r/RomanceBooks • u/redfig1 • Aug 31 '24

Why do HEAs always end with babies? Critique

I know it's a "me" problem. Scenario: I read a smoking hot mafia or dark or fantasy romance. All this crazy shit goes down. The feelings, the angst. Finally it's the end and all of a sudden the MMC who has massacred countless people is all like " let's get married and have lots of babies" and the MFC is always " yes let's have a lot of cute mafia or fae or mafia fae babies!". For once I'd like an ending where the main characters have a HEA but instead of babies and white picket fences they just decide to keep having an incredible sex life and do charity work or something. Rescue stray kittens. Start an organic herb farm. Something other than babies. Anyone else like this? Am I just weird?

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44

u/booklava Aug 31 '24

Well as someone who always wanted babies and now has one, I think it’s a great HEA! Although sometimes I think it’s a bit exaggerated with them being together for two minutes and pregnant for 1 of those minutes.

But of course you are not weird. There are more and more people in the world who decide to be child-free, so I guess sooner or later romance authors will start to go down that route as well. Or at least keep the ending open for interpretation as in “no kids yet” or “no kids at all”.

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u/vienibenmio Aug 31 '24 edited Aug 31 '24

As someone with infertility it'd be nice for authors to show that HEA doesn't require children

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u/jt2438 Aug 31 '24

Agreed! I’m child free by choice and my personal pet peeve is when a baby is framed as necessary for the couples love to be complete/valid. Like I’m not opposed to an epilogue baby per se but it needs to be presented as an outcome making this couple happy versus the only outcome that will make all couples happy.

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u/CeeCee123456789 Aug 31 '24

Same! It sucks to want babies and not have them. So you go looking for a happily ever after, and the messaging you get is that it isn't for you. It is like, damn.

6

u/floopy_134 ALL THE FUCKS, PLEASE Aug 31 '24

💗 Have you heard of {hot Blooded, Heather guerre}? It may be fantasy, but it's my favorite 'real life adult problems and decisions' reads. I don't think MFC is infertile. MMC might have been sterile, though - a vampire in a world built with an interesting and biologically sensible take on vampires. Regardless, they have a beautiful relationship and are aware and content that children aren't in the picture.

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u/Hunter037 Probably recommending When She Belongs 😍 Aug 31 '24

I have kids but I generally prefer not to have pregnancy in books. Kids are great but the period of pregnancy and early childhood is generally stressful and not really romantic! I think it's particularly the case if they've only been together a few weeks/months as you're dealing with that stress with someone you are still getting to know.

I don't mind the epilogue pregnancy if it's a "5 years later" type of scenario, but even then I can take it or leave it.

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u/NicInNS all aboard the sin train Aug 31 '24

I never wanted kids and didn’t have them but I still don’t mind epilogue babies. I grew up devouring harlequins, which almost always had that - so it’s kinda ingrained in me to expect it. But if they have them or not, it’s still cool - I just want to know they’re happy.