Is it possible that there are some people who believe only 25 year olds are enjoying passion? It would appear that if your face isn’t wrinkle free, and your ass isn’t tight – well who in their right mind would be interested in you? I don’t want to see a teenager selling me anti-aging salves and I don’t always want to read about a 20 year old romance heroine. It’s as if romance publishers are saying, “Hey you’re over 30, close up shop, pack your bags, move to a remote location and peacefully commune with nature because a love life isn’t on the agenda for whatever time you have left on earth.”
For those of us who have already seen the far side of 30, we’ve discovered there is no fountain of youth - because if it existed, I would have been one of the first people in line to take a dip. But that does not mean that my sex life is over. I’m just saying. 
Even Hollywood, the toughest place on earth for a middle aged woman to survive hasn’t completely discarded women in their prime. Actresses like Naomi Watts 43, Courtney Cox 47, Sandra Bullock 46, Julianna More 50, Selma Hayek 44, and Halle Berry 44 (just listing them makes me feel better) are still box office draws. And don’t tell me these women aren’t having hot sex, even if it’s only on screen. So why then are most of our romance heroines so young? Don’t tell me the publishers feel it wouldn’t sell, because the baby boomer generation is huge and I KNOW we read romance. I’m suggesting if they took a survey, they might just find the climate has changed and the 40 plus woman does want to see herself represented in a romance novel. 
There are exceptions, but not nearly enough. In Debra Webb’s recently released book DIRTY , Jackie Mercer is a smoking hot, sexy, kick ass private investigator who happens to be 45. As if keeping her business afloat, her son in law school and her mother out of trouble wasn’t enough, a ten-year-old mystery lands on her doorstep and the body count is about to get high. Her new partner Dawson isn’t helping matters. A former NYPD detective, who could easily be a model for Calvin Klein underwear, is getting under her skin in more ways than one. But she needs his help and somehow they must find a way to work together or trouble won’t be the only thing knocking at her door.
The author has created a believable heroine who understands the delicate balancing act of being all woman while working in a man’s world. This book is told in the first person, so the reader gets the unique perspective from Jackie’s point of view. Her life isn’t always easy, but you cheer for her ability to push through the sexism she encounters, her personal difficulties and her own sexual desires.
Monica Burns “Pleasure Me” features Lady Ruth Attwood, a forty-one-year old courtesan who loses her latest lover to a younger beauty. Isn’t that always the way? Sheesh – what’s wrong with men? But, Lady Ruth needs money, and decides to accept the invitation of a younger man who desires her company. Need I tell you the rest – Lady Ruth knows a thing or two about making love, and there’s something to be said for a woman with experience.
When Nora Roberts wrote the In The Garden Trilogy – which I loved – the second book Black Rose, featured Rosalind Harper, owner of a historic Tennessee mansion and the genius behind a booming gardening business. Roz is well into her 40’s with two marriages behind her. The author portrays her as smart, sexy, cool under pressure and a woman who knows about love and what she’s really looking for.
All three books have heroines over 40, and their characters transcend age, because they are relatable to any woman. They are smart, resourceful, sexy, passionate,career-minded women. So yes, you read it here; women over 40 can be hot heroines.
Do women over 40 have hot sex? I’m just asking.
Maria Lokken is an avid romance reader and an award winning television producer
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Okay Maria, I have to admit that since they collapsed these forums it's hard to keep up, so I'm glad I follow this on FaceBook because how could a woman of a certain age like me not respond to the FB question do women over 40 have hot sex.
I LOVE IT, and the answer is a BIG yes and the older we get the hotter it gets maybe not between the sheets but always between the pages of our latest romance and thanks to authors of today who don't put teens in the roles of main heroine, Thank God for you authors out there that do recognize that not all of us like to read about children our daughters or grandaughters age having s - e - x
Oh I know they can spell.
So thanks to Debra and Monica and all the others who say to heck with kittens and let's hear it for Cougars 
Deb
