Best audiobooks in romance

An audiobook is a sound recording of the text of a book that you listen to rather than read. An audiobook can be an exact verbatim version of the book or an abbreviated version. You can listen to audiobooks on your smartphone, tablet, computer, home speaker system, or any in-car entertainment system.

According to the Audio Publishers Association, audiobooks help “build and enhance vital literacy skills such as fluency, vocabulary, language acquisition, pronunciation, phonemic awareness, and comprehension—skills that often boost reading scores.”

For those who enjoy love story books and want to listen to them instead of reading, you can get the audiobook version of them easily from Amazon, Audible, or other online platforms.

In fact, romance is the most suitable genre to listen to in audiobook form. Whether it’s a teenage love story that is so sweet, a contemporary romance novel, or a historical romance thrill full of intrigue. Listening to stories while enjoying the work of the wonderful narrators and getting the reader to open the thread of love stories is the best way to get to know these great stories.

Below, you’ll find a list of recommended romance audiobooks of every kind, with diverse and different characters ready to fall in love, and amazingly innovative audio recordings with great performances.

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

Sally Thorne is a USA Today bestselling author and best known for her bestseller The Hating Game. Thorne spends her days climbing into fictional worlds of her own creation. Currently, Thorne lives in Canberra, Australia

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne is a story about two people who are forced to work together. The main characters, Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman, are executive assistants who work for rival publishing companies. When their companies merge, their bosses become co-CEOs, and Lucy and Joshua are forced to work together. They spend their days antagonizing each other and verbally sparring.

This title is Sally Thorne’s first book and is now also available in the audio version, narrated by Katie Schorr.

The Hating Game was named in 2016 as a top twenty romance novel by the Washington Post and was a top ten finalist in the Goodreads Choice Awards romance category.

Additionally, The Hating Game was adapted into a 2021 rom-com (romantic comedy) movie directed by Peter Hutchings.

Bridgerton Series by Julia Quinn

Julie Pottinger, better known by her pen name Julia Quinn, is an American best-selling historical romance fiction writer. Her novels have been translated into 41 languages, and have appeared on the New York Times Bestseller List 19 times. Quinn has been inducted into the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame.

Bridgerton is a Regency romance novel series of eight titles. All of them were written by Julia Quinn and released between 2000 and 2006.

This series follows the story of eight brothers from the famous Bridgerton royal family, as they plunge into London’s high society in search of love, adventure, and happiness.

These novels have been adapted by Shondaland into a television series called Bridgerton which premiered in 2020 on Netflix and successfully swooned millions of viewers. The first season follows the story of Daphne Bridgerton and Simon, The Duke of Hastings, who became best friends before they fell in love with each other and eventually get married.

All the novels are available in audiobooks on various online platforms and most of them are narrated by Rosalyn Landor.

Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon

Diana J. Gabaldon is an American author, known for the Outlander series of novels. Her books merge multiple genres, featuring elements of historical fiction, romance, mystery, adventure, and science fiction or fantasy.

Her bestselling book that became a TV hit, Outlander, features time travel and a captivating historical romance in medieval Scotland and 1940s England. While fans might argue that Outlander isn’t a true romance because, it combines so many elements of other genres (historical fiction, adventure, drama, and more!), it’s precisely these diverse story elements that make it feel so immersive.

In this breathtaking adventure, Hall of Fame Narrator Davina Porter’s impeccable accent brings characters from different time zones and countries to life. He switches between British and Scottish accents with ease and introduces and maintains the voices of different characters for the entire audiobook, making the listening experience completely wonderful.

Nora Roberts

Nora Roberts is one of the most prolific and popular authors of our time. With over 230 novels to her credit, she has something for every book lover, from young adults to elderlies. Her latest trilogy, The Chronicles of The One, is a must-read for fans of epic fantasy. For those who prefer romance, her In Death series, written under the pen name J.D. Robb, is sure to please.

Roberts is very popular for her novels that deftly combine the romance and thriller genres. Her books are not only available in prints, but also in audiobooks. The romance audiobooks from several top-selling Nora Roberts titles include The Rise of Magicks, The Awakening, and The Becoming.

Talia Hibbert

Talia Hibbert is an award-winning British romance novelist. She writes heartwarming contemporary and spine-tingling paranormal romance. Critics have praised her for creating diverse narratives, with characters of varying race, ethnicity, body shape, sexual orientation, and life experience. Talia is best known for her 2019 novel Get a Life, Chloe Brown.

Chloe Brown is a 2019 romance novel written by Talia Hibbert and published by Avon Romance. It is the first book Hibbert has traditionally published and is the first in a trilogy after the Brown sisters. The novel was followed by Take A Hint, Dani Brown in 2020 and Act Your Age, Eve Brown in 2021.

Many of Talia Hibbert’s books are available in audiobooks and most of them are narrated by Rupert Channing. The ones you need to check out are, That Kind of Guys, Untouchable, and A Girl Like Her, just to name a few.

Emily Henry

Emily Henry is a New York Times bestselling American author who is best known for her romance novels Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation.

Henry lives and writes in Cincinnati and Kentucky’s Northern Ohio River region. She studied creative writing at Hope College and the now-defunct New York Center for Art & Media Studies. She is a full-time writer and proofreader. Her debut young adult novel, The Love That Split the World, was published in January 2016.

After writing several young adult novels, Henry’s first adult fiction romance Beach Read was published in 2020. Her books have been featured in Buzzfeed, Oprah Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, The Skimm, Shondaland, and more.

Emily Henry’s books are also available in audiobook form and here are some recommendations that you need to check on various digital platforms. These are mostly narrated by Julia Whelan.

• People We Meet on Vacation

• Book Lovers

• Beach Read

• A Million Junes

FAQ

• What is the most read romance book?

  1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

  2. The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

  3. I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston

  4. The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

  5. The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory

  6. The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

  7. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

  8. The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough

  9. The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

  10. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

• Is listening to audiobooks cheating?

  Listening to audiobooks can be just as engaging and enjoyable as reading traditional books. Some people might think that listening to audiobooks is “cheating,” but this is simply not true. The other benefit would be readers don’t have to worry about deciphering intonations, sarcasm, or other language tools that convey meaning.

• What is the most popular audiobook?

  The most popular audiobook of all time, according to Libro.FM listener is “Circe” by Madeline Miller. It’s narrated by Perdita Weeks and dubbed as One of the Most Anticipated Books of 2018.

• What is the Audible Romance Package?

  Audible’s Romance Package is the perfect way to enjoy thousands of audiobooks, best sellers, and Audible Originals. For just $6.95 per month, you can access all of this great content as an add-on to your Audible membership.

• What is the oldest romance novel?

  It was “Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded”. A novel by Samuel Richardson was published in 1740. It tells the story of a beautiful 15-year-old maidservant named Pamela Andrews, whose nobleman master, Mr. B, makes unwanted advances toward her after the death of his mother.

• What are the benefits of listening to audiobooks as opposed to reading them?

  Listening to an emotionally-driven narrator activates emotional circuits in our brain and increases the intensity and imagery of the episodes. This leads to a deeper understanding of the narrative and better enjoyment of the text than experienced by reading a book.

• What is the most popular genre of romance?

  The most popular romance genre would be romantic suspense, and many readers also enjoy erotic and historical.

• How many romance audiobooks are there?

  In 2021, almost 74 thousand audiobook titles were published in the United States, up from 71 thousand in 2020.

• What is the best romance audiobook of all time?

  Outlander by Diana Gabaldon was voted as The Best Romance Audiobooks to Fall in Love With by many book communities.

• What are the benefits of listening to audiobooks?

  Audiobooks have some great benefits for readers, such as:

  • Audiobooks build crucial listening skills for children.

  • Audiobooks help reduce negative thinking.

  • Audiobooks have the same benefits as reading.

  • Audiobooks help relax our eyes.

  • Audiobooks directly improve our sleep quality.

  • Audiobooks improve time management.

  • Audiobooks help build literacy skills.

  • Audiobooks immerse you in another world.