By far the most requested recommendation I see is for Enemies to Lovers book recs. In the romance book communities this seems to be the most popular. While in real life we likely would prefer a friends to lovers trope, in fiction we want to see the MMC hate the FMC but become completely enamored by her until the tension snaps and they fall in love.
In the list below I’ve included true enemies to lovers, rivals to lovers, bully romances, friends to enemies to lovers, and everything in between. So buckle in and get ready to find your next read.
Enemies to Lovers Book Recs
Dolls and Daggers by DL Darby
Wrenley just landed a job that could help him track down the serial killer he’s obsessed with. Problem, Dove isn’t ready to give up her place as the lead journalist on the Baby Doll Killer. Add in her bubbly pink personality to his grumpy serious demeanor and you have an enemies to lovers story that will have you flipping pages.
Dolls and Daggers by DL Darby is a dark romance, so make sure you check those triggers. Outside of the fact that there are some terrifyingly gruesome scenes in this book, you will likely laugh out loud at the banter between the main characters.
Read my full recommendation of Dolls and Daggers by DL Darby here.
Leather and Lark by Brynne Weaver
When Lark’s family is about to threaten the happiness her best friend just found there is only one thing that can stop them, marrying Lachlan Kane. Except, Lachlan and Lark do not get along in the slightest, and she has to somehow live with her new husband while hiding her little crafty side hobby.
Another dark romance, with plenty of triggers, Leather and Lark was my favorite of the Ruinous Love Trilogy, though honestly the entire series is well worth the read. You’ll laugh, be horrified, and maybe even shed a few tears over the story.
Read my full recommendation of Leather and Lark by Brynne Weaver here.
Wild Side by Elsie Silver
When Tabitha’s sister dies of an overdose, she’s even more horrified to find out that her sister gave custody of her son, Milo, to Rhys, the landlord Tabitha hates and blames for Tabitha’s slip from sobriety. Except there are a lot of things that Erika hid from both Tabitha and Rhys that the two will figure out as the learn to fight together for Milo.
Wild Side by Elsie Silver is a small town romance that deals heavily in grief and healing, while still giving you plenty of banter, tension, and heat. The entire Rose Hill series is well worth the read, and while this will give you the feel goods, it will also squeeze at those heart strings too.
Read my full recommendation of Wild Side by Elsie Silver here.
Burned Dreams by Neva Altaj
After losing the love of his life, Alessandro is set on revenge. When he was hired to be the bodyguard to the wife of the man who took from him, he plans on killing her, after he ruins the man’s business just so he can have a taste of what he did to Alessandro. Except, this woman he hates, is awakening things in him he never thought he’d feel again.
Are you ready for a heart wrenching story that will have you crying? Burned Dreams by Neva Altaj is the book for you. You want to so badly to hate Alessandro or at least smack him upside his head for how he ignores what’s right in front of him, but I promise he’ll win you over.
Unapproved by Jayne Katway
A shameless self promo – Ada absolutely hates her boss Rion, but his company potentially has the information she needs to find the men who killed her mom and step-father. So she’ll deal with his playboy, egotistical ways until she can find exactly what she needs. Then she’ll take out every single person involved with the death of her family.
Unapproved has banter, twists, and the cutest animal side kick. The Unrelenting series starts off on the lighter side of dark and gets darker with each book, so you’ll want to make sure that you check the trigger warnings on this one.
Tripping for Number 68 by Eden Knox
Ronni works PR for a professional hockey team, and she knows getting close to the hockey players is not advised, at least not by herself. Elliot needs his reputation cleaned up and Ronni is the one to do it. Too bad she can’t stand him in the slightest.
Tripping for Number 68 by Eden Knox is a workplace, enemies to lovers, bad boy / good girl hockey romance that will leave you turning pages. You expect Elliot to be the worst, but he’s actually a gold retriever desperate to rescue his career and maybe win over the girl of his dreams.
Always Practice Safe Hex by Juliette Cross
The powers Grim’s hold has always been a closely guarded secret, and despite Livvy’s natural curiosities, Gareth is one grim she doesn’t want to get involved with. Too bad they’ve been partnered up in a competition and need to find a way to work together despite the way these two annoy each other.
Always Practice Safe Hex by Juliette Cross is a paranormal workplace romance that will have you giggle kicking and rooting for the two mains to work past their disdain. More than that you’ll get an in depth plot that will keep you turning those pages.
Pretty Rings and Broken Things by Kat Singleton
When a scandal hits, Winnie is at the center of it and in order to stop the spread she’s being forced to marry the son of her families enemies – Archer. With the taste of betrayal and her enemy wanting to make their arranged marriage look as real as possible Winnie isn’t ready to be the only one making concessions here.
Generations of hatred come to head in this arranged marriage standalone. The heat and tension in Pretty Rings and Broken Things by Kat Singleton is off the charts, but Winnie is wildly underestimated and Archer is ready to put her exactly where she should have been all along.
Hungry for Love by Liz Zerkle
The last person Siobhan expected to be paired with on a reality cooking show with a romance twist was her ex best friend Ethan, but as she walked into where they’ll be completing their challenges that’s exactly who’s standing there. Now the two have to find a way to fake being in love so they can win the grand prize they both desperately need to win.
A spicy rom com set in a reality TV show this book has fake dating, friends to enemies to lovers, and a whole lot of family drama. If you want a story that will give you the giggle kicks, has a whole lot of emotion, and an amazing cast of characters, Hungry for Love by Liz Zerkle is a must read.
Butterflies and Vicious Lies by Kayleigh King
Posie and Rafferty were childhood best friends, until she shared a secret he trusted her to keep, one that tore his entire life apart. Years later, she returns to attend the same university Raff is attending and he’s trapping her in his cage. He’ll have his revenge.
If you are looking for a heavy spice – with humiliation kinks – and a plot that will have you turning pages until it breaks your heart, you’ll want to read this book. Kayleigh King’s Butterflies and Vicious Lies will have you hating Rafferty, then loving him, and then falling apart when long kept secrets are revealed.
Corrupted Chaos by Shain Rose
Izzy was the black sheep, the outcast, the fuck up of her perfect little family, or so she thought. But she was finally doing well, and on her feet. Except for Cade, her boss and a man that could push every single one of her buttons. To make matters worse he always seems to catch her at her worst.
The push and pull tension of Cade and Izzy kept me reading, but add in how relatable Izzy was – at least for me – and I was hooked on Corrupted Chaos by Shain Rose. Izzy hasn’t had the easiest of life, she’s struggled but she’s better now. They way Cade cares and watches out for her, it’s sweet and even if he doesn’t admit it at first I love the dynamic between these two.
The Psycho by Nikki J Summers
Olivia and Adam are from completely different worlds, but the moment he lays his eyes on her, he’s ready to lay claim. Olivia, however, has absolutely zero interest in getting mixed up with him or his little found family of street soldiers. He’ll stalk, set traps, and she’ll play his little game, but she won’t be caught up in him.
The Psycho was my first introduction to Nikki J Summers and let me tell you I was hooked and she remains one of my favorite authors to this day. Adam is unhinged and wonderful, Liv is snarky and a take no shit type of woman. The pairing, the banter, and the side characters kept me hooked.
Sabotage by Shantel Tessier
When Colton – Raylee’s evil step-brother – tries to ruin her life with the release of a sex tape, she snaps back by setting his ultra exclusive and expensive car on fire. These two fight each other like they were born to do it, but there is something more brewing between them and there isn’t anything Colton won’t do to keep Raylee.
If you need a bully romance with taboo elements, I highly recommend this one. And while technically it falls as book 4 in the LORDS series, you could read this one as a standalone. In fact, I read this book before I read any other book in the series. Sabotage by Shantel Tessier is a spice filled, enemies to lovers, with twists and turns that will keep you reading for “just one more chapter.”
Lilac by BB Reid
Braxton has tried to make a name for herself away from her past for years, and she’s finally caught her big break as the lead guitarist for her favorite band. Problem, the band doesn’t want her at all and it’s the management that’s forcing them together. To make matters worse these men are willing to do anything to get her to leave. Except Braxton isn’t so easily moved because she has nothing left to lose.
Lilac by BB Reid is a why choose romance about trauma and healing, and having nothing to lose and everything to fight for. The main characters all have their own struggles to overcome, but it’s easier to overcome your past when you let yourself reach out to the people around you.
Arrows and Apologies by Sav R Miller
Cora’s brother went missing on that island, and her new boss Alistair is the mayor. He’s the exact in she needs to find out what happened to her brother. Of course the island holds a hell of a lot of secrets and Alistair is the master of them all, and he’s decided he wants Cora and now that he has her, he’ll never let her go.
Arrows and Apologies by Sav R Miller is one of my favorite books of the Monsters and Muses series and I feel it doesn’t get enough hype, but that could just be my algorithms. Alistair is completely unhinged for Cora and he does not care who sees it, he’ll tear down the world for her, and we love to see it. Meanwhile Cora is determined and strong ready to snap back and the combination of the two is purely delightful.
Twisted Hate by Ana Huang
Josh and Jules hate each other. He’s her best friends brother, a player, a doctor, and he’s been nothing short of horrible to Jules. But Jules doesn’t just take his insults and jabs, she throws them right back at him. Except, the sexual tension between these two is about to explode, and it’s going to reveal the truths behind the masks they both wear.
Twisted Hate by Ana Huang was my favorite book of the Twisted series. Josh and Jules had me in a complete chokehold. I loved Jules, she was snarky, sarcastic, hilarious, and relatable to me. So naturally I fell hard for these two and the chemistry they shared. You want banter, bickering, and completely hot scenes? This is the book you want to read.
Enemies to Lovers Books
There is something so so very good about an enemies to lovers tropes. Maybe it’s the whole “I can fix him” thing, or maybe it’s the idea of hating someone and having that hatred melt away and turn into something beautiful that calls to those of us who love the trope.
The real world is filled with so much hate at times that maybe it’s wishful thinking that maybe it can be changed. That two people so different from each other, who can’t stand each other, can find a way to come together.
No matter what draws you to the enemies to lovers trope, I hope you found a new book or two to add to your TBR. Let me know in the comments which ones you’re most excited to read.