New Reviews: Romantic Fiction

Jade Wheeler narrates the first book in the Claw Haven monster romance series. Stranded in a snowstorm, Luna is appalled by a small Alaskan town's lack of fancy accommodations. Surly innkeeper Oliver isn't fond of the rude woman who's invading his werewolf pack's space. But after drinking from a bottle of bonding wine, they're "werewolf married" until they can get a magical... Read More

Holter Graham returns to narrate another Alpha & Omega audiobook, this time a collection of interrelated stories--two new and three previously published. When Asil's friends set him up on five blind dates as a holiday gift, the ancient werewolf unhappily goes along with their plans. But instead of finding love, Asil finds disasters that require his unique skill set to fix.... Read More

Regret, resentment, and hope are on the menu during a holiday train ride across Canada featuring multiple narrators. Lauren Irwin portrays Cali, who strives to reconcile with five estranged friends while heading to a Vancouver wedding. Ember, the bride's ex-girlfriend, portrayed by Nicola Barber, makes a thoughtful journey to exorcise regret. Siblings Joe and Joss (James... Read More

In a deep voice and an English accent, Cornell Collins narrates this romantic mystery. Aaron is a virtuous man, and that's a good trait for a detective sergeant in the Metropolitan Police. When his cousin's engagement is canceled after she seeks advice from another man, Aaron investigates. And after meeting handsome Joel, an impressively accurate handwriting analyst, his... Read More

Samantha Cook narrates this heartfelt cowboy romance. Sheena Patrick has done well for herself--all things considered. After her dad died due to illegal gambling activities, she managed to raise her sisters, doing the best she could. Denver King watched from afar, secretly being there for her when she needed it. Now, years have passed, Denver owes Sheena a favor, and she's... Read More

Kirsten Leigh charms listeners with her impassioned portrayals of a pair of lovers: Iris, a budding blue-haired witch, and Meth, a bad-boy demon who swears up and down that he's reformed. Guiding listeners through the streets of wintry Montreal, Leigh brings the couple's tumultuous relationship to life. In scenes that range from spicy intimacy to battles with fearsome monsters,... Read More

A PRIDE AND PREJUDICE reenactment vacation takes on deeper meaning with narration from Renee Dorian and Jamie Renell. Dorian captures Macey Bennet's excitement after she wins a trip to the immersive Pride and Prejudice Park in England. Renell voices Zane, who impulsively decides to join Macey at the park. They act out Austen scenes, meet other enthusiasts, and fall in love, all... Read More

Showcasing a broad talent for accents, narrators Vaneh Assadourian and Timothy Campbell enliven a sultry second-chance romance inspired by Jane Austen's PERSUASION. Eight years after breaking the heart of her first love, Arab American Naila Darwish is reunited with Basil Trevlyn, now an earl, at her sister's wedding. Believing they may have another chance for a... Read More

Dara Rosenberg returns to narrate Meltzer's latest heartwarming novel, a second-chance romance peppered with magical realism. To the shock of workaholic television producer Evelyn, her ex-husband, David, has been hired as on-set physician for her musical production of A CHRISTMAS CAROL. As the frantically paced shooting unfolds, Evelyn is in a minor accident but declines... Read More

Listeners will be charmed by Abigail Reno's narration of this holiday audiobook featuring the beginning of a couple's love story. A ferryboat breakdown in the middle of Puget Sound leaves passengers temporarily stranded. As Avery heads for lunch with her brother, she meets several other commuters, including Harrison, a Navy sailor who is visiting his sister. A small group of... Read More

Jeannie Sheneman returns to narrate the second installment in the Boneyard Key series. Sophie, a Boneyard Key native and ghost tour guide, is competing with transplant Tristan, who has moved there to establish his own ghost tour business. The two compete over which of them will become the most popular guide, but as the competition becomes more heated, so does their potential... Read More

Narrators Karissa Vacker and Will Watt delight listeners with this ghostly holiday romance. Harriet York isn't exactly Scrooge, so she's baffled about why she's being haunted by Nolan Callahan, the Ghost of Christmas Past. When they explore Harriet's past, both realize they're more connected than they thought, and Nolan begins to hope for a future with Harriet. As the narrators... Read More

Narrators Amanda Ronconi and Teddy Hamilton return listeners to Starfall Point, an island in Lake Michigan inhabited by ghosts and witches. When witch Cora Seaworth is attacked, Iggy Galinsky is accidentally hit with a tranquilizer dart, and Cora is forced to bring him to her home. Attraction sparks between them, and Iggy joins Cora in dealing with an old enemy of her family.... Read More

Ramona Master and Noah B. Perez dazzle listeners in this steamy holiday romance. Valencia is ready to let loose at a holiday dance party after calling it quits with her cheating ex. However, the last thing she expects is to run into Gideon, her high school archnemesis, for whom she experiences an instant steamy attraction. They make a pact to spend 12 days together--but will it... Read More

Narrators Kelsey Navarro Foster and Tim Paige have strong chemistry in this fun paranormal romance. Witches Azrael and Victoria, childhood friends, run into each other after Victoria investigates buying a tea shop that Azrael's parents used to own. During their exchange, they accidentally summon undead spirits and must find a way to save their town before a devil consumes it.... Read More

The highs and lows of a Scottish Christmas market come into crisp focus as depicted by narrator Hannah Curtis. She chronicles the return of Frederica Hallow-Hart to Pine Bluff, where she licks her wounds after experiencing a traumatic relationship and being laid off. Curtis captures Fred's awkward stumbles as she returns to the family Christmas cracker business and faces... Read More

Renata Friedman gives a glorious narration of this satisfying audiobook, which is part slow-burn romance and part heartwarming family story. After her grandmother's death, 28-year-old Seattle project manager Mallory is bequeathed her grandparents' Florida home on the condition that she help care for her "Gramps." Friedman captures the humor in Mallory's reluctance to leave her... Read More

This delightful second-chance romance takes place in sunlit Italy. After a disastrous public proposal, Ramin escapes abroad, only to bump into Noah, his high school crush and now a divorced dad traveling with his family. Their reunion blossoms into a heartfelt, spicy romance that's as much about rediscovery as it is about love. Narrators Corvin King and Vikas Adam bring warmth... Read More

Narrators Samantha Cook and Connor Crais deliver this romance novel featuring Charlotte Kendall and billionaire Jared Sterling. Sparks fly between them when they attend a wedding. Then they discover their one-night stand has led to an unplanned pregnancy. Jared wants to be in Charlotte's life, but her life is complicated. She has twin daughters, who are given youthful,... Read More

Narrators M.K. Blackwood and Will Damron give hilarious and heartfelt performances in this contemporary romance. Avery has always been attracted to her brother's best friend, Henry. When they both become stranded on a deserted island, she decides it might be time to give in to that long, lingering attraction. But falling in love is definitely not her intention. Blackwood's... Read More

Soneela Nankani surrounds listeners with the warmth of Toronto's Christmas festivities as she portrays the romance between two Muslim Canadians. Ruby meets Rashid at a Christmas tree lot and finds him to be a sullen Grinch. But Rashid's persona changes as he and Ruby communicate honestly and agree to Christmas outings with his two nieces. Ruby's dedication to holiday traditions... Read More

Narrator Jim Frangione returns the listener to Caldwell, New York, where vampires live, unbeknownst to humans. When Lyric, a female vampire, is saved from a flying billboard by a stranger named Devlin, sparks fly between them. Yet vampires are being hunted by "lessers," humans without souls, who want to kill them. Lyric's family helps fight the lessers, and Frangione ratchets... Read More

With a hint of a drawl, narrator Abigail Reno transports the listener to Texas. While Brodie Carter has been in town only a few months, he now owns an organic farm next to Audrey Ross's farm. In fact, Brodie's property used to belong to Audrey's family, and she wants it back. It doesn't help their complicated relationship that she dislikes him--but is attracted to him, too.... Read More

This paranormal romance is tenderly narrated by André Santana and Dani Martineck. Jamie, who uses they/them pronouns, creates haunted houses for a living and is frequently fighting their parents' disapproval over their gender presentation, especially as tensions rise with their sister's upcoming wedding. Martineck portrays Jamie's sarcasm, frustration, and passion with... Read More

Narrator Joel Leslie delivers a sympathetic reimagining of Mr. Collins from PRIDE AND PREJUDICE that grants him a happy ending. While keeping his portrayal of Mr. Collins in the realm of the expected, Leslie tempers it with kindness and curiosity, creating a complete character rather than a caricature. Mr. Collins is painfully awkward but always strives to do his best for his... Read More

The start of a new series, Hand and Heart, is narrated by Samara MacLaren. Grey Flynn is a knight with a magical well of power; her partner, Kier, is a mage who draws his power from her. They're childhood friends--and an extremely effective team in battle. When they embark on a dangerous mission to rescue a girl who is a prisoner of war, the odds of succeeding are slim. But, if... Read More

Narrator Eilidh Beaton whisks the listener off to a remote Scottish castle at Christmastime. Mirren Sutherland and Theo Palliser travel from London to Scotland to help Laird Jamie McKinnon locate a rare book hidden on his estate that will help save his home. A snowstorm strands the three, along with Jamie's sister, Esmé, and the housekeeper, Bonny. Beaton brings a Scottish lilt... Read More

Listeners will enjoy Amy Hoggart's charming narration of this fresh mash-up of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE and FRANKENSTEIN. Mary is a young, queer scientist who finds the real world drab. As her sisters are entering the world of courtship, Mary is more enraptured by her deadliest experiment yet: raising the dead. While her brilliance brings her the perfect partner, he comes at a cost.... Read More

Narrator Jefferson Mays, Swedish singer-songwriter Jens Lekman, and author David Levithan turn strong performances and storytelling into an unforgettable audiobook experience. When wedding singer J's girlfriend takes an open-ended job overseas, it sends the couple into fraught emotional territory. Mays balances J's charm and playfulness with his anxiety about the future of his... Read More

Narrator Bailey Carr enchants listeners in this heartfelt contemporary romance. After a mishap with a spell back in high school, Rowan Midwinter, a witch, decided to quit using her magic. Now her family has guilted her into coming home to help save the winter festival, which has no snow. She reunites with her childhood rival, Gavin, the son of the festival's landlord, who... Read More

Prolific narrators Brittany Pressley and Teddy Hamilton delight listeners in this romantasy featuring a merchant's daughter with a magical secret and the half-orc who rescues her. While traveling to meet her betrothed and transport goods for her father, Guinevere and her caravan are attacked. Nearby Oskar races to save the fair maiden. He then reluctantly accompanies the naïve... Read More

Mia Hutchinson-Shaw narrates this contemporary paranormal romance featuring a small-town Christmas with a vampire twist. Tiffenie Ruba is a 300-year-old vampire who desperately needs to get her life in order. When she unexpectedly inherits a bed-and-breakfast business in rural Vermont, she'll finally have the opportunity to live her Hallmark fantasies. However, she'll have to... Read More

Listeners will enjoy an enemies-to-lovers romance as grumpy Parker Harris repeatedly meets Amy Gibson at singles events. Amy remains determined to find herself a boyfriend despite a series of awkward encounters and first dates from which the cynical Parker ends up rescuing her. Vanessa Moyen and Lee Samuels shine at portraying the pair as they maintain their distance while... Read More