FIFTEEN NOVELS USING THE AGE GAP LOVE STORY
Anyone who follows culture or entertainment knows that one of the trending tropes just now is the age-gap romance. This made us think and wonder about age gap book romances. Some of these may be obvious, and while we never get to them all, we also hope to feature some that aren’t as obvious.
LIST |Â MORE OF THE THANKSGIVING MOVIES SURE TO MAKE YOU SMILE
FIFTEEN NOVELS USING THE AGE GAP LOVE STORY. #Books #BookList #AgeGap #AgeDifference #Romance #RomanceBooks #RomanceFiction Share on XFrom romance stories set in the past to modern love stories, we’re excited to see what books fit this topic, especially as we approach a holiday season and some of us are likely to take a stack of books with us. I think this trope is either loved (especially if it’s the woman being older) or loathed. I like it most of the time but to be honest, I’m not sure I’ve read the trope (at least in a significant way), only seen it unfold on screen. Let’s discover what we can find and what characters we perhaps may meet inside these pages.Â
Please note, many of these are secular romance novels which means there is PG-13 or R rated content like profanity and sexual content.
AGE GAP BOOK ROMANCES
LITTLE WOMEN, Louisa May Alcott
For the purpose of this list, I’m assuming Professor Bahr, the man Jo March eventually shares a connection with, is quite a bit older than our young and opinionated heroine.
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EMMA, Jane Austen
I haven’t read Emma, but I’ve seen multiple versions, and the age always plays a role, sometimes minor and sometimes more prominent. The story follows Mr. Knightley as he has an unrequited love for the impetuous sister of the woman married to his brother. Emma is a bit nosy and though she has good intentions, she meddles where she shouldn’t (especially in cases of the heart)! As she grows, Mr. Knightley’s harsh (albeit needed) words to her help her grow up and realize that life isn’t a game. It’s also a novel proving that this trope is anything but new.
While I am sure the novel is great fun, the film adaptations certainly show a lovely story.
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SENSE and SENSIBILITY, Jane Austen
Though it’s perhaps secondary, Col. Brandon lovingly loves Marianne even as she pines for another, and it’s partially his care of her that gives her a new perspective on him. I did read this book (the one I’ve read by Austen) but it was years ago and I cannot remember the datils!
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BECOMING MRS. LEWIS, Patti Callahan Henry
This is a fictionalized version of the romance between C.S. Lewis and the woman who eventually captures his heart through the letters they exchange.
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ELIZABETH CAMDEN
From what I can learn, Elizabeth Camden has written several age-gap romances. I’ve read several by her, but asking me to remember the ages is well, impossible. Still, historical novels (though I realize yes we are including a lot) isn’t really using the gap as brave or unusual because in these times it was more reality than choice. Still, the author deserves a mention. What I saw, the books including some form of gap include Beyond all Dreams, A Daring Venture, and A Gilded Lady (ten years!).
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HAPPINESS for BEGINNERS, Katherine Center
I don’t think the gap is terribly extreme in this book, but I cannot remember for sure. (I think the book is greater than the adaptation.) But it’s about a woman divorcing who goes on a kind of retreat in the aftermath and her brother’s best friend.
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THE EMMA PROJECT, Sonali Dev
This is an Emma retelling where the genres are swapped and it’s the leading lady who is older than the hero. This one has a ten+ year gap, which I know some people don’t like. The plot is about a woman leaving a ten year fake relationship and wanting to distance herself from the family.
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LITTLE DORRIT, Charles Dickens
I haven’t read this one, but based on the little I know, the primary romance has an age gap. The story, as it unfolds in the beautiful (but stark) BBC miniseries, is about Amy Dorrit, her family, and Arthur Clemmons and the ways their lives intertwine along with many other characters because this IS a Dickens’ story. Though I’m not sure there is much of a romance in the book? I don’t know.
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JANE & EDWARD, Melodie Edwards
A modern retelling of Jane Eyre, which I believe also has an age-gap, Jane & Edward is an interesting and mostly good novel that I actually did read. I also read The Rise and Fall of Jane, which is another retelling. They’re different but for the most part, I liked both.
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THE UNKNOWN BELOVED, Amy Harmon
Many readers enjoy Amy’s novels, but she isn’t an author I’ve read. This one involved murder, the mob and a young woman who met a policeman fifteen years ago at the scene of her parent’s murder.
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PART OF YOUR WORLD, Abby Jimenez
Many people love Abby’s books. I feel like they wouldn’t be “me” reads so I’ve never read any, but this one has a nine year age gap and is about an opposites romance between a city girl and a carpenter.
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A GIRL NAMED DIGIT, Annabel Monaghan
I’ve had this one on my shelf for a long time and I think it sounds cute. Kind of like a Nancy Drew meets Veronica Mars concept about a clever college student who helps the FBI.
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FIFTEEN NOVELS USING THE AGE GAP LOVE STORY. #Books #BookList #AgeGap #AgeDifference #Romance Share on X
LOVE COMES SOFTLY, Janette Oke
I cannot remember for certain, but I think this one has an age gap. The heroine is nineteen or around there and she marries a widow, so I think there’s a bit of a difference. Either way, it’s a classic in its inspirational genre that follows a young widow who, without any place to go, marries a widow with a young daughter.
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THE PROPOSAL and SOPHIE’S HEART, Lori Wick
Like Janette Oke, Lori Wick is an author I read years ago. I quite liked Sophie’s Heart at the time and the English Garden books were lovely too. Makes me wonder if someday I should reread these and discover if I still enjoy them.
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How many of these have you read? Would you read any of them? Which age gap book romances sound most interesting to you? Comment all of your thoughts below. Let’s talk.
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