Mrs. Martin’s Incomparable Adventure by Courtney Milan

Gray Hair Don't Care by Karen Booth: “A second-chance-at-love romance. Waiting for a Scot Like You by Eva Leigh: “A sexy historical about a widow on the way to an orgy with a grumpy soldier as ‘chaperone.’ It's inspired by ‘80s movies, and part of a series. There are so many fantastic authors and stories you really have to find what rings your bell.”īecause the world of romance is so vast, we asked Rodale to share a few of her favorites (featuring ‘seasoned’ women) to help you get started.

“This is super old-school, but you can look and see what cover grabs your eye. If you’re new to romance novels, she suggests heading to your local Barnes & Noble to browse in person. The people will get together in the end and you will feel warm and fuzzy and happy. “You can be assured that it will be about a love story and will end happily,” says Rodale of the industry’s strict adherence to an HEA (happily ever after). While women read romance novels for all sorts of reasons, the escape they offer – particularly during these times – cannot be overstated. It still delivers the fun of falling in love.” ‘Seasoned romance’ is a term people use, but they also just call it romance because it is just romance. “If the heroine’s passed her childbearing years, that takes out all the accidental pregnancy plots and the pressure to get married and have a baby, especially in historical books.

“It’s really awesome the way it changes the story,” says Maya Rodale, author and former romance reviewer for NPR Books, of an older female lead. Book protagonists are becoming more diverse, and now, there are finally more “mature” female characters.

Thanks in large part to social media, the genre - much maligned in the ‘80s and ‘90s - is moving past its Fabio phase. Something interesting is going on in the world of romance novels.

Mrs. Martin’s Incomparable Adventure by Courtney Milan