Narrator Spotlight: Rose Dioro

Honest and genuine emotion. Every time.

Are you an audiobook fan? I’ll be honest, I wasn’t for a long time. But once I found the right audiobooks for me, I became a bit obsessed with finding even more of them. My poor Spotify playlist goes through some pretty intense droughts where I completely forget it exists because I’m binging audiobooks every time I’m in the car. 

My audiobook journey started picking up when I wanted to reread a book, but due to my editing schedule I just didn’t have the time to dip into the written version. Or I was going on a trip and wanted a comfort read in my ears.  I’ll be honest, I tried listening to some of my favorite stories on audiobook, but for some reason the narrators didn’t click with the characters and I wound up not finishing the audiobook. And I am okay with that. Just like not every story is for every reader, I know not every audiobook is for every listener.  

For me, finding the right audiobook became all about finding the right narrators. Over the last couple of years, I’ve discovered I have several favorites I default to regularly because I know they will bring a new level of appreciation and enjoyment to a story. I put that knowledge to work selecting new books by authors I love to help me binge their backlists. And I’ve even found myself picking out audiobooks of stories by new-to-me-authors because I already love the narrators and want a new story and written voice in my ear.

One voice I know I can count on every time is Rose Dioro. Rose does so much more than just read me a story. She infuses a performance quality that brings the characters to life. 

And with over one hundred titles on Audible, spanning multiple romance subgenres, there are definitely lots of great options to get my Rose fix. My favorites so far are No Small Bet by Samantha Christy (co-narrated with Connor Crais) and An Unexpected Turn by Stephanie Rose (co-narrated with Teddy Hamilton). I was already very familiar with both of those books when I listened to their audio, and I was blown away by how well Rose portrayed Addie in No Small Bet and Payton in An Unexpected Turn.   And I can’t wait to dive into Messy Perfect Love by Claire Kingsley because I can already hear Rose as Clover. 

Not only do I absolutely love listening to Rose’s narrations, I love how involved she is in the romance novel and audiobook community. Rose and fellow narrator Samantha Brentmoor cohost the Rosemoor Roundtable, a series that bring romance industry professions together to discuss a variety of topics focused on everything from author-narrator collaborations to acting & vocal techniques to marketing & social media. The episodes are always thought provoking, fun, and relevant—even if you’re just a humble listener like me.

Last July, both narrators joined me and the St@lkerSisters on our podcast to discuss why they do what they do and hear their insights on the industry as well. It was a really fun and very informative experience. We chatted about so many things, including the role female narrators play in the industry and how they are often overshadowed by their male counterparts. It was an intriguing discussion that changed some of the ways I post on social media as well as how and why I choose what books to listen to. (And that is a blog post for another day.)

I think I tend to gravitate to Rose because she also seems to thrive in a place of making and fostering connections. From her appearances at Romancelandia events to her Zoom lives following the events she’s attended, Rose shines when she’s engaged in conversation. You can definitely see the performer side of her emerge in front of a group. When I met her for the first time at Indies Invade Philly (IIP) in 2021, she was warm and engaging with every fan. I was in a major space of overwhelm and had no idea what to even ask, but she instantly put me at ease. And that truly meant a lot to me. 

I’ve seen Rose in person again since then, and at least that second time at IIP I knew who she was and could carry on a coherent conversation. And that podcast we all recorded together was fantastic because Rose and Samantha are so genuine and easy to talk with. So even though I was thoroughly fangirling the entire time, I was able to carry on an intelligent conversation because they put me at ease immediately. And now I get to see Rose again at Charm City Romanticon in April. Fangirling will happen. And I am okay with that. Because talented people deserve to know how much their fans love them and appreciate the gift they share with us.

For more information about Rose:

Visit her website: https://www.rosedioro.com/

You can grab Rose’s audiobooks on: Audible

You can find Rose on social media here:        Facebook     Instagram    

And you can join his Rose’s Facebook group:   Rosebuds - Rose Dioro's Community Page