The Best Mature Romance Books For Older Women (Because Who Wants To Read About Teenagers?)

Are your 2025 reading goals feeling daunting? Are you a mature reader whose favorite genre is romance, and feels like all you see and hear about are love stories with teenagers or young adults that you can't seem to relate to? After all, reading is about using your imagination and making those stories come to life in your head, but that might be hard to do when the protagonist is 20 years younger than you and their romance struggles feel a bit childish. If you feel this way, you're not alone. So many mature readers share that they feel too old to read the books they pick up. It's a valid concern.

For many to get invested in a book, they have to be able to see themselves in the protagonist's shoes. However, a character experiencing their first love and innocent crushes might have mature readers yearning for something more — perhaps the complexities and depth of mature relationships that come with aging. This is understandable, and we're here to help. Today, we're bringing you our best five picks for mature romance books for older women.

It doesn't get better than "Frog" when it comes to passionate LGBTQ+ romances for mature readers. Mary Calmes takes you on a journey as Weber Yates, a ranch hand in Texas who dreams of becoming a star bull-rider every single waking day. Not only is Weber struggling with feeling insignificant in his day-to-day job, but he also feels he's in over his head as he's fallen for Cyrus Benning, a revered neurosurgeon based in San Francisco.

Cyrus has been madly in love with Weber since the day he laid eyes on him in broken-down bullrider's clothing, but his heart can only take so much. He's growing weary of watching the love of his life continuously choose to walk out on him. Now, Cyrus has one more chance to prove to his true love that it's not the title of a job that makes Weber worthy of his love, but Weber himself.

Author Lilian Monroe offers an entire series centered around a 40-something protagonist, and it all begins with "Dirty Little Midlife Crisis." Recently divorced and in her mid-40s, the thing Fiona needs more than anything is a relaxing vacation. But her vacation will be anything but that, from a flooded hotel room to car trouble, chaos ensues all at once. On top of all of this, Grant Greene enters the picture; he's ruggedly handsome, packing muscle, and probably what every forty-something heterosexual woman dreams of. Not only is he picture-perfect, but he's also genuinely kind, as he even offers Fiona a room in his breathtaking coastal farmhouse. Dive into Fiona's world as Grant teaches her that being divorced isn't the end of the world and that being in your 40s doesn't mean you have to slow down — it's the perfect time to be alive.

While performing research, one thing we noticed was whenever someone asked for romance book recommendations with mature characters, there was one series that was brought up again and again: Kristen Ashley's Magdalene series. This collection revolves around characters who are all 40 and older and to get to know them, you'll have to start with the very first installment of the series, "The Will."

From the outside, Josephine Malone's life may seem perfect as she travels the world while working for her boss-turned-lover, a renowned photographer. But, on the inside, Josephine trusts and loves no one but her grandmother, Lydia Malone. When her grandmother passes away, it's revealed that her grandmother has left Josephine her beloved Lavender House in which the two of them created the fondest memories. But, unbeknownst to Josephine, her grandmother had other plans as well: to bring together the two people she adored most, her granddaughter and Jake Spear, a retired boxer from her small town. It would be Lydia's final wish on earth to lead the two of them to their happily ever after.

If you love delving into something completely new and immersing yourself in other cultures through literature, then you might want to try Mina V. Esguerra's "Totally Engaged." Not everyone is seeking out the American dream, but 41-year-old Rose Alban's parents couldn't disagree more. Rose is enjoying living alone in her family home in Manila as she's transformed it into somewhat of her own sanctuary. She's even making some extra income renting out the garage she turned into a studio apartment to her friend's brother and former MBA professor, Pascal Cortes. Rose is happier than ever, but her parents find that hard to believe. Her parents and the rest of her family have uprooted their lives in search of better paths in the U.S., and they want nothing more than to bring Rose to the States permanently. When Rose is bombarded with a surprise visit by her mother and relatives, Rose knows there's only one way to prove to them she doesn't need a green card. Read what happens when Rose asks her tenant, Pascal, to pretend to be her fiancé.

Some like an easy-to-read smooth romance novel, but others want to dive into a romance that keeps them on the edge of their seats. If you're in the latter group, we've got an amazing book recommendation for you. "Lock & Key" by Cat Porter will take you on a wild ride as Grace Quillen is on the run from her hometown, seeking anything but love after her biker husband was brutally murdered more than a decade ago. When she has no choice but to return to the place she's tried to stay away from for so long to care for her sister and nephew, fate brings her a night she may never be able to forget. She meets an alluring stranger, Lock, and ends up spending a passionate night with him. But it turns out that Lock wasn't a stranger after all. In fact, he's actually a close friend of her late husband and an officer in his old bike club. Grace is left stunned, but she's not the only one. Soon after their steamy night together, Lock realizes she is the obsession he could never shake — his mentor's widow. And, this is just the beginning of the chaos that unfolds with Grace's return.

There are so many high-quality undiscovered books in the world, and there is always something for everyone. This is why it's so challenging to come up with only five picks for any kind of recommendation list. There are so many books we'd love to tell you about, but the last thing we want to do is overwhelm you, so we've kept it short and simple. Just how did we come up with this list? Well, it started with a ton of research on Reddit forums for romance books and a countless number of blogs by mature readers. Once the list was narrowed down to a decent number, it was time to read the synopses of the books. After that, we combed through Goodreads reviews and brought the list down to our top five picks. Et voilà, there you have it! A curated reading list for mature romance enthusiasts.