If you are looking for romantic listens this Winter, here is our list of Best Women Loving Women Romance Audiobooks for Valentine’s 2022.
Finding Jessica Lambert by Clare Ashton, narrated by Gabrielle Baker
Celebrity Romance / Age-Gap
This was such an amazing read. Finding Jessica Lambert is a masterclass on how to build chemistry between two apparently very different characters – in age, race, and personality – and make it work effortlessly. It is also an age-gap romance about overcoming inner demons, imaginary and real. Ms. Baker’s performance of feelings and her different accents were spot-on.
When you least expect it by Haley Cass, narrated by Lori Prince
Romance / Coming Out
Ms. Cass knows how to write the “will they, won’t they” push/pull of a romance, as this is a coming out story, there is a lot of little moments that slowly build the chemistry between the leads until it inexorably explodes. Lori Prince narrated the audio version and did a spectacular job. The emotions and feelings in this book are very raw and Ms. Prince absolutely nailed them.
Under a falling star by Jae, narrated by Abby Craden
Slow-burn Romance / Ice Queen / Holidays
If you’ve read Jae’s books you know that this author writes slow-burn romances exceptionally well. Jae builds the attraction between the mains and their chemistry skillfully with each passing interaction. At a point, the tension is so thick that keeps the reader turning pages and hoping for a happy resolution. I loved how Ms. Craden brought both main characters to life and how their interactions felt natural and genuine. Very recommendable even outside of the holiday season.
Winter Jacket Series by Eliza Lentzski, narrated by Angela Dawe
Traditional Romance / Teacher-Student / Age-Gap
This series of four audiobooks is absolutely fantastic, listen to Elle and Hunter falling in love and struggling to keep their relationship afloat through life challenges. Angela Dawe’s performance is a fantastic tour de force and Hunter’s voice is sexy as hell.
The AM Show by T.B. Markinson and Miranda Macleod, narrated by Lori Prince
Workplace Romance / Age-Gap / Opposites-attract
This is the fourth collaboration between Miranda Macleod and TB Markinson. These authors’ styles are very compatible and together they create stories that are equally fun, romantic and hot. Lori Prince narrated the audiobook version and she is a perfect match for this story. I have said this before, but I have to repeat myself as Ms. Prince shows again that she has a fantastic comedic timing that she uses to perfection in this narration.
The Flaw in our Design by Monica McCallan, narrated by Lori Prince
No Strings Romance / Small Town
This was a very sweet no-strings-attached romance with the background of a small town. It’s a character-driven novel and the author does a very good job in fleshing them out so they appear authentic and realistic. Lori Prince is really good for this lighthearted type of romance (though she can perform dramatic books really well too). As usual, her performance is outstanding.
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston, narrated by Natalie Naudus
Sci-Fi / Romance
This was a fantastic coming-of-age book mixed with science fiction, romance and adventure all wrapped up in a beautiful writing style. The story has sweet tender moments, funny situations, and heart-wrenching scenes, mixed with fast-paced action, which is a rare combination for a rom-com. Excellent narration by Natalie Naudus.
Go Around by EJ Noyes, narrated by Abby Craden
Second Chance Romance / Thriller
This is a second chance romance with a crime thriller thrown into the mix which is a novelty for this author. I found that I enjoyed the thriller as much as the romance. Abby Craden’s performance is superb and she outdid herself here, something that it’s hard to phantom as Ms. Craden is usually magnificent in all her performances.
The Lily and The Crown by Roslyn Sinclair, narrated by Angela Dawe
Sci-Fi / Opposites-attract romance / Age-gap / Ice queen
Angela Dawe’s narration is outstanding as usual and does justice to the story. She really brings the characters to life, not only by their different voices but by the performance of their opposing personalities. It’s a pleasure to listen to Ms. Dawe switching in the dialogues between the sweet, naive Arianna and the icy, sarcastic Assistant. Her performance is a fantastic tour de force that enriches the story and brings it into life with a compelling quality. Flawless.
Sliced Ice by Lee Winter, narrated by Angela Dawe
Short Stories / Romance
This is a collection of ten short stories by Lee Winter, all based on different characters from her books. Ms. Winter is an expert in writing ice queens and there’s always one present in her books, hence the title. Some stories are better than others but, despite that, they all show Ms. Winter’s talent and sharp wit. Add the incredible brilliance of Angela Dawe and the result is a fantastic audiobook.
Bonus (audiobooks released in 2020)
Those who wait by Haley Cass, narrated by Lori Prince
Romance / Friends to lovers / Politics / Debut
I’m seriously impressed by this book, more so considering it’s a debut. Lori Prince was an ideal choice of narrator. This is exactly the type of book where she thrives: flawed but lovable characters, banter, emotional moments, and hot scenes. She nailed every single second of the 21+ hours of the audiobook.
The X Ingredient by Roslyn Sinclair, narrated by Anastasia Watley
Erotic Romance / Ice Queen / Age Gap / Workplace Romance
The audiobook was narrated by Anastasia Watley who doesn’t have many lesfic books in her catalogue which is a pity because Ms. Watley’s performance is outstanding. This is far from an easy book to narrate with so many sex scenes and many emotional moments but Ms. Watley nailed it. Her voices for the leads and even the male characters are spot-on. As a bonus, her southern accent for Laurie is perfect.
46 by Lynn Ames, narrated by Abby Craden
Romance / Military / Politics
If you are looking for a book with behind the scenes politics, a bit of action and power struggle but with a feel-good, positive (idealistic) message, 46 is for you. When I read the book, I had the impression that the characters’ chemistry was a bit lacking but trust Ms. Craden to raise the chemistry levels up a few notches. Her narration brings the characters to life, makes them human, and relatable and it improved my overall enjoyment of the story.
