Happy Thursday, you beautiful audiophiles,
I know the whole month of February is annoying because you can’t go into a drugstore without being assaulted by glowing, plastic hearts and chocolate bears. It’s…a lot. But I always try to be up for the challenge of reading books that are outside my comfort zone and romance/love stories are pretty well outside my comfort zone. I don’t know why I never got into reading them, I think I was such an angsty kid that I gravitate more towards books where terrible things happen and hearts are broken and never repaired as opposed to people falling in love. And, as you may be able to tell if you’ve been reading this newsletter for awhile, I’m still pretty into books where terrible things happen and hearts are broken and no one falls in love.
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So while I will continue to scoff at the hubbub around Valentine’s Day and brag about my cold, dead heart (just kidding, the love of my life is pictured on the left), I figured this is as good a time as any to listen to books I might not otherwise choose. So, I asked my Rioter pals, and came up with some titles that might be good for new readers of romance.
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Sarah S. Davis says, “One reason why Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander has such a huge fanbase is the series appeals to many readers simply because of its unclassifiable genre. Before I picked up the first book, I seldom read historical fiction or romance or science fiction or adventure stories. But the TV show was about to be released and I was curious. Boom! I tore through that huge book in under three days. Outlander appeals to all kinds of readers because this riveting page-turner is driven by an addictive mix of adventure, suspense, love and historical intrigue.”
Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs by Molly Harper, read by Amanda Ronconi
Nikki Demarco says “If Audible didn’t have buy two get one free sales, I wouldn’t have ever discovered the hilarious voice acting of Amanda Ronconi. She narrates Molly Harper’s books. I discovered, and loved, the Jane Jameson series. Jane is a Kentucky librarian turned vampire who is trying to figure out her new life. Having studied linguistics and being from the South, I’m a stickler for southern dialects. People from Appalachia sound different than people from Savannah. Ronconi gets rural Kentucky just right. In fact, Harper writes a character from Texas living in Half Moon Hollow, the setting for the series, and Ronconi nails the subtle differences in dialect. She has introduced me to other series such as E.J. Cooperman’s Haunted Guesthouse series and Rachel Vincent’s Soul Screamers.”
The next couple of suggestions are courtesy of Jessica Pryde, who is Book Riot’s resident Romance Books Expert and the author of the Kissing Books newsletter.
Destiny’s Captive by Beverly Jenkins, read by Thomas Penny
This fun listen is easy to follow even without the previous books in the series. Noah Yates is an Afro-Spanish merchant and shipowner from California who has a bit of a run in with a lady pirate in the Caribbean, who is also just a touch of a Cuban Revolutionary. The two butt heads (and swords) and have a heck of a good time.
A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray, read by Tavia Gilbert
YA Dimensional Science Fiction at its most interesting. In a relatively quick pace, a girl jumps dimensions to find her father’s murderer… any maybe find true love. The prose is fantastic, but for me the audiobook narrator really makes this novel.
This next recommendation comes from the esteemed Rachel Smalter Hall who reigned supreme over this particular newsletter for years and is a totally kickass human being:
Landline by Rainbow Rowell, read by Rebecca Lowman
Georgie McCool has a deal to produce her dream TV show, but she’ll have to miss Christmas with her husband to meet her deadline. Her marriage is looking rocky when she discovers a time-traveling telephone that can dial the past. Bring on the 90s pop-culture references and a strong female lead who kicks ass and takes names.
Suddenly One Summer by Julie James, read by Karen White
Rioter Jessica Tripler says, “James is an auto-buy, and I know I can count on her audiobooks, which are performed flawlessly by Karen White. A divorce lawyer agrees to take on her neighbor’s sister case. He’s a cocky journalist and she’s skeptical about love. They share James’ trademark mutually denied attraction and irritation with each other. It’s terrific.”
Katie McClain, Rioter and librarian extraordinaire is like me in that she does not naturally gravitate towards the romance genre but Sarah Maclean had been so highly recommended by so many people that Katie decided to give A Rogue By Any Other Name a try. She says, “I’m still not sold on the alpha-male romance trope, but I love the heroine, and I’m really enjoying how skillfully Sarah MacLean crafts her story.” From the publisher, “The cold, ruthless the Marquess of Bourne may be a prince of London’s underworld, but he vows to keep his new bride, the perfect, proper Lady Penelope Marbury untouched by its wickedness. This proves to be a challenge indeed as the lady discovers her own desires, and her willingness to wager anything for them… even her heart.”
A Bollywood Affair by Sonali Dev, read by Priya Ayyar
Mili Rathod was promised to her husband when she was 4 years old, and now she just needs him to claim her. But while studying in America, Mili meets one of the most famous Bollywood directors, Samir Rathod, and now neither of their lives will be the same again. NPR says of the book, “An impressive debut…Vibrant and exuberantly romantic, Affair is chock full of details that reflect India’s social and cultural flux.” Library Journal says, “This tasty Indian American confection will satisfy female readers of any age…A contemporary, transcontinental romance told with a light touch and lots of sizzle.”
Do y’all have any favorite romantic listens? Let me know at katie@riotnewmedia.org or on Twitter at msmacb.
Until next week,
~Katie