Comments on: I Do vs. Why Do

By: Sara Lindsey

Sara Lindsey — Thu, 24 May 2007 03:10:00 +0000

Maggie, that picture is great!

I like weddings for my HEAs, but I’m a wedding fanatic – I’ve got three new wedding magazines on my nightstand and I love watching TLC’s A Wedding Story… so bring on the brides!

By: India Carolina

India Carolina — Wed, 23 May 2007 02:03:00 +0000

Love the photo!

Kurt and Goldie: I've heard her say more than once (on talk shows)that she wants to marry Kurt. I believe he has a terminal case of FOC. However, I'm all for any arrangment where both parties are happy. Naturally, I have no inside scoop on this celeb couple.

Marriage in general: I'm a huge fan of happy marriages. I've lived through an unhappy one and chose not to continue it because I really believe in happily ever after...not just "ever after".

But alas, I'm both old and mouthy.

By: Tessa Dare

Tessa Dare — Tue, 22 May 2007 15:37:00 +0000

At the end of the romance, I want to believe that the h/h are together for the long haul, and that they could never love anyone they way they love each other. If the author can get me to believe that without marriage, more power to her – but I’ll admit engagement/marriage is the most effective way to signal True Luv, IMO.

By: elyssany

elyssany — Tue, 22 May 2007 01:36:00 +0000

I’m in favor of the HEAs of marriages and fast forward to babies, etc. I love SEP’s Natural Born Charmer ending. It was beyond beautiful. And EJ’s ending to PFP was so worth the wait.

I love the picture, Maggie!

By: RevMelinda

RevMelinda — Mon, 21 May 2007 19:30:00 +0000

Hi Maggie and friends,
As a representative of an organized religion I suppose I officially have to say I favor marriage. . .I’ve been very happy married and my husband, children and marriage have brought so much to my life. . .and if I had to do it again, I’d do it. . .BUT.
To be completely frank, if for some reason I lost my husband, I’m not sure I would be in a big hurry to get married again. There is a loss of independence and choices (and selfhood) that happens in a marriage. I’m not saying that’s the way it should be, but I think that’s the way it is.
Like everything, marriage has its good side and its down side.
So–in a historical, yes, marriage is required for the HEA. Maybe even for the “young” romance couple who want to have a family. But for an older couple–maybe living in sin would be more fun!
(And by the way, statistically, those who live together before marriage have a HIGHER rate of divorce than those who don’t. . .weird, huh?)
Melinda

By: Ericka Scott

Ericka Scott — Mon, 21 May 2007 19:12:00 +0000

I’m in the camp of marriage = HEA in my romance novels. . . I have one failed marriage in my past and am now married again. This time I hope it’s for good.

By: MsHellion

MsHellion — Mon, 21 May 2007 18:17:00 +0000

I'm now officially depressed I fall into the 10 percent category. I almost want to give someone a green card just so I can go into the 90 percent range.

But here's a quote for you:

Bishop Jeremy Taylor, "Marriage hath in it less of beauty but more of safety, than the single life; it hath more care, but less danger, it is more merry, and more sad; it is fuller of sorrows, and fuller of joys; it lies under more burdens, but it is supported by all the strengths of love and charity, and those burdens are delightful."

By: terrio

terrio — Mon, 21 May 2007 14:05:00 +0000

Tiff’s post reminded me of something. There is a series of books by Dorothy Garlock and in the second to last, the h/h get their HEA with wedding and all. But then the next book is about them as well and they almost get divorced. I think that second book was even more powerful than the first because we had already been through so much with these characters and to watch them break each other’s hearts and then heal them all over again was incredible.

The books in the series are With Hope, With Song, With Heart and After the Parade. They are set in depression era OK and they are beyond wonderful.

By: TiffinaC

TiffinaC — Mon, 21 May 2007 13:53:00 +0000

I too love those pics… You’ve got quite the collection.

I like my books to end in marriage with the HEA. I think people prefer this type of ending because a book usually covers a short period of time, we cannot read about the trials and tribulations after the couple get together to figure it all out. So readers want the characters to have something that says, HEA…

By: terrio

terrio — Mon, 21 May 2007 13:00:00 +0000

Love the picture, Maggie. It always cracks me up that people never seem to be smiling in older pictures like that.

I'm torn on this one. I lived in sin before getting married and still married the wrong person so that didn't work for me. I didn't like my ex at all by the time I left him but that divorce still damn near killed me.

So, I figure I just don't want to chance it again. If I find someone I would rather just commit to each other without the legal piece of paper. My dilemma comes when I realize I want more children. I just can't bring myself to have them without the piece of paper.

The odds are I'll stay single so this will probably never come up but it's something I think about from time to time. I don't have to have a wedding at the end of the book to feel like I got a HEA. As long as the couple realizes they are in love and say they can't live without each other, I'm good.