Give me a movie that really moves me and it’s likely I’ll watch it again and again. They don’t have to be romantic tales – in fact, I rewatch more non-romance than romance if we measure movies by the HEA standard. What are some of my most rewatched movies? Gettysburg starring Martin Sheen, Jeff Daniels, and Tom Beringer, Spy Game starring Robert Redford and Brad Pitt, Onegin starring Ralph Fiennes and Liv Tyler, The Last of the Mohicans starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Madeleine Stowe, The Hunt for Red October starring Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin, and yeah – I’ll admit it – Legends of the Fall starring Anthony Hopkins and Brad Pitt. :D On the romance side I’ve worn out the Colin Firth/Jennifer Ehle version of Pride and Prejudice and have repeatedly watched several versions of Jane Eyre (my fave being the recent Michael Fassbender/Mia Wasikowska version), Firelight starring Sophie Marceau and Stephen Dillane, and Persuasion starring Rupert Penry-Jones and Sally Hawkins.
But when it comes to audiobooks, I absolutely require a story that includes a hero and heroine in a relationship that ultimately has that happy ending – even if it occurs in the last minutes. I far prefer relistening to romance audio treasures these days than rewatching those old favorite movies although they still call out to me.
Writing the Speaking of Audiobooks column over at All About Romance for the past three years means I have had little time for relistening to my old favorites. Keeping up with the latest romance audio releases as well as new narrators who are garnering attention, takes the majority of my time and I often find myself aching for one of my comfort listens – those audios that so completely entertain me each time I return – even if it’s multiple times.
I’ve made a concerted effort in 2012 to relisten more and the past few months have been full of comfort listens. I’ve experienced all over 
again Joyce Bean’s suspense filled delivery of Death Angel by Linda Howard. I’ve laughed along, yet again, to Anna Fields performing Susan Elizabeth Phillips’ Kiss an Angel and I’ve cried a few tears hearing Renee Raudman recount Haven’s despair in Lisa Kleypas’ Blue-Eyed Devil. I just finished Karen Robards’ One Summer – a bad boy hero performed as only Anna Fields can. And I can’t leave out Nora Roberts’ Carnal Innocence with Tom Stechschulte’s unforgettable portrayal of Tucker Longstreet.
Earlier this year it was Linda Howard’s After the Night perfectly narrated by Natalie Ross and Susan Elizabeth Phillips’ Dream a Little Dream with the dynamic Anna Fields – again. And although Franette Liebow can make Linda Howard’s To Die For a little challenging in the beginning, it’s a laugh-out-loud favorite of mine.
Next up is a first time relisten for me – Jeaniene Frost’s Halfway to the Grave narrated by Tavia Gilbert. I just finished the series and I’m dying to hear Tavia once again entrance me with all things Bones and Cat. Also loaded on my iPod ready to go is Julia London’s Summer of Two Wishes – an emotional love triangle convincingly delivered by Natalie Ross.
Even with all the recent relistens, I’m proud to say I’ve found ample time to listen to new releases as well. I’m just doing a better job of choosing those and I don’t waste time on books that aren’t working for me. If I’m two hours in and it’s more than a little problematic – adios. No need to waste my time, well, unless it’s a review book.
Within my comfort listens file, there are still a large number to choose from. That includes nearly every Susan Elizabeth Phillips book narrated by Anna Fields, at least a dozen Linda Howard tales, a good number of Sandra Browns, and a few Mary Baloghs, Elizabeth Hoyts, and Karen Marie Monings. New entries into the comfort listen file include recent titles by Kristan Higgins and Julie James. And there’s even more!
It’s not unusual to hear romance listeners at both Speaking of Audiobooks and the Romance Audiobooks Goodreads group state that they don’t relisten to a book – even one they really enjoyed. I often hear friends say the same about rewatching a movie – it’s not even a consideration. So, I find myself very thankful for this thing inside my mind that makes me want to relive a favorite tale. Yeah, I sometimes wonder if it has something to do with my memory…after all, I’m always surprised by one happening or another and I laugh and tear up all over again. All I can say is “Lucky me!”
Lea Hensley
What an honor to find myself on your list! Thank you for including me, and I do hope that a relisten will delight you even more than the first time! A new Night Prince novel will be out early next winter, I think, so there’s more to come! Happy listening! xo
*Tavia – I truly believe I will enjoy it even more the second time around. Now I’ll see Bones first encounter with Cat in a whole new way. :)
And I’m working on a review of Once Burned – I’m so looking forward to the second in the Night Prince series.
I never thought I’d want to re-listen to audiobooks but I’ve learned I was wrong. And I think comfort is exactly what I get from my reruns! You have me considering relistening to Carnal Innocence….
*Lynn – Carnal Innocence is one of my “go to” comfort listens -Tom Stechschulte combined with this story grabs me each time.
Lea – the second listen through of the Night Huntress series is the one that really wowed me – I’d gotten my own voices out of my head for Cat and Bones thus could flow right into the action and feel the romance perfectly.
Speaking of Tom Stechschulte, I’m an addict when it comes to his delivery style / his ability to imbue the correct emotion with just the tone of his voice – proven by the fact that Donna Alward’s sappy Harlequin Presents – Proud Rancher, Precious Bundle was worth the listen just to hear him deliver Wyatt’s frustrated bafflement over a baby. :D
But I digress, another comfort listen because Tom Stechschulte adds so much is Christine Feehan’s Ghostwalker series. She’s over the top in many ways but with judicious fast forwarding Tom S keeps bringing me back.
*My favorite comfort reads/listens are MINE UNTIL MIDNIGHT by Lisa Kleypas, SUNSHINE by Robin McKinley, DEATH ANGEL by Linda Howard, VENETIA by Georgette Heyer, and sometimes mine. I just relistened to FIRE AND ICE and was blown away all over againby Xe Sands’s narration.
I like to do a complete SEP/Chicago Stars relisten every now and then just because I know I’ll love it and laugh and cry all over again. I’ve done the Outlander series the same way, but its a bigger time commitment, so I don’t do it as often. Just knowing in advance that it will be great is enough. I’ve been known to do a relisten right after finishing a great book, just to recapture the feeling – plus I get so much more out of it the second time around!
And yeah sometimes I do it with movies, but not as much as books.
It may sound odd but a number of my comfort listens (SEP/Fields and Linda Howard’s To Die For/DDG immediately come to mind) feel like old friends. I start listening and I’m guaranteed a good time. I do enjoy relistening to the Outlander series but it’s not as uplifting. Although I enjoy that series immensely, I usually keep it paired with another listen to help the length remain a non-issue.
I enjoy listening to several Linda Howard books, including ones you mentioned, Lea. I also enjoy relistening to several of the SEP/Fields works. I’ve listened to Carnal Innocence several times, and plan to again in the near future. To that list I’ll add almost anything (unabridged) by Georgette Heyer, and several Jennifer Crusie books, such as Anyone But You, The Cinderella Deal, Bet Me and Faking It. Oh, and I’ve already listened to Molly Harper’s How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf twice!
I’m sure will be relistened to Envy by Sandra Brown and narrated by Viktor Slazek. And I’ll definitely add a few Bujold books to my list, including Shards of Honor and A Civil Campaign.
Lover Eternal by J.R. Ward on Audible: Jim Frangione’s voice is so sultry and comforting and perfect in his delivery. I love to listen to this one over and over…and over and over…again and again and again…