Rich jerks are a huge trope in romance novels – heroes who might be a little moody, broody, and grumpier than the average guy. When I told my husband that billionaire romances are a common trope, he blinked and looked at me like he must’ve heard me wrong (you mean millionaires, right? Millions aren’t enough?), lol, but reading about ultra wealthy guys is its own kind of fun. I love some of the dilemmas these heroes find themselves in – they often can’t control their heroine with money, they’ve never had to work hard for a woman before, and they frequently find themselves in a whole lot of trouble. From fake relationships to boss/employee relationships, there are so many different ways these stories can go.
There’s a hero for everyone on this list – and there are plenty of tropes at play too. Most of these are on the lighter side, but several of them ratchet up the sexual tension. We’ve got good guy heroes buried beneath grumpy exteriors, charismatic playboys who get knocked over by the right girl, and plenty of alpha vibes. Some of these rich guys are bossier than others, but they all follow a similar theme. They’re all 4 or 5-star contemporary romance novels that kept me hooked while I was reading. I’ve included the blurbs, review links when available, and links to Amazon for easy addition to your collection. Happy reading!
Terms and Conditions by Lauren Asher
Declan
I’m destined to become the next CEO of my family’s media empire.
The only problem? My grandfather’s inheritance clause.
Fulfilling his dying wish of getting married and having an heir seemed impossible until my assistant volunteers for the job.
Our marriage was supposed to be the perfect solution to my biggest problem.
But the more we act in love for the public, the more unsure I feel about our contract.
Caring about Iris was never part of the deal.
Especially not when breaking her heart is inevitable.
Iris
My plan to marry Declan was simple in theory.
Move in together. Throw a wedding. Have a baby.
We set rules to prevent any kind of issues.
Ones that were never meant to be broken, no matter how much Declan tempts me.
But what happens when our fake relationship bleeds into our real one?
Falling in love was never an option.
At least not for me.
Terms and Conditions is the second book in a series of interconnected standalones following three billionaire brothers.
Read the review here
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3vywHLf
The Billionaire by Marni Mann
A sexy, forbidden, billionaire, stand-alone romance from USA Today best-selling author Marni Mann …
I’ve always been a good girl.
But the second I walk into the hotel bar, I see temptation.
The man sitting there is delicious. Older. Experienced. Once our eyes meet, I know I’m not walking away unscathed. I’ve heard about men like Jenner Dalton—richer than God and hotter than sin. He’s got heartbreak written all over him.
But it only takes fifteen minutes before we’re headed up to his room.
I’ve never done anything like this before, but something tells me he’s worth it. Every swipe of his tongue feels electric, every kiss sets me on fire, and his experience has me begging for more.
And more.
And more.
In one week, I’ll return to college in Miami.
He’ll go back to being LA’s most eligible billionaire.
The miles and years between us are just too many for this to mean anything.
So, between now and then, I plan to spend every moment being anything but good …
Read the review here
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3u16SD1
The Contract by Melanie Moreland
A tyrant by day, a playboy by night.
That is the reputation that precedes Richard VanRyan. He lives life the way he wants, no concern for the opinion of others. He cares for no one, is completely unrepentant, and he has no desire to change his ways.
Katharine Elliott works under Richard as his PA. She despises him and his questionable ethics, but endures all the garbage he sends her way, because she needs the job. Her end goal is far more important than the daily abuse and demands she tolerates from her nasty tyrant of a boss. Until the day, he asks her for something she never expected. A new role with a personal contract— fiancée instead of PA.
What happens when two people who loathe each other, have to live together and act as though they are madly in love?
Sparks.
That’s what happens.
Can the power of love really change a person?
Will they survive the contract?
What do you do when the one person you hate the most becomes the one person you can’t live without?
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3KhHBJv
A Ticking Time Boss by Olivia Hayle
The golden angel who swooped in to save me from a nightmare first date turns out to be a billionaire vulture circling the company I work for.
Carter Kingsley: My savior and ruthless corporate raider hell bent on destroying the newspaper I love. Oh, and my new boss.
His first order of business? Cut half the staff. I should hate him. Easy, right?
Wrong.
I met him two weeks ago, when he saved me from the most awkward first date of my life. I was looking for a way out when he strolled up in a ten-thousand dollar suit with a winning smile, and told a white lie that turned the date from hell into heavenly bliss.
I left with his number in my phone, and spent the next two weeks staying up late to text him. He’s charming. Funny. Sincere.
Completely unlike the ruthless villain who comes in and carves us up.
My first order of business is to interview the new boss. But who is sitting on the other side of the desk? The man who saved and charmed me, or the one who’s threatening everything I hold dear?
Carter insists that we can still be friends, but I know that the whole situation is a ticking time bomb.
Read the review here
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3sblIUU
A Not So Meet Cute by Meghan Quinn
From USA Today bestselling author of The Highland Fling comes a brand new romantic comedy about a desperate billionaire seeking to find a fiancée. This modern day take on Pretty Woman is brilliantly clever and hilariously page-turning.
How did you two meet?
The quintessential question asked to every couple. And the answer is usually some bubbly, lovey dovey tale of being struck in the bum by Cupid’s arrow.
My meet cute (well not so meet cute) is slightly different. I was trolling a wealthy neighborhood in Beverly Hills, searching for someone to take me as their bride, you know, to make my arch nemesis jealous who consequently just fired me.
He was stomping around the block like some sort of gorgeous ogre, mumbling about a business deal gone wrong and attempting to finagle his way out of it.
And that’s when we bumped into each other.
There were no sparks.
Not even a hint of blossoming love.
But next thing I knew, I was scarfing down free chips and guac, listening to this man lay out all of his problems which led to his big ask . . . he wanted me to be his Vivian Ward, you know, from Pretty Woman–minus the frisky behavior.
We’re talking about living in a mansion, intimate double dates, and pretending we were head over heels in love . . . and engaged. Can you imagine?
The absolute audacity.
But people do crazy things when they’re desperate. And I reeked of desperation. So, I struck up a deal.
My one big mistake, though . . . big . . . HUGE? I accidentally fell for the incomparable Huxley Cane.
Read the review here
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3pydUN4
Cruel by Deborah Bladon
He’s dangerous, addictive, and my newest assignment.
The future I desperately crave rests in the palm of his hand.
Breathtakingly handsome and painfully private, he’s the sinner who killed a saint.
That’s what the world sees when they catch a glimpse of Kavan Bane.
He’s the mysterious billionaire tucked away in his penthouse high above Manhattan.
My job is to understand him.
His goal is to break me.
Only one of our hearts will survive.
Let the cruel games begin.
Read the review here
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3fLFnor
Something Like Hate by Harloe Rae
From USA Today & Amazon Top Ten bestselling author Harloe Rae comes a sizzling enemies-to-lovers romance where a billionaire CEO battles against a snarky redhead who has her own agenda.
“I’d say it’s nice to meet you, but I’ve never been a good liar.”
That’s his initial offense against me.
Don’t worry—there’s plenty more where that came from.
Landon Winters is colder than his last name suggests.
Cruel and callous too.
I’m certain he finds pleasure in making others miserable.
He’s a billionaire by his own making—not satisfied with simply inheriting a white collar and silver spoon.
Landon’s arrogance is so thick I could choke on the stench alone.
He’s also responsible for gouging a jaded chip to my shoulder.
The only saving grace is never having to see him again.
Wishful thinking is a fickle beast.
My boss just announced that Landon is my latest client.
I’ll need to impress him or kiss my promotion goodbye.
Either way, this is my chance to get even.
Revenge is all I see.
The price for redemption is steep.
Landon will pay a small fortune in humiliation.
And I’ll walk away filthy rich in vindication.
Read the review here
Amazon: https://amzn.to/357cHBg
A Deal with the Devil by Elizabeth O’Roark
He might not be the devil, but working under him for six weeks is my idea of hell.
Hayes Flynn is an arrogant jerk known best for his scotch habit and the way he spreads his British “charm” all over Hollywood, never with the same woman twice. He’s the last person I want to work for, except he has a face I can’t look away from, and the longer we’re together, the harder he is to hate. Because under that smug exterior is a heart he doesn’t want to show—one that was badly broken a decade earlier.
A part of me wants to fix it for him before I leave…but can I do it without breaking my own in the process?
Read the review here
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3oQwXSB
Wild Card by Lila Monroe
He’s playing my hot date to the wedding from hell… but there’s one thing we’re definitely not faking!”Discover the hilarious standalone novel – perfect for romantic comedy fans!Is there anything worse than playing maid-of-honor to your bitchy college nemesis? Try it when she’s marrying your DAD! Olivia Danvers doesn’t know what she’s done to deserve this karmic retribution, but she needs a date to the wedding from hell – and fast. She’s used to matchmaking billionaires, but now she needs a Prince Charming of her own. Someone handsome and famous enough to make bridezilla and her minions drool with envy… Someone like hottie ex-NFL star Ryan Callahan.
Ryan is looking for love. Well, the fake kind. He needs the perfect woman on his arm to woo investors for his superstar new business venture, but nobody is scoring that touchdown… until elegant, sophisticated Olivia comes to him with a proposition. She’ll play his perfect date – if he’ll play hers. The deal is simple! Or is it?
Take one week in the Florida Keys, a dose of sizzling sexual tension, a madcap wedding, and some seriously humid frizzy hair, and Ryan and Olivia have the recipe for disaster… or maybe the time of their lives. But can Olivia let down her guard long enough to let Ryan sweep her off her feet? And will Ryan take his eyes off the (business) prize long enough to see what’s right in front of him?
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3tt5yXv
The Billionaire‘s Wake-Up-Call Girl by Annika Martin
When my manager assigns me the task of finding a new wake up call service for our CEO, I think, how hard can this be?
Answer: practically impossible. It turns out that no wake-up call company in the world will take him on as a client. They’ve all had enough of his surly personality.
So in an effort not to lose my job, I secretly start making the calls myself, every day at 4:30 am sharp. OMG yes you read that right—four freaking thirty in the morning.
Confession: I’m not the nicest wake-up-call girl at that hour. Hello! Who wakes up before the roosters are even crowing? Luckily he doesn’t seem to mind my get-your-ass-out-of-bed attitude.
Day by day we’re becoming closer, and the calls start turning hot, like pay-by-the-minute hot and oh-so-wild. Snuggled under the covers with the moonlight streaming in the windows, we divulge our secrets to each other, but the one thing that he can never find out is that the sexy vixen who wakes him up every morning is just the lowly assistant who wears frumpy dresses. I can only imagine his disappointment.
Now he wants to take me out on a date and he’s scouring Manhattan to find me.
He’s an overachieving billionaire bent on a mission. How much longer can I keep up this charade?
Read the review here
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3vG6j2k
Blame It on the Champagne by Fiona Cole
There’s only one thing to do when you wake up, married to your brand new boss, whom you hate but can’t resist: You blame the champagne.
I blame the bubbles for my wild night with a masked stranger.
Who cares if it’s nothing this good girl would normally do–with a man that turns out to be my horrible boss?
Who cares that I’m promised to someone else?
I blame the alcohol for agreeing to marry him.
As long as my new husband keeps his mouth shut, I can survive five years of our little arrangement. It’s too late for anything else.
But our impromptu wedding leads to so much more than I bargained for. His dirty promises warm me. His kisses make me lightheaded. His respect slips past my best defenses. The hate turns to friendship, and makes me dream of more. He’s like the most dangerous kind of champagne.
That’s why I blame him for making me fall in love with him.
But when I find out our marriage was nothing more than revenge, what’s to blame for my broken heart?
Read the review here
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2KnZrks
Man Feast by Krista Sandor
An enemies to lovers romance with all the witty banter, Man Feast is a heartfelt romantic comedy that follows the Billionaire Bergen Brothers from USA Today Bestselling Author Krista Sandor.
Billionaire workaholic Jasper Bergen calls the shots—and that’s just the way he likes it.
Period.
As CEO of Bergen Enterprises, he’s dedicated his life to keeping his family’s mountain sports empire profitable. But sales have plateaued, and the company needs a jumpstart.
Enter Elle Reynolds.
She’s a bestselling travel writer whose celebrity adventurer status makes her the perfect choice to boost the company’s public image.
The perfect choice for everyone but Jasper.
Hired by the company’s founders, he has no choice but to work with the free-spirited author.
And while they clash at every turn, Elle can’t quit. Her accountant has swindled her out of millions, and she needs this job to get back on her feet.
But Jasper and Elle may have more in common than they think.
Thanks to their busy schedules, neither’s dated in ages.
Or gotten any.
In a long time.
A situation that can only be remedied by a feast— a MAN FEAST.
When they agree to a no-strings night of passion, their chemistry is off the charts.
And these two opposites soon realize there’s a fine line between love and hate.
Man Feast is the second book in the three-book Bergen Brothers Series. You’ll laugh, sigh, and swoon over the playboy, the CEO, the runaway heir, and the smart women who bring these brothers to their knees. This book can be read as a standalone or as part of the series.
Read the review here
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3HFD2ad
Mr. Knightsbridge by Louise Bay
Dexter Daniels prefers gems over women. Emeralds over girlfriends. Diamonds over marriage.
He might be the most successful jeweler of his generation, a loyal friend and some say the most handsome man in London, but his past means he doesn’t deal in love.
When Hollie Lumen enters the ballroom where exquisite royal jewels are on display, she brings Dexter’s world to a screeching halt.
Despite her hand-me-down dress and borrowed shoes, Hollie is even more stunning than the jewelry.
Feisty, funny and ferociously independent, she’s all Dexter can see. Hollie Lumen can’t catch a break.
She thought an internship in London was her chance to escape her responsibilities back in Oregon and for her dreams to come true.
When she’s fired only a few weeks after touching down, she’s ready to give up and go home.
Hollie never asks for help.
She knows the only person she can rely on is herself.
So what’s she going to do about the tall, dark, handsome stranger who keeps rescuing her?
She’s going to rescue him right back.
Mr. Knightsbridge is a stand-alone romance.
Read the review here
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2BQAlqz
Not the One by Donna Alam
Three reasons why rebound s-e-x with my hot neighbor is a very bad idea.
1.My life is already complicated enough
2.He knows I wear Batman undies (please don’t ask)
3.He’s older, sophisticated, and so hot he makes me weak at the knees
I know that’s more than three. But it still didn’t stop me.
On paper, we’re the worst kind of match.
He’s rich.
I’m . . . not. My second job is pet sitting!
He says we’re friends.
I say barely, but I do love those benefits . . .
The man rocks my world,
But he’s so not the one.
Which is unfortunate,
Because he is the the one who got me pregnant.
Disclaimer: This is not (just) a story about accidental pregnancy. It’s a story about accidental love.
Read the review here
Amazon: https://amzn.to/32Zlp74
Billionaire Bosshole by Laura Lee
Bosshole (ˈbȯs – ˈhōl )
-noun
1. A person who turns into a massive jerk ten seconds after being made supervisor.
2. An employer completely devoid of empathy or concern for anyone else.
3. A manager with whom you often disagree.
Also see: jerk boss, a$$hole, egomaniac
Do you know the one thing you should never do at work?
Your boss.
Sadly, following that particular piece of advice is much easier said than done.
Ronan Maxwell is hands down the sexiest man I’ve ever met. He’s also the pushiest, most demanding, and most arrogant S.O.B. on the planet. And even though I can’t stand him, I never stop wondering how his ridiculously pretty mouth would feel against my skin. Or whether or not that bulge in his pants is as impressive as it seems.
For two years, I had it under control. But then one late night, all that changed. Now that I know firsthand how electrifying his touch can be, I want him more than ever. And the longer we continue this twisted relationship, the softer my heart gets. I have no idea what the future holds, but one thing I know for sure—this man has the power to break my heart.
And that’s one thing I can never let happen.
Read the review here
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3HD9E4B
Want more romance recommendations? Check out some of my other lists!
15 Great Grumpy / Sunshine Romance Novels
15 HOT & Steamy Fling to More Romance Books
15 Sensational Strangers to Lovers Romance Novels
15 Sweet Cinnamon Roll Romance Heroes
Love at the Office: 15 Workplace Romances
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