Best Fake Dating Romance Novels That Turn Into the Real Thing

Catalina Martín desperately needs a date to her sister’s wedding. She's told everyone that she has a hot and perfect American boyfriend, and she can't turn up alone to an event where her ex and his fiancée will be. She only has four weeks to find someone willing to cross the Atlantic and be her not-so-real plus-one. Enter Aaron Blackford, her colleague. They usually hate one another at work but she can't refuse his offer, and anyway, it's only for one month, right? What could go wrong?

Julie James's sparky contemporary romances about FBI agents and Chicago district attorneys are absolute catnip to rom-com fans. Local heiress Jordan Rhodes has been cajoled by the FBI into attending the charity fundraiser of a famous restaurateur, who also happens to launder money for the mob. If she complies, her brother will be released from prison. But it also means being paired up with undercover agent Nick McCall. He's her pretend boyfriend for the date, but when Nick's investigation is compromised, he and Jordan have no choice but to pretend they're a couple for far longer.

Of course we have to include the first book in the Bridgertons series, which is now the stuff of pop culture legend thanks to the hugely popular Netflix series. The book that started it all (and was the basis for the first season) is the story of Daphne, the eldest girl in the Bridgerton clan and the latest queen of the social season. She desires a true love match but is not adept at playing the marriage game, and none of the city's eligible bachelors seem truly interested in her. Simon Basset, Duke of Hasting, has no desire to marry and is avoiding meddling matchmakers like the plague. Perhaps the pair of them can solve both of their problems with a convenient fake and brief courtship. Unfortunately for them, love never follows the rules.

In her Women Who Dare trilogy, the legendary Beverly Jenkins centered smart and driven Black women navigating life and hardships in the aftermath of the Civil War. The third book in the series is a romantic spy thriller and it's just as juicy as that sounds! Raven Moreaux is a con-artist who is forced into aiding the United States government. A former Confederate official is suspected of stealing the Declaration of Independence, and Raven, posing as his housekeeper, is tasked with getting it back. Her partner in this mission is Braxton Steel, who will be posing as her dutiful husband. They must put aside their differences for the sake of the country, but it doesn't take long before their pretend marriage starts to feel all too real.

Romance takes center stage in this tale of fake romance among the London theater scene. Richard Troy is an acclaimed actor with a bad temper. He needs a PR makeover, and when an awkward photo of him with his latest co-star, Lainie Graham, ends up in the tabloids, he reluctantly agrees to a fake romance to improve his reputation (and ticket sales of their play.) Lainie is his complete opposite and has no patience for his nonsense, but she needs the career boost, and anyway, the chemistry between them is 100% authentic.

Carly Adams has been given a new lease on life after a recent operation restored her sight. But things quickly go haywire when a one-night stand with a handsome cowboy results in a surprise pregnancy that threatens her vision. Hank Coulter, the cowboy in question, agrees to do the decent thing and marry Carly. There's no love there, of course, but this is no mere marriage of convenience. Hank wants to be the ideal husband for his surprise wife, but she doesn't know if she's ready for this scary future and how it could change everything.