From office rivals to fae warriors: romances where the person they can't stand becomes the person they can't live without
In short
The best enemies to lovers romance books include The Hating Game by Sally Thorne, Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score, The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa, It Happened One Autumn by Lisa Kleypas and Quicksilver by Callie Hart. Each turns real friction and rivalry into a hard-won romance.
Every book on this list is a published romance in the EIKNA catalog where genuine antagonism or rivalry between the leads drives the story. We selected titles using catalog trope data and editorial review, favoring well-loved books with a happy ending and a spread of subgenres, heat levels and settings. Books are listed in editor's order, not ranked.
by Sally Thorne · 2016
Best for: Office rivals
Executive assistants Lucy and Joshua sit across from each other, compete for the same promotion and hate each other with total dedication, until a lift ride changes everything. The modern office-rivals classic that defined the trope.
by Rebecca Yarros · 2023
Best for: Dragons and high stakes
Violet is forced into a brutal war college for dragon riders, where Xaden, a wingleader with every reason to want her dead, holds her life in his hands. Deadly stakes and slow-burning tension in the romantasy phenomenon.
by Lucy Score · 2022
Best for: Grumpy small-town hero
Runaway bride Naomi lands in a small Virginia town and immediately clashes with Knox, the grumpy barber who wants nothing to do with her. A small-town, grumpy-meets-sunshine enemies to lovers with real heart.
by Mia Sosa
Best for: Workplace banter
Wedding planner Lina was jilted at the altar, and now she must pitch her dream job alongside Max, the best man who talked his brother out of marrying her. Sparks, banter and a messy shared history.
by Evie Dunmore · 2020
Best for: Feminist historical
Suffragist Lucie plans to take over a publishing house, only to find that her co-owner is Lord Ballentine, the charming rake she has despised since childhood. A smart, feminist Victorian battle of wills.
by Lisa Kleypas · 2021
Best for: Victorian romance
Headstrong American heiress Lillian Bowman and the proud Earl of Westcliff can't stand each other, until one heated encounter at a country house party upends everything. A sparkling Victorian enemies to lovers from the Wallflowers series.
by Rachel Lynn Solomon · 2021
Best for: Fake exes
Public radio producer Shay and her new rival Dominic are pushed to host a show about their breakup, except they never dated. Fake exes and newsroom rivalry turn into something real.
by Kresley Cole
Best for: Steamy paranormal
Sorceress Sabine captures the demon king Rydstrom to use against him, and he vows revenge. Their battle of wills is as steamy as it is dangerous in this paranormal enemies to lovers from the Immortals After Dark series.
by Jen DeLuca · 2019
Best for: Cozy rom-com
Emily volunteers at a Renaissance faire to help her sister and immediately butts heads with Simon, its uptight organizer, whose flirty in-character persona is a very different man. A charming, funny rom-com.
by Callie Hart · 2025
Best for: Fae romantasy
Thief Saeris is dragged into a deadly fae world, where her only hope of survival is Kingfisher, a dangerous fae warrior who seems to despise her. A dark, addictive romantasy with a sharp-tongued hero.
This is an editor-reviewed reading list. Bibliographic details (title, author, cover, publication year, genre) come from reliable catalog metadata. Editorial claims (heat, trope, mood, reader-fit) are shown only when a book has human-approved intelligence; where absent, only catalog metadata is presented.
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