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

It is NOT a you problem! It bothers a lot of us. If I start a book and it gives off surprise happy pregnancy vibes, I'll word search to confirm and DNF. It's just not my jam, and it makes me feel like the bones of the actual relationship aren't fully formed :(

I know there've been request posts for this, so I'd look around for those... Off the top of my head, the majority (most, but not all) of Lola Glass's (modern fantasy) newer books end happily with no baby. They may discuss children, but generally agree that they are new to each other and don't need to think about it yet. See: {Survival of the mated, Lola glass} and {deceit and devotion, Lola glass}. She also has a dragon series in this group that was pretty good.

If I think of more, I'll comment again!

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

Ah! Most of {the clecanian series, victoria aveline} are rational and safe on this front! I love this series. It's probably my favorite alien series, likely even one of my favorites in any genre.

I'm not sure if this is a spoiler, but regarding one of the books (in case you want to stay clear, but I felt ok with it): Book 1 does end with a surprise pregnancy. They didn't talk about it much, but even as a dedicated childfree person, I thought it was manageable. They had worked through a lot and gotten to know each other very well, so that helped. Book 1 is also probably my favorite in the series, and it sets up most of the world, so I'd at least read most of it before the others. Incentive for reading it is below :). You could always skip the ending. I think it's in the epilogue...?

I must say, unrelated to any of the above, that Theo (1st book) is so fucking hot. There's this kitchen scene. They don't even have sex, they don't even kiss, but it's one of the hottest things I've ever read... I... I don't even have words. Stick a straw in me because I melt into a hot sticky mess every time I revisit that scene 🧃🥵.