Best Enemies to Lovers Books
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One of the romance genre’s most beloved tropes, enemies to lovers is a common relationship dynamic that follows a couple from loathing to love.
Best Enemies to Lovers Books
This blog post explores exactly what the enemies to lovers trope is, and suggests some of the very best romance books that use it.
What is the enemies to lovers trope?
Enemies to lovers is a popular trope found in romance stories. It typically features two characters who start off as rivals in some way; whether that’s two people on opposing sports teams, neighbours, or even on different sides of a war.
The fun lies in watching these relationships develop, which are passionate from the beginning, as they find a way to be together despite their differences.
Here are some of the best enemies to lovers books for your TBR!
Contemporary Romance Enemies to Lovers
Beach Read by Emily Henry
I’m a huge Emily Henry fan, and this was her first book! Beach Read features two authors who are struggling with writers block, as they challenge each other to finish their manuscripts.
Synopsis:
“Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast.
They're polar opposites.
In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they're living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer's block.
Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She'll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he'll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no one will fall in love. Really.”
Love Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
An absolute queen of the nerdy enemies to lovers romance, Ali Hazelwood’s Love Theoretically centres two rival scientists as they war over the physics department at MIT.
Synopsis:
“The many lives of theoretical physicist Elsie Hannaway have finally caught up with her. By day, she's an adjunct professor, toiling away at grading labs and teaching thermodynamics in the hopes of landing tenure.
By other day, Elsie makes up for her non-existent paycheck by offering her services as a fake girlfriend, tapping into her expertly honed people-pleasing skills to embody whichever version of herself the client needs.
Honestly, it's a pretty sweet gig - until her carefully constructed Elsie-verse comes crashing down. Because Jack Smith, the annoyingly attractive and arrogant older brother of her favourite client, turns out to be the cold-hearted experimental physicist who ruined her mentor's career and undermined the reputation of theorists everywhere. And he's the same Jack Smith who rules over the physics department at MIT, standing right between Elsie and her dream job.
Elsie is prepared for an all-out war of scholarly sabotage but... those long, penetrating looks? Not having to be anything other than her true self when she's with him? Will falling into an experimentalist's orbit finally tempt her to put her most guarded theories on love into practice?”
The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
This title is a booktok favourite, and although I didn’t love it, it’s just too popular for me to leave off this list.
Synopsis:
“Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman sit across from each other every day… and they hate each other.
Not dislike. Not begrudgingly tolerate. HATE. Lucy can't understand Joshua's joyless, uptight approach to his job and refusal to smile. Joshua is clearly baffled by Lucy's overly bright clothes, quirkiness, and desire to be liked.
Now they're up for the same promotion and Lucy, usually a determined people-pleaser, has had enough: it's time to take him down. But as the tension between Lucy and Joshua reaches its boiling point, it's clear that the real battle has only just begun…”
Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
One of my all time favourite books, this story features the First Son of the United States and the Prince of England, as their hatred for one another transforms into a clandestine forbidden romance.
Synopsis:
“What happens when America's First Son falls in love with the Prince of Wales?
Alex Claremont-Diaz is handsome, charismatic, a genius – pure millennial-marketing gold for the White House ever since his mother first became President of the United States. There’s only one problem. When the tabloids get hold of a photo involving an altercation between Alex and Prince Henry, U.S./British relations take a turn for the worse.
Heads of family and state devise a plan for damage control: stage a truce. But what begins as a fake, Instagrammable friendship grows deeper, and more dangerous, than either Alex or Henry could have imagined.
Soon they are hurtling into a secret romance that could derail the presidential campaign and upend two nations…”
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
Another fab Emily Henry title, this story follows a literary agent and a book editor as they’re thrown together by a stay in the adorable small town Sunshine Falls.
Synopsis:
“Nora is a cut-throat literary agent at the top of her game. Her whole life is books. Charlie is an editor with a gift for creating bestsellers. And he's Nora's work nemesis.
Nora has been through enough break-ups to know she's the one men date before finding their happy-ever-after. To prevent another dating dud, Nora's sister has persuaded her to swap her city desk for a month's holiday in Sunshine Falls.
It's a small town straight out of a romance novel, but instead of meeting sexy lumberjacks, handsome doctors or cute bartenders, Nora keeps bumping into... Charlie.
She's no heroine. He's no hero. So can they take a page out of an entirely different book?”
The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas
Not only is this an enemies to lovers story, but it also uses the fake dating trope, which is another one of my favourites.
Synopsis:
“A wedding in Spain. The most infuriating man. Three days to convince your family you're actually in love…
Catalina Martín desperately needs a date to her sister's wedding. Especially when her little white lie about her American boyfriend has spiralled out of control. Now everyone she knows – including her ex-boyfriend and his fiancée – will be there.
She only has four weeks to find someone willing to cross the Atlantic for her and aid in her deception. NYC to Spain is no short flight and her family won't be easy to fool. . . But even then, when Aaron Blackford – the 6'4", blue-eyed pain in the arse – offers to step in, she's not tempted even for a second. Never has there been a more aggravating, blood-boiling and insufferable man.
But Catalina is desperate and as the wedding gets closer the more desirable an option Aaron Blackford becomes…”
The Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score
This spicy romance features a grumpy sunshine dynamic between the two protagonists, Naomi and Knox, as they overcome their difficulties.
Synopsis:
“Escaping her seemingly perfect wedding, Naomi Witt arrives in rough-around-the-edges Knockemout, Virginia, running to the rescue of her estranged twin, Tina.
Too bad for Naomi her evil twin hasn't changed at all. After helping herself to Naomi's car and cash, Tina leaves her with something unexpected: the 11-year-old niece she didn't know she had. Now she's stuck in town with no job, no plan, no home and a whole lot of extra responsibility.
There's a reason local barber Knox doesn't do complications or high-maintenance women, especially not the romantic ones. But since Naomi's life imploded right in front of him, the least he can do is help her out of her jam. And just as soon as she stops getting into trouble, he can leave her alone and get back to his peaceful, solitary life.”
Sports Romance Enemies to Lovers
Icebreaker By Hannah Grace
The first in Hannah Grace’s Maple Hills series, Icebreaker has a fab enemies to lovers romance featuring a figure skater and an ice hockey player who are forced to share a rink.
Synopsis:
“Anastasia Allen has worked her entire life for a shot at Team USA. It looks like everything is going according to plan when she gets a full scholarship to the University of California, Maple Hills and lands a place on their competitive figure skating team.
Nothing will stand in her way, not even the captain of the hockey team, Nate Hawkins.
Nate’s focus as team captain is on keeping his team on the ice. Which is tricky when a facilities mishap means they are forced to share a rink with the figure skating team—including Anastasia, who clearly can’t stand him.
But when Anastasia’s skating partner faces an uncertain future, she may have to look to Nate to take her shot. Sparks fly, but Anastasia isn’t worried… because she could never like a hockey player, right?”
Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid
I’m currently obsessed with this series, and love the forbidden romance that grows between Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov.
Synopsis:
“Nothing interferes with pro hockey star Shane Hollander’s game.
Now that he’s captain of the Montreal Voyageurs, he won’t let anything jeopardize that—definitely not the sexy rival he loves to hate.
Boston Bears captain Ilya Rozanov is everything Shane’s not. The self-proclaimed king of the ice, he’s as cocky as he is talented. No one can beat him—except Shane. Publicly, they’re enemies. Privately, they can’t stop touching each other.
The smart thing to do? Walk away, once a few secret hookups turn into a struggle to keep their relationship out of the press. The truth could ruin them both. But for Shane and Ilya, secrecy is soon no longer an option…”
The Deal by Elle Kennedy
This popular fake dating romance is everything that you want from a spicy enemies to lovers story.
Synopsis:
“She's about to make a deal with the college bad boy… Hannah Wells has finally found someone who turns her on. But while she might be confident in every other area of her life, she's carting around a full set of baggage when it comes to sex and seduction.
If she wants to get her crush's attention, she'll have to step out of her comfort zone and make him take notice… even if it means tutoring the annoying, childish, cocky captain of the hockey team in exchange for a pretend date. …and it's going to be oh so good.
All Garrett Graham has ever wanted is to play professional hockey after graduation, but his plummeting GPA is threatening everything he's worked so hard for. If helping a sarcastic brunette make another guy jealous will help him secure his position on the team, he's all for it. But when one unexpected kiss leads to the wildest sex of both their lives, it doesn't take long for Garrett to realize that pretend isn't going to cut it.
Now he just has to convince Hannah that the man she wants looks a lot like him.”
The Art of Catching Feelings
This spicy enemies to lovers story features an athlete and his heckler after they meet online. It’s one from my own TBR and I can’t wait to read it!
Synopsis:
“Daphne Brink doesn’t follow baseball, but watching “America’s Snoozefest” certainly beats sitting at home in the days after she signs her divorce papers. After one too many ballpark beers, she heckles Carolina Battery player Chris Kepler, who quickly proves there might actually be a little crying in baseball. Horrified, Daphne reaches out to Chris on social media to apologize… but forgets to identify herself as his heckler in her message.
Chris doesn’t usually respond to random fans on social media, but when a DM from “Duckie” catches his eye, he impulsively messages back. Duckie is sweet, funny, and seems to understand him in a way no one else does.
Daphne isn’t sure how much longer she can keep lying to Chris, especially as she starts working with the team in real life and their feelings for each other deepen. When he finds out the truth, will it be three strikes, she’s out?”
Game, Set, Match by Jennifer Iacopelli
A tennis romance that follows the relationship between two rivals, Game, Set, Match features two characters who train together at the same tennis club.
Synopsis:
“Penny Harrison is a tennis icon in-the-making, and, with the upcoming Grand Slam in Paris, there's no room for mistakes.
But when she returns to train at the prestigious Outer Banks Tennis Club, she comes face to face with the biggest mistake she ever made: Alex Russell.
To keep her head in the game, Penny leans on two other rising stars, Jasmine and Indiana, who are balancing tennis with their own off-the-court romances.
As the days tick down to Paris, Penny knows she needs to focus to win… so why can't she stay away from the one guy who could ruin everything?”
revolve by Bal Khabra
This ice hockey-ice skater romance has a great twist, and features a character from each sport who are forced to become figure skating partners.
Synopsis:
“Sierra Romanova was an Olympic figure skater before a life-altering accident left her with panic attacks every time she enters the rink. Now, back for her final year at Dalton University, she's ready to reclaim the spotlight.
Kicked off his hockey team for reckless behaviour, Dylan Donovan has little to no chance of making it to the National Hockey League draft. But Dylan's whole world revolves around the ice so, if hockey is forbidden, at least there's figure skating.
When Sierra finds herself in desperate need of a new partner, the only person who can match her skill is none other than the cocky hockey player who refuses to cut her any slack.
On the ice, their chemistry is electric. But can they stand the heat off the rink?”
From Lukov with Love by Mariana Zapata
Yes, this is another ice based sports romance - but it’s a good one featuring two figure skaters.
Synopsis:
“They're the coldest of enemies off the ice… But could their shared passion on the ice turn to unexpected heat?
If someone were to ask Jasmine Santos to describe the last few years of her life with a single word, it would definitely be a four-letter one.
After seventeen years of figure skating - and countless broken bones and broken promises - she knows her window to compete is coming to a close.
But when the offer of a lifetime comes from the arrogant idiot she's spent the last decade dreaming about pushing in front of a moving bus, Jasmine might have to reconsider everything.
Including Ivan Lukov.”
Fantasy Enemies to Lovers
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
Featuring a cut throat military setting, this romantasy title follows two characters who fall in love under life or death circumstances.
Synopsis:
“Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death.
When Laia’s grandparents are brutally murdered and her brother arrested for treason by the empire, the only people she has left to turn to are the rebels.
But in exchange for their help in saving her brother, they demand that Laia spy on the ruthless Commandant of Blackcliff, the Empire’s greatest military academy. Should she fail it’s more than her brother’s freedom at risk… Laia’s very life is at stake.
There, she meets Elias, the academy’s finest soldier. But Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined – and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.”
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
A TikTok sensation, Fourth Wing tells the story of a student who falls for her wingleader in a war torn world filled with dragons.
Synopsis:
“Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general - also known as her tough-as-talons mother - has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.
But when you're smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away… because dragons don't bond to 'fragile' humans. They incinerate them.
With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother's daughter - like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.
She'll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise. Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom's protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.
Everyone at Basgiath has an agenda, and every night could be your last. So, sleep with one eye open because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die.”
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas
One of the most popular romantasy books out there, A Court of Thorns and Roses follows a romance between a human and faerie.
Synopsis:
“Feyre is a huntress, but when she kills what she thinks is a wolf in the woods, a terrifying creature arrives to demand retribution. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she knows about only from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor, Tamlin, is not truly a beast, but one of the lethal, immortal Fae.
And there's more to the Fae than the legends suggest.
As Feyre adapts to her new home, her feelings for Tamlin begin to change. Icy hostility turns to fiery passion that burns through every lie she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But shadows are creeping in, and Tamlin has a dark secret that he cannot share.
Fate brought Feyre to Tamlin for a reason, but saving him from the darkness that threatens his world will lead her down a path that she can never return from.”
Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin
This young adult novel is low on the spice but big on the romance, in a world where witches are hunted.
Synopsis:
“Two years ago, Louise le Blanc fled her coven and took shelter in the city of Cesarine, forsaking all magic and living off whatever she could steal. There, witches like Lou are hunted. They are feared. And they are burned.
As a huntsman of the Church, Reid Diggory has lived his life by one principle: Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. But when Lou pulls a wicked stunt, the two are forced into an impossible situation—marriage.
Lou, unable to ignore her growing feelings, yet powerless to change what she is, must make a choice. And love makes fools of us all.”
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
Another popular faerie romance, The Cruel Prince follows the relationship beween a human and a member of the fey.
Synopsis:
“One terrible morning, Jude and her sisters see their parents murdered in front of them. The terrifying assassin abducts all three girls to the world of Faerie, where Jude is installed in the royal court but mocked and tormented by the Faerie royalty for being mortal. As Jude grows older, she realises that she will need to take part in the dangerous deceptions of the fey to ever truly belong.
But the stairway to power is fraught with shadows and betrayal. And looming over all is the infuriating, arrogant and charismatic Prince Cardan…
Dramatic and thrilling fantasy blends seamlessly with enthralling storytelling to create a fully realised and seductive world, brimful of magic and romance.”
Powerless by Lauren Roberts
Powerless features an exciting romance with a power dynamic, with characters who are at either end of the class system.
Synopsis:
“Only the extraordinary belong in the kingdom of Ilya… The exceptional. The Elites. The Elites have possessed powers for decades, gifted to them by the Plague, while those born Ordinary are just that, banished from the kingdom and shunned from society.
No one knows this better than Paedyn Gray, an Ordinary posing as an Elite. When she unsuspectingly saves one of Ilya’s princes, Kai Azer, she’s thrown into the Purging Trials, a brutal competition to showcase her ‘Elite’ powers.
If the Trials and the opponents don’t kill her, the prince she’s fighting feelings for will if he discovers what Paedyn really is… completely Ordinary.”
These Hollow Vows by Lexi Ryan
The final faerie story on this list, this book features a main character who is torn between two love interests.
Synopsis:
“Brie would do anything before making a deal with the Fae; death is better than their vicious schemes. But when her sister is taken by the sadistic king of the Unseelie court, there is nothing Brie wouldn't do to get her back-including making a deal with the king himself to steal three magical relics from the rival Seelie court.
Gaining unfettered access to the Seelie court is easier said than done. Brie's only choice is to pose as a potential bride for the Seelie Prince, Ronan-a prince who's not quite as wicked as she once thought.
Unwilling to let her heart distract her, she accepts help from a band of Unseelie misfits with their own secret agenda. But as Brie spends time with their mysterious leader, Finn, she finds herself struggling to resist his seductive charm.
Caught between two dangerous courts, Brie must decide who to trust with her loyalty… and with her heart.”
Kingdom of the Wicked
Last but not least, Kingdom of the Wicked is a dark romance story featuring witches, forbidden magic, and a series of unsolved murders.
Synopsis:
“Emilia and her twin sister Vittoria are witches, forced to live their lives in secret to avoid persecution. Until one night, Vittoria doesn't come home…
Then Emilia finds her body, desecrated beyond belief. Devastated, she vows revenge at any cost: even if it means using forbidden magic - or summoning Wrath, one of the princes of the Wicked.
Deadly, handsome, and brooding, Wrath claims to be on Emilia's side, tasked with solving a series of murders on the island.”
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