Looking for a little romance in your mystery listens this February? Investigate these seven romantic suspense audiobooks chosen by AudioFile Editors, including new titles in long-running favorite series and compelling starts to new tense listening. Read on for our picks of historical and contemporary listens that combine the thrills of mysteries and romance.

 

DREAM KEEPER

by Kristen Ashley| Read by Susannah Jones

[Hachette Audio | 15 hrs.]

Narrator Susannah Jones emphasizes the importance of family in the final book in Ashley’s Dream Team series. Ashley’s written cues and Jones’s voices ensure that each character is easily identified. She uses a confiding voice for single mother Pepper Hannigan, who is leery of dating military commando Auggie Hero. Jones deftly matches the emotional roller coaster the couple experiences from their dysfunctional families, and she expresses Ashley’s signature drama, passion, and realistic dialogue with admirable fidelity.

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LEGACY

by Nora Roberts| Read by January LaVoy

[Macmillan Audio | 15 hrs.]

Narrator January LaVoy’s smooth stylings carry listeners from Adrian Rizzo’s traumatic childhood to adulthood and her career as a yoga and fitness trainer. She’s positioned for success—but who is sending her periodic death threats? LaVoy ages Adrian appropriately; her voice moves from button-cute to an enthusiastic teen’s voice and finally to Adrian’s well-modulated adult timbre. LaVoy shares the tragic backstory of Adrian’s love interest, Raylan, with deft emotional control and ensures that Adrian and Raylan’s lovesick dogs keep the listening experience balanced between grief and new beginnings.

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FORGOTTEN IN DEATH: In Death, Book 53

by J.D. Robb| Read by Susan Ericksen

[Macmillan Audio | 14 hrs.]

After narrating more than 50 audiobooks in this series, Susan Ericksen displays her comfort with the characters without lacking any vitality. Lt. Eve Dallas of the NYPD has been called to a construction site where the body of a homeless woman has been found in a dumpster. Then the remains of a woman and child are found at another site, this one belonging to her billionaire husband, Roarke. Ericksen’s brisk no-nonsense tones for Dallas perfectly match her personality, especially as she questions suspects. Providing good contrast, Ericksen’s voice warms up when Dallas is with Roarke.

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MISS MORIARTY, I PRESUME?: Lady Sherlock, Book 6

by Sherry Thomas| Read by Kate Reading

[Penguin Audio | 13 hrs.]

Narrator Kate Reading returns to perform the sixth installment in the Lady Sherlock historical mystery series. This reimagined Sherlock Holmes character is an independent, headstrong young woman; her companion is the widow Mrs. Watson. Charlotte Holmes finds herself pitted against the evil Mr. Moriarty, who has hired her to investigate the welfare of his unmarried daughter. Charlotte’s investigation into the woman’s situation raises more questions than answers. Reading’s strong, consistent portrayals and variety of voices capture each character’s personality, including her lover, Lord Ingram.

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JACKSON: Restoration Ranch, Book 1

by LaQuette| Read by Eboni Flowers

[Dreamscape | 11 hrs.]

Eboni Flowers narrates a romantic suspense set in rural Texas. Aja’s haunted past has her determined to turn her family’s ranch into a place where guests can rejuvenate. When her barn explodes, she narrowly misses being severely injured. While Texas Ranger Jackson leads an undercover investigation, the duo discovers explosive chemistry between them. With her sultry voice, Flowers’s performance elevates the story to a higher level. The attraction between Jackson and Aja is palpable—both on the page and in Flowers’s performance. A listening treat.

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SUBTLE BLOOD: Will Darling, Book 3

by KJ Charles| Read by Cornell Collins

[Tantor Media | 8.5 hrs.]

Cornell Collins narrates the third in a pulpy war romance series. Two men, Will Darling and Kim Secretan, are pulled back into the murky world of spies and skullduggery when Kim’s brother is accused of a brutal murder. Collins smoothly shifts between Will’s world of secondhand bookshops and Kim’s world of wealth and privilege. Collins proves adept at teasing out Will’s fear of the future and Kim’s longing for it. Past traumas loom, which Collins expresses with gravity and dignity. Secondary characters from a variety of stations are performed with verve, as is standard for Collins’s excellent narrations.

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FLOCK: The Ravenhood, Book 1

by Kate Stewart| Read by Maxine Mitchell, Joe Arden

[Podium Audio | 10.25 hrs.]

Two talented narrators successfully tag-team this tale of doomed romance. Maxine Mitchell ably gives voice to Cecilia, from whose vantage point this story is recalled. As told by Mitchell, an older Cecilia reflects regretfully upon how her younger self got involved with the men of the Ravenhood in this first volume of a trilogy. Narrator Arden gruffly inhabits the secretive men in Cecilia’s life, especially the two between whom she is torn, Sean and Dominic. Mitchell captures Cecilia’s confusion as she gets seduced into a world of lust and danger in this dark updating of the Robin Hood legend. This riveting audiobook ends just as Cecilia starts to learn about the Ravenhood, and Mitchell and Arden whet listeners’ appetite for more.

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AudioFile Magazine—About: AudioFile is the place to discover more about audiobooks.  Every day, its reviews and recommendations tell you which audiobooks are worth your listening time. AudioFile reviews about 50 audiobooks a week, features narrator profiles, and awards exceptional performances with AudioFile’s Earphones Awards. AudioFile publishes in print, newsletters, and a blog, and podcasts daily recommendations on Behind the Mic with AudioFile Magazine.