Introduction
Who doesnāt love Enemies to Lovers books??š
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The Enemies to Lovers trope is the most popular romance trope in the romance book industry.
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There is a huge variety of books portraying this plot device. Furthermore, every year more and more books are published and marketed as enemies to lovers.
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However, once you begin reading them you realize …you have been deceived!! š The heroine and the male lead become lovers in..2 chapters. What is thaat!! š
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Hence, Iāve made this special Book List with the best Enemies to Lovers Books to read in 2023, and I can guarantee you wonāt be tricked by these books. These are 100% enemies to lovers with all the angst, tension, and passion you need to be completely immersed.
The Best Enemies to Lovers Books to read in 2023
Table of Contents
1.What is the Enemies to Lovers trope
A trope is a plot device used by writers in storytelling. Inside the romance genre, the most popular one is ā by far- the Enemies to Lovers trope.
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The Enemies-to-lovers trope consists in two people who begin the story as enemies, they hate each other but they need to work together to get to a common objective.Ā
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Over the course of the book, they learn to understand their differences and eventually, the characters end up in a romantic relationship.
2. Why is Enemies to Lovers so popular?
Why do we love Enemies to Lovers books so much?
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The Enemies to Lovers trope is the most popular plot device in romance books and one of readers’ favourites.
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But why are Enemies to Lovers books so popular?
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Enemies to Lovers books ignite in us two powerful emotions: hope and passion
Hope in Enemies to Lovers books:
Hope is a powerful emotion because, above all, we yearn to be loved and that others accept us with all our faults, and this trope brings exactly that to the table.
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The characters in Enemies to Loversā books know their significant other flaws since the beginning and they get to the final romantic stage knowing each other wholly.
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This doesnāt happen in other romantic tropes like fated mates or love at first sight. Therefore, the culmination of the Enemies to Lovers plot device feels always more complete and satisfactory.
Passion in Enemies to Lovers books
Passion plays a huge role in the transition to lovers. It almost provides a safer outlet than love to be passionate with someone you can’t stand. With anger and passion, we can throw logic and caution out the window. Passion basically gives permission for the transition from enemies to loversāā (source )
Passion is a powerful element used in the Enemies to Lovers books.
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The author scales the passion in the Enemies to Lovers trope to generate tension and to finally transition to a lovers stage.
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Hence, is this transition and HOW the couple reaches the lovers stage that is so popular among readers.
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3.Best Enemies to Lovers books in 2023
Iām so happy to bring you today The Best Enemies to Lovers books for this 2023.
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One thing I hate is wasting time looking for reviews or impossible long lists with no info about books. With this List, you are getting the best of the best for this year.
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This is a selection of 2023 hyped Enemies to Lovers books that are totally worth your time and some personal favorites you definitely donāt want to miss. Enjoy!
Spicy Enemies to lovers small town romance
Lucian Rollins is a lean, mean vengeance-seeking mogul. On a quest to erase his abusive father’s mark on the family name, he spends every waking minute pulling strings and building his empire. The more money and power he gains, the safer he feels.
Except when it comes to one feisty small-town librarianā¦
Bonded by an old, dark secret from the past and their current mutual disdain, Sloane Walton trusts Lucian about as far as she can throw his designer-suited body.
When bickering accidentally turns to foreplay, the flames are fanned, and it’s impossible to put them out again. But with Sloane more than ready to start a family and Lucian refusing to even consider the idea of marriage and kids, these enemies-to-lovers are stuck at an impasse.
Until Lucian learns the hard way that leaving Sloane is impossibleāthe very least he can do is to keep her safe.
Why you should read it
After reading ‘Things We Never Got Over,’ I totally fell in love with these two side characters.
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Lucian had this bad-boy ‘I’m better than all of you’ vibe, and Sloane got completely livid when she caught sight of him.
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The tension these two carried in the first book could be felt from MILES away…
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If you’re into small-town romances and want a genuine enemies-to-lovers book, check out this one!!
Dual Pov enemies to lovers slow burn romance where he falls first
Adalyn Reyes has spent years perfecting her daily routine: wake up at dawn, drive to the Miami Flames FC offices, try her hardest to leave a mark, go home, and repeat.
But her routine is disrupted when a video of her in an altercation with the teamās mascot goes viral. Rather than fire her, the teamās ownerāwho happens to be her fatherāsends Adalyn to middle-of-nowhere North Carolina, where sheās tasked with turning around the struggling local soccer team, the Green Warriors, as a way to redeem herself. Her plans crumble upon discovering that the players wear tutus to practice (impractical), keep pet goats (messy), and are terrified of Adalyn (counterproductive), and are nine-year-old kids.
To make things worse, also in town is Cameron Caldani, goalkeeping prodigy whose presence is somewhat of a mystery. Cam is the perfect candidate to help Adalyn, but after one very unfortunate first encounter involving a rooster, Camās leg, and Adalynās bumper, heās also set on running her out of town. But banishment is not an option for Adalyn. Not again. Helping this ragtag childrenās team is her road to redemption, and she is playing the long game. With or without Camās help.
Why you should read it
“Elena Armas is the author of “The Spanish Love Deception,” one of my favorite office-enemies-to-lovers romances. Anything by this author is good and is a must-read.
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This book has all the small-town vibes with two grumpy characters and a slow burn.
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Elena Armas’ writing style is very similar to Mariana Zapata’s, so you can expect a very good slow burn with rewarding spicy scenes at the end. Miss Armas adds more banter to the mix, in the likes of Tessa Bailey.
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I totally recommend it!
A High school bully ā steamy Enemies to Lovers book with an obsessive male lead
Wren Beaumont is a model student. Kind, clever and beautiful, she is loved by everyone at Lancaster Prep.
Everyone but brooding campus bad boy Crew Lancaster.
Son of the family who own the school, Crew’s life seems easy – but with an overbearing father and high expectations, it’s anything but.
Which is why he has no time for people like Wren.
But when their lives unexpectedly collide, Wren discovers there’s more to life than good grades – and Crew finally understands what it’s like to care about someone other than himself . . .
Could they – should they – become the school’s most unlikely couple?
Why you should read it
This is a coming-of-age Enemies to Lovers romance book.
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It relies on a Dual Pov narrative and if you are into possessive alpha males you will truly love Crew š (the male character). He adores and worships the heroine and will do ANYTHING for her.
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You can expect some very good spicy scenes from both Povās as well.š
Enemies (rivals) to Lovers in an academic environment and fake dating
The many lives of theoretical physicist Elsie Hannaway have finally caught up with her. By day, sheās an adjunct professor, toiling away at grading labs and teaching thermodynamics in the hopes of landing tenure. ByĀ otherĀ day, Elsie makes up for her non-existent paycheck by offering her services as a fake girlfriend, tapping into her expertly honed people-pleasing skills to embody whichever version of herself the client needs.
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Honestly, itās a pretty sweet gigāuntil her carefully constructed Elsie-verse comes crashing down. Because Jack Smith, the annoyingly attractive and arrogant older brother of her favorite client, turns out to be the cold-hearted experimental physicist who ruined her mentorās career and undermined the reputation of theorists everywhere. And heās the same Jack Smith who rules over the physics department at MIT, standing right between Elsie and her dream job.
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Elsie is prepared for an all-out war of scholarly sabotage butā¦those long, penetrating looks? Not having to be anything other than her true self when sheās with him? Will falling into an experimentalistās orbit finally tempt her to put her most guarded theories on love into practice?
Why you should read it
Love Theoretically is a rom-com Enemies to Lovers book and TikTok sensation.
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Elsie and Jack Smith hate each other, they are both physicists, but Jacks is very well known in his field. To make matters worse he is a member of the admission Committee who will evaluate Elsieās application for her dream job. Let the fun begin!
REAL enemies to lovers .Dark romance with vampires and badass heroine
Chae-a Han and Yunsu Park may be perfect angels at church, but Chae-a is really a foul-mouthed ex-convict, and Yunsu isā¦ a vampire? When Yunsu blackmails Chae-a with a murder she didnāt commit, she begins searching for ways to escape the situation until the perfect opportunity presents itself. With Yunsuās life now at her mercy, the two begin a life-or-death game of cat and mouse, only to find themselves falling deeper and deeper into each otherās traps…
Why you should read it ( trust me )
Okay, you need to trust me on this one. I KNOW this is not a book, and it may be outside your comfort zone, but you need to take a leap of faith and BELIEVE. š
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This webtoon (a digital comic for smartphones) is THE definition of enemies to lovers. It doesn’t get ANY better than this. This is the deal.
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If you’re tired of heroines who are all Mary Sues or ‘badass’ females who are annoying, you will love Chae-a because she is the total opposite.
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And what can I say about our beloved cute vampire, Park Yonsoo… he is the definition of EVIL, and, watching how he fallsĀ in love with her…
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This is an EPIC slow burn where he falls first and HARDER, Ā (I love this webtoon, can you tell? Haha xD)
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Small town Enemies to Lovers with fake dating, grumpy sunshine and forced proximity
Escaping her seemingly perfect wedding, Naomi Witt arrives in rough-around-the-edges Knockemout, Virginia, running to the rescue of her estranged twin, Tina.
Too bad for Naomi her evil twin hasn’t changed at all. After helping herself to Naomi’s car and cash, Tina leaves her with something unexpected: the 11-year-old niece she didn’t know she had. Now she’s stuck in town with no job, no plan, no home and a whole lot of extra responsibility.
There’s a reason local barber Knox doesn’t do complications or high-maintenance women, especially not the romantic ones. But since Naomi’s life imploded right in front of him, the least he can do is help her out of her jam. And just as soon as she stops getting into trouble, he can leave her alone and get back to his peaceful, solitary life.
At least that’s the plan, until their lives begin to entwine in ways they never imagined . . .
Why you should read it
This Enemies to Lovers book is perfect for small-town romance lovers.
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Meet Naomi, a runaway bride who comes to Knockemout, Virginia to help her twin sister who is (again ) in deep trouble. In Knockemout she will meet Knox, our grumpy and handsome bad boy who doesnāt want any complications in his life.
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This Enemies to Lovers book has exceptional banter and hilarious situations. Perfect for fans of It Happened One Summer.!!
Steamy Enemies to lovers with a stalker and obsessive male lead
The Manipulator
I can manipulate the emotions of anyone who lets me.
I will make you hurt, make you cry, make you laugh and sigh.
But my words don’t affect him. Especially not when I plead for him to leave.
He’s always there, watching and waiting.
And I can never look away.
Not when I want him to come closer.
The Shadow
I didn’t mean to fall in love.
But now that I have, I can’t stay away.
I’m mesmerized by her smile, by her eyes, and the way she moves.
The way she undresses…
I’ll keep watching and waiting. Until I can make her mine.
And once she is, I’ll never let her go.
Not even when she begs me to.
Why you should read it
Haunting Adeline is a very popular Enemies to Lovers book and for good reason.
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Our male character Zade is an obsessive stalker who is infatuated with Adeline. He doesnāt hesitate to kill ANY man that comes near Addy and he basically stalks her day and night to convince her to be with him.
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This book deals with heavy topics so be aware it is not for the faint of heart!!
Steamy billionaire Enemies to Lovers office romance.
Rowan
Iām in the business of creating fairy tales.
Theme parks. Production companies. Five-star hotels.
Everything could be all mine if I renovated Dreamland.
My initial idea of hiring Zahra was good in theory, but then I kissed her.
Things spiraled out of control once I texted her using an alias.
By the time I realized where I went wrong, it was too late.
People like me donāt get happy endings.
Not when weāre destined to ruin them.
Zahra
After submitting a drunk proposal criticizing Dreamlandās most expensive ride, I should have been fired.
Instead, Rowan Kane offered me a dream job.
The catch? I had to work for the most difficult boss Iād ever met.
Rowan was rude and completely off-limits, but my heart didnāt care.
At least not until I discovered his secret.
It was time to teach the billionaire that money couldnāt fix everything.
Especially not us.
Why you should read it
This Enemies to Lovers office romance is the first book in a series of standalones featuring three billionaire brothers. Perfect for fans of office enemies to lovers romance. Itās a sweet story with steamy scenes and dual POV.
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If you love the grumpy sunshine trope and boss x employee romances you wonāt want to miss this one!!
Slow burn Enemies to Lovers office romance, fake dating, one bed trope and it has always been you.
Catalina MartĆn desperately needs a date to her sister’s wedding. Especially when her little white lie about her American boyfriend has spiralled out of control. Now everyone she knows ā including her ex-boyfriend and his fiancĆ©e ā will be there.Ā
She only has four weeks to find someone willing to cross the Atlantic for her and aid in her deception. NYC to Spain is no short flight and her family won’t be easy to fool. . . But even then, when Aaron Blackford ā the 6’4″, blue-eyed pain in the arse ā offers to step in, she’s not tempted even for a second. Never has there been a more aggravating, blood-boiling and insufferable man.Ā
But CatalinaĀ isĀ desperate and as the wedding gets closer the more desirable an option Aaron Blackford becomes. . .Ā
Why you should read it
This rom-com TikTok sensation features one of my top-tier book boyfriends: Aaron Blackford.
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You canāt go wrong picking this one. The tension and slow burn are OTT and Catalinaās interactions with her Spanish family are just hilarious.š
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The Spanish Love Deception is perfect for fans of fake dating and witty banter.!! It is a slow burn with a Hea (Happy Ever After) and a good dose of spice at the end.
Slow burn Enemies to Lovers office romance, fake dating, one bed trope and it has always been you.
Anastasia Allen has worked her entire life for a shot at Team USA. It looks like everything is going according to plan when she gets a full scholarship to the University of California, Maple Hills and lands a place on their competitive figure skating team.
Nothing will stand in her way, not even the captain of the hockey team, Nate Hawkins.
Nateās focus as team captain is on keeping his team on the ice. Which is tricky when a facilities mishap means they are forced to share a rink with the figure skating teamāincluding Anastasia, who clearly canāt stand him.
But when Anastasiaās skating partner faces an uncertain future, she may have to look to Nate to take her shot.
Sparks fly, but Anastasia isnāt worriedā¦because she could never like a hockey player, right?
Why you should read it
Icebreaker is a sweet (and spicy!!) Enemies to Lovers book with a twist. It features the grumpy sunshine but in reverse. Anastasia is a grumpy figure skater who will have to deal with our golden retriever Nate, who is all sweet and smiles.
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I love golden retriever book boyfriends because they are like a cinnamon roll on the exterior but behind closed doors ā¦š
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Nate will do anything for Anastasia to help her fulfil her ice skating dream.
Enemies with benefits, possessive alpha hero
Gorgeous, cocky, and fast on his way to becoming a hotshot doctor, Josh Chen has never met a woman he couldn’t charmāexcept for Jules Ambrose.
The beautiful redhead has been a thorn in his side since they met, but she also consumes his thoughts in a way no woman ever has.
When their animosity explodes into one unforgettable night, he proposes a solution that’ll get her out of his system once and for all: an enemies with benefits arrangement with simple rules.
No jealousy.
No strings attached.
And absolutely no falling in love.
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Outgoing and ambitious, Jules Ambrose is a former party girl who’s focused on one thing: passing the attorney’s bar exam.
The last thing she needs is to get involved with a doctor who puts the SUFFER in insufferableā¦no matter how good-looking he is.
But the more she gets to know him, the more she realizes there’s more than meets the eye to the man she’s hated for so long.
Her best friend’s brother.
Her nemesis.
And her only salvation.
Theirs is a match made in hell, and when the demons from their past catch up with them, they’re faced with truths that could either save them ā¦or destroy everything they’ve worked for.
Why you should read it
Twisted Hate is the third book in the Twisted series. All Twisted books can be read as standalones and this one features an Enemies to Lovers romance with a possessive alpha hero.
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I loved the banter and tension between Jules and Josh and oh boy he is certainly a dirty talker!! šThe steamy scenes were just OTT.
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Totally recommended if you are in the mood for a possessive alpha male hero and spice !!
High school Enemies to Lovers bully romance
From strip clubs and truck stops to southern coast mansions and prep schools, one girl tries to stay true to herself.
These Royals will ruin youā¦
Ella Harper is a survivorāa pragmatic optimist. Sheās spent her whole life moving from town to town with her flighty mother, struggling to make ends meet and believing that someday sheāll climb out of the gutter. After her motherās death, Ella is truly alone.
Until Callum Royal appears, plucking Ella out of poverty and tossing her into his posh mansion among his five sons who all hate her. Each Royal boy is more magnetic than the last, but none as captivating as Reed Royal, the boy who is determined to send her back to the slums she came from.
Reed doesnāt want her. He says she doesnāt belong with the Royals.
He might be right.
Wealth. Excess. Deception. Itās like nothing Ella has ever experienced, and if sheās going to survive her time in the Royal palace, sheāll need to learn to issue her own Royal decrees.
Why you should read it
An Enemies to Lovers bully romance book, perfect for when you are in the mood for an old-school romance.
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This is the story of Ella, a girl who had to endure a difficult childhood after her mother died. A friend of her father, Callum Royal, becomes her legal guardian and brings Ella to his House.Ā
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In the Royal mansion, she will need to get along with Callum’s sons, the Royals, who donāt seem to be very happy with the new addition to the family.
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This Enemies to Lovers book is full of toxic relationships and drama, perfect for fans of old-school romance books.
Slow burn ice skating romance with forced proximity and excellent banter
If someone were to ask Jasmine Santos to describe the last few years of her life with a single word, it would definitely be a four-letter one.
After seventeen yearsāand countless broken bones and broken promisesāshe knows her window to compete in figure skating is coming to a close.
But when the offer of a lifetime comes in from an arrogant idiot sheās spent the last decade dreaming about pushing in the way of a moving bus, Jasmine might have to reconsider everything.
Including Ivan Lukov.
Why you should read it
You can never go wrong with Mariana Zapata.
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From Lukov with Love is a beautiful slow burn romance with one of the best banters Iāve ever read. The interactions between Jasmine and Ivan Lukov are OTT š. They are REAL enemies and they truly donāt tolerate each other.
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Reading how their relationship develops into friends and then something else had me swooning and smiling like an idiot. š
If you are a fan of slow burns, you definitely need to read this one!!
College enemies to friends to lovers with dual pov and grumpy sunshine trope.
Sheās about to make a deal with the college bad boyā¦
Hannah Wells has finally found someone who turns her on. But while she might be confident in every other area of her life, sheās carting around a full set of baggage when it comes to sex and seduction. If she wants to get her crushās attention, sheāll have to step out of her comfort zone andĀ makeĀ him take noticeā¦even if it means tutoring the annoying, childish,Ā cockyĀ captain of the hockey team in exchange for a pretend date.
…and itās going to be oh so good
All Garrett Graham has ever wanted is to play professional hockey after graduation, but his plummeting GPA is threatening everything heās worked so hard for. If helping a sarcastic brunette make another guy jealous will help him secure his position on the team, heās all for it. But when one unexpected kiss leads to the wildest sex of both their lives, it doesnāt take long for Garrett to realize that pretend isnāt going to cut it. Now he just has to convince Hannah that the man she wants looks a lot likeĀ him.
Why you should read it
The Deal is a well-loved book by the online community. Itās the first book in the Off-Campus series and can be read as a standalone.
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Is a reverse grumpy sunshine Enemies to Lovers book with lots of banter and funny situations. Hannah and Graham, who barely tolerate each other, make a deal that will benefit both. She will help him rises his GPA and in return, Graham will aid Hannah by making her crush jealous.
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This tropey enemies-to-lovers book makes very good use of the fake dating trope, love triangles and forced proximity.
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And Grahamā¦he entered my top 10 book boyfriend List after this book for sure!! š
High school bully Enemies to Lovers with hidden identities
“We were perfect together. Until we met.” MishaI canāt help but smile at the lyrics in her letter. She misses me.In fifth grade, my teacher set us up with pen pals from a different school. Thinking I was a girl, with a name like Misha, the other teacher paired me up with her student, Ryen. My teacher, believing Ryen was a boy like me, agreed.It didnāt take long for us to figure out the mistake. And in no time at all, we were arguing about everything. The best take-out pizza. Android vs. iPhone. Whether or not Eminem is the greatest rapper everā¦And that was the start. For the next seven years, it was us.Her letters are always on black paper with silver writing. Sometimes thereās one a week or three in a day, but I need them. Sheās the only one who keeps me on track, talks me down, and accepts everything I am.We only had three rules. No social media, no phone numbers, no pictures. We had a good thing going. Why ruin it?Until I run across a photo of a girl online. Nameās Ryen, loves Galloās pizza, and worships her iPhone. What are the chances?F*ck it. I need to meet her.I just donāt expect to hate what I find.RyenHe hasnāt written in three months. Somethingās wrong. Did he die? Get arrested? Knowing Misha, neither would be a stretch.Without him around, Iām going crazy. I need to know someone is listening. Itās my own fault. I shouldāve gotten his phone number or picture or something.He could be gone forever.Or right under my nose, and I wouldnāt even know it.*Punk 57 is a stand alone New Adult romance. It is suitable for ages 18+.
Why you should read it
Punk 57 is a high school bully Enemies to Lovers book but with a twist. Misha and Ryen donāt know each other, they have been pen pals since middle school but none of them know how the other looks.
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Until one day Misha encounters Ryen at a party, and without revealing his identity he later attends her high school to torment her.
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Nothing is what it seems in this Enemies to Lovers book with teenage angst, tension and steamy scenes!!
4. Final Thoughts
This was my Ultimate Enemies to Lovers Book List for the first part of 2023.
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You canāt go wrong with any of these titles. Some are very popular and worth totally the hype theyāre getting and you will find a lot of videos from other readers swooning online for the male leads Hehe š.Ā
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This is a mid to high-level steamy Enemies to Lovers Book List, so I can guarantee you will definitely have at least ONE spicy scene in each book ( I think From Lukov with Love is the less spicy).
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I’m sure you will love these books as much as I did!!
Ā Now time for a question!
Do you love the enemies-to-lovers trope the most? If not, what other trope do you prefer?
Let me know in the comments below!
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