Romance novels might be about pirates, adventurers and “bad boys,” but true love usually wins out.

In “A Pirate’s Possession” (Berkley) by Michelle Beattie, Nate Carter is sailing as the notorious pirate Sam Steele when he meets up with Claire Gentry, disguised as a boy, in a poker game. The stakes are an old treasure map.

Nate and Claire have a history, one that he wishes he could forget, but it doesn’t seem likely since they are thrown together on a quest for that treasure.

Jo Beverley, another prolific writer, gives readers “An Unlikely Countess” (Signet). Prudence Youlgrave hopes to marry a Yorkshire gentleman; Catesby Burgoyne is looking for the perfect wife since he has become an earl.

Cate’s good sense seems to desert him when he marries Prudence in order to keep her from wedding a man he knows is cruel. Beverley’s readers will not be disappointed.

Elizabeth Hoyt also has a big fan base. “Notorious Pleasures” (Forever) is the second of her Maiden Lane series.

Lady Hero Batten is engaged to the boring Marquis of Mandeville, who seems OK until Hero meets his brother, Griffin Remington. Griffin has a reputation, cultivated on purpose, for engaging in such pursuits as gambling, too much drinking and other vices. Griffin knows that his brother’s fiancee will never be totally happy if she marries his brother, but can he convince her in time?

Madeline Hunter returns with “Dangerous in Diamonds” (Jove, $7.99), the fourth novel of her Rarest Blooms series.

Daphne Noyes has opened her home to young women with issues for several years. The main rule is that they cannot question one another about their past.

When the Duke of Castleford is left several small properties by a distant relative, who certainly didn’t approve of his lifestyle, he becomes curious as to why. When he meets Daphne, he is immediately attracted to her and determined to find out her secrets — and have her for his own.

Jacquie D’Alessandro offers a great beach romance in “Summer at Seaside Cove” (Berkley, $7.99).

Jamie Newman decides it’s time to take a long vacation after she discovers her half-sister Laurel has stolen her boyfriend, and her clingy mother won’t stop depending on her for everything.

Jamie gets a good deal on a beachfront cottage at a small North Carolina beach and sees why she’s getting such a good deal when she realizes how bad conditions are.

Good thing her landlord is the handsome man across the street, Nick. Just when Jamie begins to relax, however, trouble comes her way in the form of her mom, whose short “visit” is stretching into weeks, then her niece, followed by Laurel. This book is funny and romantic.

Contact Faye Dasen at fdasen@thepilot.com.