18 Marriage of Convenience Books You Can’t Get Enough Of
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Marriage of convenience books (also known as arranged marriage romance books) are extremely popular recently thanks to Booktok.
There’s just something appealing about two strangers who do not want to be married to each other but have to because it mutually benefits them. Plus, it gets even better when forced proximity leads to them falling in love!
With the rise of romance novels such as Terms and Conditions and Marriage For One, you must now be looking for more marriage of convenience books.
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What Is The Marriage of Convenience Trope?
In romance novels, marriage of convenience novels usually revolve around two people marrying each other to benefit mutually. It is a more committed version of the fake-dating trope.
Sometimes the characters hate each other making them also part of the enemies-to-lovers trope.
18 Marriage of Convenience Books You’ll Love
1. King of Wrath by Ana Huang
The author who first gave us the viral Twisted series is back with another sensation! Ana Huang did not disappoint readers with the marriage of convenience trope in King of Wrath.
Dante Russo is a proud and arrogant billionaire who doesn’t mess around when it comes to business. Especially not when Francis Lau shows up at his office unannounced and blackmails him. Francis has a simple request for Dante. He must marry his daughter, Vivian Lau.
Vivian Lau, a sophisticated jewellery heiress and event planner, can never say no to her parents. Now she must navigate through a loveless marriage and move into a stranger’s house.
Why You’ll Love: King of Wrath
2. Marriage For One by Ella Maise
After a broken engagement, Rose wants to focus on nothing else but opening her cosy coffee shop.
Jack Hawthorne, a workaholic and cold businessman, has other plans when he invites her to his office and proposes a contract – he wants to marry her.
Even though Jack and Rose are strangers, he convinces Rose to sign away her life for two years in a loveless marriage of convenience.
Why You’ll Love: Marriage For One
This dual-pov slow-burn romance novel also includes the nursing-back-to-health trope.
3. Roomies by Christina Lauren
In this marriage of convenience novel, Holland Bakker is fully captivated by the melodies that fill her street. She’s also fascinated by the owner of those melodies.
One day, Holland is attacked by a drunk person and is saved by Calvin Mcloughlin. To repay him, Holland decides to set up an audition for Calvin with her uncle, a Broadway top musical director, whom people would kill to work with.
Calvin aces the tryouts and is ready for his big break on Broadway, but there’s a huge problem. His student visa expired years ago. Holland proposes an idea that could break hearts in the process, that is to marry each other.
Why You’ll Love: Roomies
4. Terms and Conditions by Lauren Asher
One of the best marriage of convenience books is Terms and Conditions. Declan is prepared to inherit his family’s media empire and become the next CEO. The only obstacle in his way now is a tiny clause in his grandfather’s will.
Declan must marry and produce an heir. After trying to conjure up a plan and failing miserably, he lost all hope until his assistant decided to help him.
Iris knows she can easily help. All she has to do is stick to the rules of the contract. Have a baby, look all love-smitten and play the part of a perfect wife.
Lines start to blur as Declan and Iris try to figure out if they are pretending or not anymore, with their public appearances and fake dating.
Why You’ll Love: Terms and Conditions
5. With You Forever by Chloe Liese
This sweet and funny modern marriage of convenience novel follows the lives of Axel and Rooney. Axel Bergman is an artist who is on the autistic spectrum, often being mistaken as a brooding grump.
On the other hand, we have Rooney Sullivan, a sunshine a law student, and she has a chronic IBD. A simple game of charades leads to a kiss between Rooney and Axel. Now she can’t help but avoid him as she is embarrassed.
The plot takes a different route when Axel needs to make some expensive repairs to the Bergman getaway house but getting the funds is a difficult task. Rooney then suggests they marry each other so Axel can get funds easily.
Why You’ll Love: With You Forever
6. The Work Of Art by Mimi Matthews
Historical fiction romances make one of the best marriage of convenience books because of the era it is set in, it makes the trope way more believable!
When Phyllida Satterthwaite shifts to London from her hometown Devonshire, she never thought men would be head over heels for her.
Unfortunately, she catches the eye of a sinister Duke. Duke of Moreland is a famous art collector and will do anything to get ahold of his latest obsession. Phyllida soon realizes dealing with this problem alone isn’t easy and gets Captain Arthur Heywood’s help.
He is surprised when Phyllida shows up at his door with a proposal. In order for her to get rid of the Duke of Moreland she needs to marry someone else soon. It’s the only way he’ll stop pursuing her.
Why You’ll Love: The Work of Art
7. Wrapped Up With The Ranger by Kait Nolan
Holt Steele is a former Army Ranger, who realized it was time to finally settle down after losing a leg on duty.
Opening a bakery wasn’t on his to-do list, but he realized he needed peace and quiet in this small town.
Across the street from him is a single mother with her kid.
Cayla Black is an event planner and single mother, who is now free from the shackles her controlling husband had around her.
Her priorities are clear. Grow her business and keep her daughter protected, and there’s definitely no room for a love story.
However, Cayla’s ex decides to storm back into her life when his conviction is overturned, and he forces Cayla and her daughter to stay with him.
Holt has had enough of this drama, so he steps in with a lie that will cost him in the future. Now the only way out of the lie is actually to marry Cayla so that the couple is protected by marital laws.
We get to see new bonds form and old ones break as the characters navigate through their problems together.
Why You’ll Love: Wrapped Up With a Ranger
8. The Bride Test by Helen Hoang
After The Kiss Quotient went viral on Booktok, Helen Hoang raised expectations with The Bride Test. It’s one of the cutest marriage of convenience books!
Khai Diep doesn’t process emotions the same way other people do, which has resulted in him avoiding all relationships. His family knows he is capable of expressing love despite what he thinks about his autism.
His mother decides to help him by flying back to Vietnam to search for a potential bride for him.
Esme Tran grew up in the slums of Ho Chi Minh City, never connecting with people due to her mixed race. When she crosses paths with Khai’s mother and receives an offer to fly to America, she just cannot refuse.
Esme must try her best to grab Khai’s attention and keep it, but it’s more complicated than she thought.
Why You’ll Love: The Bride Test
9. The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare
The Duchess Deal is the first book by Tessa Dare in her Girl Meets Duke series which follows the marriage of convenience trope. The Duke of Ashbury is in need of a wife. He needs an heir to continue his family legacy.
However, there’s a problem – one side of his face and body is scarred from war. No eligible young woman would want to marry him, let alone give him an heir. Plus, his fiance broke off the engagement after seeing him in person.
Emma, a seamstress who sew his fiance’s dress is from a respectable family. He offers to marry her. No love or affection is required, she just has to let him in her bed. They’ll be husband and wife in name only. Slowly, the two can’t seem to stay away from each other and eventually fall in love.
Why You’ll Love: The Duchess Deal
10. Marriage of Inconvenience by Penny Reid
Kathleen Tyson, a billionaire heiress is being framed by her cousin, who is trying to frame her as mentally unfit to get ahold of her inheritance. She must marry someone soon to get her inheritence.
Her future husband must meet her simple criteria: he should be single, trustworthy and not get involved romantically with her.
Luckily, Dan O’Malley, or Dan the security man as others call him, is the perfect guy for her job. Although things are a little awkward between the two because Kat has a tiny crush on him and they had some misunderstandings in the past.
Why You’ll Love: Marriage of Inconvenience
11. The Lost Lieutenant by Erica Vetsch
Evan Eldridge thought his plans were perfectly set in motion. Take down Napolean to protect his country.
Unfortunately for him, he saves a person’s life who is dear to the Prince Regent. Which means getting rewarded with a noble title he didn’t want.
Evan is gifted a huge manor he doesn’t want, along with a bride arranged for him by the ruler.
The one thing bothering him is that he can’t remember much from his past. After being traumatized on the battlefield, he lost crucial parts of his memories.
If he doesn’t remember them soon it could put his marriage in danger and someone else’s life too.
We see Evan and his wife Diana’s bond strengthen as they face challenges, and deal with aristocratic struggles and lost memories.
Erica Vetsch does a fantastic job at writing military marriage of convenience books and bringing the characters closer.
12. The Kiss Theif by LJ Shen
As if being part of a dangerous family wasn’t tiring enough, Princess Francesca Rossi must now marry someone who is part of the Chicago mafia, as her father has ordered.
Choosing a future husband shouldn’t be difficult because Francesca has someone in mind. Her childhood crush, Angelo Bandini.
However, during the masquerade ball, where she’s supposed to share her first-ever kiss with Angelo, the cold and heartless Senator Wolfe Keaton steps in.
He steals her first kiss, leaving her confused. Wolfe is determined to get back at Francesca’s father. The person whom he has bad blood with. So he tricks him and asks for Francesca’s hand in marriage.
Soon she is whisked away to Wolfe’s Chicago mansion where she isn’t treated more than a prisoner.
LJ Shen does a wonderful job at creating suspense when necessary in the story, this dark and twisted story will keep you guessing. The marriage of convenience trope is essential to the plot line.
13. To Love Jason Thorn by Ella Maise
The author of Marriage for One seems to love writing modern marriage of convenience books as To Love Jason Thorn explores the same trope.
We meet Olive Taylor who is a newly famous author. She has also successfully signed a movie deal for her book. Despite that, she doesn’t seem very happy because Jason Thorn is the main lead in the movie.
Jason has a reputation he isn’t very proud of. Scandals follow him wherever he goes.
Jason is also Olive’s brother’s childhood best friend, but that isn’t the reason why she hates him. He broke her heart into a million pieces once, now Olive knows it is best to stay 20 feet away from him.
What makes keeping that resolution difficult is that she’s stuck with this man whether she likes it or not because a fake marriage is the only way to save his reputation and her movie.
This book also has the enemies to lovers trope, brother’s best friend trope and second chance romance, so you’re in for a long journey.
14. Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin
Serpent & Dove is one of the best enemies to lovers marriage of convenience books. Plus if you’re a fan of Nina and Matthias from Six of Crows and marriage of convenience fantasy books then you’ll enjoy this read.
Louise le Blanc is a witch in hiding. Two years ago, she fled her coven and went undercover in the city of Cesarine. Laying low for a while and not using her magic at all in case someone sensed it.
The cost will be deadly if someone finds out she’s a witch. Chasseurs sworn to the Church are brutal witch killers, and Reid Diggory happens to be one of them. They live life with one motto in mind: Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.
Louise and Reid unexpectedly cross paths which leads to a huge misunderstanding. Now they are bound to a holy matrimony that is destined to end one day with broken hearts.
Why You’ll Love: Serpent & Dove
15. Sweet Temptation by Cora Reilly
Cassio is a ruthless mafia who rules over Philadelphia. He was left heartbroken after his wife passed away leaving behind two kids for him to raise alone.
The mafia takes traditions very seriously, so he must remarry someone soon. The kids also need someone to look after them.
Cassio knows he must complete his duty and when he meets Giulia, he feels a strange pull towards her.
Giulia always knew her father would arrange a husband for her whether she liked him or not. What she didn’t expect was a man way older than her and with two children.
Giulia soon understands Cassio isn’t the man of her dreams and her mother warns her too about men like him but Giulia won’t go down without a fight.
This marriage of convenience novel incorporate themes of dark romance and mafia life. This book is more suited for a mature audience.
16. The Wall Of Winnipeg And Me by Mariana Zapata
Mariana Zapata, the queen of slow-burn romance, is also the author of the Booktok famous novel From Lukov With Love.
Vanessa Mazur is the assistant of the top defensive end in the National Football Organization, but she also runs errands for him, cooks for him and keeps his house tidy too.
After two years, Venessa has had enough of Aiden Graves and his cold attitude.
Being on her final straw she finally quits the job to focus on her graphic designing career.
Not long after that Aiden shows up at her doorstep leaving Vanessa shocked. He wants her back.
Not because he misses her but because he’s running into visa troubles as he’s a Canadian living in America on a visa. Vanessa knows she should close the door and walk away, but Aiden knows convinces her to marry him.
In this marriage of convenience romance book, we get to see Vanessa and Aiden figure out their feelings for each other slowly, and overcome the personal challenges they face.
17. Portraits of a Scotsman by Evie Dunmore
Although this book is the third in the series, it can be read as a standalone. This is more of a marriage of inconvenience romance novel.
Hattie Greenfield finds herself in a compromising position with an unrespectable Scotsmen, who also happens to be a business men that lends noblemen money and then ruins them when they cannot pay him back.
Lucian Blackstone, the Scotsmen wants to get close to Hattie as her father owns a reputable bank. He also wants to mend his reputation in society and he tries to socialize with respectable families like the Greenfields.
Things go south when they end up kissing (twice!) and eventually get caught.
18. Queen Charlotte by Julia Quinn & Shonda Rhimes
If you’re looking for more marriage of convenience romance novels with a historical twist, Netflix’s latest sensation, Queen Charlotte has also been adapted into a book.
Queen Charlotte and King George are to be wed. This arrange marriage is important to the future or Britain, where society is united and there is no more discrimation of colour.
However, little does Charlotte know that George is hiding a dark secret that might bring disaster to their marriage. This one of the most heart-breaking arranged marriage novels to read!
Why You’ll Love: Queen Charlotte
Wrap Up: Marriage of Convenience Trope Books
These were 18 of the best marriage of convenience romance books!
Whether it’s a steamy mafia romance novel, historical romance or a fantasy with the marriage of convenience trope, these books will be a great addition to your TBR.
With the trope gaining recent attention, the bar of expectations is very high for these books, but readers love these books dearly. I hope they’ll become your next favourite reads too!
