Ernst Jeudy, author of Zombie Lover #romancenovels

http://wakingwriter.com/2026/04/17/ernst-jeudy-author-of-zombie-lover/

Why Choose?

I have been reading romance novels since I was a teenager…

I didn’t even know this was a thing.

Somewhere along the way, quietly and without any fanfare… the “why choose” trope found its way onto the shelves, built an audience, and settled into its own space in the world of romance… and I completely missed it.

From what I’ve now come to understand, the idea itself isn’t entirely new. Its roots stretch back into earlier romance (especially in fantasy and paranormal spaces) where a woman might be surrounded by multiple love interests, where each interest offers something different. But in those stories, there was almost always a final decision. A choice had to be made. One stayed, the others faded away. That was the rule…

Then something shifted. I have come to learn, that in the early to mid 2010s, particularly within indie publishing spaces, writers began to experiment. They questioned that rule. What if she didn’t have to choose? What if love didn’t need to be reduced to a single outcome? And just like that, without asking permission, the trope evolved.

My research tells me that by the late 2010s into the early 2020s, it had fully arrived. Not just as an idea, but as a recognized and named trope. Platforms like Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing and Wattpad gave writers the freedom to explore it, and readers responded. Strongly.

Fans of this trope say there is something quietly relieving about it. No tension of “who will she pick.” No sense of loss when a favorite character is left behind. No pressure for one person to be everything. Just… an expansion of what love can look like.

And yet, here I am, only just discovering it.

But when I think about it, it makes sense why I didn’t.

This trope tends to live in genres I don’t naturally gravitate toward… fantasy romance, dark romance, paranormal worlds, academy settings (except the Love Hypothesis 😁)… spaces where imagination stretches wider and the rules of reality are more flexible. That’s where “why choose” feels most at home.

For me, I tend to sit more with quieter, grounded stories. The slow ones. The reflective ones. The ones that feel like sitting by a window in the evening with your thoughts. So yes, of course it slipped past me.

Still, I find something about it… interesting. It challenges something we have long accepted without questioning that love must be singular to be valid. That choosing one means losing others. That fullness only comes in one form. “What if it didn’t?” it seems to ask.

So, while I see why people would like the trope, I on the other hand, believe in choosing. I believe in the weight of it. In the clarity of it. I believe, even in the ache that sometimes comes with it.

I love the deep feeling that comes with “I choose You”… Not everyone. Not everything. Just… you.
Even if it hurts.
Even if it costs something.
Even if it doesn’t come easy.
That, to me, is where love sharpens into meaning.

So while the shelves may be expanding, and the stories evolving, I find myself still drawn to that singular thread… The courage and the consequence… of choosing one.

Wow!
Grab this Amazon TOP 100 BESTSELLER for only 99¢ for a limitied time.
FINN by Suzy Shearer
Claire Reynolds, 55, never believed in soul mates, or love at first sight, until she literally ran into Finn O’Malley, 55. Something happened—something primeval, something like destiny calling, as they stared at each other.
A ‘happy ever after’ was theirs for the taking—and they grabbed it joyfully with both hands.
Mysterious floral gifts. A hidden agenda. A faux saviour. A watcher who finally acts. An act that intends death to Finn. An act that neither Finn or Claire may survive.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GG7XKGLN?
https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0GG7XKGLN?

#books #MastodonAuthor
#romance #maturecouple #newrelease #read #readromance #romance #romanceAuthor #romanceNovel #romanceNovels #bookstadon #writersofMastodon #WritersCoffeeClub #ScribesAndMakers #writingCommunity #wordweaver #creativity @bookstadon #romanceBooks #bookstodon #BDSM #oldercouple #maturecouple #contemporary

For the #TBRChallenge I read a dated but entertaining Harlequin Intrigue from the 90s. I do love me some amnesia romance.

https://willaful.wordpress.com/2026/03/20/tbr-challenge-the-other-laura-by-sheryl-lynn/

@SuperWendy
#RomancelandiaClub
#RomanceNovels

Once again, I read and review one of those annoying ads for trashy romance novels, so you don't have to. #Romance #RomanceReaders #RomanceNovels

"Billionaire Match"
App: Trust me, you don't need to know.

Khloe, who seems to have been born without a personality, makes 4 incredible discoveries on the first page: Her marriage certificate is fake. Her husband is really married to someone else. She is the sole heir of a deceased billionaire

See what I mean? Incredible, as in "Not Credible".

Not credible that she would then not mention this to her "husband", whose name is Trey, but carry on calmly as though everything is normal when any red blooded woman would tear him limb from limb.

Not credible that Trey faked a marriage to Khloe because she was good with the family business when he could have just offered her a job.

Not credible that ... actually, this story is a waste of time. Don't bother.

Incidence of floor-to-ceiling windows: 2

Verdict: You must think I'm silly.🙄

How Can You Not Be Romantic About Women’s Basketball?

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://defector.com/how-can-you-not-be-romantic-about-womens-basketball

Get your FREE books here! https://books.bookfunnel.com/midmonfebfreerege.../kp9ib70pmv

#historicalromance #bookstagram #romancebooks #romance #historicalfiction #regencyromance #books #booklover #romancereader #thcentury #romancenovels #historicalromancenovel #bookstagrammer #bookish #reading #bookworm #romancereadersofinstagram #historical #perioddrama #readersofinstagram
Music: Jinkx Monsoon- I Just Wanna Make Love to You

Valentine's Day is here, and so is International Book Giving Day! 📚 ❤️

So how about combining these two and giving someone a romantic / romance book? 📖 💝 ☺️

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY & HAPPY #READING! 🥰 💖

#ValentinesDay
#valentinesday2026
#InternationalBookGivingDay
#InternationalBookGivingDay2026
#book
#books
#bookgiving
#love
#lovestory
#lovestories
#romance
#romancenovels
#romantic
#sapphic
#lesbian
#ff
#wlw
#womenlovewomen
#queer
#LGBTQIA
#queerbooks
#queer
#bookstodon

📖🌈 🌹👭 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩 💞

“Now Robby…he’s who you should be with,” she said, as if on cue with my thoughts. I tried not to roll my eyes.”
― Nicole Gulla

#Bot #Quote #LoveSquare #RomanceNovels

Out now!!
Buy direct from Evernight or any online bookstore worldwide/
Finn - The Silk Rope Masters, 6
https://www.evernightpublishing.com/finn-by-suzy-shearer/

Claire Reynolds, 55, never believed in soul mates, or love at first sight, until she literally ran into Finn O’Malley, 55. Something happened—something primeval, something like destiny calling, as they stared at each other.
A ‘happy ever after’ was theirs for the taking—and they grabbed it joyfully with both hands.
Mysterious floral gifts. A hidden agenda. A faux saviour. A watcher who finally acts. An act that intends death to Finn. An act that neither Finn or Claire may survive.
Be Warned: BDSM, anal sex, sex toys, public exhibition
#romance #maturecouple #newrelease #read #readromance #romance #romanceAuthor #romanceNovel #romanceNovels #bookstadon #writersofMastodon #WritersCoffeeClub #ScribesAndMakers #writingCommunity #wordweaver #creativity @bookstadon #romanceBooks #bookstodon #BDSM #oldercouple #maturecouple #contemporary