Ever wondered what happens after happily ever after?

No, this isn't a post about how to inject a bit of romance into a marriage. It's a post about two people who have said ‘I do’ and for whom the happy-over-after has been achieved, and what happens afterwards.

Married romance isn't the most popular trope in the romantic genre – unless it's about marriages of convenience where the couple only fall in love after the event. But the married romance trope (also known as the ‘marriage in crisis’ trope) I'm referring to is the one where they're already in love – but can they stay that way. And what happens when things go wrong? Can the spark be rekindled? Can the flame re-ignite?

I believe this small sub- genre isn't explored enough, so I've written one or two books where the protagonists are already married. And so have a few other authors.

Check out the happy-ever-after AFTER the happy ever after below:

The Not So Golden Oldies by Liz Davies

When retirement isn’t all it’s cracked up to be…

Meena Fisher is a middle-aged medical secretary with a husband, two grandchildren, a house to run, and more hobbies than you can shake a stick at. She is perfectly happy with her life just the way it is.

Her husband, Oscar, is a middle-aged workaholic who spends his days either in the office or on the golf course. With his wife looking after both him and the house, he gets on with the business of making money. He is also perfectly happy with his life just the way it is.

They share a bed, and they sometimes eat dinner together if they can both manage to be in the house at the same time. Aside from that, their paths rarely cross. The arrangement suits them both.

But when Oscar is forced to take early retirement and decides it’s only fair he takes over the running of the house, both their previously happy lives are turned upside down.The question is, can they find a way to live together with the new status quo?

And, more importantly, do they want to?

Available from Amazon https://mybook.to/NotSoGoldenOldies

Goes Without Saying by Luisa A. Jones

“Most people run away from home when they’re in their rebellious teenage phase. But not you, Tom. You waited until you were a forty-year old father to do it.”

Tom Field promised his wife Megan he’d never leave her. So when she finds his note saying he’s gone away, she can’t help but wonder if that’s the only vow he’s broken. Following him and his treasured camper van to the beautiful coast of North Devon, she has plenty of time to reflect on what’s gone wrong between them. Time to decide whether their marriage is worth saving.

But all too soon reality threatens to catch up with them. Can Tom make things right before it’s too late?

Available from Amazon #ad https://amzn.to/3OreZpb

Make Do and Mend in Applewell by Lilac Mills

Can their marriage be mended in time for Christmas?

Lottie has always been thrifty. As a mother of three, it's even more important that she stretches the household budget as far as possible. Luckily, Lottie's penchant for taking broken items and upcycling them has worked wonders for living on a shoestring.

Henry can't face telling Lottie he's been made redundant. Instead, he pretends to go to work as usual while frantically job hunting. The race is on to find another role before Lottie discovers he's another useless item for her collection one that is beyond repair.

Christmas is a time for giving, but will Lottie give Henry another chance if she learns about his lies? And can Henry give Lottie and their kids the life he so desperately wants them to have?

Available from Amazon https://mybook.to/MDAMIA

Bedlam and Breakfast by Sharley Scott

Katie is desperate to leave her stressful job, so she doesn’t think too hard about moving to Devon to run a B&B, even if it means uprooting her family. She is certain she and Jason have a strong and loving relationship that can weather any storm.

Hooked by the beauty of Torringham with its quaint harbour and stunning coastline, they purchase Flotsam Guesthouse which needs more than a lick of paint to keep it afloat. Soon, Katie finds that renovating and running a guesthouse is taking its toll, especially when dealing with challenging guests and madcap neighbours, Shona and Kim. Katie comes to learn that trouble is afoot whenever Shona begs a favour.

However, when her adored daughter moves back to their old hometown, she wonders if they’ve made a huge mistake, especially when cracks begin to show in her marriage.

Her seaside idyll is crumbling along with her relationship. Should she let Flotsam Guesthouse founder while she salvages her marriage?

Katie needs to decide where her priorities lie. The only issue is, she doesn’t know.

Available from Amazon #ad https://amzn.to/4mQDCbx

Together Again at the Forever Home on Muddypuddle Lane by Etti Summers

Can a wagging tail rekindle a fading romance?

Now that the kids have left home and with husband Nev taking early retirement, Tina Clancy is looking forward to a new lease on life. She’s imagining romantic dinners, evenings spent dancing, and exotic foreign holidays.

Unfortunately, Nev is anticipating taking it easy in cosy tea shops, afternoons playing lawn bowls, and the odd weekend in Clacton-on-Sea!

Worried that old age is creeping up on her, Tina decides to strike out on her own and live a little – while she still can!

The grass isn’t always greener on the other side though, and with no one to share those romantic meals with and not fancying solo holidays, she soon discovers being single isn’t as much fun as she’d thought. Too proud to admit she’s made a mistake, she hopes a dog will help ease her growing loneliness.

Despite Nev desperately missing his wife and his old, comfortable lifestyle, the last thing he’s going to do is beg Tina to come back. Determined to prove he’s fine without her, when a friend suggests that a dog will get him out and about, he decides to adopt a pooch.

But can a dog really replace a marriage of thirty-four years? Especially since the dogs themselves seem to be missing their own soulmates?

Available from Amazon https://mybook.to/TogtherAgainFHML

The Marriage Meltdown by Maggie Linn Sharpe

She's ready to walk away, but he wants one last chance to save their happily ever after.

Jessie Chase thought she had a fairy tale life. She married her college sweetheart right before he was called up to the major leagues, and she thought it would be a home run. Turns out that happily ever after is a little trickier than she thought. Almost ten years into their marriage, she's had enough.

Dan Chase has spent the last ten years focusing all of his energy on his baseball career and providing Jessie with the best life money can buy. He didn't realize it was all the things money can't buy that would be his downfall.

Jessie's ready to call it quits, but when those two little lines appear, leaving gets a little more complicated. Dan is convinced they can fix their marriage, but Jessie isn't so sure.

She's willing to give him one last chance to prove he can be the partner she needs. Will Dan rise to the challenge, or will their marriage meltdown become permanent?

Available from Amazon #ad https://amzn.to/4ctvNUo

A Typical Family Christmas by Liz Davies

For once, Kate Peters would like a happy, family Christmas; the kind of Christmas seen on the TV. She wants harmony and happiness, smiling, glowing faces, tables groaning with food, carol singing around the tree. She wants love, kindness, and goodwill to all men, especially in her own house.

What she doesn’t want is drama. Absolutely no drama, whatsoever.

But what she gets is three stroppy children, two equally stroppy grandmothers, a husband who can’t manage to change a lightbulb, and Pepe the poodle. It’s no wonder she feels unappreciated, overworked, and ignored.

At the end of her tinsel-coated tether, and with the only Christmas spirit being in the form of a bottle of raspberry gin, Kate decides to leave them to it and see how they manage without her. A quiet little hotel somewhere near the sea, where she can pretend Christmas doesn’t exist, is just the thing she needs.

Available from Amazon https://mybook.to/TypicalFamilyChristmas

Summer Days on Sunflower Street by Rachel Griffiths

Roxie Walker has been married to Fletcher for over twenty years. They live in a beautiful house on Sunflower Street, have a cute pug named Glenda and enjoy a comfortable lifestyle. However, Roxie has a feeling that something isn't quite right…

Fletcher works hard and likes to relax on his days off, whether that's playing a round of golf, watching a football match on TV, or pottering around in the garden. Recently, though, he's finding it hard to switch off and he's concerned that Roxie seems to be drifting away from him. He comes up with a plan to try to make things better, but the secrecy required to carry it out creates its own problems.

As summer descends upon Sunflower Street, with warmer days spent at the recently refurbished lido and lighter evenings whiled away, surrounded by roses and honeysuckle in their lovely garden, matters come to a head. It's time for the truth to be revealed, and for grievances — both old and new — to be aired.

Will summer on Sunflower Street bring Roxie and Fletcher closer together or will it tear them apart?

Available from Amazon #ad https://amzn.to/4mUV26O

Wedding Bells at the Stables on Muddypuddle Lane by Etti Summers

Julie and Stephen Richards have been married for nearly forty years. It’s just a pity they’ve spent this last one living apart since Julie’s past has come back to haunt her. Stephen can’t bring himself to forgive what she did, and now the only thing left of their marriage is their shared love for their son, Isaac.

But the situation may be about to change. When Petra from the stables on Muddypuddle Lane needs someone to give her holiday cottage a trial run before it begins receiving paying guests, Isaac hatches a plan…

 Tricked into spending a weekend together, Julie and Stephen have to decide whether the fire that once burned so hot between them can be rekindled, or whether their marriage has finally turned to ashes.

Available from Amazon https://mybook.to/WeddingatMuddypuddle

Truth and Tinsel by Maya Alden

 

She stopped begging for his love. Will he start fighting for hers?

Mia Winter spent six years unconditionally loving her husband, working hard to fit into his world, which didn’t make room for her.

Aiden let the weight of family expectations blind him to the woman who gave him her whole heart, and he made a terrible mistake, one his wife witnessed.

This Christmas, Mia is done holding onto…nothing, which is what she feels her marriage is. Under the tree, she puts only one gift for her husband, divorce papers, wrapped very nicely with a bow and everything.

She leaves him, taking her broken heart and her dignity (plus a chunk of his fortune) with her.

Aiden knows he’s lost the woman who was his reason for living—and if he doesn’t fight for her now, he’ll lose her forever. He wants a second chance, but Mia’s love isn’t unconditional anymore. If he wants her back, he’ll have to prove he’s the man she—and their future—deserve.

Available from Amazon #ad https://amzn.to/4cV6Y42

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About the Author

Lilac Mills writes heartwarming romance inspired by life in the Welsh countryside, her love of simple pleasures, and the beauty of everyday moments.

She’s the author of over twenty feel-good novels, and also writes as Liz Davies and Etti Summers.

Learn more about Lilac

All Lilac Mills' books

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