Romance & Audio

In which I focus on romance and the voices

Jun 14, 2026

This week I’ve started the 2nd round edits for witchy novel The Music of Flowers so am looking at practical details, such as timings, appearances and my characters’ personal histories so it all starts to make sense. I’m also now working with a new draft cover:

I’m writing more to my MM romance Jack’s Party, and have started to go through Ralph’s story in a more linear fashion. I’m also realising he’s a more serious character than I imagined. In the meantime, I’ve discovered that both Jack & Alec (Ralph’s unexpected romance) work in the theatre. So yes, I’m finally coming out as a seat-of-her-pants writer who has NO IDEA what's happening until she actually writes the dang thing. That’s how I roll …

I’ve completed the audio preparation for YA fantasy The Honeymaker’s Daughter so that should be available as an audiobook narrated by Cindy Palmer later in June.

I’ve now submitted the audiobook for MM romance The Heart’s Deeper Voice (The Heart’s Voice 2) so I hope that will be available by the end of June. Craig is torn between revenge and love & has to face a rollercoaster ride of betrayal & loss. When a powerful & unexpected romance has been so utterly destroyed, can there ever be any hope of second chances?...

Your midweek poem is Horses, which can be found in my mybook.to/SwimAnneBrooke collection. I do love horses and we regularly see some in the field behind our garden.

This week, I’ve read Welcome to the Neighbourhood by Jane Fallon: 2.5 stars rounded up to 3. This is a rather ponderous read with a highly unlikely plot. However, I did like the main character Kitty and LOVED her best friend Grace - she is amazing. In fact Grace was my favourite character by far and needs her own book & a decent story. I loved her narrative arc and kept skipping scenes until Grace was in them again. The end twist does seem a bit cruel, but at least Grace had a good conclusion.

I’ve also read Beginner’s Luck by Ivy Glaze: I rated this 4 stars. It’s a very interesting & very high-spice romance. I liked the pairing of Aaron & Jay and also how the Dom/Sub relationship works one way in the bedroom and then the opposite way in their everyday lives - this was a pleasing twist on the theme. I also thought the growth of trust between them was well done. There are some great moments in this and I really loved Aaron’s 8-page list of his Sub dislikes & likes, which rather knocks Jay off balance, but he does his best! How I admire a man who writes things down. Jay’s family life is also well done and I loved the sisters. Oh and a special mention to the Kink Club chat group - they were wonderful. A good read.