New Reviews: Romantic Fiction

Narrators Andi Arndt and Sebastian York mesmerize listeners in this small-town suspenseful romance. Ridley Sawyer is a true-crime podcaster who is traveling across the country solving cold cases. She's also hoping to solve the mystery of what happened to her sister, who disappeared years earlier. Sheriff Colter Brooks doesn't like people snooping around his town, stirring up... Read More

Tanya Eby narrates this story of friendship, romance, and betrayal. Beth owns a sandwich shop in Malibu and also volunteers at a food bank, where she develops a friendship with single mother Jana. Beth's brother, Rick, starts to date Jana, and, later, Beth begins a relationship with Jana's widowed brother, Teddy. Subsequently, Beth learns that Rick is cheating on Jana. Eby... Read More

Brooke Bloomingdale and Liam DiCosimo narrate this angsty small-town romance. Alina met Chase when she was 11 years old and fell in love with him before she even knew what love was. Chase was a bit reckless and never relied on anyone's love. However, Alina was the one girl he could always open up to. While DiCosimo's narrative voice is enjoyable, his performance of the... Read More

Resentment drips off of narrator Helen Laser's tongue in this enemies- to-lovers slow-burn romance set at an Elytheum Courts fan-fiction conference. Jennifer Worth uses the conference to escape a bad breakup only to discover that her co-worker/archnemesis Scott Daniels is an attendee. Laser plays up Jennifer's hurt feelings over Scott's denigration of her favorite genres and... Read More

Eva Kaminsky narrates the first in the Mating and Monsters comedic romance series. It's been a year since the infamous Duchess of Death (aka Darla Drake) has hunted in Camp Clear Creek, thanks to a severe bout of malaise. So Jarko has come to claim Darla's territory as his own, resparking her will to hunt--AND a little heat between the two monsters. With many audiobooks to her... Read More

Thérèse Plummer and Ben Holtzmuller deliver a captivating duet narration of this thoughtful romance. Stanford diver Scarlett, voiced by Plummer, has her future meticulously planned--if she can overcome her recent diving block, pass German, and ace the MCAT. With so much on her plate, relationships have never been a priority. Pen is a fellow diver on Scarlett's team. Lukas,... Read More

Narrators Kyla Garcia and Bradley Ford perform an angsty contemporary romance. Miranda, a fashion editor, loves everything about the busy city life of Madrid. But her boyfriend, Tristan, can't stand the fast-paced lifestyle and longs to live a simple life in the country and have a family someday. The pair have strong chemistry, but ultimately Tristan decides they should part... Read More

Accomplished narrator Moira Quirk brings her fine skills to this first audiobook in a Regency Era romantasy trilogy. Highborn Aileana Kameron is the last in a bloodline of assassins who protect Edinburgh from murderous fae. Now she must work with a powerful fae named Kiaran MacKay to protect the city when the ancient seal that keeps the hoards at bay falters. Quirk's rich... Read More

Narrators Julia Whelan and Connor Crais deliver unique performances in this short yet moving audiobook. Seth and Charlotte are neighbors who meet over the disappearance of their stairs from a construction mix-up. Deciding to remain on their floor over the weekend, the two connect and talk about their isolated lives. The narrators' performances offer a full experience. Each... Read More

Brittany Pressley and Aaron Shedlock charm listeners in this contemporary paranormal romance. Alex Lawson was once the outsider of her small town. Now she's Internet famous as the expert on the online fan forum she built for a long-running werewolf detective show. But she still can't stand the show's star, Devin Ashwood, whose career plummeted when the show ended. Waking up... Read More

Katie Koster will charm a wide audience with this fun romantic performance. Wordle enthusiast Emily daydreams at her dead-end job as a receptionist at a car shop. When her car's alternator dies, her co-worker, John, comes to her rescue, and the bland mechanic suddenly becomes interesting when he shares his own enjoyment of Wordle. Koster offers an authentic narration of this... Read More

Harrison Knights narrates TJ Alexander's debut historical romance. Needing to keep up appearances while in London for the season, eccentric Lord Christopher Eden reluctantly hires James Harding as his valet. Knights captures Christopher's somewhat persnickety nature, as well as the aching loneliness that causes him to make deeply awkward overtures of friendship toward his new... Read More

Narrators Victoria Connolly and Jason Clarke enchant listeners in this heartfelt contemporary romance. Millie loves her job as an entomology curator at a museum; now she has the opportunity to interview for the position of department director. Finn is learning how to handle his job at the museum while raising his nieces after the death of his sister. These two may need each... Read More

Dylan Reilly Fitzpatrick's playful narration captures the shenanigans in this romance between the spare Prince of Christmas and the Crown Prince of St. Patrick's Day. One shamrock is the only clue left behind when Kris Claus and his brother, Coal, discover someone is siphoning the joy of Christmas, the source of their magic, out from under their noses. To get it back, Kris sets... Read More

Tempest Mensah narrates this fantasy-romance and supposed comedy featuring mostly Black and demon characters. The last single person in her friend group, Rayna, a 36-year-old career woman, summons a demon lover using a spell she read in a novel. When it actually works, she proceeds to act like a spoiled brat while he protects her from his world. Mensah's outstanding acting is... Read More

Hazel Addison's dramatic delivery guarantees a laugh-out-loud experience for those who listen to this wacky romance. Just when Dory is about to earn her PhD in wildlife biology, she's attacked by a lion-- only to be saved via alien abduction. Now on an unfamiliar planet, Dory and her new best friend, Toto, a talking lion, navigate their dangerous new environment, which is full... Read More

Narrator André Santana riffs on popular tropes--one bed, fake dating, and second chances--in this queer rom-com. No one in Denzel Carter's family takes him seriously. So when he throws his hat in the ring to be CEO of his family's event-planning empire, he knows he needs a serious relationship to prove his maturity. Who better to fake that with than his first-love-turned-ex,... Read More

Fans of "Bridgerton" will devour this audio-only contemporary romance narrated by screen actors Nicola Coughlan and Gwilym Lee. Hattie Murton, reluctant star of the fictional TV show "Leicester Square," lives her worst nightmare when the screenwriters create a love arc for her with her unpleasant costar, Anthony Rafe. Coughlan channels Hattie's underdog quality, and her... Read More

Kirt Graves and Evan Parker charm listeners with this steamy rom-com featuring two 40-something queer men. Kent Lester takes pride in his career as a school principal, but his personal life suffers from a lack of romance. Enter Vincent Manda, a sweet, if high-strung, man with whom Kent has an awkward one-night stand. While both men hope to forget what wasn't their finest dating... Read More

Charlotte North returns to narrate the third--and final--audiobook in the Wilmot Sisters series, this time accompanied by Tim Paige. While visiting Scotland, Juliet briefly dances with a handsome stranger named Will she meets at a pub. Serendipity has the two meeting again several months later in Juliet's family's greenhouse. Will's best friend from college just happens to be... Read More

Karissa Vacker narrates this slow-burn romance set in the publishing world with verve and enthusiasm. Bryony Page, whose warmth and slightly frantic manner come through in Vacker's expressive tones, heads off to her first writer's conference. She hopes to find a literary agent to sell her debut novel, inspired by her beloved grandmother's creation of a center to teach English... Read More

Nirvi Shah's narration introduces romance to a gamers' group. Rose juggles her best friend's wedding, her board game prototype, and her obnoxious boss, even as she faithfully attends her weekly game night. Shah's voice sounds appealing and the right age for a young professional. Shah delivers Rose's eye-rolling humor with vocal expression as Rose matches wits with William... Read More

Narrated by Alex Finke, this rom-com follows Lenny, a young woman who has just lost her best friend to cancer and can't figure out how to live without her. At her new nanny job, Lenny meets Miles, the grumpy uncle of her babysitting charge who checks in on his niece daily. Miles is no stranger to grief, and he agrees to help Lenny complete a "Live Again" list that her best... Read More

Karissa Vacker delivers a quirky yet heartwarming performance of this reluctant romance. As her late brother's last will and testament is read, Maddie learns that his dying wish was that she scatter his ashes in a variety of places he never got to visit. Her companion, he stipulates, must be his best friend, Dom--who once broke Maddie's heart. She's furious at her brother, dead... Read More

Narrator Rosalyn Landor takes listeners to England in the early 1800s as the Dowager Countess Clarissa Ware rediscovers a childhood friendship with Matthew Taylor. Clarissa returns to her family estate to reevaluate her life as she approaches her 50th birthday. Working as a carpenter in the village is Matthew, whom she grew up with. Landor brings maturity to her narration of... Read More

Narrator Emily Mount mesmerizes listeners in this captivating fantasy-romance. England is ruled by an immortal fae queen who graciously grants each citizen one bargain. This year, the high-society girls are encouraged to bargain for qualities that will land them suitors. When Ivy Benton's debut season arrives, she plans to win the heart of the fae queen's son. Mount's ethereal... Read More

Narrators Christine Lakin and Matt Lanter deliver a heartbreaking and uplifting duet narration featuring a geographically challenged couple. Samantha, a marketing rep of mustard, and Xavier, a surly veterinarian, spend their first date locked overnight in an escape room. Shortly after, Samantha goes to California to care for her mother, who has dementia. Lakin communicates a... Read More

Billie Donovan and Marcus Calloway share a past, and narrator Carly Robins exudes all the drama that entails. Ten years ago, Billie left Marcus and returned home to her small town to become a baker. Marcus never wanted to go home, but eventually he had to in order to help his father. Robins accentuates Marcus's anger about being back home. But he's also determined to confront... Read More

Narrators Joshua Manning and Stina Nielsen transport the listener to Scotland, where travel writer Katie Campbell, known for her misadventures, is taking part in an Edwardian experience. Graeme MacKerrow has leased his ancestral home to an English couple for the three-week event. Both narrators skillfully handle the Scots, American, and English accents. Manning in particular... Read More

James Joseph narrates a queer romantasy about a young witch who is searching for his path in life. After he completes his magical apprenticeship, a prophecy sends witch Briar Wyngrave to the tiny island of Coill Darragh to start his magical career and to find his destined love. Joseph captures Briar's flighty and somewhat twee personality but also digs deeper into the emotional... Read More

J. Ann Thomas narrates this spooky story. For more than a century, 15 ghosts have remained bound to the grand Berkshires estate of Thorne Hall, which has been controlled by generations of Thorne men. Elegy Thorne thinks she, too, has to inherit the "spirit collection" when her father dies, but her contractor's son suggests another option. Thomas speaks her own eloquent words... Read More

Narrator Kyla Garcia takes listeners on a journey to find the Lost City of the Moon in the Amazon Rainforest. Dr. Miriam Jacobs is determined to succeed at her archaeological expedition when she is unexpectedly handed the lead from her absent mentor. However, journalist Rafael Monfils plans to sabotage the expedition. In that way, he can protect his mother's legacy. The... Read More

Golden Voice narrator Soneela Nankani takes listeners on a heartfelt journey of self-discovery in this sentimental romance. Everything about Mira Salvi's life seems to be falling perfectly into place. She has a great job and is engaged to a man who adores her. However, when she travels to New York City alone on an engagement trip, she stumbles across a lost ring that soon... Read More

Shane East returns to narrate the third title in The Highlands series, this time accompanied by Zara Hampton-Brown. Sarah, the shy housekeeper of the Scottish club Ardnoch Estate, has a secret: She's the author of a bestselling crime series. When she has the opportunity, she asks screenwriter and club guest Theo to adapt her stories for television. After initially declining,... Read More

Narrator Dominique Salvacion takes the listener to Sicily in this story of loss and found family. Aurora York is a focused motivational coach whose world is rocked at the unexpected death of her mother. She thought she had no other family, but a DNA test reveals grandparents and more in Sicily. Salvacion gives Aurora a determined tone at the beginning of the novel then... Read More

Listeners are in for a treat with this sexy Black romance loaded with substance and charm, wonderfully narrated in alternating chapters by Jamal West and Keisa Parrish. Sparks fly when Holland and Noble meet in contemporary Brooklyn. After a health scare, Holland, whose natural warmth and sincerity are invitingly conveyed by Parrish, longs to leave small-town South Carolina for... Read More

Carly Robins's warm, expressive narration suits this delightful rom-com set mainly in New York City. Therapist Nora's life is filled with work; time spent with her best friend, Dane; and caring for her lovable, anxious dog, George. In the seven years she has been anonymously writing an advice column for a London publication, she has struck up a friendship with her copy editor,... Read More

Narrators Caitlin Elizabeth and Bradley Ford delight listeners in this heartfelt college hockey romance. Ro Shariff hasn't always had the best of luck in love and is currently struggling with her on-and-off-again boyfriend. When she's assigned to tutor Matt "Freddy" Fredderic, the star playboy hockey player, Ro forms a newfound friendship that could easily blossom into more.... Read More

This audiobook, a rom-com lover's dream come true, is brought to life by Mia Hutchinson-Shaw and Lee Osorio. Hutchinson-Shaw is easy to listen to as she convincingly depicts Sawyer's emotions while adding depth and impact to the story. The chemistry between Sawyer and Mason is undeniable, and Hutchinson-Shaw delivers a nuanced performance as the saucy foil to Mason's brooding.... Read More

Come aboard an unexpected journey through the Scottish countryside with narrator Angela Dawe as she delivers a lively, comedic performance. Alice is finally taking her long awaited trip to Scotland in an effort to repair her broken heart. She embarks on a bus tour with a cast of kooky fellow tourists--quirky older women in search of adventure who are led by a charming, devilish... Read More

Elizabeth Knowelden narrates a light and frothy Regency romance. After a year of mourning, Young cousins Issie and Bella travel to London, where they are mistaken for each other. Rather than correct the error, they let it continue. Knowelden creates distinctive personalities for the two girls: She depicts Bella as charming and vivacious, while Issie is portrayed as more subdued... Read More