Romance readers have long enjoyed a good marriage of convenience story. In these stories, the hero and heroine enter into a marriage for some sort of mutual benefit, not because of love or affection.
For a long time, marriage of convenience stories were mostly relegated to historical genres because in times past a woman who couldn’t own property, work, or otherwise care for herself and her family often saw one of these agreements as her only option. It feels like a plausible scenario to imagine for historical protagonists.
So, is there room for marriages of convenience in contemporary romances? You bet! The list of novels that tackle this trope is a lot shorter than the historical list, but it can be done really well. Keep reading for the six books I’ve personally read and enjoyed with believable scenarios for a marriage of convenience in the modern world.
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6 Modern Marriage of Convenience Books That Will Make You Swoon
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Brady Collins is juggling full-time fatherhood with the booming auto repair business he runs out of his barn. His ex-wife’s sudden death has shaken him, but the devastating news that follows leaves him reeling: Sam is not his biological son.
When Sam’s wealthy maternal grandparents decide they want custody of the child, Brady knows he’s in for the fight of his life. Brady’s attorney tips him off that one major life change would virtually assure him of winning guardianship of baby Sam at the final hearing: the stability of an impending marriage. And his friend Hope is willing to step in as the loving and devoted fiancée.
Local radio celebrity Hope Daniels has been driven by a solitary goal her entire life, and she’s finally been offered her dream job—in Atlanta. Unfortunately, her arrangement with Brady requires her presence in Copper Creek, and she is faced with missing the chance of a lifetime or standing in the way of a dear friend’s dreams.
Both Hope and Brady would give their lives for beautiful Sam. But can they give their trust to one another? With this new novel in the Blue Ridge Romance series, Honeysuckle Dreams shines light on the complicated and beautiful angles of love.
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Brielle Adebayo is fully content teaching at a New York City public school and taking annual summer vacations with her mother to Martha’s Vineyard. But everything changes when her mom drops a bombshell–Brielle is really a princess in the island kingdom of Ọlọrọ Ilé, off the coast of Africa, and she must immediately assume her royal position, since the health of her grandfather, the king, is failing.
Distraught by all the secrets her mother kept, Brielle is further left spinning when the Ọlọrọ Ilé Royal Council brings up an old edict that states she must marry before her coronation, or the crown will pass to another. Brielle is uncertain if she even wants the throne, and with her world totally shaken, where will she find the courage to take a chance on love and brave the perils a wrong decision may bring?
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Ever since his career-ending injury, Pat has bounced from job to job, idea to idea, short-lived relationship to short-lived relationship. But when his father purchases the town of Sheet Cake, Pat suddenly sees his life with clear purpose: get his brothers on board with his dad’s wild idea and win back the one woman who got away.
Lindy was supposed to be traveling the world, not stuck in a small town, caring for her niece. But she would do anything to keep custody of Jo–even if that looks like a marriage of convenience with the man who already broke her heart once.
Now if she can only keep herself from falling back in love with her husband…
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Liliana Vela hates the term victim. She’s not a victim, she’s a fighter. Stubborn and strong with a quiet elegance, she’s determined to take back her life after escaping the clutches of human traffickers in her poor Mexican village. But she can’t stay safely over the border in America–unless the man who aided in her rescue is serious about his unconventional proposal to marry her.
Meric Toledan was just stopping at a service station for a bottle of water. Assessing the situation, he steps in to rescue Liliana from traffickers. If he can keep his secrets at bay, his wealth and position afford him many resources to help her. But the mysterious buyer who funded her capture will not sit idly by while his prize is stolen from him.
Melissa Koslin throws you right into the middle of the action in this high-stakes thriller that poses the question: What is the price of freedom?
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Apparently, the conservative mid-western voters want more than my brains, connections, and good looks to vote me in as congressman. I thought I had it all, but missed one glaring requirement: a wife to make me look like the all-American family man Kansas wants.
The lovely Odette Hastings seems to fit the bill. She’s a wholesome small-town girl, and conveniently in need of cash. I’ll give her the money to take care of her elderly parents, and she’ll be the political arm candy I need. We both win, right?
The only problem is Odette is a little too beautiful, a little too intelligent, and much too distracting. I have to keep my eye on the prize. Even when I’m starting to think there might be something I’d rather have more.
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What happens when the man I love to hate becomes the man I must pretend to love? I can’t seem to escape Thayden Walker and his infuriating charm. Even his mother and his Great Dane seem bent on playing matchmaker. But I’m totally immune.
Until I’m presented with an offer that puts my ability to withstand him to the test.
If I marry Thayden, all my student debt goes poof, and he’ll take over the family firm. There’s so much more at stake than money or a job, especially when I start to see the man beneath the mask. Playing house with Thayden is the most dangerous game of all. And we’re both set up to lose more than we could ever win.
Unless we’ve been on the same side all along …
I hope you enjoy these modern marriage of convenience stories! Let me know if there’s a really good one I missed! This is one of my favorite tropes, so I’m always looking for more.
