AUDIBLE EDITOR

Valerie Berrios

A romantic to the core, Valerie devours feel-good, character-driven love stories and cozy mysteries. She’ll also spend her daily train commute listening to a heart-stopping thriller, an engrossing memoir, or self dev for advice on relationships, parenting, and generally being a better human.

Listen to These Love Stories

When your superpower is research

I absolutely adored this charming story about a suburban librarian named Claire who, despite being jilted at the altar, decides to use her honeymoon trip to explore a big city famous for its arts culture, historic sites...and undercover magical community (!). Claire, whose Texas-tinged voice is narrated wonderfully by Karissa Vacker, gets tangled up with wizards who take her on an unintentional journey of intrigue, self-discovery, and potential romance. She learns first-hand how power—including supernatural powers—can corrupt, but when used wisely can also restore one’s confidence and ability to help the commonwealth. The many nods to book lovers was an extra treat.

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More than human

You don’t need to be a sci-fi fan to get swept up by Alyssa Cole’s fun, twisty rom-com with a strong and diverse cast of narrators, including Regina Hall, Feodor Chin, and Mindy Kaling. But The A.I Who Loved Me has a thrilling, futuristic plot that certainly helps bump this listen into best-romance-of-2019 territory! I especially enjoyed the intermingling of Hall’s solo narration with scripted audio chapters—complete with dramatic sound design—that made for a standout audio experience. Trinity Jordan is a badass heroine who has a crush on her new neighbor, Li Wei, but she soon discovers he’s not quite what he seems. Even then, she can’t help but fall for his charmingly robotic demeanor and powerful desire to keep her safe. Who knew A.I.s could be this sexy?

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Sweet and sexy for the win

Be still my heart. This was exactly the feel-good story I needed in the midst of everyday stresses. Tall, dark, and handsome Reid and oh-so-sensible Willow are just friends—and neighbors—despite the fact that their insane chemistry is palpable to everyone but them. Leave it to the heroine’s matchmaker family business to get the ball rolling on their romance, in an unexpected way. The fabulous writing duo of Corinne Michaels and Melanie Harlow, plus the magic of Andy Arndt’s honey-tinged narration paired with Jason Clarke’s deep and brooding voice, deliver a realistic portrayal of this couple’s insecurities, obstinacies, and deepest desires. If you’re not swooning by the end of this listen, you may have to check your pulse.

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Not all heroines wear capes

The high-school sweethearts trope, in which the couple at first glance seems totally mismatched, is one I find irresistible in my romance listens. Add in a strong female lead and an adorable love child to tug at the heartstrings, and this mama is all in. In Ghosted, J.M. Darhower does a wonderful job weaving together a story within a story that will resonate with anyone who has ever believed in loving someone enough to set them free. The dual narration from Maxine Mitchell and Joe Arden is seamless and captures the couple’s pleasures and pain, including the hero’s struggles with sobriety, beautifully and believably.

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Tortured souls seek their happily ever after

When a Jersey girl with a Disney princess’s name travels to rural Ireland to learn the truth about her past, she unexpectedly meets her prince. But Aurora and Malachy have just 24 hours of passion before they must say good-bye, bound only by a promise scribbled on a napkin that they’d reunite permanently if fate ever brought them back together—no seeking each other out allowed. Then reality, as it does, intervenes—along with myriad secrets that threaten their union. Get ready. This steamy listen, elevated by a stellar cast that includes Joe Arden and Shane East, had me chuckling, in a fit of frustration, tearing up, and even cringing at some hilarious asides. It’s a roller-coaster ride of emotions that is totally worthwhile.

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A modern girl versus traditional love

I’m a sucker for girl-meets-boy tales with a multicultural twist. Having come from a large, loving, and at-times overbearing family of Puerto Ricans and Hondurans, I can relate a bit to the heroine’s predicament in The Matchmaker’s List of balancing cultural norms with her own progressive, feminist values. In this romantic comedy, Sonya Lalli captures elements of her own Indian heritage when telling the story of Raina skirting, with mixed success, her grandmother’s attempts to set her up with a nice Indian boy. I'm eager to listen to the hilarity that inevitably ensues—and to find out if Raina eventually meets her match.

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Love finds you when you least expect it

When I need a pick-me-up listen, I’m often drawn to second-chance romances. The struggle to find love again after devastating heartbreak is just so universal, and the glimmers of hope that in time present themselves are utterly comforting. So when I read the description for Vi Keeland’s All Grown Up, about a 35+ divorcée tiptoeing back into dating after a 20-year relationship gone sour—and her insecurity about testing the waters with a man a decade-and-change younger (who, by the way, used to babysit her adult son)—I grabbed my earbuds and settled right in. Spoiler alert: I was not disappointed. The cover art suggests a whole lot of sexy—and let’s be honest, when Sebastian York and Andi Arndt team up, you know steamy is part of the package—but this is actually a slow-burn romance, set in the beachside village of Montauk, New York, with heart-tugging sweetness aplenty. Count this as one satisfying remedy for the blahs.

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A Few of Valerie's Favorites

Valerie's Recent Reviews

Product List
  • The Mountain and the Sea Audiobook By Kwame Dawes cover art

    • The Mountain and the Sea

    • By: Kwame Dawes
    • Narrated by: Paula-Anne Jones
    • Length: 3 hrs and 17 mins
    • Release date: 04-02-20
    • Language: English
    • 4 out of 5 stars 7,723 ratings
    • It’s never too late for a new beginning
    • In The Mountain and the Sea, esteemed Ghanaian poet Kwame Dawes lays bare a compelling and raw short story, told through the eyes of a middle-aged Jamaican woman named Esther, who for the past couple of years has been reckoning with the complicated relationship she had with her deceased husband. One day, as a hurricane approaches, she happens upon a naked man standing on a mountain road leading into Kingston. He has amnesia, so Esther decides to shelter him on her private island, where she’s able to reignite a passion for art with the unwitting help of her new friend-turned-muse. Jamaican narrator Paula-Anne Jones brings vibrancy and authenticity to a woman who learns to throw caution to the wind and open her mind and body. It’s a stirring listen with a strong sense of place that made me laugh, kept me in suspense, and soothed my soul.
  • Above the Bay of Angels Audiobook By Rhys Bowen cover art

    • Above the Bay of Angels

    • A Novel
    • By: Rhys Bowen
    • Narrated by: Gemma Dawson
    • Length: 10 hrs and 8 mins
    • Release date: 02-11-20
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 2,725 ratings
    • Seizing the day
    • Known for her wildly popular Royal Spyness series—a favorite of those of us Audible Editors who love a good cozy mystery—Rhys Bowen delivers a standalone novel that has everything you’d expect and more. Above the Bay of Angels is a turn-of-the-century story about palace intrigue, starring a bright young woman who, despite losing her noble status, maintains a fighting spirit in pursuit of her passion in life. For Bella Waverly, that hunger is for cooking. On her path to independence, lies unravel, blackmail is committed, and assassination attempts are made in her midst. Interspersed are hints of a sweet culinary romance. The narration by Gemma Dawson is the icing atop this delightful listen.
  • Carnival Row: Tangle in the Dark Audiobook By Stephanie K. Smith cover art

    • Carnival Row: Tangle in the Dark

    • By: Stephanie K. Smith
    • Narrated by: Karla Crome
    • Length: 3 hrs and 8 mins
    • Release date: 10-03-19
    • Language: English
    • 4 out of 5 stars 17,885 ratings
    • All is fae in love and war
    • If, like me, you’ve binged Amazon’s fantasy series Carnival Row, created by Travis Beacham and René Echevarria, and are itching for more, Tangle in the Dark is a must-listen. This steamy Audible Original is a prequel told through the eyes of Tourmaline Larou, who fans of the show will know as the audacious, brothel-dwelling bff and former lover of fellow faerie Vignette Stonemoss. It’s an enchanting tale of first love unfolding despite class differences, personal growth, and love lost that satisfyingly intersects with pivotal scenes in the streaming series. The story also foreshadows the war to come as the human species seeks to brutally colonize otherworldly beings.
  • Love Understood Audiobook By Laura Mucha cover art

    • Love Understood

    • The Science of Who, How and Why We Love
    • By: Laura Mucha
    • Narrated by: Laura Mucha
    • Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins
    • Release date: 01-24-19
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 58 ratings
    • Relationships are built, not found
    • For a long time I thought I had the love thing figured out. Disney fairytales and ‘90s rom-coms had ingrained in me a sense that when you find “the one,” you’ll instantly know it—and if you have any doubts about your partner, your relationship is doomed. Being raised by parents who got married very young and seeing how tumultuous their marriage was, only deepened my desire for a happily ever after. And then I met my college sweetheart, got married young, and was still unsatisfied. I left because I’d convinced myself if we were meant to be, I wouldn’t feel so unsettled. Years later, I’d fall into the same trap. As soon as my ambivalence kicked in, I left. At some point, I had to realize that it wasn’t them; it was me. Laura Mucha’s Love Understood put this self-sabotaging behavior into perspective as no book, friend, or relative ever could. Using science (attachment theory, what a concept!) as well as interviews with strangers of various ages, ethnicities, and nationalities, Mucha digs into the notion of romantic love and all its counterparts. After listening to her compelling narration, which conveys an inherent curiosity, I even saw my parents’ connection in a way I’d never appreciated before. I’m happy to report, though love remains complicated, my head and heart are in a much better place.
  • Lead from the Outside Audiobook By Stacey Abrams cover art

    • Lead from the Outside

    • How to Build Your Future and Make Real Change
    • By: Stacey Abrams
    • Narrated by: Stacey Abrams
    • Length: 7 hrs and 15 mins
    • Release date: 04-24-18
    • Language: English
    • 5 out of 5 stars 1,990 ratings
    • A groundbreaker’s personal prescription for achieving your life goals
    • I was never one to follow local politics, but that changed recently and I did keep a close eye on the run-up to the 2018 midterms. That’s when I became a fangirl of social justice advocate Stacey Abrams, the former Minority Leader of the Georgia House of Representatives (and, by the way, a romance novelist!). Her gubernatorial election was the stuff of political fiction—except it was all too real. While Abrams lost her race for governor, she won me over with her self-narrated memoir, which is filled with anecdotes of her Mississippi upbringing, collegiate experience, and struggles to combat all the usual -isms on her road to success. There are nuggets of inspiration aplenty for active leaders and people in marginalized communities aspiring to be changemakers. Her tools—including downloadable exercises—aren’t meant for slackers; they’re designed to help you realize that with the right approach the seemingly impossible is possible.
  • Trailblazer Audiobook By Dorothy Butler Gilliam cover art

    • Trailblazer

    • A Pioneering Journalist's Fight to Make the Media Look More Like America
    • By: Dorothy Butler Gilliam
    • Narrated by: January LaVoy
    • Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins
    • Release date: 01-08-19
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 77 ratings
    • One woman's lifelong mission to elevate journalists of color
    • As a media-obsessed woman of color whose first job in journalism was at a small local newspaper, I was immediately drawn to the story of Dorothy Butler Gilliam, the first black female reporter at The Washington Post. Her memoir, Trailblazer, includes a stirring account of her early career during an era that was hostile and downright inhumane to African Americans, doubly so if they were women. Breaking into the “white press” as such in the 1960s was a feat not meant for the faint of heart. And yet Gilliam persisted, eventually working her way up the ranks at The Post and spearheading organizations and educational programs that gave rise to a new, diverse generation of journalists. The author’s journey wasn’t easy, of course, and she describes how some of her life experiences took a toll on her mental and physical health. Her chronicle is gripping, and her words—heard through the voice of the brilliant January LaVoy—are inspirational.
  • Scientific Secrets for Raising Kids Who Thrive Audiobook By Peter M. Vishton, The Great Courses cover art

    • Scientific Secrets for Raising Kids Who Thrive

    • By: Peter M. Vishton, The Great Courses
    • Narrated by: Peter M. Vishton
    • Series: The Great Courses: Better Living
    • Length: 12 hrs and 47 mins
    • Release date: 03-07-14
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 2,653 ratings
    • Parenting advice that’s tried and tested
    • The opportunity to listen to this course could not have come at a better time. My baby girl was starting pre-K 😭, and many of the lessons were incredibly relevant to this stage in her life. I’m not the type of mom who consumes every parenting guide imaginable—I’m very particular about what I gravitate toward—but any advice backed by science is right up my alley. As I followed along with the professor—think of that smart, friendly dad you know who speaks plainly—I was able to give myself mental gold stars for a few things I’d already done with my daughter (tummy time, check!) and notes to self to be better at certain other things (not giving up on exposing her to those veggies she routinely rejects). I appreciated the bits of historical context, as well as some unexpected tips to tuck away, so I know I’ll be returning to this course many times in the years to come.