Next post in my series of posts with 10 romances on a specific topic/trope. This time I am focusing on one of my favourite tropes, enemies to lovers. I love it because of the high tension it provides and for the journey the characters have to take to get their HEA.
1/ Headliners by Lucy Parker - True enemies and professional rivals though he has harboured a secret attraction to her for ages. Forced to work together to save their careers they become friends than lover (after a heart-felt and sincere apology on his part).
2/ Luck of the Draw by Kate Clayborn. God, the tension here, the pure hatred he had for her and her desperate desire to atone for the past and the hurt she caused him and his family. I absolutely love it.
3/ Hard Knocks by Ruby Lang. Not so much enemies as finding themselves at the opposite sides of the line - she is a doctors warning against head injuries in hockey, he is hockey player standing up for his sport. In the end they discover thy have much more in common than it seems at first glance.
4/ The One You Fight For by Roni Loren. This one is heart-breaking. He is the brother of the school shooter who changed their lives forever, she is a surviour of the shooting which took her younger sister's life. They are the two unlikeliest people to get together, and yet they do, overcoming doubts and anger and regret. My favourite in the series.
5/ Something Human by AJ Demas. They are warriors in opposing camps. They come from two different worlds. They help each other, they care for the other and feel for each other and ultimately, make each other happy.
6/ Pansies by Alexis Hall. A bully romance like no other. One of the MCs was part of a group of boys who bullied the other MC in school. And he just discovered he is attracted to men. Not a promising start of their relationship. Lots of anger, hurt and pain to deal with before they get their HEA.
7/ Never Loved by Charlotte Stein. Another bully romance but wow, did the author manage to make me care for the (former) bully. It’s a heavy read but very moving at the same time and relatable, real people with real issues, nothing is black or white and people are growing and changing.
8/ Burn Down the Night by Molly O’Keefe. Heroine kidnaps the hero who is a biker wanted by the authorities and his former biker brothers. Lots of tension, some real fear for one’s life, the highest stakes to save your loved ones.
9/ Behind the Mask by Carolyn Crane. He is the notorious criminal she is after. Neither knows this when they meet. There is passion and anger and fighting the bad guys and falling in love amidst chaos.
10/ Fool Me Forever by Ainslie Paton. On the surface he is everything she despises but he is also the only one that can help her. A tumultuous relationship that shakes them both to their cores and makes them re-evaluate their views of themselves and the world.
Honourable mentions:
I want to give a shout-out to two YA fantasy romances that are gorgeous and feature MCs who are enemies in the truest sense of the word. They hate and chase each other for most of the stories and their getting together is just glorious, pure magic!
The Folk of the Air series of fantasy romance by Holly Black, no greater enemies have ever come together as lovers than Cardan and Jude!
To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo, The Little Mermaid retelling where he is a pirate prince chasing the mermaids who are feared sea monsters.
