12 sweet to spicy romance audiobooks to listen to for Valentine’s Day

by Katherine Center

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Katherine Center is the queen of a closed-door romance, but with all of the charm and humor, along with amazing banter between our main characters, you won’t miss the on-page spice.

What can go wrong when you’re producing a video about a coast guard rescue swimmer, but you can’t swim yourself (even though you might’ve lied to a few people and said you could)? It turns out a whole lot! But... also perhaps a few things can go right in this fun enemies-to-lovers rom-com.

RELATED READ: 8 sweet “closed door” romance reads that will make your heart skip a beat

by Melissa Ferguson

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If those who can’t do, teach, then those who can’t find love write romance novels. Writing has never been a problem for Bryony, but finding representation has been a whole other story. So when she’s offered to ghostwrite for the client of literary agent Jack Sterling in exchange for him representing her, she hesitatingly takes him up on it. Little did she know that sometimes fiction and real life can blur when it comes to love! This is a sweet romance for all to enjoy.

by Emma St. Clair

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Get ready to think about summer vacation with this delightful grumpy-sunshine, brother’s-best-friend, HOCKEY player romance that hits all the right tropes!

Expecting her annual summer getaway with her family, school nurse Josie is shocked and dismayed to discover her brother’s best friend, Wyatt, who is extra grumpy as he’s recovering from an injury and ready to get back on the ice ASAP. Add in that his summer plans include a trip down the Intercoastal Waterway to scatter his uncle’s ashes and Josie is in real trouble of going overboard! Will they be able to navigate their way to tolerance and maybe something more?

by Sarah Adams

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Sarah Adams is another favorite for those who prefer their spice kept in the kitchen, but this book is the first time she’s bringing it out on the table (even though it’s more like sweet paprika than cayenne).

We’re back in Rome, Kentucky, home of her last few books, and we’re not the only ones returning. Madison, who left years ago to pursue her dreams in the culinary world, is also home after years of trying to make it in New York City to no avail. What waits for her back in Rome is a job at a new farm-to-table restaurant owned by her brother’s best friend, James, (they aren’t all this trope, I promise!). He’s always loved her from afar and now has the chance to help, even if it means James must put himself in a family situation he’s not interested in rejoining. This book will have you at a good simmer the whole time you’re reading!

by Alexis Hall

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Alexis Hall writes (amazing!) books that do wildly differ in their level of spice, so while this one is relatively low on the Scoville rating, that’s not the case for all of their back catalog. Keep that in mind when you inevitably fall in love with their writing and want to read all of their books!

Reeling from a breakup, Audrey makes the drunken “mistake” of applying for the UK’s favorite baking show, Bake Expectations, and somehow ends up a contestant. Little did she know that sugar, butter, flour, and a cast of fellow bakers are just what she might need to begin to heal again. But we can’t forget the secret ingredient: grumpy producer Jennifer, who might be just what these bakers need to hit true perfection.  

by Iman Hariri-Kia

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This book is a love letter to romance readers, which I imagine you are (or are at least interested in becoming). You’re going to love flipping back and forth between the main story and the romantasy book that drives all of our main character’s actions.

Joonie has one big love: her book boyfriend, Ryke. She has yet to meet a man in real life that lives up to him. However, when she learns that her favorite author has based Ryke on a real-life person, she’s determined to find him and make him fall in love with her IRL. But when her trip to find him is crashed by her brother’s best friend (okay... I’m sensing a pattern here...), Joonie finds that sometimes, reading romance can teach you the best lessons about life, love, and survival. 

Don’t miss this one—it was nominated for a 2026 Libby Award!

by Denise Williams

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Denise Williams’ books are always a good time with the best characters, settings, and a good helping of spiciness that makes you start to break out in a bit of a sweat.

Willow has been with the same guy since eighth grade, but when she goes viral for their all-too-public breakup, she needs to figure out how to start over again. Her brother gives her a chance to start over and house/dog-sit while he’s deployed, so she packs it up and moves to Iowa. This time, she’s ready to start her “do-over” list to get a second chance at all of her firsts with the help of her brother’s best friend (AGAIN?!?), Deacon. Will some of their “firsts” together turn into their lasts as they battle those pesky feelings that keep popping up?

by Olivia Dade

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Olivia Dade can’t miss, so if you’re in the mood for actors falling in real love on set, zombie hunters taking a break, or tennis players getting their whites more than a bit dirty, she’ll check all of those boxes with her diverse catalog.

Molly left her hometown of Harlot’s Bay, Maryland and never looked back. With her 20th high-school reunion looming and a divorce fresh on her mind, this audiobook narrator finds herself reflecting on her past when she finds out that her former best friend and never lover, Karl, has died. She heads back home to pay her respects and mourn what could’ve been. However, when she returns, she discovers that Karl is very much alive, very much a grump, and also determined to get that second chance with her, the narrator of his beloved monster romance novel audiobooks, now that she’s back... hopefully for good.

by Jo Segura

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If you’ve not read any books by Jo Segura before, I’d invite you to stop right here and dig up her entire back catalog right now (especially if you were obsessed with the movie, Romancing the Stone, when you were younger, like I was).

Daniela, no frills librarian, has been in love with her brother’s best friend, Theo, (okay... there’s a pattern here and I promise it’s not on purpose, nor is this a declaration of anything to my own brother’s best friend) for as long as she can remember. There’s only one problem with declaring her feelings: Theo’s been missing for a year and she’s the only one who believes he can still be found. So, when a solo trip to Greece turns into her own abduction and fake engagement to the man she’s hoping to really be engaged to someday, the clock is ticking on both of them finding their way out of their captor’s hands and into each other’s hearts (and beds!). 

by Jessica James

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Jessica James has created a spicy, immersive world with her Glitter Bats series that will leave you wishing you could see all of their songs on your Spotify Wrapped next year.

As a group, The Glitter Bats are trying to figure out who they are as a band now that they’ve had their big reunion. As individuals, Jane and Keeley are also trying to find their footing, so when Jane asks Keeley for her help with the drumming on a solo project she’s working on, Keeley has no choice but to say yes. But all that time together fans the flames of an ember that’s been burning for years, and the friends' individual melodies form into one hot harmony. But when their secret is revealed in a very public fashion, can their friendship, new situationship, and band membership survive all the scrutiny or are they destined for discord?

by Tessa Bailey

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Tessa Bailey is super accessible spice. It’s all going to hit, and you’re going to love the burn!

Eve has been the town pariah since forever, due to her father’s ownership of the local strip club. The only person who has stood by her for forever is Madden, the boy from Ireland who moved to town, fell in love with baseball and (secretly) with her. Time moves on and Eve is saddled with the cash-strapped strip club she’s trying to convert into a burlesque and entertainment venue while Madden is playing for the Yankees. When Eve ends up with custody of her sister’s children indefinitely and no way to ensure they’ll be insured, Madden offers her a marriage-of-convenience to get her family the much-needed medical benefits. While she reluctantly agrees to the fake pairing, she doesn’t agree to losing her heart, even though it seems like they’re destined to be a home run.  

by Lana Ferguson

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I believe that I’m obligated to mention Lana Ferguson in every one of my spicy romance posts (look forward to this summer’s The Final Score for all of my hockey romance fans!).

Newly discovered shifter-human hybrid Tess is determined to be business as usual when it comes to her family’s burgeoning home renovation business and pending TV star fame. However, being snowed in at the B&B in the mountains that she’s fixing up with the all-too-handsome Alpha, Hunter, might prove more than her hormones and her heart can handle. Get ready for the sparks to melt your earbuds!