New Reviews: Romantic Fiction

In this fresh take on a tale of trading places, narrator Joy Osmanski does an excellent job differentiating the voices of twins Charlotte and Ginny. Charlotte, an elementary school librarian, is vacationing at Harry Potter World. Rooming with Ginny, who is competing in a national pageant, gives Charlotte a chance to bond with her sister. Though they're identical twins, their... Read More

Narrator Rosalyn Landor portrays two determined souls who sweetly fall in love. When Adrian Hunter agrees to do a favor for his uncle, he doesn't expect to be married at gunpoint. When Camilla Worth meets the handsome valet, she too is shocked that a forced marriage is in the works. Landor does an exquisite job depicting the uncertainty and pain of both characters because of... Read More

Narrator Ryan Turner ramps up the voices of the two Texans featured in this romance audiobook. Both of them have the firm voices of those used to being in charge. Chase runs a hotshot security company, while Harper is the driving force behind her upcoming clothing company, Elemental Chic. Turner has their commanding tones range from Chase's lower register to Harper's lighter,... Read More

Zara Hampton-Brown narrates a fairy-tale romance between a principled duke and a former sex worker. Profligate rake Tom Powell recently became the Duke of Northfield when his father died unexpectedly. Lucia manages the Orchid Club, a popular secret sex club owned by a member of the ton. Hampton-Brown does an excellent job with the necessary accents. Tom, while British, was... Read More

The romance between Andrea Harman and Kyle Davenport is brought to life by narrator Angela Dawe. Though they grew up together, Andrea breaks off her friendship with Kyle to marry the high school bad boy. Years later, Kyle returns to town as Andrea's young son's teacher. Dawe does an excellent job voicing Andrea's son. Listeners will also appreciate the husky quality she gives... Read More

Narrator Mary Jane Wells shifts between Matt, the new Duke of Camberly, and his wealthy bride, Willa, as the two go head-to-head in their arranged marriage. Matt is a tall, athletic aristocrat who is trying to fill his new role. Wells colors his voice in a down-to-earth tone and resonant timbre that cannot totally hide his desire for true love. Willa's dulcet voice gives the... Read More

Narrator Brooke Hayden gives voice to the second installment of the Kings series. The King siblings' world is turned upside down when their abusive father comes back to Houston to facilitate a hostile takeover of their company. Eldest sister Journey hopes, with business rival Frank Evans's assistance, to keep her father from destroying their family. Hayden's odd pronunciations... Read More

Narrator Tatiana Sokolov has the listener immediately caught up in a fire in freezing weather in Boston. Out of the blue, firefighter Grant Cutter finds and rescues Wren Everett, the woman who unexpectedly dumped him months earlier. Wren had abruptly left him, fearing for his safety when her abusive ex-boyfriend tracked her down. Sokolov aptly conveys Wren's fear for Grant's... Read More

The daily discomforts, struggles, and successes of Annika Rose, a young woman on the autism spectrum, are masterfully conveyed in Kathleen McInerney's carefully paced narration. She brings in touches of hopefulness, naïveté and determination. Annika meets Jonathan at a college chess club meeting, and the two begin dating. The story moves back and forth between the two... Read More

Narrator Tara Sands has listeners feeling Maisy Kelly's total surprise when the architect she's hired to turn her aunt's mansion into a romance bookstore shows up at her door. The last person she expected was sexy Ryder Copeland. Ryder looks like one of the cowboys in Tara's favorite romance, and Sands gives him the perfect Texas accent. For Ryder's teenage daughter, Sands... Read More

The listener feels immersed in late-nineteenth-century London as the twin 10-year-old sons of James St. Clair, the Earl of Kenyon, seek a new wife for their widowed father. Narrator Justine Eyre gives the voices of the boys, who have driven off many nannies, a mischievous quality. Amanda Leighton knows she has the ability to tutor them and disguises herself as a man in order to... Read More

Narrator Lynn Barrington delights in Charlotte Darling's unconventional New York City romance. When Charlotte finds a passionate love note in a secondhand wedding dress made of pink feathers, she tracks down the man who wrote it--her new boss. Upscale real estate agent Reed Eastwood is portrayed by Sebastian York. For reasons unknown to Charlotte, Reed is now a cynical,... Read More

Antony Ferguson's narration elevates this somewhat predictable tale of a headstrong lass and a gruff Highlander in twelfth-century Scotland. Roderick the Grim finds a shipwrecked Lady Greer washed up on the shore, and, though she is a former nemesis of his, he takes her back to his castle to tend to her. After a night spent warming her with his body heat, romance begins to... Read More

Listeners will vividly imagine icy seas and the raucous laughter of a Viking hall, thanks to Greg Patmore's atmospheric narration. Aestrid Karisson is kidnapped by Picts and then rescued by her father's mortal enemy, Veleif Kollsvein. Patmore's resonant timbre and authoritative tone make Veleif sound like a gruff Nordic bear. As Aestrid nearly spits with rage at Veleif's... Read More

Seasoned narrators Justine Eyre and Tim Gerard Reynolds give voice to the story of Toronto nurse Eva and Irish bad boy Deaglan. When Eva is caught up in danger relating to Deaglan's past, their one-night stand turns into much more. Eyre, who reads the majority of the story, gives a high-energy performance and handily distinguishes between multiple characters. However, her... Read More

Ron Butler's splendid performance is the reason you'll keep listening to this steamy romance. Sixteen-year-old Vashti Alcindor got pregnant and fled the judgmental town of Catalina Cove in disgrace. Sixteen years later, gorgeous Vashti returns to the place she loathes to settle her aunt's estate. Sawyer Grisham, the hunky town sheriff, gives her a speeding ticket, and the... Read More

Narrator Soneela Nankani builds from a slow start in this textured story of Indian-Canadian matchmaking in Toronto. Raina Anand, who is nearly 30, submits to her grandmother Nani's matchmaking efforts until she finally rebels, taking the drastic step of pretending to be gay. In the first half of the story, Nankani's pacing is slow, and Raina and Nani's dating comments aren't... Read More

Narrators Shayna Thibodeaux and Deacon Lee make this audiobook shimmer with sexual sparks. Listeners will also laugh out loud at the story's corny jokes. Five modern-day college professors are about to try dating apps, but it may be too late for Millie and Reid. Thibodeaux portrays Millie, the smart, sarcastic sole female in the group, in a throaty voice and a tone that is... Read More

A wealthy condemned prisoner marries a destitute widow to provide her and her unborn child with a secure future. From this bleak beginning of this audiobook comes a delightful tale of unexpected love, artfully narrated by James Langton. When Quinn Wentworth is saved from the hangman's noose by a last-minute pardon, he gains a wife along with his freedom. The listener feels... Read More

Susan Bennett narrates a sci-fi romance set in a world teetering on the brink of galactic rebellion. Tess Bailey and her crew are out of luck, out of fuel, and on the run. Shade Ganavan has supplies and connections, but is he trustworthy? Bennett perfectly captures the uncertainty and worry that plague Tess, especially when it comes to the safety of those she cares about. Tess... Read More

Ashford McNab's narration of Hoyt's romance novels is always a treat, and this story is no exception. Freya de Moray, the daughter of disgraced nobility, is also a Wise Woman who is working as a companion under an assumed name. At a country house party, Freya encounters Christopher Renshaw, Duke of Harlow, whom she blames for her family's downfall. McNab gives Freya a subtle... Read More

Karen Chilton's high-spirited performance will have listeners rooting for Likotsi, a straitlaced, stylish royal aide, and Fabiola, an accountant with a flair for fashion, as the women give their whirlwind romance a second chance. Chilton's narration is brimming with chemistry, and her voice smoulders with a hint of raspiness. She brings out the bold yet distinct personalities... Read More

Two authors create a compulsively listenable royal romance, wonderfully wrought by Fleur Strange's nuanced narration. In an age of smartphones and social media, British Princess Olivia, aka Charlie, manages an incognito country retreat. While reconciling herself to an arranged engagement, an improbable connection develops between her and Rosie, a small-town cafe owner in... Read More

Narrator Rosalyn Landor excels at narrating historical romances, and the story of Poppy Bridgerton and Captain Andrew is no exception. Poppy stumbles upon a smuggler's cave and gets kidnapped onto Andrew's ship, bound for Portugal. Unbeknownst to her, Andrew's brother is married to her cousin, and he is on a secret mission for the government. Landor's rich voice vividly... Read More

A cast of characters, including a three-legged dog named Lollipop, comes alive for the listener in this contemporary romance set in San Francisco. Wealthy Caleb Parker and a tattoo artist named Sadie rescue a dog and decide to "co-parent" her. Narrator Vivienne Leheny has the listener vividly picturing the dog working its way into the hearts of the pair. Leheny gives each... Read More

Narrator Christian Fox brings a disquieting vibe to seduction on L.A.'s Sunset Strip. Waitress Lola and her boyfriend face a moral dilemma: Should they sell Lola--for one night--to wealthy investor Beau in order to buy their failing music bar? Lola's dead-end existence is given physical weight in Fox's weary narration. Through tone and pacing, he manages to build quiet... Read More

Narrator Jim Frangione once again draws listeners into J.R. Ward's paranormal world of vampires. Ahmare's brother has been taken captive by a sadistic vampire, and the only way for her to save him is to bring back what the vampire refers to as "his precious." To aid herself in the task, she teams up with Duran, who was held prisoner by the vampire for more than 20 years.... Read More

Narrators Joe Arden and Maxine Mitchell tackle dramatic material, including PTSD and sexual violence within a military marriage. Greyson, an Army psychiatrist in Iraq, and Caden, a military surgeon there, meet as helicopters carrying battle victims descend. Both are pushed to their physical and psychological limits during the war. When they return home, Mitchell and Arden... Read More

Despite an uneven delivery, narrator Teri Clark Linden ensures that this third Westerly Billionaire book is an engaging listening experience. When Rachelle Westerly accepts her movie-star brother's invitation to pay an extended visit, she never dreams she'll fall into the arms of a prince--that is, until Prince Magnus de Bartelbon of Vandorra steps in when she trips on her... Read More

In the first of a new spin-off of Frost's Night Huntress series, Tavia Gilbert's narration magically transports the listener to a modern-day world filled with vampires, demons, and other supernatural beings. Master vampire Ian teams up with an ancient vampire called the Law Guardian Veritas to break the demon Dagon's claim on his soul. Ian and Veritas hide their true selves... Read More

Set in 1920s England, this supernatural audiobook comes with a dash of romance. Archaeologist Saul and arcanist Randolph find they keep crossing paths, much to the consternation and hopeful delight of both men. Narrator Ruairi Carter gives all the characters in this romance, the majority of whom are male, unique voices, making it easy for the listener to distinguish between... Read More

Carmen Vine narrates a romance between an idealistic young woman and an earnest cop. Lilí Fernandez is a victim's advocate who also volunteers at a community center. Diego Reyes is a cop motivated by a past failure to make a difference in his neighborhood. Lilí is the youngest sister of three, and Vine perfectly captures her struggle to come into her own as an adult, rather... Read More

Justine Eyre's stellar narration brings freshness to the familiar story of a wallflower and a rogue. Shy Clara, who is temporarily running her family's newspaper while her siblings are otherwise occupied, overhears an infamous rake advising a friend on how to dodge a marriage-minded woman. Incensed, she prints the conversation in the paper's advice column as a cautionary tale.... Read More

Karen Chilton narrates a powerful story about freedom, choice, and responsibility during the Civil War. Daniel Cumberland and Janeta Sanchez have been paired up and sent on a mission for the Loyal League--a secret group of black spies. Neither is happy with the arrangement. Chilton captures Daniel's struggles after his experience with abduction into slavery: He is a broken man... Read More

In the small town of Lavender Tides, Shauna McDade, a grieving widow and pilot, gets swept up in a string of vicious murders. Narrator Devon O'Day's cool, steady performance moves at a moderate pace and is a perfect match for the Pacific Northwest town where danger lies at every turn. Shauna teams up with her late husband's best friend, Zach, to keep herself and her son safe... Read More

In this audio story collection, the characters' relationships range from developing love to instant attraction. All but one of the stories is narrated by a single voice, while "Can't Get Used to Losing You" is performed by Mark Turetsky and Tara Sands, who alternate chapters. The mix of long and short stories is set in a time before email, the Internet, and cell phones. Each... Read More

The seventh volume in the Highland Brides series, narrated by Gary Furlong, is a tale of mistaken identity. When Lady Evina inaccurately takes Conran for his brother Rory, a skilled healer, she is thinking only about healing her father--not marriage. Luckily, Conran has enough skills to save the laird. Does he have enough to protect the independent Evina from a murderous... Read More