In a romance novel, you can always count on a Happily Ever After (HEA) ending. It’s one of the things I love most about the genre. No matter how much difficulty and heartache a couple goes through, they always end up with either a reconciliation, an engagement or a wedding. That’s what constitutes a HEA, right?
As I write this blog post, I am preparing for a really exciting event in our family. My son is getting married at the end of the month! We are thrilled! He’s the first of our children to get married, so it’s the first time I assume the title of Mother of the Groom (MOG). I searched through at least 6 stores before I found what I hope to be the perfect MOG dress. I also bought the appropriate undergarments. You know. Something to suck in my stomach and smooth out all my lines. A bra to “lift”. I’ve been watching my calories with the hope of losing ten pesky pounds, but alas, my excess pounds are evidently attached to me, literally, and refused to leave. Oh well. I’ll dazzle them with my newly trimmed and highlighted hair, my newly whitened teeth and my freshly painted nails!
I know I’m not the bride. I had my day in the sun when I got married. And there’s no way I could ever outshine our awesome new daughter-in-law. She’s beautiful and wonderful and my husband and I often say that if we were given the task of choosing the perfect mate for our son, it would be her. Our son “done good!”
My point is, weddings are truly a HEA event in any family. They’re not the end of anything … they’re just the beginning! But let’s go back to romance novels. How come we rarely see married couples as the hero and heroine of a romance novel? Is a wedding the end of a romance?
I have written two books that feature married couples in the story. My first one is Journey to Fulfillment. It’s Book 3 of my Pawleys Island Miracles series. It opens just moments after Book 2 ends, when Marianne and Tom’s daughter, Stella, is found, safe and sound, after she’s been kidnapped by a crazy man. Obviously, a very intense experience for any married couple to go through. And as both Mom and Dad embrace Stella’s safe return, they develop their own approaches to how to move forward with their lives as Stella’s parents. Unfortunately, those approaches are at polar opposites to each other, causing a new conflict for this once-committed, devoted couple to tackle.
My second “married couple romance” appears as Book 6 of that same series, Return to Devotion. Nora and Bo have been married a long time, have a teenage son, 
and have already endured several of Bo’s military deployments. But during the third one, something goes wrong. Nora feels a deep sense of loneliness and realizes she needs a friend. She finds one at her church, someone she enjoys spending time with, sharing her thoughts and feelings with, someone she can rely upon for jobs that need done around her old house. Everything is perfect, except this “friend” is a man. Can men and women ever really be friends?
What do you think about romance novels that feature a married couple in the spotlight? Do you like them? Dislike them? Tell me why.
GIVEAWAY: Meanwhile, I’ll give away a copy of each of these ebooks Journey to Fulfillment and Return to Devotion, in the format of your choice. To enter, please comment and I’ll draw a winner on May 22.
Have a great day everyone! And wish me luck at my son’s wedding!
**Heartwarming, life-changing Christian fiction.** An award-winning author, Laurie is living her dream life at the beach, writing novels. Laurie writes beachy inspirational romance that takes place in the South Carolina Low Country. She retired from the big day job and now focuses on writing full time. Strolls on the sand, soaking up the sun and riding the waves can be considered the best kind of research.
This is an interesting question. I will start of the subject. I do enjoy books with epilogues that are a year or so after the wedding.
I have read a few books with married couples. One I remember was an older couple (the book was something about Autumn meaning older romances). The couple had become empty nesters and we see them fall in love all over again.
I think it can make a good book as long as its still got some romance or an issue they have to deal with or even just learning to live with each other. I actually think it could make for great reading if done well and not just all lovely dovey with no issues, we need to see reality how the couple are adjusting to being together. (I am single never married so don’t have experience but I know if I had to suddenly live with someone I would struggle and know there would be an adjustment period)
I love married couple stories, because, yes, the story does not end with the I do’s!!
Hi Laurie- how exciting! I pray the day goes smoothly. My boys are still small- I cannot imagine either of them getting married yet- but I imagine you look at your son and wonder how quickly time has gone past:)
I enjoy books about married couples- the romance totally continues after the wedding, married couples still have to deal with all sorts of issues and still have to choose to stay committed to each other.
Blessings:)
Hi Laurie! Congratulations on your son’s upcoming wedding and being MOG. Having 3 sons, I have been MOG twice and understand trying to look one’s best. You are a new author to me and your romances sound inspiring, especially since the romances feature married couples. Celebrating our 46 anniversary next month, marriage is not always smooth sailing and takes commitment and hard work. Therefore I enjoy reading a romance that continues after the I Do’s. Best wishes.
I don’t think I’ve ever read a book about a married couple – maybe because I’ve shied away from them. I like the idea of a couple getting together and reading how that happens. I hope all goes well at your son’s wedding!
Congratulations on your sons upcoming nuptials. I enjoy reading books about married couples but haven’t read very many. Thank you for sharing.
I enjoy books with a married couple as main characters but I do prefer single MC’s. Christina Coryell’s Reason to Run featured one of my favorite fictional couples. I adore that book. She’s written a sequel featuring them in their married life. I know they face some sort of major struggle and I bought the book when it first came out back in October. I still can’t bring myself to read it because of the awful thought of them not having their HEA. Is that crazy or what?
Though I need a happy ending, I feel strongly that the first kiss, the engagement, or even the wedding is not the end of the story. In fact, this was one reason my first few years of marriage were so difficult. I subconsciously expected to live on cloud nine for the rest of my life. So when I began my own series, I determined from the beginning that it would continue on into marriage and show some of the natural conflicts in this complicated relationship. My “Love is” series has 3 books so far, and I’m working on the 4th, which is the first after the wedding.
Hi AusJenny! Thanks for your thoughts. Yes, that’s the thing about romance — it can’t all be happy “lovey-dovey! all the time” There has to be an issue, a conflict, a problem, which seems insurmountable, which, through love, and the power of God (for inspy romance) the couple find each other again. The bigger the problem, the stronger the story. I’m celebrating my 30th wedding anniversary next month and over the years there have definitely been times that in our pretty strong relationship, we face those things over and over again. It’s just the way of romance. :)
Hi Paula Marie! Thanks for weighing in. I love married couple stories too. I like a mix of stories in my romance reading, some young couples, some second chance at love, some older, and yes, some married couples who need to face a battle and come out successful on the other side.
I enjoy stories that feature a married couple because they show real life. Congratulations on your new MOG title. My sister’s oldest son is getting married in July. She had fun picking out her dress. I hope you will share some pictures!
Hi Wemble! Yes, he’s still my little boy in my heart. Of course I remember my pregnancy with him, the way he kept us waiting for 8 full days after my due date, and then finally the day he ROARED into the world. We almost didn’t make it to the hospital in time and he was born 20 minutes after we arrived! He was my gentle giant baby and toddler, and such a sweet, calm, reasonable child who grew into a loving, responsible, hard-working man. From the moment he met his future wife, it was different. We knew she was “the one,” the one he’d spend the rest of his life with. It’s been a blessed, wonderful thing watching my son fall in love with his intended partner. <3
Hi Renate! Happy anniversary! What day is it? Mine is June 17th — 30 years for us. You’re right, marriage is not always easy. In my naive wedding day view, I assumed that if he was the right man for me, everything between us would always be perfect. Oh how I was wrong! Men and women are so inherently different in their approach and personality. I have to constantly remind myself that he’s not me! Just because he reacted a certain way to a certain situation doesn’t mean he doesn’t support me, didn’t mean to hurt me, etc. Taking time to discern a situation with your spouse is so much better than flying in with emotion.
I thank you for your comment that my stories sound inspiring. That is my number one goal when writing them!
Thank you Ellie! Weddings require so much planning that goes into them and so many “moving parts,” but regardless of whether everything goes as planned, I know it will be a perfectly wonderful, memorable wedding day.
I understand your shying away from married couple romances. They’re not particularly common. But I also hope that you’ll give one a try and let me know how you liked it as a change!
Thank you Lucy! You’re entered into my giveaway for my two married-couple romances so I hope you’ll give them a try!
Hi Sherri! Ohhh yes this is another piece of the puzzle … following the couples meet/fall in love/HEA, and then re-visiting them in their married life. We want the HEA to be “the end” and everything to be wonderful after that. They fought their fight and came out together and that should be all the adversity they face!
It makes me think of a favorite movie, and its sequel … National Treasure with Nicolas Cage. He falls in love with the blonde museum curator and they have this wonderful adventure together, and they have a HEA at the end and they end up committing to each other (not a marriage, but a commitment). At the beginning of the next movie, they’ve broken up! They are splitting up their belongings and not even speaking to each other! I was so disappointed with that. So, real life intervened but that didn’t mean I had to like it.
Thanks for your comment.
Hi Lila! Yes! They really should have “Bride Class 101” to let us know that it won’t be all “rainbows and unicorns” after the honeymoon. Ha ha ha. I hope you and your husband worked through the issues and drew closer together through the lessons learned. With my own husband, we both had to learn to be very open about what we needed from the other, and then we had to value the relationship enough to actually provide that to the other.
Your series sounds great! I’ll have to look it up!
Blessings on your son’s upcoming marriage! Our daughter-in-law is one of our greatest treasures.
I’ll be the dissenter and say I have rarely enjoyed a “married” romance and generally avoid them, unless the couple has been divorced or separated and are starting from that spot. Do I think HEA means unending bless? Heck no. We’ve been married nearly 39 years. Trust me, I know it’s not unending bliss LOL. I mean, I’m going to keep him, but there have been many moments where the warm fuzzies have been far, far, away.
I think this is one reason I enjoy writing (and reading) series so much. We can get a glimpse of some of the struggles the previous couples have been through or even ARE going through without them being center stage. My two cents only. :)
Wow, how exciting for you!! Best wishes to the soon to be newly-weds!! I think it would be good to show the ups and downs in books of marriages. I have read some books that deal with those topics, and it just makes the book more “real”. Everyone doesn’t have a perfect marriage, so the struggles make it seem real, and can give other couples hope and the feeling that they aren’t alone. So many times, it seems that “the perfect couple” really isn’t, yet they’re afraid to admit it, as then people will look down on them. I think books help us see that everyone has struggles, and can help us figure out what we need to do in our own lives.
I loved your earlier comment on “National Treasure!” I was SO disappointed with #2! Same with “Miss Congeniality 2!” I couldn’t believe they broke them up. As for me, I’ve read both, and love both. That’s the nice thing about series – you can get them married in one book and have the romance rekindled in another! ;) Congrats on your son’s wedding and being MOG! I’ll be MOB in October, and it’s ALREADY crazy! LOL! You know you live in my dream place, don’t you? My Southern Breeze Series is set in the Pawley’s Island, Litchfield Beach area!
I like them. In today’s world we deal with many levels of relationships. I like a good old fashioned marriage!
Hi Lori! Thank you! When I next post in InspyRomance in June, I will definitely share pictures of my son and his bride and me in my dress. It wasn’t the dress I thought I was looking for when I went shopping, but I absolutely fell in love with it when I tried it on!
Hi Valerie! I did a true LOL on your comment “Heck no! No unending bliss!” :)
I think your view of married couple romances are pretty common in the industry. That’s why you don’t see too many of them. But in my series, Pawleys Island Paradise, in telling the stories of the people I created, I did feel like the married ones deserved their day in the sun! I would probably never write a standalone married couple romance, but in the course of the series, these were both couples who the reader met in previous books, and their own book was the magnifying glass that focused in on their own stories.
Have a great day!
Laurie, congratulations on a new addition to your family and many blessings!
Man friends…yes, only if they are mutual friends, not just for one side…if you know what I mean.
Married couples-yes, we see a lot of romance before the marriage but not much after…the story usually ends.
I like when the author covers the struggles of married couples and how they overcome and love grows even more ?
Thank you for sharing!
Oh Trudy! I love this comment. You’re so wise. In my own writing career, I always hope and pray that my stories will help people in some way deal with what’s going on in their own lives. So maybe those married couple stories will/or have helped couples struggling with those everyday issues that are more common than you think!
Hi Regina! Thanks for commenting! I wanted to tell you I just finished reading your Book 1 Sarah/Jared story last night! And I felt like I was HOME. Loved the setting and the story.
Best of luck on your MOB role. Definitely more challenging than being the MOG! I’m only responsible for a few things: the rehearsal dinner, the wine at the reception and I also hired the photographers since my niece and her husband have a wedding photography business. The MOG and the bride have the lion’s share of the responsibilities! I wish you luck on your daughter’s special day!
Hi Kelley! I agree. It’s work but it’s worth it! Especially now that my husband and I have been together for almost 30 years and we’re retired from the day jobs. We have more time together and less outside demand on our time. He’s great company and we often just sit and chat and share memories from all our years together: places we’ve lived, friends we’ve made, and of course stories about our kids. It’s cool to build a life together.
Hi Natalya! Thanks for your comment and for your congratulations. As an author, there sure are a lot of potential story ideas coming from a long-term relationship. I’m glad to hear you’re a fan of that type of story!
I’m a dissenter with Valerie, lol.
I don’t think the HEA of a romance novel means that they all live happily ever after with no fights or problems, but at the same time, as much as there is absolutely romance in marriage (at least I hope y’all have that – going on 24 years here and it’s still a thing for us ;) ) I don’t think there’s a romance novel in marriage.
To me, novels that focus on a married couple’s relationship (with the notable exception of marriage of convenience where it’s a get married and then meet and fall in love kind of thing) are not romance novels. They’re women’s fiction. Or just straight up contemporary fiction. They may be romantic, but they aren’t romance.
And I’m told that’s me being pedantic and splitting hairs, which I’m willing to accept. :)
Congratulations on your son’s wedding!
As you said, it’s hard to think of books about married couples except in the case of “marriages of convenience” or as Valerie said couples getting back together and that’s not really the same. I do like series where the married couple or couples are included to continue reading about their story.
Ha ha! Thanks Elizabeth for this very informed opinion! Let me ask, are you a literature professor??? :) Yes, I can buy that they’re not true romances by definition, but I guess I’m more concerned with, are they stories that are worth reading to people who like romance?
Thanks for your congratulations!
Hi Linda! Thanks for your comment. That’s one thing I love about series too (reading them AND writing them) is the wealth of material you have once you establish a family or community and these characters become people you know. Whether they’re single or married, there’s always something going on.
I have read a few romance novels about married couples who had problems and needed to work them out. I really enjoyed them. I love reading about people with real issues that overcome them by the grace of God. And let’s face it, marriage brings a lot of issues into people’s lives which they need to overcome together with the help of God.
I might have minored in literature ;)
As for worth reading – I guess to me it’s all up to what people like. And that honestly varies even within a genre (I tend not to like cowboy romances, for example, doesn’t mean they aren’t worth reading but I just don’t gravitate to them. There are people out there who love everything. And there are people in between. So I guess I fall on the “there’s a shoe for every foot and I’m not going to judge you for what you enjoy” side of things :) )
Tiffany, thanks for your viewpoint! I thoroughly agree!
Congratulations on your sons wedding. These are such special memory times. We feel the same way about our sons wife. He did good. I dont think I have read a book where the couple is already married. This sounds like such a wonderful idea. Both of your books look fabulous.
Hello Laurie,
It is such an exciting time in our lives! Being married to a wonderful man for 35 years is worth every high and low!!! I love being able to say that you helped start us off on our journey together by singing the Lords Prayer and playing guitar ? We have it on VHS tape somewhere. Congratulations MOG! You will rock it! I truly look forward to reading your books with married couples going through trials and tribulations just like us!!! I am so proud to call you “friend” and look forward to many more blessings from you and maybe a visit to the magical east coast so we can walk on the sand together!!! Love ? Shelly and Roger 10-27-1984
I have no problem with “Autumn” Romances as another commenter said. The reason I don’t think you see many though are that most of us really enjoy a young and fresh take on romance. A reminder of how people get to their HEA. Some, it may also be that they don’t relate well to older couples (ie, newlyweds themselves and can only picture what it means to be Empty-Nesters).
Personally, I’m drawn to first loves so maybe I am just projecting here. Lol. You have a fantastic week and whenever your son gets married, I hope they have a completely uneventful and stress free day/night/weekend.
Rae
Congratulations on your son’s upcoming wedding. I have to agree with Valerie. I’m not fond of married couples romance, unless it’s a marriage of convenience or as Valerie said a couple who has been divorced and circumstances draw them together again.
Hi Lori! Congrats on being a MOG yourself. And thank you for your kind comment.
Shelly! Hello friend and thanks for stopping by today! You and Roger are one of my favorite couples in the world. Yes! Let’s plan a visit! Thank you so much for your kind comments! Love you…
Hi Rae! Thanks for your viewpoint. I definitely see what you’re saying here. And thanks for your kind wishes.
Hi Merillee! Thanks for your comment and your viewpoint.
Hmmm…..I am trying to recall if I’ve read any books that feature a married couple as the main characters. I do enjoy a story that includes a happily married couple. I guess the basis of the plot would have a lot to do with my decision to read a “married main characters” one. If anyone has a suggestion of one, I’d love to hear it.
Hi Shelly Brown! I chuckled on reading the VHS tape – our wedding was recorded on a reel to reel recorder. Oh the changes we have seen in life and technology. Best wishes.
Hi Susan Bates. Marion Ueckermann has an inspiring read A Time to Laugh about married main characters. Best wishes.
Thanks for the suggestion. I will look into it. :o)
Congratulations on your son’s wedding. I have been the mother of the groom once and mother of the bride once. Our oldest got married overseas and the youngest hasn’t taken the plunge yet,
I like stories about already married couples. We are about to celebrate 50 years married. Yes, there is a lot that happens after the I dos!
Hi Paula! Congratulations on your family weddings! How exciting to be married overseas — what country? Congrats also on your anniversary!! You and your husband are role models for commitment and longevity.