15 Romance Novel Audiobooks that Combine Swoony Words with Great Performances

Jul 2, 2020

I had a brief run of listening to audiobooks when I had a long car commute in bumper to bumper traffic, but then the pandemic started and now I have no commute. Yay? I tend to mostly consume my romance in text, but for a variety of reasons some romance readers love audiobooks!

There are lots of benefits of audiobooks (hrm, in fact a lot of them are also benefits of podcasts, just saying, no ulterior motive) - but one potential issue is that you're adding in one more variable to the artistic equation: the narration performance. A ho-hum narrator can ruin a fantastic swoony romance, and a fabulous narrator can enhance it and take it up another notch.

So, given that I'm no audiobook expert, I asked listeners for their recommendations for romance audiobooks that combine an already fantastic romance with an amazing vocal performance that makes it extra enjoyable. Here are 15 recommendations to get you started or add to your existing catalog of romance audiobooks.

(Here’s the Full Twitter Thread with even more recommendations!)

Heidi's Guide to Four Letter Words

• Tara Sivec (Author), Andi Arndt (Author, Narrator)
• Recommended by @Sumbookfreak “funny and sweet with a great narrator- Andi Arndt”

Getting Schooled

• Christina C. Jones (Author), Sean Crisden (Narrator), Adenrele Ojo (Narrator)
• Recommended by @DanieReads “Getting Schooled by Christina C. Jones was a great audiobook. Narrated by Sean Crisden and Adenrele Ojo.”

Thirsty

• Mia Hopkins (Author), Ozzie Rodriguez (Narrator)
• Recommended by @DanieReads “Thirsty by Mia Hopkins was also great. Narrated by Ozzie Rodriguez.”

Get a Life Chloe Brown

• Talia Hibbert (Author), Adjoa Andoh (Narrator)
• Recommended by @megpyre “I LOVE the reader for Get a Life, Chloe Brown”

Destiny’s Surrender

• Beverly Jenkins (Author), Thomas Penny (Narrator)
• Recommended by @BookishKelly “I've really enjoyed Thomas Penny's narration of Beverly Jenkins' Destiny series.”

The Warlord Wants Forever (Immortals After Dark #1)

• Kresley Cole (Author), Robert Petkoff (Narrator)
• Recommended by @BookishKelly “Robert Petkoff reading Kresley Cole's Immortals After Dark is absolute perfection.”

Stay with Me: Strickland Sisters Series, Book 1

• Alexandria House (Author), Sean Crisden (Narrator), Mari (Narrator)
• Recommended by @summerreadsrom

Pulling Doubles: Wright Brothers, Book 2

• Christina C. Jones (Author), Sean Crisden (Narrator), Adenrele Ojo (Narrator)
• Recommended by @summerreadsrom

Give Me Fever

• Niobia Bryant (Author), Shari Peele (Narrator)
• Recommended by @summerreadsrom

The Guy Next Door

• DL White (Author), Sharell Palmer (Narrator)
• Recommended by @summerreadsrom

Sweet Liar: Dirty Sweet, Book 1

• Laurelin Paige (Author), Carly Robins (Narrator), Shane East (Narrator)
• Recommended by @summerreadsrom

Destiny’s Embrace

• Beverly Jenkins (Author), Shari Peele (Narrator)
• Recommended by @aaliyahdwrites

Royal Package

• Lili Valente (Author, Narrator), Shane East (Narrator)
• Recommended by @SuziVanderham “Ok, so everything narrated by Shane East is a must.” If you like “happy funny romance” try Lili Valente.

Priest & Sinner

• Priest: Sierra Simone (Author, Publisher), Jacob Morgan (Narrator), Elena Wolfe (Narrator)
• Sinner: Sierra Simone (Author, Publisher), Jacob Morgan (Narrator), Morae Brehon (Narrator)
• Recommended by @CocoAnoka “The narrator for Sierra Simone’s ‘Priest’ and ‘Sinner’ somehow made the audio versions steamier than just reading them. Perfection.”

Glitterland

• Alexis Hall (Author), Nicholas Boulton (Narrator)
• Recommended by @sunrayravine “Occasionally, the narrator’s performance makes the reading experience better, e.g. GLITTERLAND by Alexis Hall. I found Darian’s Essex accent a bit annoying on the page (janarwhatamean), but thoroughly charming when delivered by Nicholas Boulton.”

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