7 of the Best Romance Audiobook Narrators Working Today

If you like romance novels and audiobooks, you probably have your favorite voices–the ones that move you emotionally, that carry you along in the story, and, for some, that turn you on just the right way. We all know narrator preference is incredibly subjective, based on all the different synapses shooting off in your head any time of day. So this list is going to be completely different for most of us. I’m just going to tell you about a few narrators who make me come back for more, who might keep me listening when the story isn’t always working, who make me cackle and tear up in my car or while I’m just trying to do some dishes. 

If you’re a romance audiobook connoisseur, I don’t need to tell you about Anthony Palmini or Teddy Hamilton. If you’ve been around a long time like me, you might screech at me not mentioning power duo Shane East and Fiona Hardingham, or Justine Eyre, a couple of the more popular names in historical romance. And if you’ve ever heard me talk to Sarah T. Dubb about her books, you know how hard it is for me not to just tell you her whole story about Evan Sibley and Mia Hutchison-Shaw. 

So here’s what I’m going to do: I’m going to give you a narrator and a book, and tell you why that book proves my point. Yes? Yes.

The best solo narrator: Natalie Naudus

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston While she tends to prioritize books by Asian authors when selecting new projects, the first book I recall listening to by Natalie Naudus was Casey McQuiston’s comparatively ignored sophomore novel, their first and currently only adult sapphic romance. While the default in many people’s minds is having two narrators for a romance novel, Natalie holds her own for the full 8-12 hours it takes to get through (more, if it’s fantasy or paranormal) and manages to make the different characters rich and diverse enough that we always know who’s speaking and who’s narrating.

The best Historical narrator: Mary Jane Wells

The Duke Who Didn’t by Courtney Milan Mary Jane Wells is no stranger to a historical romance; if you’ve listened to anything by Lisa Kleypas, Sarah MacLean, Eloisa James, Tessa Dare, Cathy Maxwell, Joanna Lowell, the list goes on and on, you have more than likely heard her voice. She continues to push the limit with rounded and delightful narrations, telling the story in a way that somehow feels both sincere and sardonic. She’s excellent at changing the pitch and timbre of her voice to immediately differentiate between characters, even often offering up a different sound for the point of view character’s speaking voice than their internal narration. And of course, accents. So many accents.

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