The eldest daughter and I have similar tastes when it comes to books, especially historical murder mysteries. There are several series that we have read and enjoyed until a baby enters the picture.
The reason we get irritated is because it completely changes the dynamic of the story and yes, I understand in real life the same thing happens but when it comes to historical murder mysteries, the reader is already being asked to suspend belief and go along with a woman (usually of the upper class) completely breaching the rules of society by getting involved with solving murders. On top of that, we are asked to believe that in the area of getting married and having babies, she will happily go along with said rules.
I am fine with the marriage thing but I just can't get on board with the baby thing. Suddenly, the series becomes all about the baby and the characters spend all their time ooohing and aahhhing over every tiny thing it does and suddenly the series becomes all about that instead of what drew me in in the first place. Yes, I understand character growth and it adds a layer of tenseness to the story because the characters have to think of the baby but most series just go overboard with it. There's even one series where the characters have only been married for three months and she is already pregnant. There wasn't time for them to grow as a married couple and now suddenly there is a baby and the whole story line has now changed.
In another series, the wife actually forces her husband (the main character) to abandon his job a private detective because it was too dangerous so now the whole series is about him being miserable in his current job as a politician and pining for the days of detecting. When he isn't wishing for his old life back, he is making a fool of himself over his daughter. For example, he starts "grinning like a fool" while thinking of her blowing spit bubbles. Really? That's what the story has come down to? I've actually put down the series because I just can't get past the pure silliness of the character.
It seems like whenever a baby is added to the mix, the story then becomes very domestic and tame and less about the suspense of solving murders - the reason I picked up the series in the first place. If I wanted to read about domestic life and things of that nature, I would read chick lit. I don't want to read about that which is why I love historical mysteries but the trend now seems to be that they must all include children and I don't understand why.
What do you think? Are we being too harsh? Are we the only two who really dislikes that aspect of a series? Tell us below!
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