Jen’s 2024 Diversify Your Romance Challenge
Week 1: Audiobook with a BIPOC narrator

One I read

Goal (St. Louis Sires, Book 1) by Alexandria House, narrated by Jakobi Diem & Nicole Small

(Please click on Alexandria House’s website! Her logo gives me branding envy.)

I loved this book. I’ve listed to several books narrated by Jakobi Diem and his voice is as delicious. He is effortlessly sexy. Nicole Small (aka Shayna Small), new to me, is great!

One I wrote

I’m very proud of the narration of Holland, My Heart by Cindy Harden and Brian Rivera. When I reached out to Blue Nose Audio to hire narrators for my first novel, they worked diligently to help me find a narrator to voice Kai whose mother was Black and whose father was Samoan. (I wanted my all-time favorite narrator, Joe Arden, to do the book. He explained that he doesn’t voice characters of color—I’m embarrassed I didn’t think of that!) Rivera did a beautiful job—many readers comment they love his timbre. Me, too!

One I plan to read

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert, narrated by Amina Koroma and Jonathan Andrew Hume

I’m really looking forward to this. Let me know if you want to do a buddy read. It looks fun!

Here’s the blurb:

From the New York Times best-selling author of the Brown Sisters trilogy, comes a laugh-out-loud story about a quirky content creator and a clean-cut athlete testing their abilities to survive the great outdoors—and each other.

Bradley Graeme is pretty much perfect. He’s a star football player, manages his OCD well (enough), and comes out on top in all his classes...except the ones he shares with his ex-best friend, Celine.

Celine Bangura is conspiracy-theory-obsessed. Social media followers eat up her takes on everything from UFOs to holiday overconsumption—yet, she’s still not cool enough for the popular kids’ table. Which is why Brad abandoned her for the in-crowd years ago. (At least, that’s how Celine sees it.)

These days, there’s nothing between them other than petty insults and academic rivalry. So when Celine signs up for a survival course in the woods, she’s surprised to find Brad right beside her.

Forced to work as a team for the chance to win a grand prize, these two teens must trudge through not just mud and dirt but their messy past. And as this adventure brings them closer together, they begin to remember the good bits of their history. But has too much time passed...or just enough to spark a whole new kind of relationship?

What narrators of color have you heard and loved? Recs are always welcome!