12 of the Best Romance Audiobooks to Listen to Now

The bookworm inside me shriveled when my firstborn turned into a nap-striking toddler. I grieved that I could no longer find time to read. But one evening, after my second child was born, I had a brilliant idea—I could put headphones in and actually listen to an audiobook while I rocked her to sleep for naps or bedtime.

I settled on an audiobook from the library app Hoopla and pressed play. My life changed. Seven years later, I’ve listened to at least 100 audiobooks. For mothers, I am convinced they are the single best literary invention since the Gutenberg press.

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Why audiobooks work for moms

Listening to a good audiobook lets you escape to the cinema inside your head—that means all those grown-up stories you don’t have time to sit down and read or watch on TV are suddenly available.

Audiobooks make a great multi-tasking tool. Research shows our brains are capable of processing auditory information while performing hands-on tasks like folding laundry, washing dishes, or the countless chores we do as mothers. So whether you want to be entertained or learn new information, audiobooks are bound to stick with you.

Studies also show that audiobooks make good company when we are feeling lonely. As a mom often home alone with a toddler, I crave adult conversation—audiobooks help fill that void.

And when you listen to a really good story, research also shows your brain releases dopamine, the feel-good hormone.

girl listening to headphones
Source: Taylor Caruso | Dupe

Thanks to BookTok, your “To Be Read” list likely contains many spicy romance and “romantasy” (romance-based in a fantasy world) titles. But sifting through all of the recommendations can feel overwhelming. After all, #BookTok on TikTok has generated more than a billion views. Plus, platforms like Audible offer around 63,000 romance novels.

What makes a romance audiobook great?

With more publishers teaming up with star narrators to offer dual-narrative perspectives (two narrators) and hiring theatrical production teams, certain steamy romance audiobooks have become like mini audio dramas.

Sound effects and music are nice additions, but the best audiobook formula is simple. It all centers on a narrator who understands the book’s pacing, flow, and dialogue and can capture that in a way that feels natural and suits the story’s overall tone. And to do that, you need a good storyline, too.

That’s why I’ve sifted through trending romance novels to find 12 books whose narrators and storylines deliver the best audiobook experiences that you won’t want to pause.

12 of the best romance audiobooks


Is She Really Going Out with Him?
Sophie Cousens

Is She Really Going Out with Him?

Spice level: 🌶🌶

Anna Appleby is a divorcee with two children and absolutely no interest in subjecting herself to the world of online dating. But as a columnist, she’s under pressure to produce content that will save her job. So, she proposes to go on seven dates found offline and handpicked by her children. The hilarity ensues as Anna puts herself out there—the mailman, a waiter, and against the impossible odds—a connection she never saw coming. If you’re looking for a lighthearted listen read by a British narrator, add this to your list ASAP.

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A Deal with the Devil
Elizabeth O’Roark

A Deal with the Devil

Spice level: 🌶🌶🌶🌶

This is the intro to a series recently published, each novel focusing on two new protagonists. In this first novel, Hayes Flynn is the one arrogant jerk our protagonist, Natalie, can’t get out of her head. As a struggling writer, she ends up as Flynn’s temporary assistant for six weeks. He’s beautiful and complicated, and the longer Natalie works for him, the more she sees that under his smug exterior is a broken heart.

While the enemies-to-lovers plot and beautiful main characters feel cliché, O’ Roark strikes with incredible emotional depth. And she’s a master at sexual tension that feels extra tense in the audio version. The characters work through trauma that feels real, so be prepared to be put through the ringer.

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Great Big Beautiful Life
Emily Henry

Great Big Beautiful Life

Spice level: 🌶🌶🌶

This is the latest read from the iconic Emily Henry–her fifth consecutive Goodreads Reader Choice Award winner for best romance of the year. I highly recommend listening to this one as an audiobook, as it’s narrated by Julia Whelan, regarded as the Queen of Audiobook Narrators.

Be warned, though: it’s not as lighthearted as Henry’s other rom-coms–in fact, it borders on women’s fiction. The focus is split between telling the life of a former socialite and heiress, Margaret Ives, and the two journalists competing to be the one to write her biography. If you like a story within a story or you’re a huge Henry fan, then definitely give this one a read. If you want something a little less serious, I recommend her other books, People We Meet on Vacation or Funny Story.

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First-Time Caller
B.K Borison

First-Time Caller

Spice level: 🌶🌶🌶

If you’re craving a cozy, feel-good listen, this one’s for you. Lucie Stone is a single mother with a good job (she’s a mechanic, which I love!) and a sweet family. Aiden Valentine is the jaded radio host of Baltimore’s romance hotline. When a young girl calls the station seeking dating advice for her mother (Stone), the interview goes viral. Sparks fly in this Sleepless in Seattle-inspired love story that feels right in line with a classic rom-com movie.

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The Knight and the Moth
Rachel Gillig

The Knight and the Moth

Spice level: 🌶

If you only ever listen to one romantsy book in your whole life, let it be this one. The narrator—another British voice actor—is wonderful and the book itself is a Goodreads Choice Award nominee for the best romantsy of 2025.

Sybil Delling is a Diviner who can predict terrible things before they happen. She’s nearly finished her 10 years of service in the cathedral when a mysterious knight arrives. Rodrock is a rude heretic, but irresistibly handsome. When her fellow Diviners start to go missing, Sybil must go to the gods for the answers she needs. Though she’d prefer to do it alone, a heretic like Rodrick may be the only one who can defeat a god.

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Bride
Ali Hazelwood

Bride

Spice level: 🌶🌶🌶🌶

A romantsy between a Vampyre and Werewolf told in duet narration—need I say more? Misery Lark is the only daughter of the most powerful Vampyre councilman, called upon to keep the alliance between the Vampyres and their enemies, the Werewolves, by marrying their Alpha leader, Lowe Moreland. Lowe doesn’t trust Misery, but who can blame him? Because she has her own reasons for this marriage—and they have nothing to do with politics or alliances.

This is another spicy love story with an engaging storyline and plot twists that make it perfect for audio. And Misery is the kind of main character you’ll find yourself rooting for. If you enjoy this one, I also recommend Hazelwood’s latest, Deep End, which is also told in duet narration.

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The Kiss Quotient
Helen Hoang

The Kiss Quotient

Spice level: 🌶🌶🌶🌶

Stella is our neurodivergent protagonist who feels pressure from her parents to get married and have children. She decides to hire a male escort Michael Phan to help her gain confidence in her dating life. They go on fake dates, but Stella wonders if there’s something real underneath it all. This book does an excellent job of representing neurodivergence. The audiobook takes a minute to get into, as it has a strange musical number behind the narrator’s voice at the beginning, but it fades. After that, I was hooked on the emotionally compelling storyline.

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The Rom-Commers
Katherine Center

The Rom-Commers

Spice level: spice free!

This one strikes a healthy balance of angst and joy with strong characters and great banter. Patti Murin is the narrator here–she does a great job with pacing, bringing the banter to life, and character voices–even an admirable British accent.

Emma Wheeler is desperate to become a screenwriter, but as her father’s caretaker, her dreams are on hold. When she has a lucky chance to rewrite the script for the famous screenwriter Charlie Yates—someone’s work she’s always admired—this might be her big break. Except, Yates couldn’t care less about the script they’re supposed to rewrite together. But Emma is determined to make him believe in their rom-com, even if she has to break all her own rules to do it.

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Say You’ll Remember Me
Abby Jimenez

Say You’ll Remember Me

Spice level: 🌶

Another audiobook narrated in duet, with depth and some pretty funny moments that help balance the heavier themes. Samantha and Xavier will have a meet-cute and a first date you’ll swoon over. But Samantha’s mom has advanced dementia and needs her attention, making any relationship outside her family feel nearly impossible right now. It feels like a hopeless situation, which makes this a bit heavier for some readers, but I appreciated the realistic themes.

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Onyx Storm
Rebecca Yarros

Onyx Storm

Spice level: 🌶🌶🌶

Heads up, this is the 2025’s Goodreads Choice Audiobook Award Winner, so I felt compelled to include it, BUT don’t listen to it until you’ve first experienced Yarros’ first two books in the series, Fourth Wing and Iron Flame. Yarros has become a legend in the romantasy genre, and I HIGHLY recommend you listen to this entire series for its fast action and enemies-to-lovers plot that will sweep you along in an epic, irresistible fantasy.

The production on this audiobook is next level—with four narrators and immersive sound effects, it feels like a movie instead of a traditional listen.

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The Kingmaker
Kennedy Ryan

The Kingmaker

Spice level: 🌶🌶🌶🌶

Oh my goodness–I love the duet narrators’ voices in this one! They are sultry and calming–perfect to listen to for hours. This story is told in beautiful lyrical prose.

This book features an enemies-to-lovers storyline between Lennix, a Native American whose heritage means so much to her, and Maxim Cade, whose family owns an oil empire—and plans to put a pipeline through her ancestral home. Maxim and Lennix meet at a pipeline protest, and sparks fly. But how can they ever be together when everything they represent is at odds?

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Every Summer After
Carley Fortune

Every Summer After

Spice level: 🌶🌶🌶

Every Summer After makes a great beach binge read, and Fortune’s 2025 novel, One Golden Summer, while not a direct sequel, is the perfect follow-up as they take place in the same “universe.”

Percy Fraser is our protagonist with a troubled past—guarded and avoidant. But when she’s forced to return to her childhood home of Barry’s Bay, she comes face-to-face with Sam Florek: the man she never thought she’d live without and he’s still there, as magnetic as ever. But for them to ever work again, Percy will have to face her past first.

Now, as a content warning and slight spoiler, we all have our favorite and least favorite tropes when it comes to romance, and this one does feature betrayal. The event in the novel definitely shook me up, but I appreciated the character development that followed.

I liked the audiobook because the narrator, AJ Bridel’s, voice fits how I hear Percy’s voice in my head. She successfully adds complexity and nuance to the dialogue and interiority, too.

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kris ann valdez
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kris Ann Valdez, Contributing Writer

Kris Ann Valdez is a mom and freelance journalist who covers parenting, lifestyle, and science-based topics. Beyond The Everymom, Kris Ann contributes to national outlets such as Good Housekeeping, Parents, and Scary Mommy. She’s also the creator of “The Guide Girl,” a Substack dedicated to inspiring writers to pursue publication.

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