The allure of the happy ending is, indeed, great, and many of us read romances exclusively because of this very element. But I think at the heart of things, romance is a bit more and the real reason we all cuddle up with our favorite heroes and heroines (either writing or reading) is all of the stuff that actually leads to the happy ending. The enduring power of love is nothing short of awe-inspiring. I’d like to think that most of us have felt it in our own lives. But even before that, you can know, believe in your heart of hearts that it’s out there. This, too, is a great pull to the genre. It’s still not quite what I want to put my finger on though.

Remember earlier this week when I talked about the key difference between villains and heroes? That heroes must grow and change, but villains don’t have to. This is, I believe, the true draw of romance. Most of us are eternal optimists, we like to believe that no matter how the day goes, in the end all will be well. We know the world doesn’t always work that way, but we still wake up the next morning hoping for the same thing. In the romance world, everyday doesn’t always end pleasant, but we know it’s coming. The characters we read/write about are flawed and they have fears and dreams and secret desires - all attributes that you and I have – and like real people when the going gets tough, our characters (eventually) face those fears and make big, scary decisions. They grow and they change and they overcome. They walk through fire and they come out on the other side stronger and more able. They tackle their big issue and they resolve it before they get their happy ending, so we know that happiness will endure past the last page of the book. It’s this that gives us the real hope. Seeing people overcome adversity and pain and fears. Isn’t that we all want in our own lives? To overcome and battle our own demons? And triumph! Yes, yes, this really is the happy ending, but I just wanted to point out that were it not for the growth and the change, then the happy ending in the relationship would be a bit watered down and unsatisfying.

So three cheers for our strong characters, they do what a lot of characters in other books do not. They win and they are better people in the end.