narrators.
Cranking up the intensity, RANDOM IN DEATH by J.D. Robb is the latest entry in this futuristic mystery series narrated by Susan Ericksen. When a teenager is stabbed with a poisonous needle at a concert, Lt. Eve Dallas has to track down the killer before they strike again. Ericksen keeps track of all the voices in this voluminous series and creates pleasing tension between Eve's calm demeanor and the terrified witnesses. And listeners can take a trip with narrators Joe Arden and Maxine Mitchell in BITTERSWEET MELODY by Kate Stewart. In sun-drenched Mexico, Natalie and her rockstar husband Easton seek to create some steam of their own in this tumultuous listen. Arden and Mitchell know exactly how to balance marital debate with heated intimate moments.
Let’s take this show on the road with audiobooks about going on tour. In the Earphones Award-winning GIRLS WITH BAD REPUTATIONS by Xio Axelrod, read by Benjamin Charles and Tyla Collier, rock star Kayla begins a relationship with tour bus driver Ty. The narrators have as much electric energy as Axelrod’s characters. Authors Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka explore the challenges of a second-chance-at-love romance between rock star Riley Winn and her old boyfriend Max in THE BREAKUP TOUR, narrated by Dan Bittner and Brittany Pressley. Pressley shows listeners there is nothing easy about being famous, while Bittner’s appealing voice confirms that Max is the one for Riley.
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