This Is Real Life

This summer, I have been reading a lot. (Somewhere around 30 books.) As I'm sure this comes as no surprise to anyone, what may come as a surprise are the types of books I have been reading.

Romance.

Good old fashioned romance.

And here's what I discovered. I like them. I don't love them, but I like them. (Get it?! Because I said love and I'm talking about romance.)

Bwahaha!

*Ahem.*

But here's the catch. For me, a romantic read has to have something more about the plot or the characters to keep me interested. There has to be that extra element like a mystery, a secret yet to be uncovered, or a character flaw to keep me interested.

This got me thinking about the dystopia, paranormal and sci-fi books that I love to read. In these books, it's the romance that draws me in. It is what keeps me interested and what I love most about these books. I like that the romance is a piece of the larger puzzle of the story, not the whole story.

Because let's face it. Romance in real life is not like it is in the books. Hubby and I don't just lay in bed all day, staring into each others eyes, feeding each other strawberries and braiding our hair.

We have to changes diapers. Fix mac 'n cheese. Pay the phone bill. Make lunches. Schedule doctor's appointments. Wipe noses. Drop kids off at school. Take them to soccer practice. Make a dentist appointments. Clean the kitchen. Floss our teeth. Do the laundry. Plan birthday parties.

This is real life.

We have obligations and responsibilities.

I think this is why I like the romance that I read to have something other than just 'romance'. I like my romance to be messy (for lack of a better term.) Because that is how it is in real life.

Who says all good things come in neat, tidy packages?