If you have a quiet craving for more enemies-to-lovers romances…oh, do I have a list for you. 😌
It’s no secret that this is a very beloved trope. Oh the chemistry, the sexual tension, the angst! That question we all ask ourselves as we read: “WILL THEY KISS OR STAB??? WE DON’T KNOW!! EXCITING!!”
I do think there’s a lot of lures to this trope that makes it addictive to read. For instance:
➢ we have the good old “will they/wont’ they” going on which causes a lot of plot tension
➢ it generally equates two VERY opposite or VERY similar personalities, hence the clashes, and it’s fascinating watching two people learn to fit together, despite differences.
➢ often times it’s about overcoming a centuries old hate or prejudices, which can be powerful
➢ the rest of the time it’s just one person being super ornery and the other being a huge flirt 😘
➢ there’s usually BANTER; then the bickering turns to flirting
➢ just here for that moment when it turns from “I would kill you” to “I would kill for you”.
Give me a bejewelled sWORD, sir, and I shall ride into the wars for this trope.
Now before I go further, I do want to pause and talk about how this trope can be problematic and how there’s a difference between “enemies” of circumstance, etc, versus actual abusive relationships that are inherently unhealthy. When I say I love enemies-to-lovers, I’m N O T talking about a boy systematically abusing a girl because “he likes her”. I’d say you can take your toxic masculinity and pour it down the void, but even the void doesn’t deserve that mess.
Now that we have that cleared up… 🤗 onwards.
The Last Namsara | Goodreads
This series fills me with such pure delight because both it and the sequel have different versions of Enemies-to-Lovers and both are utter gold. In the first book we have Asha, who’s grown up forced to slay dragons to make up for a sin she committed as a child VS Torwin, a slave in her father’s household and is just going to charm her out of being an ornery thorn in his side. They’re both rather slaves to her father, the king, so there’s no problematic power dynamic. Just THEM; learning they need people on their side and you don’t have to fight the world alone.
Six of Crows | Goodreads
There are three romance threads in this but one is our fave Nina vs Matthais. A witch vs a witch hunter. It’s hugely about letting go of prejudices and being indoctrinated with hate as a child. And they also have the added bonus of Nina being super flirty and Matthias blushing if you suggested peeling an apple would make it naked. UGH I LOVE THEM. Forced to work together and realise their passionate hate is…not hate. 😍
Ruined | Goodreads
This is like a Soft version, because they’re only enemies by birthright: Em is a Ruined (her people have magic powers) and Cas is not (his people want hers dead) and she’s faking being his bride only to kill him. But Cas is like A SOFT CINNAMON ROLL and Em melts for him. She has that decision of kill-an-innocent-prince vs help-save-her-people. Which is always delightful.
An Enchantment of Ravens | Goodreads
Look my heart @ belongs to fairies so excuse me while I profess undying love for Rook x Isobel. She’s a human painter and he an Autumn Prince who commissions her for a portrait: but she paints him “too human”. So he whisks her off to his world for a trial for this offence..but hahhahahahhhah. They totally fall for each other along the way. It actually unpacks the difference between attraction/instalove vs actual love based on knowing a person. Also there are faeries. And Rook offers to fight a teapot for Isobel’s honour at one stage. I don’t know what to tell you except I love it.
The Cruel Prince | goodreads
Obviously we would be remiss to not mention one of the most famously hyped trilogy of late, with our iconic Jude and Cardan who (truly and genuinely) hate each other and it converts into a very problematic lust relationship. 🤗I know this one often gets slammed as promoting toxicity being romantic — but I believe it’s more than that. I think the whole series is a study in anxiety, in letting fear rule you until you chose to become “worse” than your fear. Jude’s mantra is “If I cannot be better than them, I will become so much worse.“ And the book REALLY looks into that. There’s a lot of sexual frustration, naturally, but it’s also about vulnerabilities and feeling like love will destroy you if you admit that’s what it is.
To Kill A Kingdom | goodreads
I already mentioned this one in the intro BUT — here it is again. Just to confirm it is both splendid and darkly vicious. Siren hunter meets siren = ROMANCE. It’s got the kind of banter that you will die for; it’s just that funny. It’s also a bit of a Little Mermaid retelling! High stakes, magic, rogue princes, doomed lovers…pls read this and thank me.
Princess of Thorns | goodreads
Ahhhh I love this book. I did read it back in 2015 though so I’m forgetting details (tragic; i need to reread) but I remember absolutely ADORING the banter. Aurora is dressed up as a boy for a quest (to rescue her brother) and Niklass (a roguish youngest prince) ends up accompanying her and they BICKER the whole way. They also have a potato eating contest, if I recall correctly. In retrospect I don’t think either of them is entirely straight and this just pleases me more.
The Wrath And the Dawn | Goodreads
It’s a retelling of 1001 Arabian Nights were Shahrzad’s has to tell the sultan a story every night, but leave him on a cliffhanger so he doesn’t kill her in order to keep hearing the story. I mean SMART. I also would delay mass destruction for another chapter of a good book. Anyhow, we have the monstrous boy-king vs a smart girl here to kill him. Except there’s monsters BEHIND MONSTERS and honestly…it’s epic. 😏
Spin The Dawn | Goodreads
This is actually one of my favourites for this year because I am obsessed with Edan x Maia. It’s also a one-sided-enemies because she just hates him INSTANTLY for being a magician; whereas he is like “here is an entirely adorably cute crossdressing creature whom I am going to annoy into adoring me.” It also works. He does annoy her into liking him. He literally doesn’t shut up the whole book. He wears all black and yet is a popsicle of sass.
Carry On | Goodreads
Ok true; the beginning does read like Harry x Draco fanfic. Basically if you did wash Drarry had sailed, just go read this book. But Baz is a vampire and Simon is the “chosen one” (his opinion on that is “i don’t wanna”) and they are school roommates AND enemies AND…freak out when the other gets hurt. 😘I am so overdue for a reread with the sequel coming out so soon.
Starflight | Goodreads
Now let’s hurtle ourselves into SPACE to meet Solara who is a con running away who kind of kidnaps this extremely rich snob boy (stun guns him, we’re talking T R U E enemies after that). They end up accidentally on a whirlwind escape wherein he gradually gets soft and she gradually stops stun-gunning people and it’s altogether adorable. Also hilarious. 10/10 for the banter.
A Curse So Dark and Lonely | Goodreads
Of course Beauty & The Beast always champions this trope…with a side-dish of Stockholm Syndrome usually [eye twitches] But NOT SO here. Honestly Rhen (the beast) is so depressed by the time his kingdom kidnaps Harper from the “modern world” to see if she’ll be his true love to break the curse…that he doesn’t even try. He just follows around Grey saying “how do I make her like me” while Grey says “hm, not sure, why don’t you try BEING CIVIL TO HER”. Grey deserves a freaking medal in this book.
Linger | Goodreads
Look, this is cheating, since it is a sequel. But you should read the first book ANYWAY. But Cole x Isabel are absolute gifts to the snarky universe with their absolute disdain of each other. It’s the kind of hate-to-love that is just born of people who have really similar personalities and believe the other is so so so annoying. I love it. 😂I partially think they kiss just because they’re bored but you know. This SHIP. I swear.
Legendary | Goodreads
ANOTHER SEQEUL. But you know what? I just am the worst. 😘Anyway my heart belongs to Tella x Dante specifically because they both have such Slytherin souls and they are determined to BETTER than the other. More cleverer, faster, outwitting the other. The fall for each other while all the while being liars and I just 😫💛💛I STAN. It’s got to be one of my all-time favourite books!
Teeth | Goodreads
This is not, surprisingly, about dentists. Which tbh is a relief because that would be a traumatic story. Instead we have a quietly depressed Rudy who moves to this super depressing island because apparently eating fish will help cure his extremely sick little brother. No friends. No life. Nothing to look forward to. Except…the half-fish boy waging war on the sailors and being part legend, part abused, until he’s going to kill himself without help. It is softly gay and softly tragic and somehow also viciously toothy. I love love love this one.
White Rabbit | Goodreads
Look I’m counting this one but it’s technically LOVERS = ENEMIES = LOVERS. It’s set over the course of one night and Rufus is super super angry at his ex, Sebastian, but they get tumbled into this horrible mystery involving murder and drugs and Rufus’ sister is involved and ahhhhhh. He and Sebastian end up leaning on each other again and it’s just. 😭💛Also I’m not sure what your life looks like, but you definitely need more queer thrillers in it.
The Love Interest | Goodreads
I am waaaaay behind with reading this, because it was a 2017 release and I only read it this year. And I freaking LOVED IT. It’s such a satire, not not in an irritating way? It’s about two spy boy detectives, sent in to “woo the girl”. The bad boy vs the good boy. Loser gets terminated. So they’re in this contest to win this girl and they hate each other for survival reasons. BUT then…they end up helping each other out. I just laughed myself out of my chair when they’re like “We should practise kissing [nod nod] so we can kiss her better.” Yes you two are very straight for s u r e. Anyway it’s #ownvoices and really endearing as well as picks at old tropes.
Peter Darling | Goodreads
All I need to say is HOOK x PAN. And then you should be trotting off to find this one. It’s also #ownvoices for trans rep so, doubly important to support this author. It’s quite short too, practically a novella, and definitely twists the old Peter Pan story in ways you haven’t seen it before but that you really really deep inside wanted the story to go. 😌
Disruption | Goodreads
Again it’s been a long time since I read it…but I could swear it has a super good enemies-to-lovers. I just can’t remember WHY they hate each other lmao. (My memory has bucket sized holes.) Anyway read this though. It’s a 5-star (thanks for reminding me Goodreads) and features my favourite badass, totally terrifying girl who will stop at NOTHING to protect her family. And I believe she’s using Quentin for her masterplan but ends up kind of liking him (when he’s the son of the bad dude; therefore “should” be evil).
Letters to the Lost | Goodreads
ALL TIME FAVOURITE BOOK ALERT 🎉I swear I can’t love on this book enough. Plus it has a fantastic twist on the trope where Declan and Juliet are enemies in-real-life…but really close as anonymous penpals. And they’re only enemies IRL because of expectations. He’s known as the gruff, problematic loser who causes trouble and is doing community service. She’s the prissy “good girl” who is really standoffish. But what isn’t on the surface: both are suffering extreme loss and dealing with grief and depression. I sob over this book. Every time.
Making Friends With Alice Dyson | Goodreads
This one is like a very very Soft™ “enemies”…more like Alice is this Straight As perfect student and Teddy just ANNOYS HER by breathing wrong. And they do a spontaneous dance off in the street which goes a bit viral and she’s scared it’s ruining her image of being sensible. While Teddy is over here being a huge loveable dork. 😍This one is cute. Not hardcore like some on this list, but we are here for diverse types of this trope HURRAH.
When Dimple Met Rishi | Goodreads
Dimple wants a career and her parents are lowkey pushing her towards a Good And Nice Indian boy, aka Rishi. So look it’s an “enemies to lovers” based on circumstance; it’s not even personal the whole time. Dimple just doesn’t want to be TOLD to marry someone. Then the first time they meet, she throws her coffee at him. 🤗 So I don’t know what you’re waiting for but I am HERE to say this is a quality romcom where they are side-eyeing each other before…they realise they actually sort of quite like each other.
Blood Red Road | Goodreads
I cannot forget my absolute power couple of Saba and Jack. They’re in this rough post-apocalyptic world where it’s all desert, cults, and has a definite Mad Max vibe. Saba is off to save her family and she gets tangle dup with Jack and just hates him on principle. DO NOT TRUST STRANGERS. Especially smooth-talking sassy pretty ones. Obviously I ship them hard. I love the spiky girl x flirty boy trope. It just gives me life.
The Foxhole Court | Goodreads
And you better believe I saved the best for last because HELLO TO MY FOXES and the most inherently problematic Andriel (Andrew x Neil). You also really truly need to get through three books before it happens because this is like quality slowburn as well. The hate stems from just them both being so psychologically damaged and traumatised they can’t possibly trust anyone, let alone each other. But Andrew is the kind who will absolutely 100% either kill Neil or kill FOR Neil and even Neil isn’t quite sure at any time at all. I really like how the series unpacks PTSD and how love isn’t a cure = but being supported and finding a home, a family, is a good way to start learning to breathe again.
| what do you think |
please hit me with your favourite books with enemies-to-lovers in it too!! one can never have too many good recs
Ooh I also really liked To Kill a Kingdom. The banter was 10/10 and it was so fun.
I’ve been wanting to read Peter, Darling & Letters To The Lost for such a long time but I can’t seem to find the first one at my library. I guess I have no choice but to buy it soon lol. Now my only problem is that this post has made me add like 10 more books to my TBR so it’s time for me to fix this by actually reading one of those books (a solution that I probably should have thought of before I let it get this big).
Wow… I had so many thoughts reading this, we’re going with my *in*famous list response (sorry CG)
a. I am tooo excited for The Sky Weaver and even more enemies to lovers with Asha’s cousin and her mortal enemy
b.
OMG yes, and I am totally here for his pure blushing (but also Nina being flirty and delicious)
c. uhh, amazing unpacking of TCP. you need an award for this. i will send an award cake.
d. i’m sure i haven’t read Carry On for at least 7 months so yes, i also need a reread.
e.
THIS IS EVERYTHING TO ME RIGHT NOW.
f. Isabel vs Cole is even more everything. Isabel’s verbal stabbyness is amazing.
g. Foxes. 😭😭😭 (that’s all i got right now)
Have you read Valentine by Jodi McAlister
Um YES! This is my favorite trope ever and I needed more books for it! Thanks for the list.
*my TBR dies in asgardian* *as in choked to death by all this awesomeness* *ugh*
My fantasy trilogy is having an enemies to lovers trope! 😀 though not really at first, more like in the second and third book. In the first book, ma girl meets him, and is like ‘dang, you’re cute’ but then he disappears, and they think he got kidnapped by the bad guys, and the first book is focused on her friendship with is sister as they try to find him, and then when they finally do, they find that he wasn’t kidnapped, he’s joined the bad guys and they’re all betrayed. 😱 and so then by the second book she reeeeeally doesn’t like him, because of how he’s treated his sister, whos like her best friend for life now. And then she gets captured by the bad guys so she sees him a lot and she’s still mad and sassing him and he’s like ‘omg she’s so hot’ and then later theres a big dramatic fight and he has to decide between his ambitions of world domination or saving her life 😀 its gonna be great 😁
Most crazily, ~Olive
aaaahhhHHHH I love this post 😍
I’d say my favorite enemies to lovers is Sky in the Deep, and coming up second is The Folk of the Air Trilogy 😍😍😍😍😍 but now I have more books to add to my TBR because yes I am also a sucker for enemies to lovers and I must read all the spicy books.
Thank you so much for this list!! I can’t wait to share it broadly with everyone I know.
I love your argument for The Cruel Prince that it’s supposed to be problematic, I completely agree and before I ship Jude and Cardan I ship them both with the therapy they desperately need. Also I would die for Nina and Matthias who in my opinion are the best of the SoC romances and a lot of these are on my tbr
This list is my weakness. XD brb, gonna go check out 2/3rds of these books.
The list we didn’t deserve but we truly needed, thank you 😍😍😍😍
Six of Crows and The Cruel Prince have been on my TBR for what feels like an eternity. I just need to get to the bookstore and BUY THEM ALREADY. I feel like Pride and Prejudice is a very soft version of the “enemies to lovers” genre, so if you haven’t already read that beautiful classic, that would be my recommendation :’)
COMPLETELY for Cole and Isabel! OMG! Lol!
OMG OMG such a fabulous list cait!! First off yesss to The wrath and the Dawn bc Khalid is such a dark little monster you can’t help but think you’re “supposed to hate” but omg he stole me away with his sad little dark heart ❤️ and the way he is w Shazi *melts into puddle*! Also YESSS DANTE AND TELLA ARE LIFE 😍😱😍 I love them their flirtyness, the darkness, the utter amount of instances in which they both tell each other what to do and than do the exact opposite of that… perfection!!
Great post!
eeep THANK YOU for this!! I ADORE To Kill a Kingdom… it’s like the best enemies-to-lovers romance I think I’ve ever read. Also I got Spin The Dawn from the library and can’t wait to start! 😀
Yes! Saba and Jack!!
Your description of Carry On had me dying of laughter. :’)
The Foxhole Court and When Dimple Met Rishi have both been on my list a while. I wish I had more free time and also fewer unread books.
Wow, that’s another load of books for my TBR list, thanks! 😅
This is one of my all time favourite tropes so this list was exactly what I needed and then more.
I’ve also only read When Dimple Met Rishi & Caraval which wasn’t mentioned but kind of was, which means I have a HUGE list to get through. Can’t wait.
I just bought The Foxhole Court which I’m excited to get to – the cover is horrible but the reviews have been positive so hopefully I’ll enjoy it! Spin The Dawn I’m also so so excited to get to, it sounds amazing!
The enemies to lovers trope is one of my all time favourites so this post was exactly what I needed and more.
I’ve also only read When Dimple Met Rishi from this list (and Caraval which wasn’t really mentioned but kind of was) which means I have a HUGE list to get through. Can’t wait.
I’m especially excited for The Foxhole Court which I just purchased – I really don’t like the cover haha but the premise is great. Spin The Dawn as well sounds incredible and has had so much hype!
oh wow my internet disconnected and it posted twice oops!
WOW thank you for this post!!! I had no idea The Last Namsara was enemies-to-lovers, and I’m been meaning to read it agahaghah. And also Princess of Thorns?? I saw that it was a retelling and I was just like ehhhh but now I’m like HELLO!!! So many of the books here are my actual favs, wow. CLEARLY I’m biased towards this trope lmao.
Oh an excellent list, I approve of all the good enemies to lovers content 😍 An Enchantment of Ravens is amazing, Isobel and Rook have stolen my heart and the teapot scene is golden 😂 Her newest book Sorcery of Thorns also has an enemies to lovers element that I really liked! 🙂 I’ve also been wanting to pick up The Last Namsara again for the enemies to lovers content, I couldn’t get into it at first, but I’m willing to give it a second chance!
I love this trope sooo much! You can always kinda see it coming but the characters don’t realise and then you’re like HA I WINNNN! Lovely post as always Hun, I really need to read The Foxhole Court soon because I’ve heard SO many good things about it!! Thank you for always making my TBR longer haha x
Grace Louise || http://www.gracelouiseofficial.blogspot.co.uk/
THIS POST? This post is my brand. I am here for it. I am here for a lot of these books and ships and UGH. Art. I love a good enemies to lovers story. AND 100% ENDORSE THESE PICKS. SLAY, C, SLAY. You. Are. The. Queen. Of. Taste. Or, ah, as my auto-correct/spellcheck tried to say QUEEN OF TOAST. Which I guess kind of works too.
Gah! I love this trope so much! I’ve read a whole bunch of the books on this list but I think my favorites have to be Carry On and Letters to the Lost! Carry On because they still act like enemies, just ones who kiss sometimes, throughout the entire book, and Letters to the Lost because of the interesting discussion on perception it has that you mentioned.
I was kinda surprised not to see Red, White, & Royal Blue on this list because that’s one of my favorite books because of how well it handles the trope! Alex is so dumb and adorable and all “I don’t like you and I think kissing you is a fitting punishment” and it made me laugh with how obsessed he was with Henry under the pretense of hatred.
I also just read an early copy of Serpent of Dove and OH MY GOSH it does enemies to lovers so well! It’s about a witch and a witch hunter that are forced to get married and IT’S SO GOOD! It’s basically like what if Nina and Mattias were forced to get married while they still hated each other, but set in a magical France-esqe setting! I’ve been shouting about it ever since I read it!
Wow that’s a lot of books!! There are so many there I would love to read 🙂
So many amazing books!!! I’ve only read TWATD and it’s definitely one of my favorite. It might feel rushed, but the world building and the prose are so beautiful it just sets the setting right that you can’t help but root for the couple! And I love Cole x Isabelle too! Both deserves happiness and I’m glad they found it in each other.
Love this list! I was just recently thinking about how I’ve rarely seen this trope at all in the books i read.
Matthias blushing at a peeled apple beginning described as naked is so spot on that I actually had to sit here for several minutes trying to remember when that scene happens in SOC.
And YAS FOR PRINCESS OF THORNS AND BICKERING! Enemies to Lovers romances ARE THE BEST.
*adds a ton of books to my TBR pile*
MY FRIEND JUST MADE ME READ THE FOXHOLE COURT AND I AM SCREAMINGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG Now I see why you’ve been screaming for ALL TIME about them. AAAAAA
Also there’s so many books on this list that are on my TBR HELP
oh my gosh I NEEDED this list!! Enemies to lovers will always be my favorite trope and I’m not sorry about it haha. I’m definitely going to need to check out some of the ones on this list that I haven’t read! I’ve been hearing SO much about The Foxhole Court but I also know literally nothing about it, so maybe I’ll check that out!
I just have a question: I went to look at Six of Crows at the library, and I’m starting to wonder if there’s a certain order to these books? Like all the series she’s written? What order would you recommend reading them all in?
Saba and Jack!! I miss them…
AAAAAAAAHHHH! BLOOD RED ROAD! I was actually thinking about this series recently. Kinda miss it. :'(
Ok, but that’s the only book on this list that I’ve read, and I love this trope? So it seems I have some things in my life that I need to fix real quick, bye!
Cait…. My TBR mountain does not like you right now 🤣🤣🤣. I added several books. Great list! Thanks for sharing.
Wonderful list!! I live for the romance in Wrath and the Dawn, Legendary, To Kill a Kingdom, TCP, and Six of Crows! <3 Another of my personal favorites is from Ahdieh's Flame in the Mist and Jenn Bennett's Alex Approximately! Haha!
Just a suggestion, maybe you should separated straight and lgbt books so it’s easier to access. I personally only read straight books but it could help others who may only want to read the opposite as well.
Oh sorry but no I can’t separate them, my blog doesn’t cater to homophobia 😔
Also I ADORE this enemies to lovers trope SO MUCH but some of the more intense ones like The Cruel Prince are more my type 🤩
Girl u need to read The Serpent and the dove ❤️ trust me
It wasn’t out when this list was published.
The list was exactly what I was looking for to find a good new book! If you haven’t read it yet, The Traitor’s Game is another pretty good enemies to lovers book!
i would TOTALLY 100% recommend ‘Carry On’ its just great tbh and the main characters’ bestfriend is so likeable i love her! also I have a question, in ‘Blood Red Road’ do they end up together or anything or do you just ship them?
Don’t forget Juliette x Warner from the Shatter Me series!!! Hands-down my all time favourite enemies-to-lover trope, it’s not really seen from the first book but it is so worth it. Also, another one of my favourites is a court of thorns and roses but the enemies-to-lovers thing is in the second book too lol
omg I can’t believe I forgot them 😱 (I don’t really think acotar is YA haha)
I highly recommend Serpent and Dove by Shelby Mahurin! I’m always one for surprise love stories but their inevitable love is literally the plot so… It has a strong heroine who is so witty and funny I was looking a fool in public laughing out loud. The tantalizing and, at times, infuriating progression of the relationship made it impossible to put down. SOO GOOD. I went back and read my favorite parts over and over.
CAIT!! i know this post is old but ahh i just added almost ALL these books to my tbr because i absolutely adore enemies to lovers!!! nina x matthias has my entire heart!! thank you so much for this lovely list!! ❤
ive been doing reaserch on what my next book will be and i cant wait to red blood red road,peter darling, to kill a kingdom, the love intrest,teeth carry on, spin of dawn and six of crows! tysm!🥰