The billionaire trope is undoubtedly one of the most popular tropes in romance novels. The reason behind this popularity is so obvious; billionaire romances are manifestations of everyone’s dreams.
Having a romantic relationship with someone who is endowed physically and financially.
And we love to see the transformation of the billionaire, who is usually cold, promiscuous, broken, or rules with an iron fist. This is before they meet their soulmate, and after that, the story is about their transformation through love.
And… There are some steamy scenes between their first encounter and the HEA.
Doesn’t this sound so delicious? I thought so too.
That’s why I compiled an article covering the 12 best billionaire romance novels.
Let’s begin!
What is Billionaire Romance
Billionaire romance is simply about the love interest of a billionaire.
It is one of the most used tropes and it is not so hard to understand why; we all love money, and we always want to be loved.
Putting together two of the most sought-after things should be very tempting for every writer. And reading love stories of filthy rich individuals is equally appetizing for book lovers.
Sometimes, the protagonists may be secretly rich or a philanthropist, and—in some cases—the billionaire has a scarred past.
The term “billionaire” is rarely used in an exact way, not in its literal sense. Sometimes, the ‘billionaire’ might be a millionaire and in a few cases, the MC just happens to be a highly successful entrepreneur.
The Appeal of Billionaire Romance
There are so many appealing elements in billionaire romances, but a recurring Cinderella theme always gets readers stuck to billionaire romances.
Maybe it’s because of the rarity of this theme in real life. Like how many times do we hear of a powerful CEO of a Fortune 500 company falling for a struggling substitute teacher?
Whatever the reason is, this is one trope you see often. The billionaire falls for the less privileged girl, and odds are beaten. You can predict it from afar, but the funny thing is, when you read it, you usually enjoy the story, like a lot!
Usually, the hero enjoys financial security and comes to the aid of the heroine; whether in the form of business partnership or employment. During this arrangement, some freaky stuff might happen reading to steamy scenes. Eventually, they will fall in love.
You just have to love billionaire romance, like, who doesn’t want a partner that has solutions to all their money problems and… is hot!
Not like being wealthy isn’t a sexy thing on its own, but the male MCs in billionaire romance novels always happen to have hot abs.
What to Avoid When Writing a Billionaire Romance Novel
We know that some rich people—especially those that inherit their wealth—can be spoilt brats. Your protagonist cannot be a jerk throughout the billionaire romance novel.
When your billionaire MC starts as a jerk, you have to find a way to redeem them at the end of the novel.
It’s not bad for your hero to start a “bad boy” as long as they reform somewhere in the story, people love a redemption story.
You cannot have an entitled scamp for a hero. Writers make the hero mischievous in the beginning to create a bit of much-needed tension between him and the heroine, but you should know that your readers won’t fall in love with him until he shows his soft, empathetic side.
If your readers don’t fall in love with your MC because the MC is spoiled by privilege, they will—surely—not fall in love with your billionaire romance novel.
Plus, although the money is good, it cannot be the driving force behind the romance between the two. They have to connect or else the story becomes a Gold digging tale. It is okay for the rich protagonist to use their wealth to influence some things but there should be a threshold they cannot pass in their manipulation.
12 Best Billionaire Romance Books
1. The Takeover (The Miles High Club, Book 2) by T.L. Swan
This is the ultimate pick, The Takeover is as good as super-steamy and utterly hilarious billionaire romance books get.
Tristan is the ideal billionaire boyfriend you can have; he is rich, powerful, charming, witty, tall, dark, and gorgeous!
Well, that isn’t exactly what Claire thought of him, initially. She thought he was arrogant and hated him ‘with every cell’ in her body.
But he wanted a date with her and he wasn’t about to give up after a single rejection, he would keep coming back until he got his girl.
And won her three boys— Fletch, the Wiz, and Tricky as he called them—over.
2. Naked In Death (In Death Book 1) By J. D. Robb
J.D. Robb is the pen name used by Nora Roberts. Naked in Death is the first installment of her In Death series, which has more than 40 books.
The story is set in the year 2053. Lieutenant Eve Dallas, the heroine, is leading a murder investigation, and our mysterious, influential, and devilishly handsome billionaire, Roarke, happens to be the lead suspect in this current case.
Dallas is experienced, with over ten years on the force, and her instincts are usually on point. But this time around, she will ignore all the red flags and get involved with the charismatic Irish billionaire.
Their relationship will grow but also go through a lot of ups and downs.
3. The Villain (Boston Belles Book 2) by L.J. Shen
To everyone but Persephone, Cillian Fitzpatrick is ‘the villain.’ To her, he’s the one who saved her life once before and he wants to save her again.
She needs to bail her out of the mess her husband got her into. But there is a clause in his deal: she is going to pay with her freedom.
Although she is a big-hearted woman, she is also strong, brave, and fierce. This cruel, cold-blooded Hades might have made a mistake—and he will get more than he bargained for.
I don’t know if this is L.J. Shen’s best romance couple yet, but the banter between them is unequaled!
“GOD. I loved to hate him and hated to love him and just plain wanted to have his babies.”
4. Fixed on You (Fixed Book 1) by Laurelin Paige
Alayna Wither has finally put her men-stalking days behind her. She now has an MBA and is solely focused on moving up the hierarchy at the nightclub where she works.
It seems like a perfect plan until her smart, rich, and gorgeous boss, Hudson Pierce, flirts with her at the bar.
Alayna knows she has to avoid him at all costs or risk triggering her obsessive love disorder, but he offers her an irresistible business proposition: he wants to hire her to act as his public girlfriend.
You know it’s about to get steamy hot in here! But being broken individuals, they have to deal with their dark histories and maybe get a chance to heal each other.
5. On Dublin Street (On Dublin Street Series Book 1) by Samantha Young
Jocelyn lost her parents and baby sister when she was 14 and who—because of her past—has trust issues and doesn’t want to get into a relationship.
But, Braden Carmichael wants her, and he gets what he wants. He knows about her trust issues, so he proposes a ‘no strings attached’ arrangement between them.
Joss accepts Braden’s proposal, but he doesn’t plan on being satisfied with sexual gratification only. He wants to know, he is intent on knowing all there’s to know about her.
6. Marrying Winterborne (The Ravenels, Book 2) by Lisa Kleypas
Rhys Winterborne is a ruthless tycoon who has amassed wealth through ambition, hard work, and perseverance.
He’s always been able to get his hands on everything he desires, except the respect of the titled and most respected families he now mingles with.
But the shy Lady Helen Ravenel recognizes his worth despite society labeling him as unworthy. She wants to start a new life with him, and he is determined to have her.
After their engagement is broken off because of some complications and family interference, Helen is determined to fight to have Rhys back in her life.
Their HEA is threatened when she learns a horrible truth about her past. Read here to find out if their love will triumph.
7. Empire High (5 book series) by Ivy Smoak
My favorite of this 5 book series is the first book: Untouchable.
In Untouchable, the heroine, Brooklyn Sanders, is a teenage high school girl who recently lost her mother—who was also her best friend—to cancer.
She goes to live with her only living relative, her uncle, Jim, who lives in New York.
Brooklyn attends one of the elite schools in the country at Empire High because Jim works as a janitor there.
She has a crush on Matt Caldwell, one of the Untouchables. Matt and Mason Caldwell and Robert and James Hunter make up the Untouchables and they are way above Brooklyn’s level.
Brooklyn is surprised and thrilled when Matt starts talking to her, but she should have known better; after something happens, Matt starts ignoring her.
Some forces don’t want them to be together. And there’s also Felix, a sweet guy who doesn’t ignore Brooklyn.
Felix just further complicates things for Brooklyn and Matt. There seems to be a triangle here, a reverse harem perhaps?
Not really… This is a clean romance and it isn’t as steamy as you’d expect from a romance novel with many parties involved.
8. Manwhore (Manwhore #1) by Katy Evans
Manwhore is Book 1 of New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Katy’s Evans’ Manwhore Series.
Contrary to what his surname connotes, the rich and powerful Malcolm Kyle Preston Logan Saint is anything but a saint.
He’s a manwhore! Chicago’s hottest player.
And the heroine, a journalist called Rachel, wants to expose him.
This hot entrepreneur, a he-whore with too much money to spend, is the story she has been waiting for all her life.
Saint is a man with secrets locked away in a golden chest, secrets that the press, which is always on him, has failed to uncover.
But as Rachel digs deeper and spends time with him, she starts to fall in love with Saint, the real Malcolm Saint.
What will she ultimately choose? Her love for the manwhore or her career?
9. Asher Black (The Five Syndicates Book 1) by Parker S. Huntington
The heroine, Lucy, called the cops on the mafia, thinking that a crime was about to happen. When Asher Black showed up at her college, she knew she was in trouble.
She thought he was and that he was going to murder her.
But instead, Asher offered her a deal to be his fake fiancé. He’ll pay Lucy’s tuition and set her up with a nice job after she graduates.
She didn’t expect this and nor did I, at all!
Well, it’s not like she has other options better than that, so she agrees.
Once they get ‘engaged,’ the sexual tension starts. However, you’d expect things to get in the way.
And they did! Murder attempts, emotions, and other issues tried to disrupt the couple’s amazing chemistry.
10. Marriage of Inconvenience (Knitting in the City Book 7) by Penny Reid
Marriage of Inconvenience is the seventh book in Penny Reid’s exciting Knitting in the City series.
It can be read as a standalone, but since Reid has the characters in the other Knitting in the City books, it’d be good interesting to understand them a bit better.
If you’ve already read the other books, you will remember that Kat was the reserved one.
Although she’s a billionaire heiress, Kat Tanner (aka Kathleen Tyson) has lived a lonely life. Kat had a dysfunctional childhood, growing up with a mentally ill mother and a father who didn’t acknowledge her existence.
This led to a downward spiral and a couple of youthful mistakes. Her father has been seriously ill with Alzheimer’s and when he passes, she will inherit all of his shares. But, there are things in her way (including her youth mistakes).
The only way out is marriage to someone who doesn’t have any romantic feelings for her but is trustworthy. Dan, her security guard, fits the bill.
If it weren’t for that night two years ago in Las Vegas that brewed some misunderstandings between them.
What will happen? Will the awkwardness get in their way again?
11. The Mogul and the Muscle (Bluewater Billionaires) by Claire Kingsley
Cameron Whitbury, the smart, driven, and beautiful CEO of Spencer Aeronautics, knows how to get out of any problem.
After an attempted mugging and a threat of a sex scandal, she hires Jude Ellis as her bodyguard. Someone is after her, and she doesn’t know who or why, but she is (or should I say her friends are) sure this wall of muscle will protect her.
But he is so hot!
With their feisty banter and sexual tension between them, will they keep their relationship professional?
12. Brooklynaire (Brooklyn Hockey Book 1) by Sarina Bowen
Nate, a tech geek billionaire, owns a New York hockey team. When his team manager Rebecca Rowley gets injured, he steps in to help because ‘that’s what friends do.’
But we know better, they aren’t ‘just friends.’ He’s been craving her at night and smelling her perfume like a perv.
Although Rebecca has been with him from the start, before the riches, Nate has managed to hide his lust for her.
She’s also attracted to him, so when he starts to show that he wants more than friendship, you won’t be able to drop this book down.
Final Words on 12 Best Billionaire Romance Books
Apart from the money element, you can add many interesting tropes to billionaire romance stories.
You can have a billionaire romance with a dark criminal twist, a sizzling steamy romance, funny, enemies to lovers, a harem or reverse harem, or outright fifty-shades-of-grey erotica.
Almost anything works provided you include the billionaire in the story.
There are a lot of good billionaire romance books out there, most of which didn’t make the 12-book list, but are as good as the ones on the list or better.
This is a good place to start looking for a good billionaire romance!
