Touched: The Complete Series

Let’s get this out of the way: Matt Lanter is *the* reason to pick up this audiobook. His performance as Evan, the Grim Reaper with a heart of stone and a soul of longing, is a masterclass in vocal acting. He balances the character’s stoic gravitas with sudden bursts of vulnerability, especially in scenes where Evan’s icy demeanor melts under the weight of human emotions. The full-cast narration is a standout too—Emma Galvin’s portrayal of Cam, the mortal who refuses to die (and refuses to stop messing with Evan’s life), is fierce and relatable, while Mark Deakins’ Lucifer is a deliciously campy villain who sounds like he’s been mainlining Broadway show tunes. Production-wise, the audio is crisp and immersive, with subtle sound design that places you right in the middle of divine battles and celestial boardrooms. That said, the pacing stumbles in the middle books, where the story occasionally meanders into repetitive tropes about love conquering all. The romance is over-the-top in the best way, but the rules of Heaven and Hell feel inconsistently applied, which pulled me out of the fantasy a few times. Still, if you crave a love story that’s equal parts epic and swoony—with a side of existential stakes—this series delivers.