I never thought I would be a fan of romance that teeters on the taboo line…until I read an age gap romance book. Listen, this type of romance isn’t for every reader. But, if you enjoy a good dark romance read, I recommend you try an age gap romance and see if it revs your little engine. Here are my six favorite super spicy age gap romance novels to sink your teeth into.
1. Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas
I honestly think Penelope Douglas is a genius romance author. She wouldn’t be a bestselling author if she wasn’t brilliant in this genre. And…what do you know? She does a solid, spicy age gap romance justice. Birthday Girl has over four hundred thousand ratings on GoodReads with an average rating of 3.9 stars. That’s pretty phenomenal! To sum it up, Birthday Girl is the story of a young woman (19yrs) named Jordan who’s down and out on her luck. Her boyfriend’s father, Pike (38), decides to help her out and take her in when she has nowhere else to go. What ensues is a thick-as-mud sexual tension that grows between them…and phew! This will have your toes curling. 4 star rating from me!
2. Chasing the Wild, Crimson Ridge #1 by Elliott Rose
This age gap romance is extra fun because it’s based in the wild west, y’all. Elliott Rose has a knack for writing sexy, older male characters. I say “older”, but age is all relative, right? Similar to the Birthday Girl trope, the FMC is much younger than the MMC and knows him well because…he’s her ex’s father. A hott, muscular, cowboy who nurtures and cares for her when they’re suddenly snowed in at the top of a mountain ranch. This one might have you saying yee-haw (okay, I know that’s cheesy as fuck, but I can’t help it). I gave this age gap romance 3.5 stars.
3. Welcome to the Dark Side by Giana Darling
Giana Darling is a NYT and USA Today Bestselling romance author…and for good reason. Welcome to the Dark Side, (Fallen Men #2), is one of those reasons. It’s an age gap romance, but also a dark romance with a friends-to-lovers trope woven in. And can I just say, Zeus Garro might be the most attractive book daddy I’ve ever had the pleasure of touching…er…reading.
4. Don’t Kiss the Bride by Carian Cole
This little number is a marriage of convenience, slow-burn, age gap romance that will have your heart racing and your…something else throbbing. Carian Cole does a fantastic job building up the tension and then releasing it at just the right time. This book reminds me a little of Outlander, just without the Scottish kilts and the age gap is reverse. 3 star rating!
5. Credence by Penelope Douglas
You didn’t think I’d recommend yet another Penelope Douglas book, did you? Here I am doing it again. And again. Douglas knows her romance tropes and knows how to grab the reader’s attention…in the hottest ways. This book might become your favorite OR it might shock the sh*t out of you. Some folks love it, others hate it. But one thing is for sure…it’s a wild ride. Or rather a wild stay in the woods. 4 stars from me.
6. Sweet Temptation by Cora Reilly
An age gap romance that brings in the mafia and arranged marriage trope…for all of my organized crime girlies. Sweet Temptation by Cora Reilly follows the story of Cassio and Giulia. One is a very powerful man, the other an inexperienced young woman. Yet, in her inexperience, she is still loveable and I couldn’t help but connect with her character throughout the book. 3 stars from me.