The Best Marriage of Convenience Romance Books

Discover the best marriage of convenience books in this must read book list.

These are my most favorite books in this popular romance book trope that takes a fake relationship love story to a new level.

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The Best Marriage of Convenience Books Where Love is Found After Saying “I Do.”

I admit that I have a thing for marriage of convenience books. There I said it.

There’s just something extra romantic about falling in love with someone whom you’ve already committed yourself to in marriage, never thinking that a happy ever after would be in the cards when you said “I do.”

Many marriage of convenience books are also some of the very best in the slow burn romance trope.

It takes such a talented author to stoke the fire between two characters forced to wed for their own reasons and let that fire build and burn throughout the entire story.

You’re not hit over the head by initial attraction or instalust but more often it’s the subtle things, the minor interactions, the moments of vulnerability and letting someone in that enables the characters in these novels to realize they actually love the one they are married to.

These romance books are also some of the best in the fake relationship trope.

They’ve just taken fake dating to the next level and made it official with a real marriage ceremony.

I love seeing how the characters attempt to pretend to be a loving couple to the outside world while the lines between pretend and real start to blur.

It’s the perfect set up for intense chemistry!

If you’re a fan of marriage of convenience books like I am, you’re going to love this book list.

I put together the best and my most favorite reads in this trope which I just know you’ll love as well. Check them out below!

My Favorite Marriage of Convenience Romance Books:

Marriage of Inconvenience
by Penny Reid

There are three things you need to know about Kat Tanner (aka Kathleen Tyson. . . and yes, she is *that* Kathleen Tyson): 1) She’s determined to make good decisions, 2) She must get married ASAP, and 3) She knows how to knit.

Being a billionaire heiress isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Determined to live a quiet life, Kat Tanner changed her identity years ago and eschewed her family’s legacy.

But now, Kat’s silver spoon past has finally caught up with her, and so have her youthful mistakes.

To avoid imminent disaster, she must marry immediately; it is essential that the person she chooses have no romantic feelings for her whatsoever and be completely trustworthy.

Fortunately, she knows exactly who to ask. Dan O’Malley checks all the boxes: single, romantically indifferent to her, completely trustworthy.

Sure, she might have a wee little crush on Dan the Security Man, but with clear rules, expectations, and a legally binding contract, Kat is certain she can make it through this debacle with her sanity—and heart—all in one piece.

Except, what happens when Dan O’Malley isn’t as indifferent—or as trustworthy—as she thought?

Marriage of Inconvenience is the seventh book in Penny Reid’s Knitting in the City series, which is one of the best romance book series to read in my opinion.

Throughout the series the chemistry between Kat and Dan is so palpable that by the time you get to this book you are just waiting for them to get together.

The impetus that finally brought them together was the perfect marriage of convenience story. Kat needs a husband to keep her family’s billion dollar business and Dan readily agrees.

The difference in this marriage of convenience story is that both Kat and Dan secretly already harbor feelings for the other before they say I do, only they’ve both kept them secret due to a simple misunderstanding.

This was a fantastic book though I’d honestly recommend reading the whole series for the build up!

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The Wall of Winnipeg and Me
by Mariana Zapata

Vanessa Mazur knows she’s doing the right thing. She shouldn’t feel bad for quitting.

Being an assistant/housekeeper/fairy godmother to the top defensive end in the National Football Organization was always supposed to be temporary.

She has plans and none of them include washing extra-large underwear longer than necessary.

But when Aiden Graves shows up at her door wanting her to come back, she’s beyond shocked.

For two years, the man known as The Wall of Winnipeg couldn’t find it in him to tell her good morning or congratulate her on her birthday. Now? He’s asking for the unthinkable.

What do you say to the man who is used to getting everything he wants?

The Wall of Winnipeg and Me is a popular marriage of convenience story with do reason. It is such a great read!

Vanessa was the assistant to the best defensive end in football but she quit and is ready to pursue her dream career goals.

Aiden, however, needs her to come back, not as his assistant but as his wife since his visa is about to expire and he’s at risk of deportation and ruining his career.

Like most Mariana Zapata books, this book is a slow burn romance with the love between both characters slowly developing as they make their way through their fake marriage.

And when I say slow, I mean this is literally a slow, slow burn but well worth the wait.

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You Can Have Manhattan
by P. Dangelico

You are cordially invited to the worst wedding of the century.

Sydney Evans is no stranger to hard work. It’s the one constant in her life. And with no family or friends to speak of it’s been easy to pour everything she has into her career as general counsel for Blackstone Holdings.

She wants for nothing. Until her boss offers her a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. All she has to do in return is marry his good-for-nothing son.

Scott Blackstone used to be a party animal. He hasn’t been that guy in a long time though. Not since he moved to Wyoming, bought a failing cattle ranch, and turned it into a profitable business.

All is good. Until a phone call from his father threatens the quiet, simple life he’s built. Marry or lose everything. And to a woman who can’t stand him, no less.

Well, Scott is not going down without a fight. He’s never going back to Manhattan. Not if he can help it.

You Can Have Manhattan is a marriage of convenience story where both parties are going into the marriage begrudgingly and yet unable to say no the to crazy scheme.

Scott and Sydney are not strangers to one another and yet they haven’t seen each other for 8 years after one hot and heavy kiss.

Now they are thrown into a fake marriage thanks to Scott’s father that neither one wants but are forced to agree to for their own reasons.

This book made me feel and it made me laugh and it made me cry because you just get caught up into who these characters are, what they are feeling, what they are fighting and ultimately what they are craving beyond a shadow of a doubt.

It was the best slow burn, marriage of convenience romance!

Find on Goodreads | Buy on Amazon | My Review

Marriage for One
by Ella Maise

Jack and I, we did everything backward. The day he lured me into his office-which was also the first day we met-he proposed.

You’d think a guy who looked like him-a bit cold maybe, but still striking and very unattainable-would only ask the love of his life to marry him, right? You’d think he must be madly in love. Nope.

It was me he asked. A complete stranger who had never even heard of him. A stranger who had been dumped by her fiancé only weeks before.

You’d think I’d laugh in his face, call him insane-and a few other names-then walk away as quickly as possible.

Well…I did all those things except the walking away part. It took him only minutes to talk me into a business deal…erm, I mean marriage, and only days for us to officially tie the knot.

Happiest day of my life. Magical. Pop the champagne… Not. It was the worst day. Jack Hawthorne was nothing like what I’d imagined for myself.

I blamed him for my lapse in judgment. I blamed his eyes, the ocean blue eyes that looked straight into mine unapologetically, and that frown on his face I had no idea I would become so fascinated with in time.

It wasn’t long after he said I was the biggest mistake of his life that things started to change. No, he still didn’t talk much, but anyone can string a few words together.

His actions spoke the loudest to me. And day after day my heart started to get a mind of its own.

One second he was no one. The next he became everything. One second he was unattainable. The next he seemed to be completely mine.

One second I thought we were in love. The next it was still nothing but a lie.

After all, I was Rose and he was Jack. We were doomed from the very beginning with those names. Did you expect anything else?

This is was my first Ella Maise book and it completely captivated me, becoming one of my list of the best romance novels of all time.

This marriage of convenience story began as a business transaction but soon became more despite secrets being kept that could derail it all.

Rose is desperate to open the coffee shop she’s always dreamed of having and a marriage to Jack appears to be the only way to make that happen.

Marriage for One was the perfect slow burn romance between two characters who just suck you in with their quiet confidence.

You can’t help but fall for both Rose and Jack and wish for their happily ever after.

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Roomies
by Christina Lauren

Marriages of convenience are so…inconvenient.

For months Holland Bakker has invented excuses to descend into the subway station near her apartment, drawn to the captivating music performed by her street musician crush.

Lacking the nerve to actually talk to the gorgeous stranger, fate steps in. Calvin Mcloughlin rescues her, but quickly disappears when the police start asking questions.

Using the only resource she has to pay the brilliant musician back, Holland gets Calvin an audition with her uncle, Broadway’s hottest musical director.

When the tryout goes better than even Holland could have imagined, Calvin is set for a great entry into Broadway—until his reason for disappearing earlier becomes clear: he’s in the country illegally, his student visa having expired years ago.

Seeing that her uncle needs Calvin as much as Calvin needs him, a wild idea takes hold of her. Impulsively, she marries the Irishman, her infatuation a secret only to him.

As their relationship evolves and Calvin becomes the darling of Broadway—in the middle of the theatrics and the acting-not-acting—will Holland and Calvin to realize that they both stopped pretending a long time ago?

Roomies is one of my most favorite Christina Lauren books and one of my most favorite romance books featuring musicians.

This is a marriage of convenience book where one of the participants secretly harbors a crush on the other.

Holland fell in love with Calvin’s music and as fate would have it, she steps up to help him pursue a dream on Broadway by becoming his wife.

Fans of the movie Green Card will absolutely love this book. I love how they grew to know more about each other while prepping for their meetings with immigration.

This book is also set to become a movie with Christina Lauren to write the script so check it out!

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Million Dollar Marriage
by Katy Evans

If someone had bet Nell a million dollars that she would be saying “I do” to a complete stranger on national television, she’d have called them crazy, but with her crushing student loan payments sending her deep into the red, she’s out of options.

This should be nothing more than a business transaction—until she sets eyes on her groom, and everything changes.

The game is on the instant Luke spots Penelope “Nell” Carpenter. He’s out for the money, yes, but getting a little dirty with Nell doesn’t sound too bad either.

Everyone knows he’s not the marrying kind, so it’s a good thing it’s just for show. God knows he’s the worst guy his pretty wife should pick for real.

They have nothing in common, but if they want the grand prize, they’ll have to beat out eight other couples.

Proving that total opposites attract should be easy enough…as long as they don’t fall in love in the process.

Million Dollar Marriage was such a fun and different marriage of convenience romance book!

Nell is deep into debt and decides to humor her best friend by auditioning for a reality show where she could have a chance to win half a million dollars.

The chance of her being picked were slim to none and yet the next thing she knows she’s on the show and marrying a fellow contestant who’s just as desperate for the chance to win the grand prize!

I loved following Luke and Nell on their adventures which were very similar to The Amazing Race.

They were complete opposites in every way but the more they kept winning and getting to know each other, the more their true feelings grew.

This was such a fun take on a marriage of convenience story making it well worth reading!

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The Billionaire Bachelor
by Jessica Lemmon

Playboy. That’s what the board of directors-and the tabloids-thinks of billionaire bachelor Reese Crane.

Ordinarily he couldn’t care less, but his playboy past is preventing the board from naming him CEO of Crane Hotels.

Nothing-and no one-will keep him from his life’s legacy. They want a settled man to lead the company? Then that’s exactly what he’ll give them.

Merina Van Heusen will do anything to get her parents’ funky boutique hotel back-even marry cold-as-ice-but-hot-as-heck Reese Crane.

It’s a simple business contract-six months of marriage, absolute secrecy, and the Van Heusen is all hers again.

But when sparks fly between them, their passion quickly moves from the boardroom to the bedroom.

And soon Merina is living her worst nightmare: falling in love with her husband.

The Bachelor Billionaire is a romance where a marriage of convenience is pitched by a billionaire in need of a reputation makeover.

Reese needs to get in good graces with the Board of Directors of his family’s company to officially gain the title of CEO. Merina has no choice but to take him up on his offer to save her family’s hotel.

I love marriage of convenience books when both people are somewhat desperate for the arrangement and yet fall for each other in the process.

Plus, The Bachelor Billionaire is a romance between two very confident people who have chemistry and passion making this such a great read.

Find on Goodreads | Buy on Amazon

What is your favorite marriage of convenience romance book? Share in the comments below.

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