Romance Audiobooks discussion

Welcome to the group, Brandy!

Hi, my name is Gayle and I've been an audio listener since about 2013. I have about 5000 audiobooks, mostly some kind of romance. Lately, contemporary has been my drug of choice, but I love MM, historical, and erotica as well. My all time favorite narrator is Zachary Webber, aka Jacob Morgan, aka Sam Crowley. Least favorite is probably Angela Dawe.

But, I also listen to general fiction, mysteries and thrillers, biography, true crime, and some history. I listen ALL THE TIME, since I'm disabled and home nearly always. Even while sleeping I put on a book I already love and snooze away.

I look forward to getting to know all of you, and I will mostly lurk for a while as I read through old posts.

Gayle wrote: "Hi, my name is Gayle and I've been an audio listener since about 2013. I have about 5000 audiobooks, mostly some kind of romance. Lately, contemporary has been my drug of choice, but I love MM, his..."

Welcome. Since you read a variety of books take a look at the non romance as well as romance discussion.

L J wrote: "Gayle wrote: "Hi, my name is Gayle and I've been an audio listener since about 2013. I have about 5000 audiobooks, mostly some kind of romance. Lately, contemporary has been my drug of choice, but ..."

Hi, LJ! That's my plan. The reason I joined was precisely because you do have wide ranging topics. I'm a bit daunted by the amount of threads you have, but I'll eventually read through them.

Audio books came along at just the right time for me. I'm a lifelong reader, always with several books going at once. But now I get eye fatigue easily, especially from reading, and I have light sensitivity, too. So I was more than a little pleased about the huge popularity of audio books!

Thank you so much for the welcome, and I'm sure we'll 'see' each other around!

Glad to have you here, Gayle! Good advice from LJ as many members listen to a wide range of genres.

Jonetta wrote: "Glad to have you here, Gayle! Good advice from LJ as many members listen to a wide range of genres."


Thanks, Jonetta! Glad to be here!

Hi Guys-

I just joined he group. I have been listening to audio since about 2009. Mostly romance but also some mystery and fantasy. I have an audible membership but also get my fix via my NY Public library library card.

For me the narrator is almost more important than the story since I have learned that a good narrator can elevate just an ok story and a fantastic story can be ruined by a bad performance. So I am really interested add some new names to my favorite performers list.

Welcome, Tina! I agree that the narrator is just as important as the story.

Tina wrote: "Hi Guys-

I just joined he group. I have been listening to audio since about 2009. Mostly romance but also some mystery and fantasy. I have an audible membership but also get my fix via my NY Publi..."

Tina,

Welcome! I'm the same way. A good narrator can improve a so-so story and vice versa. Reading through the old posts here has given me lots of new recs! Like I need them or something....lol!!

Welcome, Tina! Ditto to your comment about a narrator making or breaking a story. I’ve learned to sample before clicking because of that.

Enjoy the group! We look forward to following your listening experiences.

Hello my name is Sonia,
I love listening and reading romance of just about every genre. I have discovered a love as of last year for Contemporary romance. My of my top Author for Contemporary was and is Laurelin Paige.
Jacob Morgan (swooning), and Carly Robins and my favorites, among Many more.
I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 1996 and reading is my passion as well as therapy :)

Sonia wrote: "Hello my name is Sonia,
I love listening and reading romance of just about every genre. I have discovered a love as of last year for Contemporary romance. My of my top Author for Contemporary was a..."

Sonia I'm with you on the Jacob Morgan swoon! If I can't sleep I put on one of his I've already listened to and just drop right off. Delish! Welcome!

Welcome to the group, Sonia! Glad you decided to join us.

Welcome Sonia!

Thank you all for the warm welcome 🥰 Gayle, I’m going crazy trying to follow him on social media, but can’t find him.

Sonia wrote: "Thank you all for the warm welcome 🥰 Gayle, I’m going crazy trying to follow him on social media, but can’t find him."

His real name is Zachary Webber, and he uses Jacob Morgan for more adult content. I don't follow social media, but I know he works as an actor under the Webber name. His mom is the author Tammara(sp?) Webber. He actually narrated one of her books! Look him up on Audible, there are scads of books under the Webber name.

Sonia wrote: "Thank you all for the warm welcome 🥰 Gayle, I’m going crazy trying to follow him on social media, but can’t find him."

Gayle wrote: "...His real name is Zachary Webber, and he uses Jacob Morgan for more adult content. I don't follow social media, but I know he works as an actor under the Webber name. His mom is the author Tammara(sp?) Webber. He actually narrated one of her books! Look him up on Audible, there are scads of books under the Webber name."

Welcome, Sonia!
Check here Zachary Webber. There's a link for his website and another for his Goodreads Jacob Morgan page.

L J wrote: "Sonia wrote: "Thank you all for the warm welcome 🥰 Gayle, I’m going crazy trying to follow him on social media, but can’t find him."

Gayle wrote: "...His real name is Zachary Webber, and he uses J..."
Gayle, thank you so much!! I appreciate your help, he is so handsome, I fell in love with him/his voice in the audible of Close: Ryder Brothers, Book 1 by Laurelin Paige!!

Sonia wrote: "L J wrote: "Sonia wrote: "Thank you all for the warm welcome 🥰 Gayle, I’m going crazy trying to follow him on social media, but can’t find him."

Gayle wrote: "...His real name is Zachary Webber, a..."

Sonia,

you're more than welcome, but L J is the one who gave you the link. But yes, Webber can narrate the heck out of a book!

Hi, my name is Blair Babylon. I'm a writer who has published a number of romance novels, but I'm just getting my books into audio. Looking forward to learning more about what people want!

Blair wrote: "Hi, my name is Blair Babylon. I'm a writer who has published a number of romance novels, but I'm just getting my books into audio. Looking forward to learning more about what people want!"

Hi Blair! Welcome.

I want the writers to push for good narrators, and listen to the book themselves before permitting it to be released. Mispronounciations, ridiculous accents, and character voices that are completely off yank me right out the story and ruin the experience. Just like a badly edited book can destroy the reading experience, the things I mentioned can wreck a good listen. This is your work; fight for it!

Blair wrote: "Hi, my name is Blair Babylon. I'm a writer who has published a number of romance novels, but I'm just getting my books into audio. Looking forward to learning more about what people want!"

Welcome to the group, Blair! Please check out some of our existing threads where we have robust discussions about listener preferences. Hope you find it helpful.

Welcome Blair.

Is this Audiobooks Anonymous? If so, I'm in the right place.

My name is Heather and I'm hooked on audiobooks. I love to knit and spin and have found that crafting + audiobooks is the perfect combination.

I mostly listen to romance but am open to other genres as well. This is the first year I've kept track of my listening and am finding that I'm going through a lot more books than I realized! I'm participating in GR's 2019 Reading Challenge and keep upping my goal to stay ahead of my reading. It's currently at 275 books for this year, but I think I'd better make it 300....

Welcome, Heather! You’re not the only audiobook addict here so you’re in the right place😊

We hope you check out our challenges and consider joining in.

Welcome Heather.

Thanks @Jonetta and @Samantha. I've tried a few challenges and I'm sure I'll be doing more.

I don't know if I will get the chance to go back and count my minutes for the 2019 challenge. Would you be okay with me taking a conservative average for the books so far (maybe 7 hours per book? I think that's quite conservative) or would you prefer to only have accurate totals?

Unfortunately, Heather, that would be unfair to those who have taken the time to post the information accurately. I hope you understand.

I completely understand! When I get some time I will go back and add up my minutes.

Greetings fellow audio romance enthusiasts!

I'm a working mom of two (5 and nearly 4) who relies on audiobooks to maintain my sanity. While I find myself reading more nonfiction than romance these days, I still thoroughly enjoy my Audible Escape subscription.

What free time I have, outside of wrangling two little ones and reading 6-15 picture books a night, is spent in my Craft Cave, mostly quilting, but also knitting, spinning, and any other creative thing that catches my attention.

I'm also a data-head, so while I'm just now getting into GoodReads, I have a full database (going back two years) of my listening to mine for info and challenges.

Happy Listening!
Amanda

Big welcome to the group, Amanda! Boy, I wish I knew how to knit. Does it go well with audio listening?

Enjoy the group!

Jonetta wrote: "Big welcome to the group, Amanda! Boy, I wish I knew how to knit. Does it go well with audio listening?"

Maybe not when you're learning, or have a very complicated pattern. However, it's easier to knit and listen than it is to knit and watch TV.

Welcome, Amanda.

I crochet and listen all the time. Happy listening and knitting.

Hey everyone!
My name is Byron, and I am an author of Paranormal Romance/Dark Fantasy. My series is called Worlds Beyond Scripture, which is not at all religious, and is presently 4 books deep.

One of my all time favourite writers is Anne Rice. I've even gone so far as to procure my very own lifesize sculpture of the Vampire Lestat, if you can believe that. To me, she just has a certain je ne sais quoi, something to her style that catches hold and doesn't let go. Her stories simply take you away. I think it has as much to do with the complexity of her characters as anything.

I must say, I do love all that audiobooks have to offer. When you find the right narrator, it's just this amazing thing. It's like they take you away to another place, adding their own color scheme to the image the author creates. It really paints a vivid picture, transporting you there into this rich tapestry of world that they've helped bring to life. I can envision in my mind characters they are voicing and feel like I'm right there alongside them. I simply can't get enough of it.

Glad to be here and have this chance to connect! I look forward to hearing from you all. Happy listening!

Welcome to the group, Byron!

Welcome Bryon.

My name is Brenda and I am from Wisconsin. I love audiobooks and listen to about 2 or 3 a week. I have been listening to Audiobooks since January. If I can’t get the book as an audible book, I get it on kindle.

Welcome, Brenda!

Brenda wrote: "My name is Brenda and I am from Wisconsin. I love audiobooks and listen to about 2 or 3 a week. I have been listening to Audiobooks since January. If I can’t get the book as an audible book, I get it on kindle."

Welcome to the world of audio. I do audible but I do more audio from libraries than any other source. When you get book on kindle do you use the text to speech function to listen? I know many don't like it but TTS is so much better now than when I was beta testing back in the late 1970s and early 1980s that I think it is wonderful.

Welcome to the group, Brenda

Hi I'm M&T here on GR. I saw Kathy Brown on a Facebook group & she mentioned this group! I live in So Calif. I love to read. I have my kindle with me at all times. I started audio books about 1 year ago. I bought the new galaxy 10+ phone with awesome battery life. I now listen to an audio book on it- when I drive to & work & doing laundry, etc. I get my audio from Audible (#AudibleExpress) or if available on Overdrive. I have a reco if you love RomCom "Just My Type" by Julia Kent. omg so funny. Y'all probably know that one already-I haven't read your previous discussions.

Welcome M&T.

Welcome to the group, M & T! Kathy’s very active here and we hope you will be, too.

L J wrote: "Brenda wrote: "My name is Brenda and I am from Wisconsin. I love audiobooks and listen to about 2 or 3 a week. I have been listening to Audiobooks since January. If I can’t get the book as an audib..."

I usually read them never thought about using a text to speech function. I read in bed while my husband sleeps.

Brenda wrote: "L J wrote: "Brenda wrote: "...I usually read them never thought about using a text to speech function. I read in bed while my husband sleeps."

Switching from reading text to listening to text to speech lets me keep reading while doing other things at the same time.

Thanks for the welcome Jonetta. I'm in a lot of groups on FB, but I still love to check out GR friends & post my reviews here.

Lea's Audiobooks wrote: "We're starting a new thread ... when you do introduce yourself, please let us know some of your favorite authors, narrators, and romance audiobooks."

Hello all & happy December 1st! I’m Karma♥Bites (w/ ♥ = ‘love’ so... 😉). I’ve been a member of this group for almost 5yrs but only as lurker b/c I was inactive on GR for most of that time.

I was AB newbie when I joined this group, so thx to members who posted their thoughts/reactions to stories via audio & narrators! It helped to narrow down choices, as well as get me ‘over the hump’ re: ABs by having good listening experiences w/ ‘vetted’ narrators. But most importantly, audio as alternative format was emotional life-saver during certain rough patches & when hands c/n manage Kindle or tablet.

I read wide mix of genres but w/in romance subgenres, have preference for HR, PNR (or UF/PNR hybrids), and MM. And all the better if there’s mystery/suspense &/or sexy times 😄. (unfortunately, CR/CRS reads have been thin on ground for me in recent yrs, but still dip tester toe every so often.)

Post getting long so will end w/ some of my personal fav narrators (already familiar to most of you):

Greg Boudreaux (aka Greg Tremblay)
Cornell Collins
Sophie Eastlake (aka Julia Whelan)
J.F. Harding
Lorelei King
Rosalyn Landor
Ashford McNab/MacNab (aka Polly Lee)
Robert Petkoff
Therese Plummer
Moira Quirk
Kate Reading
Steve West

Lastly, apologies in advance for frequent shorthand & acronym use if/when I post. In another group, someone thought informal ‘text talk’ but it’s more personal work-around chronic condition. Thx!

Thanks for your post, Karma! As long as we can understand you, we’re good so no worries about the abbreviations. Glad you’ve benefitted as a lurker and found the info shared here useful.

Many of your favorite narrators are on my list, too. I listen to a wide range of genres, also, as I’m an eclectic reader.

Looking forward to hearing more from you!

Welcome to the group, Karma. We understand you just fine. 😊