Where Are the Romance Novels for Women Over 50?
Bear with me for a short rant.
I’ve been a lover of romance novels since my friend loaned me a Nora Roberts trilogy over twenty years ago. I have been deeply immersed in this genre and a devoted and passionate defender of it. But here’s the thing—I’ve gotten older but it doesn’t appear the romance genre has. Are the authors not aging?
No offense intended, and I’m not saying that I won’t still read these books, but I’m not that interested in the fictional lives of twenty- and thirty-somethings. And my tolerance for open-door bedroom scenes has declined dramatically, especially when it’s in every chapter. Does the 50 and over crowd not deserve literary romance? (I mean we deserve real life romance too, but that’s an article for another day.) I’m not saying we need fewer younger romance novels, but we need more for those of us past the legal drinking limit.
Nevertheless, I’ve been researching romance novels for readers over 50—a lot—and while often an exercise in frustration, I think I have a solid TBR to tackle. Forever the romantic, I’m hopeful this list won’t let me down. Let’s dive in.
I loved Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan, so her latest release, Dolly All the Time, is already on my radar and so is her backlist. I despise the fake dating trope but apparently Dolly isn’t really about fake dating. So those who recommended it to me, I’m side-eyeing you until further notice.
Flirting with 50 by Jane Porter—This is described as two college professors who co-teach a class in Australia and fall for each other along the way. As an aside—has anyone been to Australia, it’s on my list of places to visit?
Role Playing by Cathy Yardley—I don’t usually do rom coms but I’m making an exception because this book sounds really fun. The heroine is actually forty-eight but the hero is 50. And they meet in an online gaming community. I fancy myself a gamer-lite. But my cousin says Frogger doesn’t count.
Brenda Jackson novels. I met her way back when at a romance novel convention—she was lovely. Yes, romance-novel conventions used to be a thing. I hear her contemporary romances can get spicy but if the age demographic is right, I’m willing to give them a try. I’m going to start with Love in Catalina Cove—a small town romance about a bed-and-breakfast owner and the local sheriff. I’m excited to dive into this one.
Falling Apart, Falling for You by Chris Posti—Three 57-year-old friends learn to navigate career shifts, partner loss, and life’s challenges after 50. It looks like there are three books in this series—we’ll see how the first one goes.
Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory—I’ve seen this book a lot because Guillory is so popular. But I never picked it up because I didn’t realize it was focused on the love story of a female character’s 50-something mother. Since this one is holiday-themed, I’ll save it for later in the year.
Those are my six books, to start. I’ll report back on the ones that I fall in love with.
In the meantime, I’m heartbroken and desperately in search of more books for the wiser and wonderful woman seeking a happily ever after. (Yes, that was intentionally overdramatic and romanticized.) Do you have any recommendations?
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