Here comes Valentine’s Day to sweeten our wintry disposition, and there’s no better way for audiobook listeners to get in on the fun than with one of these irresistible romantic comedies.
Ease into the sweet sounds of audio romance with Lauren Kung Jessen’s recent debut “Lunar Love,” narrated by Raechel Wong. Olivia Huang Christenson is all business as she steps into the leadership role at her family’s matchmaking service. When she finds herself playfully bickering with Bennett O’Brien over sweet buns at her favorite bakery, she little expects the handsome stranger to become her rival in a high-profile contest between her family’s time-honored methods for identifying the perfect life partner based on the Chinese zodiac, and Bennett’s flashy new online dating app, ZodiaCupid. As a fierce professional battling for survival, Wong isn’t afraid to come on strong, allowing her deep sonorous voice to become more soft and sensual as this star-crossed love affair waxes into a new phase. A classic adversarial romance enriched by its characters’ shared savor for their Chinese American culture and cuisine.
Drew Young, the heroine of Alexa Martin’s “Better Than Fiction,” is a reluctant entrepreneur, having inherited her beloved grandmother’s bookstore. There’s just one catch: Drew isn’t a reader, preferring to experience life up close and in person, through the viewfinder of her trusty camera. Enter the Dirty Birds, the store’s longstanding book club who attempt to arrange a love affair between Drew and bestselling romance author Jasper Williams, staying in Denver to do research for his next book. The pair strike a deal: She’ll introduce him to the sights and wonders of Colorado, while he initiates her into the world of books. Narrator Nicole Lewis creates great chemistry between her romantic leads, revealing the vulnerability beneath Drew’s flippant persona, but really shines in voicing the irrepressible supporting cast, bringing to life a diverse, lively and curious community of the kind that make bookstores and libraries such truly special places.
Real wit of the kind found on every page of Emily Henry’s hilarious “Book Lovers” demands just the right amount of restraint from a narrator. Seasoned pro Julia Whelan shows us how it’s done in her portrayal of jaded New York literary agent Nora Stephens, who knows every tired trope of the romance genre, and yet somehow can’t escape finding herself living one when ultra-urbane Nora and her wide-eyed sister Libby are plunked down in the small town of Sunshine Falls, North Carolina, like fish out of water. Who should she meet there but the bane of her professional existence, the even more cynical editor Charlie Lastra. Whelan never overplays her hand in the ensuing battle of wits, landing every jab and counterpunch without missing a beat, even as she deftly switches registers for the quirky townspeople and lovable Libby, whose own compelling role proves to be much more than a foil for her sister’s barbs. Even reluctant rom-com fans will find it hard to resist this perfect marriage of clever writing and pitch-perfect narration.
Thriller and romance fans alike will find themselves drawn into Alisha Rai’s fast-paced romantic caper “Partners in Crime.” After dumping blind-date mismatch Naveen via text, Mira is stunned to discover he’s the probate attorney for her aunt’s will. When it is revealed that Mira’s inheritance includes a $10 million diamond necklace stolen from a mobster known as Cobra, the pair wind up on an unexpectedly prolonged second date, kidnapped and packed off to Las Vegas to face the music. It is fitting that dueling narrators Soneela Nankani and Shahjehan Khan seem at first to be starring in different books, adding to the fun as the high-stakes action heats up forcing the couple to summon their inner action heroes, and wind up on the same page. It’s a wild ride, and a huge amount of fun.
Living with anxiety and prone to panic attacks, Paris Daillencourt might have chosen a less stressful place to meet his Mr. Right than on the set of Britain’s smash hit TV sensation, “Bake Expectations.” But it can’t be denied: fellow contestant Tariq Hassan is clearly flirting with him, and it is wearing down his elaborately witty defenses. Or might it all just be a strategy to win? Featuring a full cast of colorful characters centering around the reeling cogitations of its endearing hero, Alexis Hall’s hilarious “Paris Daillencourt Is About to Crumble” calls for a truly nimble narrator. Ewan Goddard is thoroughly up to the task, giving a tour de force performance of this largehearted tale of self-acceptance and healing amid a dizzyingly and delightfully off-kilter world.
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