I don’t know where the last month went, but it’s time to look at the cream of the crop (well, in our opinion, anyway) of the new and upcoming romance audiobook releases we’re most looking forward to listening to this month. As always, this isn’t meant to be a comprehensive list; just the things that most appeal to us based on author, narrator, synopsis or whatever else takes our fancy! If you’ve already picked any of these up, or are planning to – or have your eye on something we haven’t mentioned, then don’t forget to drop by and let us know in the comments!
The Same Breath by Gregory Ashe
Narrated by J.F. Harding
I LOVED the collaboration between Gregory Ashe and J.F. Harding in They Told Me I Was Everything, so I’ve been looking forward to listening to this, book one in The Lamb and the Lion series, which sees a wildlife vet and a con-man teaming up to find a murderer. The mystery is clever and the relationship between the leads is another of those gorgeous, angsty slow-burns the author is famous for. – Caz
Wild Wind by Kristen Ashley
Narrated by Stella Bloom & John Hartley
Yay! Another Chaos book! I agree with Kaetrin no none hour book should be titled a novella, though for KA this will no doubt be on the shorter side! – BJ
It’s a NINE HOUR novella! LOL – Kaetrin
Wild Sign by Patricia Briggs
Narrated by Holter Graham
Yes! The sixth book in the fabulously written and narrated Alpha and Omega series is being released this month! – BJ
I absolutely love Patricia Briggs, so a new book from her is definitely something to celebrate, especially when the fabulous Holter Graham is narrating! – Shannon
The Devil in Her Bed by Kerrigan Byrne
Narrated by Derek Perkins
I must admit that I have yet to get to book two in this series, but having enjoyed Kerrigan Byrne’s and Derek Perkin’s historical romance titles in the past, I may have to listen to both Books two and three this month! – BJ
The Dating Plan by Sara Desai
Narrated by Soneela Nankani
I absolutely adored The Marriage Game, the debut novel from Sara Desai, so I’m super excited to spend time with more of this author’s characters. Soneela Nankani has fast become one of my very favorite female narrators. Needless to say, my hopes are high for this listen. – Shannon
The Spare by Miranda Dubner
Narrated by Joel Leslie
The Spare is a cross between a soap, a family drama and a bodyguard romance set in a carefully constructed AU (alternate universe) in which the second son of Queen Victoria II is forcibly outed in the tabloids. I’m not normally one for royal romances, but the author has clearly done her homework on this one, and with Joel Leslie narrating it’s sure to be a fantastic listening experience. – Caz
Spooky Business by S.E Harmon
Narrated by Kirt Graves
I’m enjoying this series about a former FBI agent who now works for a police unit specially formed in order to investigate paranormal crimes. Kirt Graves did a great job in the previous book in the series, so I’m glad he’s back on board for this one. – Caz
Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert
Narrated by Ione Butler
I fell hard for Talia Hibbert’s special blend of romantic comedy and heartwarming sensuality in mid 2020, and since then, she’s been on my list of auto-buy authors. Act Your Age, Eve Brown, is the third and final book in her Brown Sisters series, and I can’t wait to see what kind of hi-jinx the characters get up to. Ione Butler did a great job narrating the second book in this series, so I’m glad to see her listed as the narrator for this one. – Shannon
The Duke Undone by Joanna Lowell
Narrated by Mary Jane Wells
A new historical narrated by Mary Jane Wells? I don’t even need to know what it’s about! – Caz
It’s a new to me author but a favourite narrator and the blurb sounds fun. – Kaetrin
Variable Onset by Layla Rayne
Narrated by Tristan James
I really liked this one when I read it last year; Layla Reyne’s back on form with this well-plotted romantic suspense tale featuring an instructor at the FBI goes undercover with a former student and they pose as a married couple in order to track down a serial killer. Tristan James can be a bit hit and miss for me, but he’s done some good work in other books by this author, so I’m going to give it a go. – Caz
The Heiress Hunt by Joanna Shupe
Narrated by Justine Eyre
Joanna Shupe is starting another series set in Gilded Age New York. I love this time and setting, so you know I’ll be buying this one as soon as it becomes available. Justine Eyre’s distinctive voice isn’t for everyone, but I find myself quite fond of the way she brings romance novels to life. – Shannon
Second First Impressions by Sally Thorne
Narrated by Jennifer Jill Araya.
The blurb appeals and my hopes are high. – Kaetrin
Conscious Decisions of the Heart and The Bridge of Silver Wings by John Wiltshire
Narrated by Gary Furlong
Books two and three in the More Heat Than the Sun series are out in March – it’s really difficult to encapsulate these stories in a few lines, so I’m not going to attempt it! Suspense, action, sex (lots of sex!) two gorgeous and compelling leads and some admittedly far-fetched plotlines make for hours of enjoyable escapism, and Gary Furlong’s narration – in the two I’ve listened to so far – has been outstanding. – Caz
I got the audio of ‘The Same Breath’ on the day that it was released but haven’t listened to it yet. I seem to be saving it for a time when I can have a good, long listen! I’m sure that I’m going to love it as I thought J.F. Harding’s narration of TTMIWE was absolutely superb and ‘The Same Breath’ remains my favourite of all Gregory Ashe’s books.
I enjoyed reading ‘Variable Onset’ but I don’t feel the urge to get the audio.
I’m very intrigued by the ‘More Heat Than the Sun’ series, so I’m really looking forward to your reviews, Caz, before getting stuck into such a lengthy series.
The Wiltshire series is oddly compelling! I’ve compared it to the Cut and Run series by Abigail Roux – have you read/listened to any of those? (They date from the mid 2000s). Lots of action, over the top (and frequently daft) plots – and completely addictive! My review for the first one should run fairly soon.
I came to the conclusion at the end of the first H&S series, that TJ was never going to be an A-grade narrator for me, and I now stick to print (gah – just think what JFH would have made of those books!) But I haven’t listened to him for quite a while so I thought I might give the Reyne a try.
No, I haven’t read or listened to any of the Roux books. Only books 6-9 seem to be available in ebook or audio. Possibly an issue with the publisher?
It is, yes. Books 1-5 were published by a different publisher (in the case of the audios, two different publishers). I found some old posts on GR from 5 years ago with Abigail Roux saying she intended to re-edit and republish the series once she got her rights back from Dreamspinner – and that was apparently in 2018/2019. Maybe something is in the works, but I can’t find anything more recent than that. It’s a shame it’s disappeared – it’s a seminal series that was insanely popular.
I went to Audible to look at The Spare, and the narrator is listed on the cover as Joel Leslie and in the text credits as Joel L. Froomkin, which I’m assuming is the same person. All this to say, I then looked and found out he’s narrated a bunch of Sherri Cobb South books under that name, so now I’m thinking I’ll be listening to the John Pickett Mystery on my TBR list instead of reading it. Yay! :-)
I don’t know what happened there. Joel Leslie Froomkin goes by Leslie for m/m and Froomkin for pretty much everything else (including YA) and he announces himself as Froomkin at the beginning of this one. Which I found odd as the romance in the book is an m/m one. But yes, it’s him. Btw, you might want to check out my review of the book at AAR; there’s a LOT of family drama (even though it’s a royal family in this one!)
Thanks for that heads up, Caz. I read the review and I think you may be right–too much family drama. Honestly, I wish my tolerance for certain stressors was higher! I miss a lot of good books and movies/shows because of it. But thankfully there are a lot of good books to read, so I’m still busy. :-)
It’s part m/m romance, part family drama – in the sense that the story widens out to feature the various family members, who have their own storylines.