They hated each other. Now they love each other. Is there any trope more delicious than enemies-to-lovers?
On the Historical Romance Sampler podcast, we’ve had the luxury of hearing readings from a dozen romance novels featuring the enemies to lovers trope over our first two seasons. For some of these, the enmity runs so deep we’re in starcrossed lovers territory. For others, the hatred comes from an earlier rejection that needs healing. No matter what, these romance books feature characters who can’t stand each other—and then can’t exist without each other.
Be sure to tune into their respective episodes to hear the authors read a sample of each book!
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12 Enemies to Lovers Romance Books (featured on the Historical Romance Sampler)
How to Train Your Viscount
by Courtney McCaskill
The only one who can help her is the man who broke her heart.
Four years ago, Lady Caroline Astley took one look at Henry Greville, Viscount Thetford, and fell horribly in love, in that particular way you can only fall in love at the age of fifteen.
He didn't just reject her.
He humiliated her.
But now, in a stroke of rotten luck, he's the only one who can help her.
It turns out that the "paste" pendant she borrowed from her sister, Anne, was no fake. It's actually an ancient Egyptian amulet, and now Anne wants to auction it off to save hundreds of widows and orphans. What Caro can't bear to tell her sister is that the necklace was stolen from right around her neck.
Caro has a few clues, but she doesn't know an amulet from an obelisk, and the trail has gone cold. Guess who grew up in a house stuffed with Egyptian artifacts? Caro may despise Henry, but she needs him if she's going to track down the thieves. Which begs the question of which is worse: letting down the orphans or risking her heart all over again.
If you like sizzling Regency romance that makes you laugh and makes you swoon, give How to Train Your Viscount a try!
Isabel and the Rogue
by Liana De la Rosa
When a Mexican heiress defies Victorian society to protect her country a British war hero makes it his new mission to protect her…
Isabel Luna Valdés has long since resigned herself to being the “forgotten” Luna sister. But thanks to familial connections to the Mexican ambassador in London, wallflower Isabel is poised to unearth any British intelligence hidden by the ton that might aid Mexico during the French Occupation. Though she slips easily from crowded ballrooms into libraries and private studies, Isabel’s search is hampered by trysting couples and prowling rogues—including the rakish Captain Sirius Dawson.
As a covert agent for the British Home Office, Sirius makes a game of earning the aristocracy’s confidence. He spends his days befriending foolish politicians and seducing well-born ladies in order to learn their secrets. But after he spies a certain sharp-tongued Luna sister lurking in the shadows where no proper debutante should venture, it’s clear Sirius is outmatched, outwitted, and soon to be outmaneuvered by the one woman he can’t resist.
Their mutual attraction is undeniable, but when Isabel discovers private correspondence that could turn the tide of political turmoil in Mexico, she’s willing to do whatever it takes to protect her country—even if this means ignoring her heart and courting danger...
The Earl’s Egyptian Heiress
by Heba Helmy
A Victorian romance set between Egypt and London
A season with the earl
For the Egyptian heiress
Ranya Radwan’s mission is clear: restore her family’s honor by retrieving the deed to their business from the Earl of Warrington. Until she finds herself enthralled by the new earl, Owen. Accompanying him from Egypt to England to find the deed, Ranya’s swept into an unfamiliar world of society balls and luncheons, but is captivated waltzing in Owen’s arms. Yet her duty to her family means returning to Egypt, not following her heart…
Maiden of the Storm
by Michelle Deerwester-Dalrymple
She's a powerful Scottish Highland Celtic woman. He's a Roman warrior, captive in her village.
Can the power of their love break the the chains of bondage? Or will the conflicts between the Celts and Romans drive them apart?
In their Caledonii village, Riana is the chieftain's oldest daughter and accustomed to position and authority. Until the day a Roman soldier is brought in and enslaved. Despite her moral objections, she is directed by her father to tend to the Roman, to bring him back to health and make sure he's fed.
At first, he's nothing more than a curiosity for her, but as they spend time together during her duties to him, they forge a camaraderie that quickly becomes something more. Something passionate and forbidden.
Horatio is a confident Roman soldier brought low after a night of missteps. Bound to slavery for the Caledonii tribe, he spends every waking moment biding his time and planning his escape. What he doesn't plan is the desire he feels for the very woman directed to keep him in chains. His desire grows, as does his love for the red northern woman.
As their passions rise, Riana decides that she cannot see the man she loves enslaved. They concoct an escape that is successful on the surface but leads to disastrous results.
When they believe all is lost, their love for each other gives them one final chance for survival. Will their love overcome the obstacles that would tear them apart?
The Deed With the Duke
by Sri Savita
SHE HAS THE DEED.
Camelia Parikh is a fallen woman trying to start over. When she wins the deed to a cottage in a card game, she believes her luck has finally changed. A charming coastal village seems like the perfect place to begin again, far from London and her romantic regrets. That is, until the stern Duke of Wednesbury arrives to claim the deed and cottage as his.
HE HAS THE TITLE.
Raaz Panchal, the new Duke of Wednesbury, is searching for the missing deed to his late father's beloved cottage, and he travels to the countryside to investigate. But once there, he learns the home is not vacant, and a beguiling woman claims it's her property now. When her deed proves genuine, Raaz prepares to leave, but then fate collapses the stable roof. Duty to his father's memory-and certainly not a pair of alluring amber eyes-compels him to help.
TOGETHER, CAN THEY HAVE IT ALL?
Camelia cautiously accepts the duke's assistance, but between a bold badger, a moonlit waltz, and dangerous late-night wagers, it's impossible to keep her distance from the devastatingly handsome duke. When they surrender to temptation, she can no longer ignore their differences in station or the mistakes of her past, but her traitorous heart already wishes for a future that's surely out of reach.
THE DEED WITH THE DUKE is a steamy, lust-at-first-sight Regency romance with a grumpy Indian hero, a sunshine Indian heroine, and adorable animal antics.
The Earl and the Vixen
by Christina Diane
A scorned woman. A guarded man. An explosive second chance at love.
Eliza
Falling for the boy next door wouldn't have been so bad for Eliza, if the object of her affection wasn't also the son of her father's rival. Eliza is willing to risk everything for a shot at true happiness after she had given everything to the magnetic future Earl of Craven.
Until he sleeps with her and then breaks her heart, that is, and shows up years later, as if nothing has happened.
Can Eliza forgive and forget? Or will love be her undoing once more?
Nick
For Nick, there has only ever been one woman who possesses his heart. Eliza Nelson. But it seems love is not in the cards for Nick and Eliza...
Until fate brings them together after a heartbreaking mystery, that is.
Intent on discovering what happened all those years ago, and why Eliza is so distant, can Nick keep his desires buried? Or will he give up everything for a second chance at a childhood dream?
The Sapphire Heiress
by Ella Leon
A pirate who walks amongst the highest circles of society.
A governess desperate to escape servitude.
In Victorian England, the Silver Order has kept its supernatural discoveries hidden for centuries. Those who seek its secrets must always pay a price...
Mae Blackthorne, the daughter of an English shipbuilder and a Filipina immigrant, has been taught to ride sidesaddle, embroider pillows, and dance the waltz. So when her brother disappears at sea, she hasn't a clue what to do when the family's shipbuilding business falls into bankruptcy.
It isn't long before Mae is penniless. Or so she believes. Forced to accept a post as governess in the very home she was raised in, Mae takes on the challenge in good spirits. Yet she is restless and yearns for the life of adventure her daredevil father and brother once had. That is, until she meets Ethan Locke, a pirate who offers her an enticing opportunity to recover her secret inheritance.
Unbeknownst to Mae, her family used their shipbuilding business to shroud generations of successful piracy. Locke, who was once partners with her father, has an old score to settle. He claims that her father stole from him an object of great value: a sapphire that can stop its wearer from growing old. As her father's last surviving heir, Mae is Locke's only hope of finding this supernatural jewel hidden amidst her family's secret fortune.
Agreeing to work together and split the fortune amongst themselves, they share an instant spark of attraction. But they're not alone in their search. The original owners of the sapphire, who operate an elite secret society, are far more powerful than Mae and Locke could have ever imagined. As danger closes in and the supernatural proves real, Mae fears she has much more to lose than just a second chance at a new life.
A Season for Treason
by Golden Angel
A traitor. A courtship. A scandalous Season.
In the race against time, will this pair reach the altar or the traitor first?
In the service of England's spymaster (well, his niece, but surely he'll appreciate the help), Miss Mary Wilson is on a mission to uncover a treasonous plot. Though her only clue leads to the debaucherous secret society of the Marquess of Hartford, a lifetime of being overlooked should ensure her access to all of the gossip her assignment will require. There's just one problem: Mary is due to find a husband this Season and her Aunt Elizabeth, the Viscountess Hood, is determined to see her niece shine bright.
Focused on finding the perfect bride this Season, the Marquess of Hartford, known to his friends as Rex, finds himself distracted by the quiet Miss Wilson as she continually turns up everywhere she shouldn't be. As Rex considers the misbehaving Miss Wilson, a curious thought occurs to him. Is it possible that she could be the kind of bride who would enjoy life by his side and the pursuits of the Society of Sin?
The Scottish Scheme
by Ally Hudson
Their first meeting was a disaster. Their second will change everything.
Mr. Tom Grayson's world was grey-until he laid eyes on Alexander Hasket, Duke of Rosehill. Captivated by the enigmatic Rosehill, Tom bungled their introduction. A tragedy that proved inconsequential, as Rosehill forgot him altogether.
Three years later, the anonymity of a masquerade offers a rare gift-a second chance at a first impression. Their flirtatious yet earnest interlude leaves Tom enthralled, rendering it all the more devastating when he discovers that he still remains utterly forgettable to Xander.
Love is an indulgence-one of which Xander dare not dream. After two failed courtships, rumors haunt the wealthy and powerful duke. When the weight of gossip and responsibilities threaten to drown him, Xander begins to long for the Scottish estate he's never set eyes on, Kilmarnock Abbey.
Obliged to attend a masquerade that promises only misery, Xander's night takes an unexpected turn when he is charmed by a handsome stranger. But with his departure to Scotland imminent, Xander hasn't the time to entertain impossible fantasies-nor does he have patience for the nosy, fascinating Grayson brother who suddenly appears around every corner.
Disco Witches of Fire Island
by Blair Fell
It’s 1989, and Joe Agabian and his best friend Ronnie set out to spend their first summer working in the hedonistic gay paradise of Fire Island Pines. Joe is desperate to let loose and finally move beyond the heartbreak of having lost his boyfriend to the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
The two friends are quickly taken in by a pair of quirky, older house cleaners. But something seems off, and Joe starts to suspect the two older men of being up to something otherworldly. In truth, Howie and Lenny are members of a secret disco witch coven tasked with protecting the island—and young men like Joe—from the relentless tragedies ravaging their community. The only problem is, having lost too many of their fellow witches to the epidemic, the coven’s protective powers have been seriously damaged.
Unaware of all the mystical shenanigans going on, Joe starts to fall for the super-cute bisexual ferryman who just happens to have webbed feet and an unusual ability to hold his breath underwater. But Joe’s longing to find love is tripped up by his own troublesome past as well as the lure of a mysterious hunk he keeps seeing around the island—a man Howie and Lenny warn may be a harbinger of impending doom.
The Disco Witches need to find help—fast—if they’re to save Joe and the island from the Great Darkness. But how? Fans of spicy queer romances with a dash of fantasy will fall in love with this stunning novel of community, love, sex, magic, and hope in desperate times.
Lavender & Gin
by Abigail Aaronson
After a decade disguised as her missing twin brother, Kasia leads a gang running liquor for the most powerful mob in the city. The ruse gave her a foot in the door, but in order to keep her position-and more importantly, to keep money flowing in for her and her sick mother-she has to be willing to do whatever it takes. And what it takes is cold calculation and a ruthless hand. She needs both in spades when a new police chief is determined to eliminate Detroit's mafia, a threat to destroy everything she's built.
When Kasia learns Sophia-a glamorous flapper who owns an underground queer club-has an unusual hold on the supposedly-incorruptible chief, Kasia wants in on Sophia's secret. Blackmailing Chief Harding could protect her gang and give her a leg up in the mob's ranks. But her plan unravels when she falls for Sophia's fiery spirit and sophisticated charm. After years of avoiding relationships to protect her identity, her feelings for Sophia lead Kasia to take bigger risks than ever. Risks that endanger her gang, her secret, and her life.
An Inconvenient Earl
by Will Forrest
A tale of freedom, forgiveness, and saying exactly the wrong thing in bed.
It was meant to be an easy job: remove a lord from the public eye until his title is usurped. Much harder to do when the lord turns out to be the same man Harry has been bedding on the sly for the past six months. Even more inconvenient when the lord himself has been asking him to do the very same: steal him from his rigid, terrifying future and find a way to set him free.
Ralph, Viscount Elsternwick, doesn't need and cannot serve the earldom, his intellect and instincts wholly out of step with the impossible obligations of courtly life. What he needs is a means of escape, one he cannot avoid. Say, being stolen away by a heartless and hopefully handsome rogue, like the man he's been meeting in secret for months.
But it takes more than shared desire and a fear of the past to make a life together. And some secrets are best left unspoken. Is Ralph's dearest wish about to come true? Or is the only man he trusts now his enemy?