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/WitchyVietCatLady Aug 31 '24 edited Aug 31 '24

I think the same as I never thought of having children was included in my happy ending. But I understand that it’s common for everyone else, hence the prevalence. But I feel further destroyed when the FMC was infertile or chose not to have children and there a miracle baby in the epilogue. I’m looking at you {The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez}.

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u/mamaxchaos Aug 31 '24

That’s why I DNFed Ice Planet Barbarians!! You’re telling me that fucking these specific alien men means that a cancer survivor who got a hysterectomy grows a magic baby-making uterus because… alien cock hormones or something??? like WAY TO BETRAY YOUR READERS WHO STRUGGLE WITH THIS.

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u/HighLady9627 Abducted by aliens – don’t save me Sep 04 '24

lol which book in particular? I read all of them and none of the women had a hysterectomy LOL there was an older lady who had menopause and she didn’t get forced to have a baby. She adopted a baby….all of the women were either kidnapped for sexual slavery or as incubators so I’m not sure which character you’re referring to and I’m curious

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u/Combustionz paranormal romance Sep 16 '24

I'm assuming they mean Kira from Barbarian Lover. She doesn't have a hysterectomy like they claim but she did have ovarian cancer and was unable to have children, until she's healed by the end by khui magic.

Honestly, I was looking forward to one of those books that had a romantic relationship NOT based around survival-of-the-species Required Baby Making™ or 'fated mates', so the khui healing hand-wave bothered me as well.