10 Books for those who love enemies-to-lovers fantasy

Have you ever wondered why enemies-to-lovers is such a popular trope? What is it about two people who can’t stand each other (or worst, they hate the other with an unbridled passion) that makes everyone think they’d make a cute couple?

A few promises come with this trope that are universally true.

1. The opposites attract. Readers love to be surprised, and nothing is more surprising than romance blooming between two characters who seemingly have nothing in common and, worse, they can’t stand each other. Finding common ground is bewildering and even unsettling, bringing me to the next point: the entertainment value.

2. An entertaining story. Seeing characters fighting their feelings and often questioning their morality makes for an engaging read. The emotional turmoil, the characters fighting their emotions out of sheer principles, creates drama. Readers love drama and messy relationships because they’re relatable (hopefully not to the same extent). When the story is well written, the characters fight their feeling for a long time, and we love a good slow-burn romance. That is until one of them is in danger, and all bets are off. All their differences seem to blur, and their true feelings come to the surface.

3. They are embracing their flaws. The most potent message this trope sends is that no matter how flawed, broken, or irredeemable the character thinks they are, they can still be loved. In the end, no one is truly irredeemable. Enemies-to-lovers portrays multilayered characters that are more than the sum of their flaws which is something we all aspire to be perceived as. We all have flaws (some real and some only in our minds) that feed our insecurities. Deep down, everyone wants to be loved, not because of our flaws but despite them. Enemies-to-lovers is evidence that love conquers all.

Enemies-to-lovers is a broad term in fantasy that gives leeway to protagonists to loathe each other at first or merely be adversaries. Below I included a few book recommendations where, according to readers, this trope was well executed. I hope you enjoy them.