As a reviewer here at Duckie Central, I have my finger on the pulse of the publishing industry. Which basically means that I notice stuff. And I’ve been noticing for a while that there are tons of books published by Ellora’s Cave that seem to be running on a similar theme: older women with younger men.
What’s up with that theme lately? Why is it cropping up? Are a lot of you out there in romanceland gobbling these books up?
The only thing I can figure is that EC is writing to the majority of its market–that being women who are categorized as “way older than me”. And to be truthful, the only book yet that looks even remotely tempting is something released 12 June called Fiddler on the Woof, although I am slightly frightened to read that book because in my head, bad puns belong in erotic romance about as well as random pr0n does in, say, “Leave it to Beaver”. (I will leave it up to you to provide the tasteless beaver joke that needs to go here, because I am far too innocent and pure to even contemplate such folly!)
I’m not saying that if the muse moves an author to write about, say, June Cleaver dumping Ward for the Fonze, that author shouldn’t write that book. But I am saying that at 26, the only significantly younger men in my life would be… about 18. And I 
remember 18. I don’t want to remember that particular time in my life, because trust me, I had a lot of growing up to do, and if the boys in the undergrad classes I’m taking are any indication, so do men of that age. So the fantasy doesn’t particularly strike me, and I imagine won’t until I’m well into my thirties.
Are any of you reading these EC older women/younger men books? I am perfectly willing to admit to being a snob if there’s a book I should be reading but am not that would knock my socks off in this category. Let me know. And, dude, someone really needs to read Fiddler on the Woof because I really, really want to know if that’s any good.
Also, do you think this trend is likely to continue? What do you think will come next after we’ve exhausted the possibility of older women/younger men?
I usually avoid these books, because I am in my early 20s and have nothing in common with the heroines lol However, I am reading one right now( Unbreakable by Amarinda Jones) and I like it so far. It was an excerpt that pulled me in, otherwise I wouldn’t have thought twice about it.
Beaver Joke? I don’t get it….
I’m not quite part of the over 30 crowd yet, but still, I don’t see the appeal in these either. Like you, the boys I’d have to dig are just a bit too young to attract me. But then, maybe I’ll feel different when I’m 50.
Shannon, I’m thinking I may have to take a few for the team and read some of the EC titles. (Fiddler on the Woof will not, however, be one of them.)
Holly – you’ll feel differently when you’re 40.
When I was 35 I had a relationship for a couple of years with a 21 year old. It was the last thing I would have wanted to experience, but it just kind of worked out like that. It wasn’t an easy relationship due to experience differences, but we did have fun for a while. Since I’ve been there done that, it’s not really a hot fantasy for me.
I’d rather an older man/younger woman with not that much of an age difference. But in the right hands, I think it could be fun to read if it’s done in a light way.
I’ve been in relationships with both younger and older men – and gotta say, the younger ones win hands down. There’s just an underlying “sweetness” there – for lack of a better word. Or it could just be the older guys I dated hosed me over so badly that I’ve been completely turned off ever since 😉
That all being said, I don’t like huge age gaps in any of the romances I read – regardless of which party is “older.” 5 years is perfect, but if we’re inching towards 10 then I start to get squirked out……
I actually like a good older woman/younger man story, but too many of them and it sounds gimmicky. Like a menage or light bondage. Everyone’s trying it.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who thought Fiddler on the Woof sounded good.
I haven’t even hit 20 yet, so no, I don’t really see the appeal. However, I do love the romance in Harold and Maude despite the age difference.
I am so going to make you, lime and liv send me copies of your drivers license or something.
I have no problem with older women younger men stories. Well hmmm I have never given it any thought… I admit I tend to like it the other way. But it is the WAVE of it that just seems odd.
Okay youngsters,… here’s the thing: Your tastes in men really don’t change as you age.
When you’re 20-something, other 20 and 30 year old men (the kind that have promising careers, a full head of hair and some evidence of muscle mass) are HOT.
When you’re 30 and still tight (read: prekids) these men are still HOT.
When you enter your 40’s and are happily settled with your darling hubby who has considerably less hair and more gut than muscle, that 32 year old fireman that you just happen to bump into at Starbucks at 9:15 every morning, is not just HAWT,… he becomes the sole motivation to drag your drooping ass to the gym. He’s the reason you combed your hair and put on lipstick,… even though you’ve never spoken a word and probably never will.
It’s all part of the fantasy.
Call me in 20 years… we’ll discuss 😉
btw – the influx of Oh Yum’s are the result of a call for submissions… It’s a theme, like their Tarot or Jewel series.
Wylie,
I don’t disagree with you at all. Not even a little bit. But I guess when I think older woman/younger man I think 45 yr old woman w/ a 18 yr old ..well, not really man at that age, I guess. Perhaps that isn’t the case at all with these, but I just can’t get away from that image. It’s not pretty.
The 25 yr old UPS delivery guy at my office is hawt. Seriously hawt. We celebrate “UPS TIME” like they used to celebrate “DIET COKE TIME” in those old commercials. But I’d have a hard time not feeling like a perv if said UPS guy was 18.
Does that make sense?
Wylie,
I acknowledge that you’re right. I’ll probably catch up on all the boy-craziness I don’t really experience now… in about 20 years. And thanks for the info about the call for submissions. Thankfully for me and my ability to not look stupid, Laura D pointed that out about the submissions after I’d written the post and I
was too lazynever got around to fixing the post.Holly – thanks for reminding me about the Diet Coke dude *sigh*
Yeah… I’m not sure you’re the demographic that EC was aiming for with the Oh Yum line.
I’m 40-ish and I’m not sure I’d find anything under about 25 worthy of a second look. 18 would be squicky!
There’s a level of maturity that would be required, along with the requisite hotness!
But a 25 year old and me would be a significant gap. More than 15 years. Oh God… it just dawned on me… I’M OLD *waahhhh*
If you’d like an example of my latest cougar obsession, check out Henry Cavill. I posted a few pics of him (oh crap, don’t know how to work the link) – go to http://sixdegreesofsexy.blogspot.com/2008/06/hump-day-hunk-henry-cavill.html
🙂
What Syb, you don’t believe Shannon, lime, and I are as young as we say we are?
Even I don’t like 18-year-old boys. Way too immature.
My husband is 33 and I am 43. It just worked out that way, I wasn’t looking for a younger guy. But he’s exceptionally mature and we have a lot of common interests. It works for us although it’s not for everyone. But it was very hard for me to argue with him when I told him how old I was (I look younger) and he said “If I don’t care about that, neither should you” I thought “Good point” and so here we are. But I have dated men older, the same age and younger and my own Father is 18 years older than my Mother and I can tell you from first hand experience, it’s all about the individual people. Personality is everything!!!! And I read everything also. If the story grabs me, I read it!!!!!
The book I’m currently working on has a heroine who is slightly older–3 or 4 years.
Didn’t set out to make it so, just ended up that way.
I found your site while looking for roamnce novels with that theme. I like mature younger men(I’m over thirty).