Here are my top 5 listens of audiobooks released this year. All were A grades for content and all but one (which was a B+) were A grades for narration too.
The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren, narrated by Jonathan Cole & Cindy Kay
This romantic comedy (yes, I laughed) about a romance author and a TV producer working together on a reality dating show was so much fun. Fizzy (the female lead) was hilarious and I loved her. I said this in my review:
The romance between Connor and Fizzy is wonderful. Sexy and charming and sweet and just great. I enjoyed the characters separately but together they were something even better.
Drowning by TJ Newman, narrated by Steven Weber & Laura Benanti
I stumbled across the author on Twitter (yes I still call it Twitter) talking about this book before it came out. It made me read her debut (Falling, which I also reviewed here) and I snagged this one as soon as it was released. Mostly it’s a ripping thriller but there is something in it for romance listeners too. Both books are being made into feature films. My review of Drowning is here.
Hello Stranger by Katherine Center, narrated by Patti Murin
Katherine Center’s sense of humour tickles me in just the right way and with Patti Murin narrating there was no doubt this book would make my favourites list. Funny and romantic, it also tackles face blindness as a result of traumatic brain injury. Last year’s, The Bodyguard (which was in my best of list for 2022) was my first Center and now she is an autobuy author. My full review of Hello Stranger is here.
Knockout by Sarah MacLean, narrated by Mary Jane Wells
Tommy goes boom!! Tommy and Imogen have been circling around each other since the beginning of the Hells Belles series and it was pure delight to listen to their incendiary romance in Knockout. Mary Jane Wells is a favourite narrator and between her performance and Sarah MacLean’s writing, I enjoyed the ride from start to finish. My review is here.
Magic Tides & Magic Claims by Ilona Andrews, narrated by Hilary Huber & Michael Glenn
This duo of novellas in Kate Daniels: The Wilmington Years are the only audiobooks on my list I didn’t formally review. Michael Glenn is a great Curran and Hilary Huber is fantastic as Kate. She completely delivers on Kate’s sarcasm and dry humour. I had been saving the stories and so went into the audiobook completely unaware of what would happen. For fans of Kate Daniels, this audio duo is a must. Definitely recommend.
What were your favourites in 2023? Let us know in the comments!
Kaetrin
I, too, really enjoyed Hello Stranger, Drowning, and True Love. Other favorites included Carley Fortune’s Meet Me at the Lake, Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other by Bethany Turner, and In the Likely Event by Rebecca Yarros.
Oh! I’ll have to check those books out. Thx for the recs.