New Reviews: Romantic Fiction

The follow-up to THE SPANISH LOVE DECEPTION features the strong performances of narrators Jennifer Jill Araya and Noah B. Perez. When Rosie quits her job to become a writer, she decides to crash at her friend's apartment. But she finds the apartment already occupied by her friend's attractive cousin, Lucas. Then Rosie develops writer's block. She and Lucas agree to remain... Read More

Narrator Justine Eyre intensely narrates the adventures and love story of two archangels. Alexander of Persia and Zanaya, Queen of the Nile, the two archangels, have loved and challenged each other for eons. At the start of the story, the pair are in a regenerative sleep when they are awakened to help combat a third archangel who is bent on destroying the world. Eyre takes... Read More

In a knowing tone, narrator Kim Staunton shares two holiday romances featuring the Bennett sisters, Monica and Sebrina. Monica finds love with PI Landon on a singles cruise, while Sebrina falls for another doctor, her housemate, Parker. Staunton shares the sisters' reluctant attitudes toward romance, knowing, as listeners do, that they have both found their perfect matches.... Read More

Kit Swann's accomplished narrating skills are on full display in this third book in the Fifth Avenue Rebels series. Beautiful Katherine Delafield has waited patiently for a year to marry breathlessly handsome but bitter Preston Clarke after they were pledged to each other by their fathers. When Preston turns her down flat, Katherine makes up for lost time at a masquerade ball,... Read More

When a narrator writes his own audiobook, one expects accents and dialogue to steal the show, and that is the case with Joe Arden's literary debut. In the clever story, aspiring L.A. actor William O'Connell tries a fake Irish accent at an audition and finds that it opens doors to fame and romance. Arden contrasts Will's unaccented American dialogue with "Liam's" light Irish... Read More

Narrator Eliza Foss portrays Nana as she tells her grandchildren a true Christmas story from 1977. In Nana's tale, Peter the pastor and Hank the bartender switch places the week before Christmas, finding love and enlightenment in the exchange. Foss unwinds the story in a gentle old-time style that suits Macomber's wholesome message. Peter sounds more restrained, while Hank is... Read More

January LaVoy and Teddy Hamilton create a riveting listen with their animated narration of this romantic comedy, told through alternating perspectives. After going viral for officiating an impromptu wedding ceremony in a park, divorce attorney RJ becomes a highly sought-after wedding officiant. That is how she meets, and spectacularly clashes with, Lear, a wedding planner. Both... Read More

Austin Nichols makes his audiobook debut with his narration of Sparks's latest novel. Colby runs his family's North Carolina farm, but he's a musician at heart. While in Florida to play gigs, he meets Morgan, a singer who is on vacation before she moves to Nashville with the goal of becoming a star. Nichols's range is great, and his stutters of surprise ramp up the emotion. In... Read More

Listeners will fall for this adorable romance performed by Heidi Franklin and Ryan Vincent Anderson. Margot Noble has an incredible one-night stand--only to discover that Luke, the man she just slept with, is her new employee. Luke, for his part, is equally surprised, but now that Margot is Luke's boss, they know they can't be together. Franklin and Vincent capture the couple's... Read More

Narrators Ellie Rose Boswell and Dominic Burgess transport listeners to the 1853 court of Emperor Franz of Austria. To fulfill his duties to the Habsburg Empire and please his domineering mother, Franz has agreed to consider Princess Helene of Bavaria to be his bride. When Franz meets Helene, he also meets her sister, Princess Elisabeth. After an accidental encounter in the... Read More

Narrator Tanya Eby returns the listener to the small town of Wishing Tree, where dual romances emerge. While caring for her teenage sisters, Camryn is thrust into the path of Jake when his mother decides she would be a good wife for him. Eby aptly conveys Camryn's sisters' youthful enthusiasm. The second couple, River and Dylan, are brought together when they are elected... Read More

Melissa Moran brings a lot of heart to her narration of this queer holiday romance. When Morgan Ross's L.A. event-planning career falls apart after a disaster, she finds herself sent back home to Fern Falls for rest--and to salvage her reputation. She's been a stranger to her friends and family in her picturesque Northern California town since she fled years ago. Now she's... Read More

Shannon McManus delivers plenty of tricks and treats while narrating this follow-up to THE EX HEX. The latest story is set in the Halloween tourist town of Graves Glenn, Georgia. Gwyn Jones must face the pretentious Llewellyn Penhallow, her draining magic, mentoring young witches, and, above all else, tourist season. With this change of main characters between books comes a... Read More

Natalie Naudus brings the perfect mix of heart and hilarity to this chaotic but charming holiday rom-com. In need of money and without direction, struggling animator Ellie agrees to a fake marriage with a Portland, Oregon, real estate developer. But when they arrive at his family's cabin for the holidays, she discovers his sister, Jack, is the woman she fell in love with in a... Read More

Narrator Brooke Bloomingdale performs this hilarious audiobook about what happens when two scientists who hate each other are thrown together for the biggest project of their lives. Talented neuroscientist Bee Köningswasser has always looked to Marie Curie for inspiration while fighting to succeed as a woman in science. When she is hired by NASA for her dream project, she soon... Read More

Shakira Shute's plaintive, wistful tone mirrors used bookstore owner Nory Noel's mixed feelings about attending an extended pre-wedding house party with her private school friends, Jenna and Charles, Guy, Jeremy, and Ameerah. Complications ensue: She slept with Guy before she knew he was married, she suspects Amira is falling for her man-Barbie date, and she discovers the... Read More

Listeners will have a devilishly grand time with this rambunctiously robust performance by stellar narrators Quinn Riley and Stephanie Németh-Parker. College sophomore Cassie has been on a roll, hooking up with desirable women. One night she scores with an older woman named Erin who, she discovers, is the mother of one of her friends. Yet Erin instantly falls for her. Riley and... Read More

Narrator Ewan Goddard perfectly captures the anxiety of a young gay man and his bumbling attempts at love while being a contestant on a fictional version of Britain's favorite baking show. Paris Daillencourt is often written off by others as posh and unapproachable, but it's really his anxiety that makes him seem aloof. When he and a fellow contestant begin to fall in love,... Read More

Soneela Nankani and Shahjehan Khan narrate a madcap romantic heist. Mira Patel and Naveen Desai never thought they would see each other again after breaking up. But they find themselves seizing an unconventional second chance when they're kidnapped and forced to search for a diamond necklace. The different approaches Nankani and Khan take to narrating suit the two main... Read More

Narrator Lisa Larsen serves up a cozy autumn romance set in Autumnboro, New Hampshire. Single horror-story writer Amy Fox is returning to her hometown to care for her grandpa after he crashes into a donut store. When her car breaks down en route, the tow truck driver turns out to be her high school beau, Kit, whose flannel-covered form still catches her eye. Larsen's softly... Read More

Julia Whelan and MacLeod Andrews portray exes Frankie and Ezra as they return to college a decade after graduation for their friends' turn-of-the-millennium wedding. They wake up the morning of the ceremony in a dorm bed together with no memory of the past 16 hours. Together, they work on an emotional scavenger hunt to learn what really happened in their past. Andrews impresses... Read More

Narrators Barrie Kreinik and Emily Lawrence deliver a unique holiday story. When Miriam inherits part of a Jewish-owned Christmas tree farm back in her hometown, she leaves the comfort of her fiancée and the city to stress over seeing her estranged family again. Once there, she meets Noelle, a joyless recovering alcoholic who is working on the farm. Together, the narrators... Read More

Narrators Nelson Hobbs and Joy Beharie join together to bring to life the story of Malia Evergreen and Palmer Matterson. Malia has been handling the advertising for Palmer's wedding planning company. After she leaves the position, Palmer admits to his interest in her. Beharie skillfully voices Malia's uncertainty about her feelings for Palmer, while Hobbs brings decisiveness to... Read More

Narrator Cynthia Farrell brings to life the fictional European country of Eldovia, where this enemies-to-lovers romance is set. When management consultant Cara Delaney is assigned to sort out the king's financial affairs, she finds herself at odds with Matteo Benz, who works for the royal. Farrell gives Matteo a stiff, formal tone that reflects his concern about Cara's real... Read More

Narrator Sarah Nichols sounds like a full-cast recording in this rom-com whose ending is never in doubt. Good friends but never lovers, Emmeline and Will marry so Emmeline can keep her family home, Winnover Hall. If after five years no heir is apparent, she will lose the estate. Eight years pass with no issue, so, with a family reunion looming, the couple "borrow" two children... Read More

Eunice Wong and James Sie narrate this opposites-attract romance. Vivian Liao was a huge fan of comedian Melvin Lee--until she met him. Regardless of her antipathy for him, they'll have to see a lot more of each other now that Vivian's roommate and Melvin's famous friend are engaged. But somewhere between cake tastings and party planning they start to like what they see after... Read More

Listeners looking for a quick yet satisfying story will find that narrator Jim Frangione provides just the thing. Lawyer Claire Stroughton is thrust into a world in which vampires exist. When she goes to see an elderly client, she is drugged and locked in a basement with a vampire named Michael. Frangione aptly conveys all of Claire's terror. After she learns about Michael and... Read More

Narrator Barbara Rosenblat returns the listener to Harmony, a world in which people's psychic senses are enhanced. Despite having been kidnapped and accused of being a witch, Ravenna Chastain remains unflappable, and Rosenblat's delivery reflects that steadiness. Matchmaker Ravenna takes on Ethan Sweetwater as a client and is challenged with the task of finding him a wife.... Read More

Ryan Laughton and James Joseph narrate a fun, steamy, and heartfelt historical romance. Toby, voiced with humor by Laughton, stumbles upon an opportunity to make quick money by posing as a valet for an earl--but said earl is the man he once seduced and robbed at a roadside inn. In alternating chapters, Joseph shines as he portrays said earl, Miles, in a rich and inviting tone.... Read More

Andrew Eiden's narration is fantastic in this new installment in the Bromance Book Club series. The title can also be enjoyed as a stand-alone. Colton, a music star, and Gretchen, an immigration attorney, had one romantic night a year ago. Colton hoped it would turn into more, but Gretchen felt differently. When Gretchen's wealthy family asks her to persuade Colton to be the... Read More

Zara Eden and Cary Hite narrate a second-chance romance tinged with magic. After casting a wishing spell, Lucy Caraway can no longer say no to things that intimidate her. Alex Dwyer has returned to town for a birthday dinner and is surprised with an unwanted gift. Eden's portrayal of Lucy is charming, combining equal parts confidence and awkwardness and instantly rendering her... Read More

Listeners will become engrossed in this warm performance by Mark Sanderlin. Matthew Prince comes from all kinds of money, but his parents cut him off after he purchases an island. To his dismay, he's sent to live with his grandparents in a quaint town, and, even worse, has a roommate, a sarcastic yet attractive young man named Hector. While the reluctant romance that develops... Read More