Top 10 Tuesday March 8

Hello and welcome back to another edition of Top 10 Tuesday, hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl! It features a different bookish or literary theme each week this week is talking about books with your favourite trope or theme.

Top 10 Enemies To Lovers Books

1. The Captive Prince Trilogy by C.S. Pacat

One of my absolute faves with this trope. Damianos and Laurent are enemies in one of the more literal senses in that they are on opposite sides of an actual war. Damianos is a prince of his nation and the rightful king when he is ousted by his brother and lover and sold as a slave to the neighbouring territory where he is gifted to Laurent. The added complication is that Damianos murdered Laurent’s brother….and his survival kind of hinges on Laurent thinking he’s just “Damen” a random slave and not his real identity. Or does it? Such a fun trilogy, there’s so much plotting and political intrigue and an undercurrent of sinister stuff going on that Damen has to figure out. Laurent is a really hard character at first but persevere and he’s such fun.

2. Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

A more lighthearted version of this trope! It begins with a “international incident” at a wedding between the First Son (son of the female American president) and a Prince of England. They loathe each other but the two media departments of their respective roles force them to play nice for the press, pretending they are great friends and the wedding thing was just two lads having a lark. Except the more time they spend together, the less it becomes forced and pretend.

3. The Folk Of The Air trilogy by Holly Black

Aaah Jude and Cardan! Where Jude is a human living in a fae world and basically being tortured by Cardan and his dipshit friends until she realises why he tortures her and kind of ends up getting her own back. Jude is incredibly smart and scheming (she has to be, living with the fae) but sometimes her basic answer to every problem is “what if I just murdered them?” Love this series.

4. The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

This was probably the book that cemented this as one of my all time favourite tropes. I’d read plenty of enemies to lovers before (my first ever is included further down) but this one was just….there was something about it for me. I don’t know if I just read it at exactly the right time but it pressed on every button for what I like in romance. There’s a lot of very similar books out there now but I still have a soft spot for THG. You could argue it’s not really enemies to lovers because Josh loves Lucy the whole time but she doesn’t know that. She’s our only narrator and for her, they’re enemies.

5. The Austen Playbook by Lucy Parker

This is more like “disdain/strong dislike to lovers” but the one that fits the trope better in this series, Headliners, is actually my least favourite, so I picked this one instead (I also really love Act Like It but Lainey and Richard aren’t really enemies, more like just reluctant participants in a scheme). Freddy is the adored former child actress struggling in adult parts, trying to shoehorn herself into roles that she isn’t made for and Griff is the icy critic lambasting her in his reviews and she overhears a rather blistering assessment of her performance in a bar one night. It’s also Grumpy/sunshine (which lots of enemies to lovers are).

6. Carry On Trilogy by Rainbow Rowell

Simon and Baz are enemies because they believe that at some stage, they’ll be on opposing sides of a war and one of them will probably have to kill the other but they’re also enemies for another reason, which Simon has literally no idea about because he’s a clueless but loveable idiot. This was definitely a book I thought might be terrible because it began life referenced as a popular series in another of Rainbow Rowell’s books but I was surprised just how much I ended up loving Simon and Baz. What can I say…..I like a good pining story.

7. Pride And Prejudice by Jane Austen

Probably the most famous enemies to lovers story of all time? I first read this when I was 18 and honestly, didn’t appreciate it as much as I could at the time. Each time I reread this (and all Austen actually) I find more in it to enjoy. She was incredibly subtle in terms of humour and so clever.

8. Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder

Playing a bit fast and loose with the enemies bit here…..they kind of are in that Yelena was imprisoned and is beholden to Valek in a few ways but even though Valek could and probably would kill her for several reasons in the beginning he’s kind of annoyed when others try and protects her personally (he says it’s so he doesn’t have to train another food taster but…..). They end up becoming one of my favourite couples.

9. Anne Of Green Gables Series by L.M. Montgomery

You have to read the first….4? I think? books to get the evolution of Anne and Gilbert from the boy who calls her “carrots” so she breaks her slate over his head, to friends, to him falling in love with her, to her refusing him….to her changing her mind. This is the first every enemies to lovers I ever read. I was about 7 or 8 when I read the first one and probably 9 or 10 when I read the rest of the series. Anne and Gilbert are still one of my all time favourites some 30+ years later.

10. Her Best Worst Mistake by Sarah Mayberry

This book is my crack haha. I read it so long ago now (and re-read it so many times) and I just love it. Martin was originally engaged to Violet’s best friend Elizabeth (she leaves him in her own book, which is before this one). Martin and Violet are complete opposites: he’s uptight and rigid and a bit stuffy and she’s brash and outgoing and confident and loud. They work together so well. This has kind of made me want to re-read this now!

So! That’s 10 of my favourite enemies to lovers books. If this is a trope you enjoy, be sure to leave me your favourites in the comments, I’m always looking for more recommendations.

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