8 Romance Novels Where The Protagonists Aren't 25

Much to my delight, I recently opened a romance and learned that the characters were in their early 40s. As I slide quickly out of my late 30s, I’m reallllly noticing just how many protagonists in the genre are in their early 30s, their late 20s, or even their early 20s. It’s beginning to feel a bit like there’s some sort of Logan’s Run situation happening for main characters over the age of 37.

Now, I have nothing against the youth, and I will always enjoy reading about chaotic young adults, no matter how far in my rearview mirror that period of my life has receded. But you know what makes for high-quality romance novel angst? Baggage. You know what you accumulate more and more of as you get older? Baggage! Middle-aged people are chaotic, too! If anything, we’re even more so. Famously!

And so lately, I’ve been deliberately seeking out reads where the characters are a bit older. Maybe they’re literally in their late 30s, 40s, or 50s, or maybe they’ve just got so much middle-aged energy that it delivers the reading experience I want regardless of their chronological age. Either way, here are some reads I’ve enjoyed or hope to enjoy in the near future. It’s not an exhaustive list, but it’ll get you started!

Birding With Benefits by Sarah T. Dubb

I truly don’t know what it is about aging, but birdwatching suddenly becomes very, very compelling. I’d go so far as to say it’s a whole millennial thing, at least on social media. Which is why I cackled a little when I realized that the protagonists of this book were in their 40s. Yup, that feels right! But seriously, it’s a sweet romance between a couple of people coming off recent breakups and trying to figure out their next act while participating in a local birding competition. It’s a nice summer read, and also it made me want to go birding in Arizona.

Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan

This one is at the top of my stack for vacation reading; I just started it, and it’s cute! Our protagonists, Ali and Ethan, are in their late 30s. Ali is separated and in the sort of rut that will be all too recognizable for those who are middle-aged. She’s still dealing with grief from losing her mom, and she’s trying to get an organizing business off the ground after years as a stay-at-home mom where her husband’s needs always came first. Monaghan’s previous book, Nora Goes Off Script, also gets good reviews — she writes Hallmark movies, apparently, which is a great romance novel concept — and the heroine is at a similar stage of life.

Tommy Cabot Was Here by Cat Sebastian

This one is a second-chance romance between two guys who were best friends at prep school until one of them walked away because their whole situationship was just too heartbreaking. (Important context: It’s 1959.) And so when we meet Tommy, he’s fresh off the decision to come out to his politically prominent family and get divorced, which has thrown his life into absolute chaos… but sometimes the only way to build a better, truer life is to blow up the one you’ve got. He’s basically in the throes of a midlife crisis, but in a good and productive way.

Paladin’s Strength by T. Kingfisher

What I like about all the characters in this series is that they have been through it. The concept is that it follows members of a group of paladins — holy warriors with divine martial gifts, basically — whose god was killed. The organizing principle of their lives, in other words, has been ripped apart, and they’re all picking up the pieces. Paladin’s Strength follows Istvhan, who’s kind of the unofficial pack mom of these wrecked paladins, as he tries to track down a murderer, and Grace, an extremely badass berserker nun trying to find and rescue kidnapped fellow members of her order.

The series starts with Paladin’s Grace, which is also good, and you should absolutely start there. Still, I’m putting this one on this list because I deeply appreciate the “oh my god, we’re matter-of-fact and out of patience and also our knees are creaky but we’re still emotionally messy like teenagers because that’s the human condition, actually” middle-aged energy of Istvhan and Clara in particular, out of all the characters in the whole series. The pining is also top-notch.

Role Playing by Cathy Yardley

The older you get, the more you appreciate the value of staying on your couch. The heroine of this one is a bit of a grumpy hermit whose college-aged kid wrangles her into some socialization in the form of an online gaming guild, where she meets the love interest. They’re 48 and 50, respectively, which is downright refreshing — actual Gen Xers!

Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes

I’m pretty sure the protagonists of this book are in their late 30s, but they’re through some pretty major life shifts. Dean is a Major League Baseball pitcher whose career has fallen apart due to a terrible case of the “yips,” when you just suddenly lose the ability to do the athletic thing you are famous and paid a fortune to do. Evvie is a widow alone in her big house, dealing with her complicated feelings around the fact that her husband was pretty horrible, actually. He needs a place to stay, so he moves into the apartment attached to her house.

I just love how these two fall in love with each other on a bedrock foundation of mutual respect and similar taste in soapy television. Plus, there’s a whole bit involving kids racing at the local minor league baseball stadium in foam cereal boxes.

Well Matched by Jen DeLuca

Let me start by saying this whole series centers around people who participate, in one way or another, in a local Renaissance Faire. As a longtime attendee of the Georgia Renaissance Festival, I would just like to acknowledge this is an excellent premise for a book series, because it is all too easy to envision all the hookups happening at any Ren Faire.

April is a single mom whose daughter is about to leave for college; Mitch is a gym teacher and, famously, a near-legendary Faire hottie. They cut a deal where he’ll help her with some home repairs, and she’ll pose as his girlfriend to get his family off his muscled back... and obviously, we all know where that leads.

Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory

Vivian Forest tags along on her daughter’s work trip — styling a young woman about to marry a prince, both of whom will seem cheekily familiar — and immediately falls hard for the Queen’s private secretary. At Christmas. For the Hallmark fans!