Reviews
The only two qualifications for the books we review is that the main female character be forty years old or above, and that the story be a Happily Ever After romance. All sub-genres of romance are welcome!
Reviews: A Witch to Change the World, Suzanne Snowden
From BookBub:
After touching a magical manuscript, 16th-century witch Vivienne is thrust into the 21st-century Library of Congress, where she meets modern-day witch and pediatric doctor Adam. Their chance connection alters history in this sizzling time travel romance!
From Amazon:
Hunter J. Skye-(5 stars) This was my favorite read of 2024 because of the magic! If you enjoyed A Discovery of Witches or The Last Witch Hunter this mature, well thought out story won't disappoint. I gave this book points for: great world-building, believable magic system, and well-handled intimacy. I love that the female protagonist is so much more powerful than anyone else in the book and the male MC respects her for it. But there's still a fun touch-her-and-I'll-unalive-you vibe. It is a slow burn, but the spicy times are worth the wait. Looking forward to the next book in this satisfying series.
Janice Green- (5 stars)
A cross between Outlander and A Discovery of Witches with two strong protagonists and smart, witty banter. I can’t wait for the sequel!
From Goodreads:
Ruhi Shaik- (5 Stars)
Dare I say this was one of my top reads of the year…
Yes, yes I do!
A Witch to Change the World was such a refreshing and unique read with older main characters. Initially, I was unsure about a story with mature protagonists, as it was my first venture into this trope. However, I wanted to branch out from the typical "18-year-old discovers their powers and saves the world" plot line, and this book absolutely hit the mark! Both the main characters Vivienne and Adam are richly developed, with distinct personalities and visions that drive the narrative forward. Their depth and complexity added layers of authenticity to the story, making it all the more engrossing.
Molly Reads- (5 Stars)
This was such a good book! The world building was incredible, the characters were really well developed and interesting, the writing and pacing were good. The story was interesting and it kept my attention. I really liked this book and will continue to read from this author since I was very impressed by their writing!
Buy Suzanne Snowden books here:
Review: At Your Service,
Sandra Antonelli
IMAGINE MY DELIGHT when I discovered the
In Service series by Sandra Antonelli on Amazon. Here were characters well over forty, not only falling in love but doing so in a smart, believable fashion. It was a genre I had never explored, Romantic Suspense, and I loved it.
The story of English butler Mae Valentine and her employer Major Kitt was like a mini vacation all over Europe for me and I read all four books in quick succession. The books are tied together with an impressive, action-packed plot that gave an inside look at what British secret service life must be like, and, at times explored themes of social injustice.
But what enchanted me most about this series was the falling in love of those fantastic characters. I adored them together, just adored them. (She made him fluffy scrambled eggs. He dreamt about them. I also wanted scrambled eggs quite a lot as I worked my way through this series.) Their dialogue was smart, their feelings real, and their sex was good. I will remember always that Major Kitt described Mae's kiss like Christmas morning. (swoon)
Because any romance novel review requires a "heat" level indicating how much sex and detail we see in a given encounter, I'll give these books a low heat score, meaning there was sex, but it was not graphic or detailed. For me, the sex scenes in these books were not many but they were realistic and satisfying. The main draw for me was, as I said, these great characters and the way they came to be together.
Antonelli is a gifted writer who studied creative writing and earned both a Masters and Doctorate degree after examining the lack of realistic representation in romance novels for female characters over forty. (I read both of her theses and agree wholeheartedly with her findings!) Find them at: https://sandraantonelli.com/other-writing/ She also has novels in the romantic comedy genre and romantic mystery.
I thank you, Sandra Antonelli, for researching this maddening issue of lack of accurate representation of mature women in romance novels, and for your own fiction that proves an older woman can still kick some ass, get the guy, and be the main character while she's doing it.
-Suzanne Snowden
Buy Sandra Antonelli books here:
Review: Come as You Are,
Jess K Hardy
I don't know a ton about author Jess K Hardy. Honestly, it's enough for me that her profile picture on Amazon features a grainy image of some otters hanging on her wall. I see that and I think, "We could be friends." Otters on your wall is a clear green flag.
You can also tell a lot about authors from the characters they create and the trials they give those characters. Jess Hardy writes realistic characters that have been through some stuff in their lives and just might be ready to learn from their mistakes, forgive themselves and accept a Happy Ever After ending. And we root for them so hard!
I really enjoyed her books Come as You Are (I think this was another Desiree rec) and Lips Like Sugar, the first two titles of three books in the Bluebird Basin Series. The third book Wish You Were Here features younger characters than the first two books but I have to see Davis and Keven get their HEA, so I will be reading that one too! This series is available on Kindle Unlimited.
Be aware that the theme of addiction recovery is central to Come as You Are and may be hard for some to encounter. But it was fascinating to me to gain an understanding of what recovery looks like in "the real world." The hero, Matthew Madigan, (aka "Madigan") is a six-foot tall, tattooed ex-rockstar who runs a sober home for other addicts. He's sexy beyond belief and challenges the heroine, Ashley Cooke, to get out of her head as she runs the ski lodge she inherited from her father. I loved seeing Madigan open up to the possibility of a relationship after years of abstaining and loved the way he convinced Ashley to do the same.
In the next book, Lips Like Sugar, we get to meet the drummer from Madigan's rock days, Cole Sanderson, and witness his falling for the baker in town, Mira Harlow. I loved their relationship too, especially a hilarious side story where Mira for some reason is having silent orgasms, not wanting to give in to the whole, "omg this is so great" idea. Because it could all go away and fall apart at any time, right?
The first two books in this Bluebird Basin series are chock full of real-life situations that the characters encounter and work to understand in order to find love. Some of these themes are addiction, divorce, loss of a parent, early onset memory loss and abandonment issues. Jess Hardy makes you care about these issues and the people dealing with them. Also, Jess Hardy writes a good sex scene!
For small town romance with sexy rock stars, I hope you will enjoy some Jess K Hardy books along with me!
Buy Jess K Hardy books here:
Review: Books from author
L.B. Dunbar
I feel like an idiot for not knowing about author L.B. Dunbar before this. I read a million romance books during the pandemic and in the years since, and all the while I was ranting to anybody who would listen that there were no heroines over 40 (I even wrote and published my own romance to solve this problem) and then... I read L.B. Dunbar.
She has written many series featuring heroines over 40 and is particularly adept at writing silver foxes who fall in love with these age-appropriate ladies.
(AND LOOK AT THOSE COVERS!)
I read the three titles pictured here and loved them all. I started with The Sex Education of m.e. (both characters have the initials m.e.) and was totally impressed with how real those people seemed to me. I felt like they could be a couple down the street. He's a sexy firefighter with secrets (like the fact that he's a firefighter) and she's a woman in need of some sexual exploration. He obliges and the results are satisfying for all.
At first, I wasn't sure if After Care was going to get me to that place of caring about the characters because the story happened while they were on vacation, it seemed like things progressed too quickly and the MMC was the manager for a rock band. These things seemed unlikely. But then... damn if I didn't care about those characters, too! There was an interesting backstory for the FMC, in that she was a breast cancer survivor, and I loved how the MMC did not let that phase him in the least.
And then Parentmoon was just the best premise (they're the parents of a couple who don't go through with the wedding and the parents get the honeymoon) and once again, L.B. Dunbar made me care about those people and desperately want that HEA for everyone. She's really good at this!
I'm glad I didn't find L.B. Dunbar before I decided to write a book to fix the problem of not enough FMCs who are 40+ because she is clearly on her way to solving this issue, and I thank her!
Buy L.B. Dunbar books here:
