16 enemies-to-lovers romance books to read if you liked season 2 of 'Bridgerton'
Samantha Grindell
- "Bridgerton" season two focused on an enemies-to-lovers romance between Kate and Anthony.
- It was based on "The Viscount Who Loved Me" by Julia Quinn.
"Red, White, and Royal Blue" by Casey McQuiston
The enemies-to-lovers trope gets a fresh twist in this delightful debut by Casey McQuiston. "Red, White, & Royal Blue" follows Alex Claremont-Diaz, the son of the first female president of the United States.
As his mother begins her campaign for reelection, Alex causes an international crisis when he gets in a public fight with his sworn nemesis Henry, who happens to be the prince of England. The two begin a fake friendship to appease their families, but they soon find themselves drawn to each other in ways they never expected.
As Alex and Henry grow closer, they'll have to decide if they're willing to put their families and political careers on the line for love.
"The Hating Game" by Sally Thorne
Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman might both be assistants to co-CEOs of a publishing house, but that's where their similarities end. Josh is as type A as they come, while Lucy approaches her life with excitement and colorful clothes.
It's no secret that they hate each other, and their loathing only increases when they realize they're up for the same promotion.
Lucy decides she's not going to let Josh intimidate her anymore, and soon, their fiery hate is turning into something else entirely. But how can either of them trust that this change of heart is real?
Sally Thorne's debut is the enthralling workplace rom-com you've been waiting for.
"A Court of Thorns and Roses" by Sarah J. Maas
The first installment in Sarah J. Maas' "A Court of Thorns and Roses" series is ideal for readers who love their romance with a side of fantasy.
After her mother died and her family went broke, Feyre was forced to spend her young adulthood ensuring her father and sisters didn't go hungry.
Her goal is to keep them fed until she can marry off both of her sisters, but her plan goes awry when she kills a wolf while hunting that turns out to be a faerie — which means she broke the terms of a centuries-long treaty that keeps the peace between the faeries and humans.
To pay for her crime, Feyre will have to live out the rest of her life in the faerie realm with Tamlin, a powerful faerie she instantly fears and hates.
That hate soon turns to lust as Feyre and Tamlin realize they understand each other in ways they never anticipated. But as their connection deepens, so does the danger around them, as a blight threatens the faerie lands and Tamlin's magic.
Feyre will have to figure out how to help Tamlin — or risk losing him forever.
"Beach Read" by Emily Henry
Romance author January Andrews is only spending the summer at her late father's beach house for three reasons: She needs to clean it out before she can sell it, she needs a change of scenery to get out of her months-long writer's block, and she's broke.
But when she finds out her college crush and nemesis Augustus Everett, who became a literary fiction author, lives next door and is also in a writing rut, things change. The neighbors make a deal to teach each other how to write their genres in the hopes of sparking creativity.
As part of the experiment, January will take Augustus on romantic dates, while he'll bring her along to interview former cult members. The arrangement is just for the summer, and no one will get attached — until they do. Emily Henry's "Beach Read" is a book about love, grief, and the power of honesty.
"Act Your Age, Eve Brown" by Talia Hibbert
Fans of Talia Hibbert will love "Act Your Age, Eve Brown," her latest installment of the Brown sisters series.
The novel follows Eve, who has always been more comfortable with chaos than order, as her purple hair makes clear.
It's no surprise that constantly controlled Jacob Wayne doesn't hire her to be the chef at his bed and breakfast — but it is a shock when Eve accidentally hits his car and breaks his arm.
To make amends, Eve lingers around the B&B, becoming a nuisance Jacob is prepared to hate. But Eve's irreverence soon thaws him, warming a place inside him he didn't know existed.
"The Unhoneymooners" by Christina Lauren
Christina Lauren's New York Times bestseller stars Olive Torres, the unlucky twin who feels like she's always living in her sister's shadow.
But things change at her sister's wedding, where the entire wedding party gets sick, aside from Olive and Ethan Thomas, a groomsman she happens to loathe. The pair are given the chance to take the newlyweds' 10-day honeymoon in Hawaii, and Olive agrees to go for the free trip despite her hatred of Ethan.
As the unlikely pair enjoy their surprise vacation, Olive finds herself feeling things for Ethan she never expected. Has her luck finally changed?
"The Wedding Party" by Jasmine Guillory
Every installment of Jasmine Guillory's "The Wedding Date" series offers a steamy love affair, and the third book, "The Wedding Party," is no exception.
Theo and Maddie have never liked each other – though they share a mutual attraction that's hard to ignore. Most of the time, they do their best to avoid each other, only hanging out when their best friend Alexa forces them to.
But when Alexa gets engaged and Theo and Maddie are both made members of the bridal party, they're forced to spend time together, making it harder and harder to ignore the spark between them.
Eventually, they give in to their temptation, swearing that they'll end their secret affair the second Alexa says 'I do.' But what will Theo and Maddie do when they realize they're falling for each other?
"Me Before You" by Jojo Moyes
Louisa Clark's life is exceedingly predictable. She lives in a small town with her parents, has had the same boyfriend for years, and generally knows what's going to happen every day for the rest of her life.
But her world shifts when she takes a job caring for Will Traynor, a millionaire adventurer who became a quadriplegic after a motorcycle accident. Louisa finds his grumpiness and pessimistic outlook disheartening, while Louisa's effervescent charm perplexes Will.
Despite all odds, they soon come to understand each other, forming the unlikeliest of friendships. And when Louisa discovers Will has set an expiration date for his life, she decides she'll do anything to give him something worth living for.
Adapted into a movie starring Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin, Jojo Moyes's "Me Before You" is a gut-wrenching read that gets to the heart of what it means to love someone.
"The Song of Achilles" by Madeline Miller
Despite the title, "The Song of Achilles" by Madeline Miller actually follows the life of Achilles' closest companion, Patroclus, who is best known in mythology for his death that drives Achilles mad with grief.
Miller puts a fresh lens on the well-known tale, focusing on the rivalry between Achilles and Patroclus that develops in their boyhood.
Their feud soon becomes friendship and then something more, and the duo have to reckon with what their feelings for each other mean as Achilles faces a fatal prophecy about his involvement in the Trojan war.
"The Song of Achilles" is both a war story and a beautiful look at first love, making Homer's epic accessible and meaningful in a whole new way.
"The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
Being a human in a faerie world isn't all it's cracked up to be. But Jude has no choice, as she and her sisters were forced to live in the High Court of the Fae after their parents were murdered before their eyes.
Jude hates feeling lesser than the magical creatures around her, and no one makes her feel smaller than Prince Cardan — who also happens to be the most beautiful fae she's ever seen. She makes it her mission to rise up in the fae ranks, no matter the cost.
But when Jude finds herself embroiled in a battle for the safety of her sisters and the fae, she finds there's more to the prince than she ever knew.
The first installment in Holly Black's The Folk of The Air series, "Cruel Prince" is a mysterious and sexy page-turner that fans of the enemies-to-lovers trope and fantasy will love.
"The Trouble with Hating You" by Sajni Patel
Liya Thakkar leaves her parents' house in a hurry when she realizes they're trying to set her up with Jay Shah. Sure, he's good-looking, but Liya is happy being single and focusing on her career as a biochemical engineer.
But it turns out Jay is the new lawyer for her company, and those good looks are harder to ignore now that she has to see him every day. Liya and Jay have an undeniable connection, but they might not be willing to explore their pasts for a chance at a future together.
"The Trouble with Hating You" by Sajni Patel is about taking a risk on love, and everything that comes with it.
"A Pho Love Story" by Loan Le
Bao Nguyen and Linh Mai's families have hated each other for as long as they can both remember, as they both own competing pho restaurants in the same neighborhood.
But Bao and Linh have more in common than they think, and when they finally cross paths, they're shocked by what they actually feel for each other.
Loan Le's "A Pho Love Story" will force Boa and Linh to see if they explore their feelings for each other when it goes against everything their families believe.
"The Worst Best Man" by Mia Sosa
Wedding planner Carolina Santos is still reeling from being left at the altar. It seems like her luck could be turning when she's offered a huge professional opportunity, but to make it work, she'll have to work with her ex's brother, Max Hartley, who convinced his brother to dump Lina in the first place.
Both Lina and Max are committed to putting their mutual hatred aside to make this project work, but they're surprised to discover they also share a mutual attraction. They try to ignore their feelings for each other, but fate might have something else in mind in Mia Sosa's "The Worst Best Man."
"You Deserve Each Other" by Sarah Hogle
In Sarah Hogle's "You Deserve Each Other," Naomi Westfield and Nicholas Rose seem like the perfect engaged couple. There's just one problem — neither of them actually wants to marry the other.
Naomi and Nicholas have both been pretending to be happy, and when Naomi realizes Nicholas is faking it too, she wants out. But she doesn't want to be the one to pay for their elaborate wedding if they call it off, and neither does Nicholas.
Each decides to do whatever they can to get the other to cancel, from pranks to emotional manipulation. But as they try to sabotage each other, Naomi and Nicholas discover they like each other a lot more when they're not pretending to be people they're not.
"The Spanish Love Deception" by Elena Armas
Elena Armas' "The Spanish Love Deception" combines the enemies-to-lovers and fake dating tropes for a sexy and surprising read.
It stars Catalina Martín, who is desperate for a date to her sister's wedding after spending months lying to her family about having an American boyfriend. Shockingly, her insufferable colleague Aaron Blackford volunteers to pretend to be her partner, and because Catalina needs to impress her ex and his new fiancé, she can't say no.
Catalina is prepared to agonize through the wedding with Aaron at her side. But when he turns out to be nothing like she expected, she finds herself rethinking everything.
"The Viscount Who Loved Me" by Julia Quinn
If you enjoyed watching Kate Sharma and Anthony Bridgerton fall in love on "Bridgerton," you'll love reading about their love story in Julia Quinn's "The Viscount Who Loved Me" even more.
Like the show, "The Viscount Who Loved Me" follows Anthony Bridgerton in the season he has decided to find a wife. He sets his sights on Edwina Sharma, the diamond of the season. The only problem is her obstinate older sister, Kate Sharma, who is set against the match. Anthony is determined to win her over, but when he starts having improper dreams of Kate, he is not sure he will be able to behave as a gentleman should.
Kate, meanwhile, has vowed to protect Edwina from rogues and rakes, so she thinks Anthony is out of the question. But that doesn't mean her body can ignore the electricity between them — or resist the temptation he offers.
Filled with the same longing and heat as the series, "The Viscount Who Loved Me" is a delicious read.
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