9 Enemies-to-Lovers Books For When You Need a Juicy Slow-Burn Romance

There’s something extra tantalizing about a good enemies-to-lovers narrative. The dramatic transformations that characters in these stories usually have to go through make for gripping stories, not to mention particularly steamy romances.

It’s no surprise, then, that the enemies-to-lovers trope is one of the most popular trends in romance novels past and present. Read on to discover nine novels with incredibly juicy enemies-to-lovers arcs, and get ready to spend your evenings daydreaming about what it would be like to slowly acknowledge your true feelings for your most bitter rival—and, even more miraculously, to find them reciprocated.

1. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
2. The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
3. The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
4. The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
5. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
6. The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas
7. Beach Read by Emily Henry
8. Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
9. Finding Her Edge by Jennifer Iacopelli

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

This popular fantasy-romance hybrid blends dramatic world-building and dragons with an extremely fiery enemies-to-lovers romance. It follows Violet Sorrengail, a student who begrudgingly joins a military school and trains to become a dragon rider.

There, she meets Xaden Riorson, an antagonistic older student with a massive grudge against Violet, whose mother executed his father. Of course, despite Xaden’s hatred of Violet and her desire to have nothing to do with him, sparks begin to fly alongside the dragons.

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

Sally Thorne’s beloved workplace romance follows Lucy Hutton, an assistant at a publishing house forced to sit across from her arch-nemesis and coworker Joshua Templeman day in and day out. The pair’s dislike for one another is the source of a strange sort of bond between the two, but things heat up dramatically when they find themselves up for the same promotion—and as Lucy begins to wonder who her gym-obsessed, brooding coworker really is. 

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

The first novel in Holly Black’s fantasy series The Folk of the Air follows a girl named Jude Duarte, who is stolen away and brought to live in the land of faerie after her parents’ murder. There, she develops a powerful dislike for Prince Cardan, the faerie High King’s cruel youngest son, who constantly torments her.

As Jude’s ambitions escalate, so does her connection to Prince Cardan—though their relationship is made more complicated by political violence, betrayals, and Jude’s own ruthlessness.

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

The Unhoneymooners tells the story of a woman named Olive Torres who finds herself on a honeymoon in Hawaii with her newlywed sister’s brother-in-law, Ethan, after the whole wedding party catches food poisoning except for the two of them.

To avoid wasting the honeymoon, the pair takes the trip together despite the immense loathing Olive harbors for Ethan. They pretend to be newlyweds to prevent being found out by the resort staff, but as things heat up, the pair wind up unearthing some real feelings for one another—though it takes a lot longer for them to realize it than the reader.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Perhaps the archetypal enemies-to-lovers romance, Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is the classic story of the slow-burn romance between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. The duo start out by taking an immediate disliking to one another after Mr. Darcy snubs Lizzie at a party, but they're slowly forced to examine their own biases against one another. It’s a vivid portrait of Regency-era romance that has maintained an enduring place in readers’ hearts for centuries, and proves that a solid enemies-to-lovers arc will never go out of style.

The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas

Yet another pair of enemies find themselves forced to pretend to be lovers—only to find that they might not really want to pretend—in Elena Armas’s The Spanish Love Deception. This book follows a woman named Catalina Martín who lies to her family about having an American boyfriend, only for them to insist that she bring him to her sister’s wedding.

Desperate, she winds up recruiting her coworker Aaron Blackford, who is as tall, handsome, and infuriating as any solid enemies-to-lovers protagonist. Soon enough, of course, she discovers that he might be a little bit different—and a lot more attractive—outside the office.

Beach Read by Emily Henry

Two writers find themselves struggling to finish their latest novels in neighboring beach houses in this romance by Emily Henry, which follows romance writer January Andrews as she attempts to ignore her infuriating neighbor, the highly acclaimed literary fiction author Augustus Everett.

Yet as the two of them battle writers’ block by the crashing waves, they also wind up battling rising feelings for one another. Sure enough, they’re forced to confront their biases against one another while also facing an unexpected plot twist in both of their stories.

Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

This novel, which was also adapted into a popular movie released in 2023, follows Alex Claremont-Diaz, whose mother is the president of the United States, and Prince Henry, a British royal. The pair’s relationship starts tensely when they get into a brawl at a wedding in the UK, and their dislike of each other grows when they’re forced to act like friends to prevent a media crisis.

But eventually, that dislike turns into a close friendship that morphs into a queer romance. Of course, both private and public drama—and adorableness—ensues.

Finding Her Edge by Jennifer Iacopelli

This slow-burn romance, which was recently turned into a Netflix show, follows a young figure skater named Adriana who is forced to balance her Olympic dreams with a distracting love trial. The book begins with Adriana pretending to date her skating partner Brayden in order to generate media publicity that she hopes will save her family's ice rink, but things grow more complicated when her former partner Freddie comes back into the mix.