This post is sponsored by Audible Escape, formerly known as the Audible Romance Package.
The Audible Escape subscription allows you to binge listen to thousands of romance audiobooks. You can borrow up to 10 audiobooks from the subscription at a time, return them whenever you like, then borrow more.
If you’re new to Audible Escape, you can try it free for one month. Then, a subscription is $6.95 a month for Audible members and Kindle Unlimited members, and $12.95 per month for non members.
Shall we talk audiobook recommendations?
It’s driving and traveling and waiting in lines season, especially if you’re headed on vacation. It is that time of year, isn’t it? I usually listen to audiobooks while I walk my dogs, but when I’m traveling, I try to find a book that I can immerse myself in.
And if I’m driving, it’s great fun to have the audiobook and navigation going at the same time because invariably I’ll hear something like:
He turned to her with fury in his eyes, a slight quiver in his shoulders. After one terse breath, then another, he opened his mouth and said,
“In one mile, use the right two lanes to take the next exit.”
SO ROMANTIC.
I seriously cannot underestimate how much I love it when navigation interrupts the dialogue at exactly the right moment. Le swoon.
Since I’m a passenger on our next vacation and not doing much driving, I’ll be listening while I stare out the window, no navigation needed. But my deep dive into the available titles yielded a number of great options. If you’re looking for some suggestions, here are a few that might make your upcoming travels more enjoyable.
Oh, boy. Now that I look at this list again, I almost wish the upcoming trip were longer.
If you’re traveling for awhile, or the rest of your natural life, and you want to start a series:
Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh, Narrated by Angela Dawe
This is the first book in the Psy-Changeling series, and the first sixteen books of the series are part of Audible Escape. A quick tally using my phone calculator tells me that this is over 200 hours of audio, and I’m not sure what trip you could take that’s 200 hours long. Maybe if you’re in a rowboat around the world? These books are so great, you’ll certainly paddle faster!
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The Mane Event by Shelly Laurenston, Narrated by Charlotte Kane
Shelly Laurenston writes some fun, hilarious, campy shifter books, and this is the first in the Pride series. The next eight books are in the Audible Escape collection yielding over 100 hours, so again, perfect for a long, long trip. And any journey would be enhanced by shifters, right? Be warned: these books can be silly to the point where you laugh out loud, and extremely sexy.
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Exclusively Yours by Shannon Stacey, Narrated by Lauren Fortgang
This is the first book in the Kowalski series, and I really enjoyed this series. Book three, Yours to Keep, is also part of Audible Escape and is probably my favorite of the series. I recommend these books for readers who like romances set in large families with complicated, realistic relationships between smart, and very funny people. All nine books are in the Audible Escape collection, so you can spend a ton of time – 60+ hours – with the Kowalskis.
If you love contemporary romance, and especially if you like clever dialogue and extremely sharp characters:
A Princess in Theory by Alyssa Cole, Narrated by Karen Chilton
Naledi, said princess in theory, is hilarious, and Karen Chilton’s performance only highlights her intelligence, and her sarcasm. This is also more than 11 hours of audio, so you can savor the narration and travel the world with Naledi and Thabiso.
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The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang, Narrated by Carly Robins
Amanda absolutely loved this book, as did our guest-squee reviewer Brooke, and the narration adds to the emotional pull and the delight of the story. Robins’ performance includes a variety of voices that are distinct but not distracting – something I really value as a listener. And, if you loved The Bride Test, the performance by Emily Woo Zeller is also part of Audible Escape.
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London Calling and This London Love by Clare Lydon, Narrated by Emily Bennet
Tara Scott recommends the entire series, and says they’re “very cute and fun romcoms, very British. The second, This London Love, is my favourite. It’s adorable.” The first two are narrated by Emily Bennet, while the third through fifth are narrated by Lucy Price-Lewis. So if you fancy a trip to London while you travel in any direction, this is a great choice!
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Tara also recommends the French Kissing series by Harper Bliss: “The narration is A++ good and it’s like a soap opera style story, with a few different couples being followed throughout the series as they go through various stages of their relationships. Super filthy, tons of angst, lots of fun.
“I highly recommend, but maybe don’t power through them at once. The first one feels the truest to the episode format, and each episode of the ‘season’ was released serially. So I read them as they came out and it was awesome. When I listened to it back to back, it was a bit of angst overload for me.”
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If you love historical romance:
His at Night by Sherry Thomas, narrated by Kate Reading
This is one of my very favorite Sherry Thomas novels, in part because the hero, Vere, is playing a very, very long con, allowing most of society to think he is a complete, though harmless, idiot, while really he’s more sharp and devious than all of them combined. “Learning the true you” romances where characters reveal their full selves only to one another are very much my catnip, and Kate Reading is a terrific narrator, too.
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The Governess Affair and the rest of the Brothers Sininster, narrated by Rosalyn Landor
Rosalyn Landor is a superb narrator, and if you’ve never tried one of her books, or you’ve never listened to Courtney Milan, hoo-wow are you in for a treat. The Governess Affair is the first novella in the series, which includes seven titles in all, so you can indulge in a complete romance in a little under four hours. That’s partway across Pennsylvania from Pittsburgh, or all the way through New Jersey and maybe Delaware, north to south if there’s no shore traffic, and if there is, no worries. Landor and Milan are a wonderful combination to distract you from highway parking lots.
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Indigo by Beverly Jenkins, Narrated by Robin Eller
Ok, first, I love this book. It’s one of the classic Beverly Jenkins historicals, and in 2012, waaaay back in the days of All Romance eBooks and the Smart Bitch Sarah Sizzling Book Club, this was a book club selection. This story has mystery, history, tense emotion, seriously hot romance, and a heroine who takes zero crap from anyone. And the narration of all of the above performed by Robin Eller is terrific, too.
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And here’s a bonus option from Ms. Bev: Nighthawk. I’m including this one for two reasons.
First, because the cover is a perfect compliment to the book cover, at right.
And two, the narration is performed by Kevin R. Free, and it is exquisite.
And, yes, it too is part of Audible Escape so if you subscribe, Nighthawk is included. (Seriously, y’all, this performance.)
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The Magpie Lord by KJ Charles, and the rest of the Charm of Magpies series, narrated by Cornell Collins
The Charm of Magpies series is very popular, but I hadn’t heard the narration until I’d listened to a sample while building this post. Holy smokes. Y’all. Wow! Cornell Collins narrates all five books in the series, which blends historical romance, alternate reality, magic, and mystery. That’ll take you on a fine journey, indeed.
If you like Jane Austen:
Emma by Jane Austen, Narrated by Juliet Stevenson
I’ve listened to Austen novels that I’ve already read a few times, and find that I discover new things about the story when I hear them. Juliet Stevenson’s performance is soothing and deft among the different characters, and made for an excellent listening experience.
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Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen, Narrated by Rosamund Pike
I’ve mentioned this audiobook before, and I’ve listened to it twice now. No exaggeration, Pike’s performance of this book is freaking exquisite, and one of my favorites to re-listen to. It’s up there with the Richard Armitage narrations of Georgette Heyer (which are also, hooray, part of Escape but, alas, abridged versions). The Armitage Heyers and Pike’s performance of P&P are at the very top of the list of things I listen to when I’m stressed or my brain is scattered. I love this performance, so so much.
And don’t miss…
When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon, Narrated by Sneha Mathan and Vikas Adam
Dual narration fans, heads up! The performance of When Dimple Met Rishi between Sneha Mathan and Vikas Adam is terrific. Carrie loved the book, too, calling it, “adorable and funny and utterly delightful.”
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Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder, narrated by Gabra Zackman
I know many of you love this book. Amanda has said that she loved Poison Study so much, she owns it both in print and digitally. This book and the entire series is part of Audible Escape, all narrated by Gabra Zackman, and her performance really highlights the tension of the story.
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The Last Wolf by Maria Vale, narrated by Rachel Dulude
Another Amanda recommendation! Amanda listened to this audiobook while making chocolate souffle for a Soggy Bottoms post, and she very emphatically recommends it, especially if you’re traveling to a rather warm place: the series takes place in snowy, cold upstate New York. Per Amanda, “Vale knows how to write great atmosphere,” so if you’d like to cool off while you drive, this is a great choice.
What about you? Do you listen to audiobooks while traveling? Got any must-listen Audible Escape titles you’ve discovered recently? Any audiobooks you absolutely adored? Please share in the comments!
All fifteen of Robin D. Owens’ Celta books are all on Audible Escape. Plus the novella. That’s definitely worth getting AE for—if you like the narrator, that is. That’s always the caveat.
I think I might give AE a try to binge listen me some HeartMates…
It seems that Audible Escape has been the catalyst for trying out the backlist of Mary Balogh. A few of her series are on there, including the Bedwin Saga and the Simply Quartet. I saw a few other titles as well including her Georgians series and most of the Westcott Family Series. And a few more Heyer titles have been added since my first comment, but as usual I forgot to write them down.