Rivals to Romance: Best Enemies to Lovers Fantasy Books

For those who love both the enemies to lovers trope and a deadly competition, this book is just the thing. Oraya, a human raised by the vampire king, enters a brutal tournament and finds herself at odds with powerful, ruthless, and inevitably handsome vampire Raihn.

Though they start off as rivals, circumstances demand they team up—and that forced proximity leads to mutual respect, admiration, and, eventually, that steamy romance we’re all hoping for.  

Romeo and Juliet set in 1920s Shanghai? Yes!

Roma and Juliette are old lovers—and bitter enemies in the wake of Roma’s betrayal—but when a mysterious contagion sweeps through Shanghai, they must work together to figure out what’s going on and save both of their gangs.

Get ready for stolen glances galore, unspoken regrets, and all the sharp-witted banter you could ask for. The exploration of “love vs. duty” is a fascinating one, and the ending…well, if you remember how Romeo and Juliet ended, you know to prepare yourself for the worst (in the best way possible). 

Arrogant, privileged, and effortlessly perfect Roman is the last person Iris wants to work near, and you can tell from the beginning theirs is a delightfully sharp, cutting, tense rivalry. But things change when some mysterious magic causes letters Iris writes to her missing brother to end up in Roman’s hands.

While their dynamic remain fraught in public, there’s a lovely friendship and love that blossoms between them via the correspondence. Mix in a war of gods where they have to work together to survive, and you’ve got a recipe for romantasy magic! 

Witch, meet witch hunter, and prepare for sparks to fly! In the city of Cesarine, witches like Lou are burned and it’s up to hunters like Reid to hunt them down. But when a marriage of convenience forces them into close proximity, they find themselves starting to see beyond their respective roles of “good” or “evil” and forming a real bond.

The tension simmers on every page and though they’re ideologically opposites, you can’t help but hope they find a way to make it work in the end. 

Greek myth meets Arthurian legend in this poetic and enchanting no-spice, slow-burn romantasy.

Queen Coralys makes a promise to the gods: spare her island from destruction, and she will marry the first man to step foot on her island. That man turns out to be a humble fisherman who seems to not only care nothing for her beauty and power, but actively ignores and belittles her. When she discovers his true identity, she is determined to use him to gain her revenge on the gods who are to blame for her predicament.

Aside from the gorgeous writing, amazing worldbuilding, and well-developed characters, I was more than a little terrified of Coralys as she schemed, plotted, and manipulated her way to vengeance. And trust me when I say the path from enemies to lovers is not a short one, but it’s incredibly well crafted.  

In Reign and Ruin, it’s not the characters who are enemies so much as their kingdoms. It’s expected that they will end up at war, but watching the two of them try to work together to navigate the complexity of politics and strategy while slowly falling in love is an absolute delight.

The Arabian-inspired setting is colorful and enchanting. Plus, in addition to the enemies to lovers trope, the whole series plays up the “opposites attract” flavor to perfection.  

This book is not your typical example of the trope, but it’s done in such small, subtle ways that it ends up being all the more interesting for its uniqueness.

Harrow and Gideon hate each other so much from the beginning, but as they dive deeper into the book’s central “locked tomb” mystery, they’re forced to work together and rely on each other. With very little romance and virtually no steam or spice, it’s an excellent dark fantasy/sci-fi that sets the tone for the twisty-turny series to come.