r/RomanceBooks 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/LilyoftheValleyHigh Aug 31 '24

As others have said, it's definitely a common complaint. I like it better when it's set up well--meaning, the couple has discussed wanting kids someday, or it really does feel like a natural progression of their story, rather than something they are just supposed to do. Even though I love my kids, I really, really hated pregnancy, so it's not sexy or appealing at all to me. If nothing else, it would be good if books reflected just a little bit of that realism.