the feminist librarian reads

When romance is the point, marriage is one of many ways to end happily ever after. If Barot were publishing a trans romance, she would want the final pages to reflect two people happy with themselves and planning a life together, despite any obstacles in their way. For Lyons, an ace-spectrum romance like Blue Steel Chain would not end—at least, not happily—with the asexual partner’s sudden embrace of sexual activity. Nor would a polyamorous romance end with monogamy. Instead, Tom and Cass, two of the heroes of Riptide’s Misfits, bring Jake into their long-term open relationship, underscoring that marriage is far from the only way to live happily ever after.