Christmas seems like it was AGES ago, and January has well-and-truly settled in, so now it’s time for our regularly scheduled look at the new and upcoming audiobooks we’re most excited to listen to. We’ve got a good mix of genres for you this month, but as usual, this is far from a comprehensive list, just one of the titles/authors/narrators who have caught our eyes as we’ve been scouring the new release lists!
Whatever your audio poison (!) hopefully there’s something here that will keep you company through the dark winter nights (in the northern hemisphere) or the warm summer ones (in the southern!).
Don’t forget to drop by and tell us which new releases you’re most keen to get into your ears in the comments!
Narrated by Nora Sofyan
Good news for audiobook lovers. Book 5 of the Innkeeper series (originally released in e-book format in December) will be available in audio on January 13th! – BJ
Narrated by Declan Winters
The third (and final) book in Gregory Ashe’s series of paranormal/horror/mysteries set in and around New Orleans finds boyfriends Eli and Dag up to their necks in trouble and supernatural creatures while they search for a missing rougarou who is apparently the key to a ritual that could mean the end of the world. *gulp!* Declan Winters is someone I always enjoy listening to, so I’m eager to jump in! – Caz
Narrated by Eric G. Dove
Toni Anderson’s romantic suspense stories are always enjoyable – fast-paced and tightly-plotted with intelligent, kick-arse heroines and honourable heroes. I haven’t always loved Eric G. Dove’s narrations, but I enjoy them sufficiently to want to give this one a listen. – Caz
Narrated by Aiden Snow and Maxine Mitchell
Looking forward to this new single dad romance in the Pittsburgh Titans hockey sports romance series. – BJ
Narrated by Tom Alexander & Sebastian Humphreys
I haven’t heard of the author or the narrators, but a Medieval queer romance is something of a rarity so I’m going to give it a go. – Caz
Narrated by Rowan Scott
The final instalment of LJ Hayward’s sexy, action-packed Death and the Devil series finds Jack and Ethan having to fight harder than ever for the life they’ve been building together. I read this one when it came out a couple of years back and nail-biting doesn’t even begin to describe it! Rowan Scott is doing fantastic work in these books – other m/m authors should be knocking on his door! – Caz
Narrated by Andi Arndt and Sebastian York
Two of my favorite narrators teamed up with one of my favorite sexy, contemporary romance authors. Looking forward to their latest collaboration, The Game, releasing this January. – BJ
Narrated by Kasha Kensington & Alex Kydd
Last year’s Consider Me made my top 10 list (in print) so I’m definitely looking forward to this one. – Kaetrin
Narrated by Zachary Johnson
I admit I’ve got a bit behind with this series (I have yet to listen to book four) but I love Jackson and Xander and the world Nazri Noor has created, and Zachary Johnson’s narration is bound to be great, so I’m aiming to catch up soon! – Caz
Narrated by Lee Samuels & Virginia Rose
I love a good fake relationship and this one caught my eye. – Kaetrin
Narrated by Kale Williams
Everett Larkin and Ira Doyle return in another clever, intricate mystery that kicks off when a dead body is found in a closet on a subway platform – with an old photo addressed to Larkin in a pocket. While the mystery is the focus, the slow burn romance between Larkin and Doyle is gorgeous, and we get a bit more of Doyle’s backstory. Kale Williams delivered a fantastic performance in the previous book (Madison Square Murders) and I can’t wait to listen to him in this one. – Caz
Eep!! I loved the first book in this series. I’m going to be all over this one. – Kaetrin
Narrated by Kit Swann & Timothy Campbell
The blurb for this one looks so fun and I’ve heard such good things about this author – to my dismay I haven’t actually tried her yet. – Kaetrin
PLEASE NOTE: Where not available for pre-order, self-published audiobooks generally do not have purchase links available until the day of publication. The links given will take you to the Amazon book page, and you can purchase from there as soon as it is released.
Other New and Upcoming Releases
I think there’s something wrong with the release date for One Night in Hartswood. When i click the link, it says the audio is no longer available and the release date for the ebook says November 2023.
It’s one of those rare cases where it’s out in the UK first -it’s in ebook and audio on 19th Jan. When I was compiling this post a few days back, the audio was still showing as available in the US on the same date, but now I see it’s disappeared. It’s frustrating for me as a reviewer, because I’m planning on listening to and reviewing it – but I don’t really want to sit on a review for eleven months!
I’m curious about the Ilona Andrew’s book. I hope the narrator is good. I’ve enjoyed the series in print but I really didn’t care for Raudman’s narration. The main character sounded like a southerner talking with cotton in her mouth. My hesitancy is that it was released as a serial, and it’s rally long..like 16 hours. I’m wondering how well it holds together if you read or listen all in one go. Too many serialized works I’ve read tend to ramble and have lots of filler.
I’ve listened to the first book in the Nazri Noor series, and bought the second. Once I got into the first one I really enjoyed the romp. Of course Subway Slayings is a masterpiece!
I may eventually listen to On a Midnight Clear by Morton if I can get it on sale. I enjoyed it in print, but not enough to pay full price for it. The book I am really curious about is Noble Satyr by Lucinda Brant. I listened to that series when it was available on Audible Plus back in 2020, and they were all narrated by Alex Wyndham (pre-whisper days). I thought it was quite good. Now I see they have rereleased the book narrated by Mary Jane Wells, who is also excellent. But I wonder if the book is different. The thing is, when I look at the series list, either the names have been changed, or the books aren’t exactly the same. The second book listed is His Duchess, then Her Duke, and lastly Their Graces. They seem to be linked to the “Eternally Yours” letters that are sort of complements of the original Roxton Family Saga Series. This series is called The Roxton Foundation Series. I’m off to the author’s website to see if I can figure this out! :-)
Mystery solved. (I should have done the research before typing out the above post. Sorry.) this IS a new series covering the first few years of the Duke and Duchesses married life. It does lean into the Eternally Yours letters, and the relevant letters are actually included in the Mary Jane Wells recording of Noble Satyr. the author said she wanted Ms Wells to be the voice of Antonia. (I almost wrote Leone there because, let’s face it, Noble Satyr is a homage to Georgette Heyer’s These Old Shades.)
I might listen to this series if I can get them at a good price.
My understanding re. the Brant is that the Alex Wyhdham version of Noble Satyr remains available, but the new MJW version includes some extras. She talks about her reasoning on her website – https://www.lucindabrant.com/blog/roxton-foundation-series
The other books you mention are completely new. The original Roxton series remains as is – the new ones are “vignettes” set during the 20 years between Noble Satyr and Midnight Marriage.