15 Romance Books with the Only One Bed Trope

When romance characters find themselves in a situation where there’s only one bed and they have to figure out how to handle it, you know you’re in for a good time! It’s a classic trope for a reason, creating instant tension for couples – no matter what their relationship was like before that dreaded moment. Office rivals forced to share a bed on a work trip gone awry? Awkward. Friends who have been careful not to cross that specific line? Uh oh. Fake relationships and marriages of convenience are often tested in these moments, and the dynamics of a “no strings” fling can change the instant they need to share a bed for a different reason. It’s a revealing trope that can be utilized in SO MANY fun and delicious ways, which is why so many romance readers are delighted when they encounter it.

The books on this list all play up the only one bed trope in their own way. In each, there is a moment when the characters have to contemplate how they feel about sharing a bed with their (sometimes reluctant) partner. Whether that is a blessing or a curse depends on the situation, but those moments all reveal something about the relationship. And they’re a whole lot of fun!

From rom com to emotional, super spicy to semi-sweet, friends/strangers/enemies to lovers, there’s a couple for everyone on this list – and plenty of tropes at play too. Each of these contemporary romance novels was a 4 or 5-star read for me. I’ve included the blurbs, links to my book reviews when available, and links to Amazon for easy addition to your collection. Happy reading!

Flawless by Elsie Silver

The rules were simple. Keep my hands off his daughter and stay out of trouble.

But now I’m stuck with her. There’s only one bed. And well, rules are made to be broken.

I’m the face of professional bull riding—the golden boy. Or at least I was, until it all blew up in my face. Now my agent says I have to clean up my image, so I’m stuck with his ball-busting daughter for the rest of the season as my “full-time supervision.”

But I don’t need a goddamn babysitter, especially one with skin-tight jeans, a sexy smirk, and a mouth she can’t stop running.

A mouth I can’t stop thinking about.

Because Summer isn’t just another conquest. She sees the man behind the mask, and she doesn’t run—she pulls me closer, even when she shouldn’t.

She says this means nothing.

I say this means everything.

She says there are boundaries we shouldn’t cross. That my reputation can’t take any more hits—and neither can her damaged heart.

I say I’m going to steal it anyway.

Read the review here

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3onzLoK

New edition on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3rThGnu

Faking Ms. Right by Claire Kingsley

“When I kissed you last night, I wasn’t pretending.”

Everly Dalton is a walking, talking, martini-drinking dating disaster. Forget kissing frogs. She can’t even get past the first date. But at work, she’s a badass—the longest-running assistant billionaire Shepherd Calloway has ever had. Her coworkers wonder how she handles the big bad wolf—and never gets bit.

Shepherd Calloway isn’t interested in being anyone’s sugar daddy. Tired of women who only want him for his money, he swears off dating, determined to focus on running his empire. Until his gold-digging ex hits him where it hurts, putting him in a difficult position.

His solution—to have Everly pose as his live-in girlfriend—is obviously crazy. But the timing is uncanny. It just so happens Everly needs a favor from her boss—a big and awkward one—and this could ensure everyone gets what they want.

Besides, Everly can totally survive a few months of faux romance.

Except there’s a problem. Shepherd is supposed to be a single-minded, unemotional robot boss. Not an actual human with a heart and morning wood. Between the awkward bed-sharing and tingly fake dates, lines are blurring. And as Everly gets to know the real Shepherd, she discovers there’s more to the man behind the bank account.

And faking it gets all too real.

Faking Ms. Right is a hot, STAND-ALONE romantic comedy.

Read the audiobook review here

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3xnZxyG

Go Fake Yourself by Elle Maxwell

Help Wanted: Romance author will pay $20k for 60 days of fake dating a stranger. PS – You have to live together (and there’s only one bed)

AUDREY

Okay, so I’m more than a little starstruck when I show up for my interview to discover Victoria-freaking-Trulette is my prospective employer. That shock is nothing compared to Victoria’s job offer—fake date a stranger for sixty days, as “research” for her next novel? Not to mention that I have to live with him… in a condo with only ONE BED!? I mean, I barely have any experience being a real girlfriend!

But you know what they say about desperate times. I’m out of options; it’s either this, or moving back home with my overcontrolling mother. And I refuse to choose door number two.

Now, I just have to survive the next sixty days without making a complete fool of myself. Or falling for my fake boyfriend. Hot, intimidating, and completely out of my league, Walker is the kind of guy I usually avoid out of sheer self-preservation. He can also be a jerk, which helps with remembering we’re fake—it’s the glimpses of his softer side that are dangerous to my Feel Nothing for Walker plan.

(Don’t even get me started on his droolworthy abs, or tendency to walk around shirtless!)

WALKER

Twenty grand, to be some girl’s fake boyfriend for two months?

This author lady might be certifiable, but if playing along with her little experiment is what it will take to finally quit working for my dad and start my own business, I guess I can chill in the weird lane for a couple of months.

As far as “falling in love?” If that’s Victoria’s hope, she’s in store for a disappointment. (Good thing I’m no stranger to disappointing people… just ask my dad.) I am not that guy. Then there’s Audrey, who is the most awkward girl I’ve ever met. Definitely not my type… no matter how cute she looks in her glasses, or how much I like her crazy hair.

(I mean, she’s a vegetarian. How am I supposed to pretend I love a woman who doesn’t eat bacon?)

Go Fake Yourself is a standalone slow burn romantic comedy with a guaranteed (though not easy) HEA. It does include explicit language and eventual open door scenes, recommended for ages 17+.

Read the review here

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3BPnErR

The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas

A TikTok sensation, this rom-com about a young woman who agrees to fake date a colleague and bring him to her sister’s wedding has “everything you could want in a romance” (Helen Hoang, New York Times bestselling author).

Catalina Martín desperately needs a date to her sister’s wedding. Especially since her little white lie about her American boyfriend has spiralled out of control. Now everyone she knows—including her ex and his fiancée—will be there and eager to meet him.

She only has four weeks to find someone willing to cross the Atlantic and aid in her deception. New York to Spain is no short flight and her raucous family won’t be easy to fool.

Enter Aaron Blackford—her tall, handsome, condescending colleague—who surprisingly offers to step in. She’d rather refuse; never has there been a more aggravating, blood-boiling, and insufferable man.

But Catalina is desperate, and as the wedding draws nearer, Aaron looks like her best option. And she begins to realize he might not be as terrible in the real world as he is at the office.

Read the review here

Amazon: https://amzn.to/476Y3Zs

Ten Trends to Seduce Your Bestfriend by Penny Reid

Winnifred Gobaldi and Byron Visser are not best friends.

Yes, they’ve known each other for years, but they’re not even friendly. Winnie considers them more like casual, distant acquaintances who find each other barely tolerable, especially when he’s being condescending (which is all the time).

The truth is, they have nothing in common. She’s a public school science teacher with stars in her eyes, and he’s a pretentious, joyless double PhD turned world-famous bestselling fiction author. She loves sharing her passion for promulgating women in STEM careers and building community via social media, and he eschews all socialization, virtual or otherwise. She’s looking for a side hustle to help pay down a mountain of student debt, and his financial portfolio is the stuff of fiduciary wet dreams. So why are they faking a #bestfriend relationship for millions of online spectators?

When a simple case of tit-for-tat trends between nonfriends leads to a wholly unexpected kind of pretend, nothing is simple. Sometimes, it takes a public audience to reveal the truth of private feelings, and rarely—very rarely—you should believe what you see online.

Ten Trends to Seduce Your Bestfriend is a full-length, complete standalone, adult contemporary romantic comedy.

Read the review here

Amazon: https://amzn.to/37AVQv0

So That Happened by Katie Bailey

I spent the night with a hot, grumpy stranger in an airport hotel.

No, not like that. Get your mind out of the gutter. It was just sleeping. And… maybe a little cuddling.

Long story short, I embarrassed the heck out of myself. But at least I never have to see him again.

Except the universe is clearly out to get me, because Monday morning, I arrive at my new job and who’s the first person I see?

Hot stranger himself: Liam Donovan.

AKA my new boss.

AKA Annie, you are so freaking screwed.

While the HR rulebook doesn’t explicitly say you can’t share a bed with your boss, I can read between the lines. And I need this job.

Which is why I have to pretend that night never happened. Luckily for me, sexy as Liam—excuse me, Mr. Donovan—is, he’s surly, rude and totally not my type.

Or so I keep telling myself.

Because I’m starting to think there’s a warm, gooey cinnamon roll with extra frosting lurking beneath that impressive, muscular form.

I promised I’d never choose between my career and love.

But when a scandal threatens to break, that promise could prove impossible to keep…

So That Happened is a laugh-out-loud funny, swoony, closed door romantic comedy. Expect some mild language and suggestive jokes coupled with tons of chemistry and tension, but no explicit scenes.

Read the review here

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3NHNBwt

Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon

A ghostwriter and a struggling actor help each other on the page and in the bedroom in this steamy romantic comedy from the New York Timesbestselling author of The Ex Talk.

Chandler Cohen has never felt more like the ghost in “ghostwriter” until she attends a signing for a book she wrote—and the author doesn’t even recognize her. The evening turns more promising when she meets a charming man at the bar and immediately connects with him. But when all their sexual tension culminates in a spectacularly awkward hookup, she decides this is one night better off forgotten.

Unfortunately, that’s easier said than done. Her next project is ghostwriting a memoir for Finn Walsh, a C-list actor best known for playing a lovable nerd on a cult classic werewolf show who now makes a living appearing at fan conventions across the country. Chandler knows him better from their one-night stand of hilarious mishaps.

Chandler’s determined to keep their partnership as professional as possible, but when she admits to Finn their night together wasn’t as mind-blowing as he thought it was, he’s distraught. He intrigues her enough that they strike a deal: when they’re not working on his book, Chandler will school Finn in the art of satisfaction. As they grow closer both in and out of the bedroom, they must figure out which is more important, business or pleasure—or if there’s a way for them to have both.

Read the audiobook review here

Amazon: https://amzn.to/44SuoBs

Planes, Trains, and All the Feels by Livy Hart

Fans of Christina Lauren and Tessa Bailey will adore this witty and unforgettable rom-com about skyways, highways, and all the perfectly wrong ways to fall in love.

As the black sheep of the family, choreographer Cassidy Bliss vowed she’d do anything to get home in time to help with her sister’s wedding and avoid family disappointment…again. She just never expected “anything” would involve sharing the last rental car with the jerk who cut her off in line at the airport this morning. But horrible times apparently call for here-goes-nothing measures.

Driving across the country with Luke “life can be solved with a spreadsheet” Carlisle must be a penance for some crime she committed. Because the second he opens his mouth, it’s all she can do to not maim him with her carry-on. But somewhere between his surprisingly thoughtful snack sharing and his uncanny ability to see straight to the core of her, her feelings go unchecked.

Suddenly, their crackling chemistry is just one more thing they have to navigate—and it couldn’t come at a worse time. But after a lifetime of letting the expectations and needs of others drive her life, Cassidy must decide if she’s ready to take the wheel once and for all.

Read the review here

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3JdH4cV

Taste by Melanie Harlow

The last person on earth I want to be stranded with is Gianni Lupo.

But thanks to the blizzard of the century, I’m trapped in a roadside motel room with that cocky bastard for two straight days.

With one small bed.

Some women might thank Mother Nature for delivering a polar vortex that maroons them with six feet of solid muscle, those deep blue eyes, that sexy grin–but not me. I’ve known Gianni Lupo all my life, and he’s never brought me anything but bad luck and trouble.

So when the tension between us explodes with enough fiery heat to melt my icy defenses, I should have known what the disastrous end result would be–

A big fat plus sign.

After the snow melts, I’m left with more than just memories of the night we spent keeping each other warm. And he might be a rising star on the culinary scene, but he’s got no idea how to handle this bun in the oven.

He says he wants to do the right thing, but I’m not about to spend the rest of my life feeling like someone settled for me.

But just when I think I’ve got Gianni Lupo all figured out, he gives me a taste of the man he could be, of the family we could become, of the way he could love me if I let him.

I’m terrified of falling for him.

But one taste might be all it takes.

Read the audiobook review here

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3BMV7C9

Out on a Limb by Hannah Bonam-Young

Winnifred “Win” McNulty has always been wildly independent. Not one to be coddled for her limb difference, Win has spent most of her life trying to prove that she can do it all on her own. And, with some minor adjustments, she’s done just fine.

That is until she has a one-night stand with the incredibly charming Bo, a perfect stranger. And that one night changes everything.

While Bo is surprisingly elated to step upto the plate, Win finds herself unsure of whether she can handle this new challenge on her own or if she’ll need a helping hand.

Together, Win and Bo decide to get to know one another as friends and nothing more. But, as they both should know by now, life rarely goes according to plan.

Content Warnings:
-graphic sexual content, pregnancy and symptoms of pregnancy, brief discussion of abortion (pro-choice stance, not performed), ableism in reference to a limb difference, verbally abusive ex-partner (no reappearance), death of a parent (past, off page) depression and suicide (past, off page), cancer (past, not reoccurring), amputation (referenced, past)

Read the review here

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Ntv4aK

The Worst Wedding Date by Pippa Grant

I didn’t know bridesmaid was code for babysitter for the bride’s brother, but if that’s what my best friend needs of me for her dream wedding to go off without a hitch, that’s what I’ll do.

Even if Theo Monroe has been a pain in my rear since third grade.

Even if he should be responsible enough to not wreak havoc at his sister’s destination wedding.

Even if it means we have to share a hotel room in Hawaii, which might be the final duty that breaks me.

Not only does Theo know exactly how to push my buttons, but he never wears clothes, he’s hiding a litter of kittens in his room, and he keeps showing up with fresh-baked cookies that seemingly come from nowhere.

Also?

I have no idea what’s up with the tension between him and the groom.

Or why he’s so proud of the world’s strangest wedding gift.

Or why I suddenly want to know what makes him tick. The story behind his tattoos. How he can afford to rent a convertible in Hawaii. And if maybe all of that utter frustration and irritation I’ve felt for him for years is suppressed attraction that a good girl like me isn’t supposed to feel for the biggest bad boy of Snaggletooth Creek.

But I do know one thing.

When I find out his biggest secret and the answer to all of my questions, it will change everything.

The Worst Wedding Date is a frolicking good time of a destination wedding enemies-to-lovers romcom, complete with a good girl bridesmaid, her best friend’s troublemaking but secretly big-hearted brother, and more than one hitch on the way to happily ever after. It stands alone, has no cheating, and comes complete with ooey gooey goodness.

Read the audiobook review here

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3KBL3l8

Accidental Attachment by Max Monroe

A successful writer accidentally sends her new (and super-dreamy) editor the wrong manuscript. Instead of the full-length paranormal novel she promised Longstrand Publishing, she sends the fan fiction she’s written about her crush…on him—including every detail of the hot, steamy “physical activity” she’s fantasized about happening between them.

And Chase Dawson may be the hottest man alive and a super-talented editor to boot, but he’s completely oblivious that he’s the star of the manuscript he just convinced his boss to green-light.

Brooke Baker has been through a lot in her thirty-one years of life.

A divorce.
A career change.
A move to New York City from “small-town” Ohio.
Not to mention, she has a bit of a medical condition that involves occasional fainting spells, mild embarrassment, and the companionship of her adorable service dog and canine sidekick, Benji.

But none of it has prepared her for this.

None of it prepared her for Chase Dawson.

Strong jaw, blue eyes, cut muscles, and a perfect swoop of superhero-worthy black hair, Chase’s features are those of a book boyfriend and then some. Obviously, Brooke would know—she literally filled an entire manuscript with it.

A manuscript no one was ever supposed to see.

Will she survive two months of revising and editing the sizzling romance she imagined with Chase in extremely close quarters with him? Or will the constant white lies and overwhelming attraction make her spontaneously combust?

Read the audiobook review here

Amazon: https://amzn.to/40wZxYu

Make It Sweet by Kristen Callihan

From New York Times bestselling author Kristen Callihan comes a charming, emotional romance about redefining dreams and discovering unlikely love along the way.

Life for Emma isn’t good. The world knows her as Princess Anya on Dark Castle, but then her character gets the axe—literally. The cherry on top is finding her boyfriend in bed with another woman. She needs a break, and sanctuary comes in the form of Rosemont, a gorgeous estate in California promising rest and relaxation.

Then she meets the owner’s equally gorgeous grandson, ex–hockey player and current recluse Lucian Osmond, and she sees her own pain and yearning reflected in his eyes.

He’s charming when he wants to be but also secretive and gruff, with protective walls as thick as Emma’s own. Despite a growing attraction, they avoid each other.

But then there’s an impromptu nighttime skinny-dip, and Lucian’s luscious homemade tarts and cream cakes start arriving at Emma’s door, tempting her to taste life again…

In trying to stay apart, they only grow closer—and their broken pieces just might fit together and make them whole.

Read the review here

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3b0czWG

The Dealmaker by Jessica Peterson

Hating and dating: I didn’t realize they’re two sides of the same coin until I met him. Theo Morgan.

One of Wall Street’s highest-paid traders, he may be hot as sin in his five-thousand-dollar custom-made suit. But Theo is the bane of my existence. He’s arrogant, rude, and as brash as they come.

As our bank’s newest star hire, he’s also after the same promotion I am. But I didn’t make it this far in a man’s world just to be passed over for an entitled egomaniac. Two can play at this game.

In a surprise to exactly no one, Theo and I butt heads from the beginning–and end up losing my biggest client with a trade gone bad. Our boss’s punishment: fly us to California together to make nice with the client—or else.

When a snowstorm back home leaves us stranded on the West Coast, we learn our hotel is fully booked, save for one room.

And of course that room would have only one king-sized bed. After a little too much wine, our deal to stick to opposite sides of that bed goes out the window. But on the flight home, my resolve to keep things professional remains intact, until Theo offers me a new deal.

The gloves (and clothes) can come off. But the lipstick stays on…

THE DEALMAKER is an all-new, outrageously sexy romantic comedy!

Read the review here

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3O12ElA

Lovelight Farms by B.K. Borison

Two best friends fake date to reach their holiday happily ever after in this first romantic comedy in the Lovelight series.

A pasture of dead trees. A hostile takeover of the Santa barn by a family of raccoons. And shipments that have mysteriously gone missing. Lovelight Farms is not the magical winter wonderland of Stella Bloom’s dreams.

In an effort to save the Christmas tree farm she’s loved since she was a kid, Stella enters a contest with Instagram-famous influencer Evelyn St. James. With the added publicity and the $100,000 cash prize, Stella might just be able to save the farm from its financial woes. There’s just one problem. To make the farm seem like a romantic destination for the holidays, she lied on her application and said she owns Lovelight Farms with her boyfriend. Only…there is no boyfriend.

Enter best friend Luka Peters. He just stopped by for some hot chocolate and somehow got a farm and a serious girlfriend in the process. But fake dating his best friend might be the best Christmas present he’s ever received.

Read the audiobook review here

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Oh8twS