Contemporary Women Audiobooks | Fiction & Literature

Kieran Lucas’s grandmother is slipping into dementia, and when her memory is gone, Kieran’s last tie to the family she barely knows will be lost forever. Worse, flashbacks of her mother’s death torment Granny Mac, and there’s precious little Kieran can do to help. In 1931, the creation of the new Great Smoky Mountains National Park threatens Rosie McCauley’s home. Rosie vows the only way the commission will get her land is if they haul her off in a pine box. When a compromise offers her and her disabled sister the opportunity to stay for Rosie’s lifetime, her acceptance sets her apart from the other mountain folk. And the bond she’s forming with ornithologist and outsider Benton Fuller only broadens the rift. Eighty-five years later, Kieran heads back to the national park to find answers to her great-grandmother’s mysterious death and bring peace to Granny Mac before it’s too late. Park historian Zach Jensen may be the key to locating the answers. But what Kieran needs clashes with the government regulations Zach is sworn to uphold. Can she trust God for a solution to heal this generations-old wound?

Karen Barnett (Author), Susan Bennett (Narrator)

Audiobook

Cursed Bread: Longlisted for the Women’s Prize

Brought to you by Penguin. From the Booker-nominated author of The Water Cure and Blue Ticket comes a chilling new feminist fable, based on the true story of an unsolved historical mystery... If you eat the bread, you'll die, he said. The statement made no sense, but it filled me with an electric dread. Elodie is the baker's wife. A plain, unremarkable person, largely ignored by her husband and everyone else, she burns with the secret hunger to be extraordinary, to be desired, to be seen. One day a charismatic new couple appear in town - the ambassador and his sharp-toothed wife, Violet - and Elodie quickly falls under their spell. All summer long she stalks them through the shining streets: inviting herself into their home, trying to decipher their coded conversations, longing to possess them at any cost. Meanwhile, beneath the tranquil surface of daily life, strange things are happening. Six horses are found dead in a sun-drenched field, laid out neatly on the ground like an offering. Widows see their lost husbands walking up the river in the night, coming back to claim them. A teenage boy throws himself into the bonfire at the midsummer feast. A dark intoxication is spreading through the town, and when Elodie finally understands her role in it, it will be too late to stop. Audacious and mesmerising, Cursed Bread is a fevered confession, an entry into memory's hall of mirrors, a fable of obsession and transformation. Sophie Mackintosh spins a darkly gleaming tale of a town gripped by hysteria, envy like poison in the blood, and desire that burns and consumes. Praise for Sophie Mackintosh: 'Be sure to read everything Sophie Mackintosh writes' Deborah Levy on Blue Ticket 'An extraordinary debut - otherworldly, luminous, precise' Guardian on The Water Cure 'Dreamlike, tense, compelling, with a pitch-perfect ending' The New York Times on Blue Ticket 'An unsettling dark fantasy... It lingers long after the final page' Daily Telegraph on The Water Cure 'Blue Ticket will worm its way under your skin and haunt your dreams' Red ©2023 Sophie Mackintosh (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Sophie Mackintosh (Author), Genevieve Gaunt (Narrator)

Audiobook

Broken Is Beautiful: A Novel

How do you mend the broken, be it toasters, relationships or people? Julia once re-created broken objects to be better than before. However, a series of earthquakes triggered Julia’s descent into apathy and now she’s lost the will to repair anything, including herself. She’s going to a support group for help – Obsessives Associated. Each member has their own obsession to overcome – eating plasterboard, amassing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, brand-name tattoos. Finding a friend in Lynda, a doll-obsessed marathon runner, Julia feels as though she's finally on the mend until a dilemma fragments the group and threatens to break Julia all over again. Which glue repairs fractured humans? Broken is Beautiful is a novel about breaking, mending and how to be friends across ideological divides.

Jane Shearer (Author), Elisabeth Easther (Narrator)

Audiobook

Midlife Bed and Broomstick: A Paranormal Women's Fiction Novel

It's called the change of life but this is ridiculous . . . Samantha Sinclair's midlife can be summed up in one word-trapped. Trapped by Multiple Sclerosis. Trapped by an abusive husband. Trapped until her son breaks the vicious cycle and whisks her away to a bed and breakfast on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. He sent her away. Now she's returned to the scene of the crime. The only problem? It puts her in the path of the only man she ever wanted. Damien rejected her years ago and Sam's never recovered from the heartache. Combined with the quirky and nosy oddballs in the fifty and up waterfront community, the B&B isn't the ideal place to lay low. Sam just wants to lick her wounds, not rekindle an old flame who is still too hot to handle. Witches and shifters and secrets, oh my! When Sam looks out the window late one night and sees people dancing naked and huge felines cavorting on the beach, she realizes she's not the only one with something to hide. But can this ragtag band of aging supernaturals keep her safe? Or will her vengeful ex destroy what's left of Sam's life?

Jennifer L. Hart (Author), Hollie Jackson (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Traveling Triple-C Incorporeal Circus

Chelsea is determined to make it to her brother’s wedding. And she’s not going to let the fact that she’s been dead for two years stop her. Joining with her mime friend from a New York City park and her ghostly mentor with forty years of afterlife under her belt, the three women set out on foot for San Francisco. Along the way, they are faced with joy, sorrow, and the haunting surprises of the open road. This humorous and lightly macabre journey explores relationships, personal burdens, and what it means to keep moving, even when your heartbeat has stopped. 'A marvelous, surprising ghost story that celebrates the power of theatre to lift spirits and save lives. McFall's novel is an exquisite meditation on embracing the past and letting it go. This book will haunt you!' —Andrea Hairston, award-winning author of Will Do Magic for Small Change and Redwood and Wildfire 'A delightfully queer (in all possible senses of the word) and unexpected road trip story about friendship, loss, love, and the many kinds of family. I laughed, I cried, I cheered—it’s a show like no other.' —Alex Wells, award-winning author of Hunger Makes the Wolf 'I copy-edited...The Traveling Triple-C Incorporeal Circus and was pleased to do so because I think it's one of the outstanding fantasy books of 2019...an on-the-road feminist version of Peter S. Beagle's A Fine and Private Place. I highly recommend this book, particularly to people who love literary fantasy.'—Cat Rambo, award-winning author of You Sexy Thing 'Immensely charming…The Traveling Triple-C Incorporeal Circus brings a lot of ideas to the table and manages to pay all of them off in satisfying fashion. It’s weird, lovely, dark, and familiar.' —San Francisco Book Review

Alanna Mcfall (Author), C. S. E. Cooney (Narrator)

Audiobook

[German] - Weiberstammtisch

Umzug von Hamburg nach Ammerleiten, ins tiefste Bayern – Kulturschock vorprogrammiert! Nicht für Josi! Oder etwa doch? In ein Dorf mit mehr Kühen als Einwohnern, dafür aber mit einem wöchentlichen Stammtisch nur für Frauen. Komme, was wolle! Doch hat Josi als Nordlicht und 'Zuagroaste' überhaupt eine Chance, im Dorf aufgenommen zu werden? 'Da musst du dich bewähren und in die Gemeinschaft einfügen.' So ist zumindest die Meinung der Ammerleitner Frauen. Als einem Mitglied des Stammtisches ein langersehnter Wunsch erfüllt werden soll, merkt Josi, dass es nur funktioniert, wenn der 'Weiberstammtisch' zusammenhält.

Sabine Herbst (Author), Sanja Nowara (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Maid of Ballymacool

Brianna Kelly was abandoned at Ballymacool House and Boarding School as an infant. She has worked there since she was a wee girl and will likely die there. Despite a sense that she was made for something more, Brianna feels powerless to change her situation, so she consoles herself by exploring the Ballymacool grounds, looking for hidden treasures to add to the secret trove beneath the floorboards of her room. When Michael Wray, the son of local gentry, is sent to Ballymacool to deal with his unruly cousin, he finds himself drawn to Brianna, immediately and inescapably. There is something about her that feels so . . . familiar. When Brianna finds a piece of silver in the woods, she commits to learning its origins, with the help of Michael. What they discover may change everything. Fan favorite Jennifer Deibel invites you back to the Emerald Isle in the 1930s for this fresh take on the Cinderella story, complete with a tantalizing mystery, a budding romance, and a chance at redemption.

Jennifer Deibel (Author), Caroline Lennon (Narrator)

Audiobook

Counterfeit Hope

Trapped by their pasts, is there hope for a future? When Secret Service operative Andrew Darlington is brought in to support a US Marshal case involving counterfeiters in rural Indiana, he thinks it's simply the next rung on his climb to the top of his career. But liars can only climb so high— and Andrew is keeping a dangerous secret he doesn't ever want to get out. When he clashes with the criminal family that took over the town of Landkreis and killed the Marshal he was sent to assist, his past life is in danger of being exposed. Widow 'Lightning Lu' Thorne has only one goal: escape the clutches of the Thorne family with her son. Her decision to be an informant and testify against the Thornes looked like the perfect answer. Until the Marshal ended up dead. Now the tether keeping her tied to her felonious family is tightening, and a forced marriage to someone else in the Thornes' clutches threatens to kill any hope of escape. Andrew and Lu find themselves on the same team—unwillingly. They each believe the other to be the enemy to their future plans. And even if they could learn to work together, the secrets they hold could shatter all hopes and dreams. Despite the encouragement of the local preacher, they're not even sure God can be trusted—much less other humans. Can either of them escape their past—and the family that is willing to kill their own when they smell betrayal? On the heels of her smashing debut, this second entry in Crystal Caudill's historical series maintains the excitement that readers of Michelle Griep, Liz Tolsma, and Elizabeth Camden will love.

Crystal Caudill (Author), Stephanie Cozart (Narrator)

Audiobook

Della and Darby: A Novel of Sisters

In this small Mississippi town, everyone has long memories and loud opinions. Twins Della and Darby Redd may be identical in appearance, but they couldn't be more different. Della is outspoken, obsessed with purple, and desperate to be accepted by her peers. Darby is introverted, creative, and sees no need to speak to anyone besides her sister and grandmother, Birdie. Due to a tragedy from their past, all three women's lives have been blanketed in judgment, scandal, and rumor, preventing them from experiencing true peace and contentment in their small town of Clay Station, Mississippi. When the sisters enter the final year of their twenties, Birdie and Della begin planning an elaborate thirtieth birthday bash. Della believes the party will finally win her acceptance with the in-crowd and dreams of bringing her boss, Dr. Brian Faulkner, as her date. But when Darby begins to form an unexpected friendship with her goofy coworker, Cliff, she learns through him about a scandalous secret involving Dr. Faulkner that is sure to end in disaster. Telling her sister the truth will force them both to face the reality of who they have become-and whether they still have a place in each other's future. In her latest novel, beloved Southern author Susannah B. Lewis explores the burden and blessing of family legacies and the moments along the way for which to give thanks and celebrate. - Southern contemporary women's fiction - Stand-alone novel - Book length: approximately 73,000 words

Susannah B. Lewis (Author), Susannah B. Lewis (Narrator)

Audiobook

Daughter of Eden: Eve's Story

When the greatest joys she has ever known are stripped away, the first woman must find the courage to face an unknown future The first time she opens her eyes, Eve gazes on one whose beauty nearly blinds her, whose breath is in her lungs. Her Creator takes her hand and gives her to another like her and yet different. Together, she and Adam experience pure joy as they explore Eden. Her favorite moments are when the Creator comes to walk with them, day after day. Then everything changes. Through one act of disobedience, Eve finds that her world is no longer a friendly place. With remorse in her heart, she must face the unknown future—the births, the deaths, the sacrifices, the loss of the only home she has ever known. Perhaps worst of all is the loss of trust, not only with her Creator but also with the man who shares her life. How will they ever survive out of Eden? Bestselling biblical fiction author Jill Eileen Smith imagines the life of the first woman to ever live, unspooling an epic story of love, loss, and the promise of redemption.

Jill Eileen Smith (Author), Leah Horowitz (Narrator)

Audiobook

Crossroads: Encore Edition

Romance isn’t in the cards for them…. or so they thought. After uprooting her teenage son from their small town home and moving to the big city, single mom Tess Lockwood discovers he’s fallen in with a gang of troublemakers at school. Soon she finds herself paying a visit to the principal’s office. Ex-cop Mitch Jackson is a man on a mission. He’s determined to help all the teens at his school—but Bruce’s mother touches a place deep inside him, giving him another reason to get involved in the boy’s life…and to rethink his decision to write off romance. As Tess and Mitch work together to help her troubled son, sparks fly. But can they find the cour-age to face the demons from their past and take a second chance on love? Publishers Weekly bestselling author Irene Hannon once again takes readers on a journey filled with memorable characters, heart-tugging drama, and healing hope.

Irene Hannon (Author), Therese Plummer, Thérèse Plummer (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Weight of Air

Two women—bound by blood, torn apart by circumstance—find together that true strength comes in many forms. In 1911, Mabel MacGinnis is Europe’s strongest woman and has performed beside her father in the Manzo Brothers Circus her entire life. When he dies unexpectedly, she loses everything she’s ever known and sets off in the company of acrobat Jake Cunningham in hope of finding the mother she thought was dead. Isabella Moreau, America’s most feted aerialist, has given everything to the circus. But age and injury now threaten her security, and Isabella, stalked by old fears, makes a choice that risks everything. Then her daughter Mabel appears alongside the man who never wanted to see Isabella again, and she is forced to face the truth of where, and in what, she derives her worth. As Mabel and Isabella’s lives become entangled beneath the glittering lights and flying trapeze of Madison Square Garden, their resiliency and resolve are tested as they learn the truth of what it means to be strong.

Kimberly Duffy (Author), Rachel Botchan (Narrator)

Audiobook

Contemporary Women Audiobooks in Fiction & Literature