>Over on Vonda’s blog, she’s talking about the HEA and had a reader comment that romance gets dissed because it paints an unrealistic or too-rosy picture. So I decided to throw in my $.02.
I think romance probably has gotten the bad rap because of the Happily Ever After or rosy ending. Some folks are simply too jaded to believe in that HEA, and that’s okay. To my way of thinking, all that comes before the HEA is pretty darn realistic, but is disregarded because the ending is what they remember most.
We put our heroines and heroes through the proverbial wringer before they get their happy ending. They deal with deep-seated fears, family interferences and prejudices, death and taxes, kids, in-laws, jealosy, poverty–all manner of real-life crap.
Do we all believe that the couple will never encounter another obstacle in live or love? Well, no. Of course not. But just for a little while, some of us like to be reminded of that time when the first bloom of love was fresh in our lives, when the emotions were so strong they brought a tear to our eye and passion sometimes overpowered us.
It’s not realistic to expect that a relationship will stay that way. It too must grow and change, mature in the way all things do. But romance novels help us remember what brought us together in the first place. Is it so awful to look back, gain a little perspective, a little of that “rosy glow” in order to weather the bumps and hiccups along the way?
While my hubby doesn’t read romance novels, he has certainly benefitted from my reading them and writing them. Lord knows, when the most exciting thing in your day is that the cat missed the throw rug and barfed on the hardwoods instead, a little reminder of that rosy glow can make a big difference in how you greet your Prince Charming.
CAROL BURNSIDE / ANNIE RAYBURN 
>I too am happy when the cat misses the rug and barfs on the hardwood LOL! And yes, we do love to be reminded how it felt when we first fell in love with our real life heroes. True love does exist despite what those with jaded views have experienced.
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>An unrealistic or too rosy picture? Well, shoot, that’s why I read romance in the first place! It’s the whole fantasy aspect of the stories that keeps me coming back. I like knowing that despite all the horrible things the characters go through, they’ll be happy in the end. I like that “love conquers all” is not just a cliche, but a truism in romance. And I like the fantasy that things will always work out in the end.If I wanted complete realism, I’d read non-fiction.
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>OMG…how timely. Yesterday I watched that movie (sorry, forget the title) about the couple left behind in the water on a scuba diving trip. I checked the info on the movie and it said nothing about being based on a true story, so I watched the whole thing (I remembered reading reviews about how RIVETING it was–and how the moviemakers did such a great job with what they had to work with–two characters in the water). Well, I kept waiting for that WONDERFUL moment when the rescue would happen…then, uh-oh, she lets the guy float away and I realize he’s dead, then she deliberately dunks herself under to drown. I FELT SOOOOO RIPPED OFF!!! WHo wants to watch a movie that ends like that?????
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>Ah, yes. The scuba movie ranks up there with Message in a Bottle. I ddin’t watch the movie, instead invested hours reading the damn book and then was so ticked off with the ending (WHAT was the point of the ending?!) that I’ve never read a Nicholas Sparks book again.I like the gool ol’ HEA. In today’s world, it’s nice to have a little happiness. Real life is depressing enough for me.
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>If it’s a romance book, or if it’s a movie they push to be a romance, I get ticked if there isn’t a HEA. (Smile) Years ago I watched a movie called Sombersby…spelling wrong I’m sure. (Smile) It made me so mad when the hero was killed at the end, that I don’t even care how it was spelled. (Smile.)
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>>>the couple left behind in the water on a scuba diving tripI never watched that….was afraid I’d just freak out too bad. We were talking, somewhere, about HEA’s and movies and such and the one that came out of left field for me was Million Dollar Baby…..I had no clue and I FREAKED! Now I watched Ladder 49 and my kids (who had apparently seen part of it at their dads) told me it was sad, so I kinda figured early on what would happen. Doesn’t mean I enjoyed what happened, but it does mean at least I didn’t get hit from left field with it and I think that’s the key! If you lead readers along, teasing them with an HEA, because come on, most *genre fiction* books have a happy ending, regardless of genre (except for Sparks, okay, who I have never read)–the bad guy gets caught, the couple ends up together, the friends survive a spooky night in the woods, whatever……Despite any cliffhangers, unless you’re reading literary fiction (where there’s no telling) the book keeps readers reading NOT for the happy ending but for how the protagonist(s) ACHIEVE the happy ending. Just my 2 cents…..(sorry it’s more like a quarter LOL)
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>Hey, where are you???
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