The whole point of a romance novel is that the two main characters end up with their “Happy Ever After” ending.
As such, many readers want and even expect the novel to end on a proposal or wedding scene.
I am not that reader.
I’m perfectly happy to read a proposal scene or a wedding scene, but only if it fits the story. As a general rule, this means I want to see the couple are emotionally and spiritually mature enough to make that decision. I don’t like proposal or wedding scenes that feel rushed, as though the characters don’t know each other well enough yet to make that kind of decision.
This is especially important in shorter books—novellas and short novels—which tend to take place over a condensed period of time. Yes, I know some people meet and marry within months or even weeks and go on to have long and successful marriages. But divorce statistics suggest these people are the minority, not the norm.
The other reason I don’t like the novel that ends with a proposal or marriage is because it often feels contrived. It feels as though the author has decided the book must end with a marriage, rather than the marriage being the logical emotional conclusion for the couple. It can feel manipulative, and I don’t like that. It feels like the characters are being forced into marriage rather than making that decision themselves.
This is one of the reasons why I enjoy reading books in a series.
While I don’t want the couple who first met on page one to be married by page three hundred, I do enjoy a good wedding. the right place for that wedding might be in the second or third book in the series.
A wedding at the beginning of book two or three can be a great way to connect the two stories and introduce the new couple. A wedding in the middle of another book can be a great emotional turning point, where the hero and heroine realise they want to be together.
