Why my books will always end with a love that lasts

What is it about a happily ever after that keeps us coming back for more?

Maybe it’s the hope it gives us, or maybe it’s the promise that, even in the hardest of times, love can conquer all.

That’s what I crave in romance. Every genre has its conventions, and this is ours. How can love truly take center stage without a Happily Ever After (HEA) or, at the very least, a Happy For Now (HFN)?

Especially in emotionally charged forbidden love stories, or dark romance – the stakes can be particularly high and powerful forces oppose love itself. It’s crucial for us to believe that the central characters will ultimately triumph, and love has the power to heal even the deepest wounds.

The happy ending gives us a sense of hope. It’s a beacon that reassures us that, no matter what life may throw at us, we have the strength to find our own slice of happiness. The HEA also serves as an emotional catharsis, especially when the main characters have had to fight to get there.

Regardless of how treacherous or shadowy the road may seem, love deserves a chance to shine. I believe that with all my heart, and it’s why my own stories will always end in happiness. Like Her Student Crush, where love defies conventions and societal taboos to ultimately triumph.

She felt a tear escape from the corner of her eye, and reached up to wipe at it, but before she could he’d already kissed it away, and she knew: he completed her. That tear took with it the last of her doubts, the last of her fears. It cleansed away the hurt of the past. Luka was everything he needed to be, and if their souls hadn’t found each other in this lifetime, they would have in the next, or the next. Eventually, they had to be together, because there was no force in the universe strong enough to keep them apart.

–Her Student Crush

As a reader, I want to see characters face difficulties and struggles. Whether emotional, spiritual or physical, I want the writer to show characters in danger, where love sometimes seems out of reach. It makes the reward that much sweeter when obstacles are overcome and the main characters emerge from the other side with a love that will stand the test of time.

To me, a happy ending isn’t just about romance. It’s about showing that love has the power to heal and transform. No matter how forbidden the love or impossible the odds, romance promises one thing: love always wins.

What are your favorite HEA endings? And what did the characters have to go through to get there? Share your thoughts in the comments!