Love in an Old Climate--veinglory
The thing about erotic romance is that, for the most part, the love object has to be something you might conceivably find hot. Now I try to argue that that line can be seriously blurred so long as the story is told through the eyes of a protagonist who finds the love object hot. But I get that there are limits.

I happen to like older guys. But they do have to be rather fit, hot older men. In general sex and the apologetically elderly is a squick. I mean look at this article about the tribulations of romance (and sex) in retirement homes. These are thing most of us, clearly, don't want to have to think about. It is easier if older people are Rockwellian archetypes that knit, whittle and tell stories by the fire. (Not spank, wank and use a leather sex swing).

Online we come across notions that older heroines (over 40) have too much baggage for romance and are relegated to women's fiction. As I am now closer to 40 than 30 and decidedly baggage-free (unless you count the dog) I am with the commenters that suggested this was something of a broad brush. Some people can be single and sexy at sixty, others can't manage it at all at 20. In fiction everything should be possible.

However there is clearly a range of feelings and interests. There are erotica anthologies specifically about older women (Ripe Fruit) and erotic romance (Gray Pleasures, first spotted at Karen Scott's blog). Can anyone come up with other examples where one of the main characters is at least 50? My search for MM with a real silver fox is ongoing and so far unsuccessful.

Ultimately I hope old can be sexy, if not now then at least by the time I get there. (70, right? 40 isn't really old in the age of Madonna)

Edited to add, for a more positive take on dating over 80 check out this excerpt from "Assisted Loving".  ¶ posted at 4:02 PM by Emily Veinglory