15 Swoon-Worthy Alpha Male Romance Books To Read In 2024

Last Updated on January 10, 2024 by Louisa

I love a man who takes control, which is why I was drawn to the alpha male romance trope.

Alpha makes come in many forms. Some alpha male MCs can be possessive and dominating, whereas other alpha males can be caring and sweet.

And that’s what attracts me the most to this trope. Every story has a male protagonist that’s diverse and different from the next, but they all have one thing in common – to protect the girl at any cost.

I love an adult version of the Prince and the Princess fairytale, sometimes with a dark twist.

If you’re like me, and you want to dive into some alpha male romance novels, then you’ve come to the right place.

Whether you’re looking for something steamy, something sweet, something with fantasy, or something unique, these alpha males will have you swooning in no time…

Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase through any of these links. 

What To Expect From Alpha Male Romance Books?

Alpha male romance books are known for featuring strong and dominant male characters who are typically either wealthy, powerful, or have a bad-boy attitude with no regard for the rules.

They all have one thing in common; desirability.

These stories can be vastly different from the next, taking readers on a wild ride of emotions, from intense passion and heart-pounding suspense to heart-warming love and laughter.

These books often feature scenes of graphic intimacy, and it’s common to see the alpha male take charge and dominate his lover.

Surrounding the romance elements, you can expect lots of drama, suspense, and even action, as the characters navigate obstacles and overcome challenges to be together.

If you want a steamy read, you will find it in alpha male romance stories.

The Best Alpha Male Romance Books

So now you know a little bit about what the common themes and features of the genre are, it’s time to show you the best alpha male romance novels to keep you on the edge of your seat!

1. Steeling Her: A Romance Novel – Ashley Constantine

A sexy, sweep-you-off-your-feet football romance book with just a touch of dominance. This great book is by a newcomer to the alpha male romance world, Ashley Constantine. 

Carter Steel is done with romance, enough is enough. As the only daughter in a well-known football family, all she is to men is tickets to their favorite games.

She knows that’s how they see her but it doesn’t hurt less. So her resolution as she heads to Ole Miss: avoid football players. 

Nick Jackson gets everything he wants, that is, until now. Instead of adoring him, this new girl avoids him as soon as she learns he’s on the football team.

But he’s not done with her yet, he starts getting more honest with Carter about who he is. Will her heart be broken again, or will Nick be the exception to the rule? 

A fun, quick read that will make you ready for love again. 

2. If You Were Mine – Melanie Harlow 

This is the third in the swoon-worthy After We Fall series by Melanie Harlow, but each novel can be read as a standalone novel.

It’s the story of a one-night stand, filled with red flags that may turn into something more. 

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. Of course, Theo MacLeod is the perfect specimen, but he also comes with a big ego and an even bigger attitude.

But one night, it turned into a snowed-in weekend, and nothing could cool the heat between Theo and Claire. They are nothing alike, he’s night and she’s a sunshiny day.

When they are together, however, it doesn’t matter.

This is a mysterious bad boy romance novel with a happy-go-lucky girl where opposites attract. This is one steamy read!

3. Feral Sins – Suzanne Wright 

The first in the well-reviewed Phoenix Pack series by Suzanne Wright. If you love the alpha male, wolf shapeshifter romance novels, this book is for you. 

Taryn has no choice, it’s this or an arranged mating that her father set up.

So she agrees to the deal Trey Coleman sets for her, she says that he is her true mate and he can claim her, and she can provide a helpful alliance for the upcoming battle with his uncle.

But Taryn and Trey realize that they got more than they bargained for as their mating instincts take over, they crave each other and their inner wolves never want to be separated.

But they must stay together for at least three months or until the battle ends. For worse… or for better. 

The perfect intense werewolf romance book for anyone who loves a powerful alpha male wolf leader. 

4. Electric Idol – Katee Robert 

The second in the Dark Olympus series, but can be read as a standalone novel. It’s a retelling of Psyche and Eros, which takes the beloved Greek Mythes and works them into sexy romances for the modern age.

This hot, new addition to the series is based on the myth of Cupid and Psyche.

Everything is always on edge in the new city of Olympus, and Psyche knows she will pay the price eventually.

She got on the wrong side of Aphrodite and she never lets go of a grudge. But she never expected her heart to be on the line and that Eros would be the one sent to chase her down.

Normally he doesn’t have a problem with his targets, but this one is different. Not knowing what to do to keep her safe, he marries her.

Psyche vows to find a way out as soon as possible and make Eros’s life awful while she’s at it. But instead, things start to shift and love might be in the air. 

If you were a fan of Greek mythology retellings as a kid, this is a great, elevated, adult romance! 

5. Hero – Samantha Young 

The first in a new series of modern, second chance love stories, this book is a vulnerable, sexy narrative about finding trust again. 

Alexa Holland’s life was perfect until she learned that her father had a whole other family that she never knew about.

Her life turns upside down with this information, and she runs from the dreadful secret that she now carries.

But when she meets a man who also has been hurt by what her father has done, she wants to help him. 

Caine Carraway wants nothing to do with Alexa or her family ever again. He tries to make her hate him, but to no avail.

And despite everything that works against them, they start a tumultuous and intense affair.

But when things get dangerous, Caine realizes that he would do anything to make sure the two of them never get hurt again. 

A series that is bound to make you imagine your heroes and dream of its sexy leads in the meantime.

6. Fifty Shades of Gray – E.L. James

A modern classic in the world of dominant, alpha male romance, and for a good reason. A sexy billionaire romance novel with a twist of true crime. 

When Anastasia Steele goes for an interview with powerful entrepreneur Christian Gray, she gets far more than she expected.

There is an instant connection, and Gray admits he wants to be with her, but only if she follows his rules. Shocked but excited by Christian’s unique tastes, Ana is still a little unsure.

Even with all his wealth and prestige, Gray has more demons than she ever expected. But the couple embarks on a tumultuous, erotic, and tense affair.

If you are looking for a great introduction to this world of dark romance, this is an excellent book! 

7. Stay – Tia Louise 

A sexy, enemy-to-lovers romance is full of the tension between hate and passion. The perfect entry to the world of erotic, alpha male romances. 

Stephen Hastings is full of red flags: control freak, arrogant, too wealthy, and he knows it. But all Emmy Barton saw was his gorgeous body, despite everything she gave him her V card ten years ago.

It was stupid, it won’t happen again, she tells herself. Emmy moves on and gets married, and Stephan becomes an officer in the Navy.

But they run into each other again, Emmy in the middle of a divorce and Stephen burning for her.

A passionate story that blurs the lines between the worst and best of our emotions. 

8. Bared To You – Sylvia Day 

The first in the Crossfire series by Sylvia Day addresses the irresistible bounds that love can form. That can bring us together or pull us apart. 

Gideon Cross comes into her life like lightning in a storm, and she is drawn to him in a way she had never been drawn to someone else before.

He knows, too, the hold that he has over her. And even as they come together, they mirror each other’s pain. Will their love be the thing that pulls them apart?

One of the most popular books in the world of alpha male romances, some even consider it better than the most beloved Fifty Shades of Gray. 

9. Real – Katy Evans 

A red hot boxer romance, filled with passion, competition, and love. A one-night stand turns into something much more. 

One night, that’s all it takes for. One night with Remington Tate, she is set on fire with want.

But he’s the strongest, most confusing man she has ever met. Remington is the best in the underground fighting ring.

And now it’s her job to keep his body perfect, working like the fighting machine he is. She wants him without reservation, but what does he want from her? 

The first in the Real series by Katy Evans, this is a fantastic fighter sports romance novel with the fire and passion to match 

10. Beautiful Disaster – Jamie McGuire 

The classic good girl-bad boy trope. One chance meaning and everything changes. Beautiful Disaster is the first of the popular trilogy by Jamie McGuire. 

Abby Abernathy is a good girl, with no drinking, no swearing, and plenty of cozy sweaters. She leaves the darkness of her past for a fresh, new start at college, but then she meets him.

Travis Maddox is lean, handsome, and covered in tattoos. The two meet during a campus event, and shocked at his lack of effect on her, he proposes a bet. If he loses, there is no sex for a month.

If she loses, she lives with him for a month. However it goes, Travis doesn’t know that he has met his match.

A hot college romance novel filled with the perfect enemies-to-lover tension, this will have you on the edge of your seat. 

Related Post: The Best Books Like Beautiful Disaster

11. This Man – Jodi Ellen Malpas

The first in the This Man series by Jodi Ellen Malpas, this is a stunning addition to the world of alpha male romance. 

Ava O’Shea is an up-and-coming interior designer, and her first appointment for the day is at The Manor, home of Mr. Jesse Ward. She is just expecting a rich, pompous, old man.

But instead, she is met with a charming, sadistic player to who she does not want to be attracted. However, she can’t fight her feelings toward him.

She wants to run, but she can’t and Jesse wants to have her. So instead of running from heartbreak, she runs right toward it. 

A breathtaking novel, that will captivate you, mind, heart, and body. This is a must-read if you love the dominant, playboy romance. 

12. Bound By Honor – Cora Reilly 

Who doesn’t love a good alpha male dark mafia romance novel? This is a modern mafia fairytale, a sexy re-working of Beauty and the Beast.

The princess of one of the wealthiest mafia families in Chicago, Aria Scuderi, is the most beautiful girl in town.

But instead of marrying her knight in shining armor, it is arranged that she marry Luca Vitiello to unite to mafia houses. Luca is known for his brutality, for killing a man with his bare hands, and Aria is terrified.

He may be one of the biggest mafia bachelors in New York,  but even then, there is something dark behind his handsome exterior.

A monster waiting to appear. So the only way this marriage can work is if she tames the monster and makes him love her.

An enchanting, enticing story of conflict and romance that beats all the odds. 

13. The Wolf and The Wildflower – Ella Fields

Published in December of 2022, The Wolf and the Wildflower is one of the newest books on this list.

This is a standalone novel, that weaves a sexy story into a powerful narrative about the truest meaning of fate and love. 

She was told that her true love would be a faerie king, and she didn’t listen. He found her but he wasn’t what he seemed.

The deep betrayal she felt sent her to the arms of a one-eyed warrior. The wolf was a weapon of destruction, the opposite of everything she was supposed to have, but everything she wanted.

And a week with him showed her a world that could be. But she returns to the dying kingdom on the edge of battle. Unbeknownst to her, the wolf, the alpha, is fighting for the other side. 

Filled with intense chemistry and magic, this is an epic angsty romance novel you don’t want to miss! 

14. Ruthless Billionaire – Kylie Hudson 

The cold-hearted billionaire and the tall, dark beauty that makes him change. This is a steamy, dark novel that will have you panting.

Blade Channer is a billionaire, ruthless as they come. His main goal is to make money, as much as he wants. His motto: greed is good.

Handsome but far from looking for anything past the physical, he doesn’t expect what he feels towards her. Desiree is a curvy beauty who makes all men fall at her feet.

She is smart, but not street-wise or wise in the ways of dominant men like Blade. So what happens when they collide?

A sultry, swoony-worthy novel with a gloriously happy ending. This is the perfect sexy, fun read. 

15. Mated to The Alpha – J.M. Klaire 

A hot, werewolf-shifter novel with the pack and the alpha to match. This is one of many of J.M. Klaire’s much-enjoyed werewolf stories. 

Emma Hayle takes pride in the fact that she knows herself: daughter of a cop, maybe a little bit spoiled, and yeah, maybe she does cross the line sometimes.

This time she goes too far and is sent away to live with a hidden wolf pack. There she learns that there is more to her than she thought. She’s not fully human.

And here, too, she meets Elam, the alpha who is hot as sin and insists that she is his mate.

He is determined to claim her, but he isn’t the only one. Can she untangle her past in time to find a future with him?

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Final Word on Alpha Male Romance Books

So there you have it, those are the best alpha male romances, and as you can see, there are a lot of different storylines here. 

Whether you’re looking for a possessive, bossy alpha or you’re looking for a book with more paranormal/fantasy twists, there’s a book for everyone on this list.

If you have any more suggestions or think I missed anything, let me know in the comments!