Where are the Great Mature Romances?
I love a great romance novel, but why are the main characters so young? Doesn’t anyone know love can be amazing as a full-fledged grown-up? Not to mention the whoopie?
You may have asked yourself questions like these as you browsed a recommended reading list but came up uninspired. I hear/see these requests all the time. The short answer is, yes. Great novels about “adult love” are out there. The problem to finding them, as I see it, is three-fold:
Traditional publishers generally don’t support the concept, believing the myth that there’s no audience for it even though the fan base itself is growing older. Some publishers have taken “the risk” to produce such works, only to do a poor job marketing the novels. In what seemed to be a self-fulfilling prophecy, they declared their first opinion correct. This doesn’t mean there are no traditionally published Romance novels with mature characters. But I’ve found the ages of the characters are often downplayed in deference to other tropes in the book. This makes it difficult to find the books in a retailer’s search engine unless you know exactly which book you want
The remedy to this, from my own experience, is the Indie Romance world. Indie authors often take the lead when it comes to writing “unconventional” main characters of all shapes, sizes, and abilities. This is true for mature characters.
The other issue I see is the cut-off line between a mainstream cast and a mature one. Many consider mature Romance characters to be 35+. But there are readers who balk at anyone under 50. The truth is, there are stories out there for all ages but the older the age, the fewer. A lot of life can happen between 35 and 80 though. (Yes, I’ve heard of a story about a couple of octagenarians. Unfortunately, I haven’t found it yet. If you know of one, please share in the comments.) If readers and authors are going to make this niche of storytelling work, there must be broad support for both a middle-aged and a senior cast of characters.
Finally, there is the problem of where to find these unicorn books. (As you will see, there may be many more than you think.) Again, think of search engines. Be specific with your keywords when searching for these books at an online retailer. The broad, sub-genre—and it is becoming a new sub-genre—is “Seasoned Romance.” However, not everyone has caught on to the term. Yet. For other ideas, check out the keywords at the end of this post. Second, I highly recommend checking out Facebook reader groups devoted to this niche. If you’re not on Facebook, it may be worth it for this alone. It’s currently the best place for readers and authors to congregate together. (And you don’t have to accept the friend request of your obnoxious cousin if you don’t want to. 😉) The two prolific groups I know of right now are the “Seasoned Romance” group and “Romance in Her Prime.”
If you don’t want to try the social media route, or you just want a jump start, what follows is a not-comprehensive list of authors who have written Romances with seasoned characters. Some write solely about mature characters; others mix up their novels. The book descriptions on their websites should let you know about the characters’ ages.
Maggie Christensen: https://maggiechristensenauthor.com/
Karen Booth: https://karenbooth.net/
Natasha Moore: http://natashamoore.com/
Maggie Wells: https://maggie-wells.com/
Julie Hammerle: https://juliehammerle.com/
Sandra Antonelli: https://sandraantonelli.com/
Jeannie Moon: https://jeanniemoon.com/
Nan Reinhardt: https://nanreinhardt.com/
Susan B. James: https://susanbjames.blogspot.com/
Stephanie Morris: https://stephaniemorris.webs.com/
Claudia Shelton: http://claudiasheltonauthor.com/
Dana Wayne: https://www.danawayne.com/books
Tracy Krimmer: https://www.tracykrimmer.com/
Meka James: https://www.authormekajames.com/
Shannyn Schroeder: https://shannynschroeder.com/
Mellanie Szereto: https://www.mellanieszereto.com/
Katy Regenery: https://www.katyregnery.com/
LB Dunbar: https://www.lbdunbar.com/
Kristen Ashley: https://www.kristenashley.net/
Melanie Harlow: https://www.melanieharlow.com/
Roxanne St. Clair: http://www.roxannestclaire.com/
Corinne Michaels: https://corinnemichaels.com/
Kennedy Ryan: https://kennedyryanwrites.com/
Hopefully, this list can be a start in your journey through the delicious world of Seasoned Romance novels. It’s in no way comprehensive. If you have any authors to recommend, feel free to mention them in the comments.
All the best,
Kallyn Jones
p.s. Coming soon, I’ll be adding a series to this list. The first book is called, Kick Start, featuring a middle-aged single mother and entrepreneur with autoimmune issues, name Kick McKenna. Her hero, Thomas Harrison, is a younger, quirky genetics professor. To learn about my book, click here.