I was surprised to hear this recently from an acquaintance, though when I thought about it, I could see her point. After all, people are quick to judge people who marry rich older men in real life as gold-diggers. 
This photo of Konstantinos’ yacht, from Helios and Submerged Hopes seemed like a fun accompaniment to this topic!
I think that the appeal of Billionaire Romance is two-fold: to those of us wondering how we’re going to pay for the kids’ braces, fill up the gas tank, and still not bounce any checks, it’s escapism at its finest–who wouldn’t love to be able to simply never have to worry about money again? The worldbuilding also offers a vicarious thrill: yachts and jets, casinos and boardrooms, and perhaps serves up a little bit of schadenfreude, too, seeing that even people with money to burn still have problems, and it can be extra-juicy, the way they react when thing don’t go according to plan.
That leads to the second element: a billionaire makes a great alpha: driven, in control, successful, worldly, sophisticated, and sometimes crossing over into such disregard for convention that it involves criminality. No wonder so many Dark romances have billionaires!
Maybe a third element is that we harbor the hope that, obscene wealth and status notwithstanding, that we still are bound by our common humanity. To me, that’s what makes the happily-ever-after great: rich or poor, one can still find love.
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