The storm of the century is coming in MIDNIGHT CURFEW, the brand-new romance from New York Times bestselling author Penelope Douglas. It’s off-season in South Florida—until a hurricane forces a lockdown. As danger closes in, two rivals from opposing families can’t resist their forbidden attraction. Expect rival towns, rich vs. poor, and an enemies-to-lovers romance. Narrated by Jason June and Javi Wilder, MIDNIGHT CURFEW by Penelope Douglas is available wherever audiobooks are sold.
Few tropes are as appealing to me as enemies-to-lovers. Something about people who should not be drawn to each other being unable to help it gets me every time. And I’m not the only one—there’s a reason this trope is one of the most popular in the romance genre. Even before our modern era, readers were helpless in the face of antagonism—Darcy and Elizabeth, anyone?
But there is more to the trope than cis heterosexual men and women. Queer enemies-to-lovers romance is thriving. Remember Red, White, and Royal Blue? Or if you don’t want to go that far back, look no further than Heated Rivalry. If you prefer your enemies-to-lovers queer, fear not: there is an abundance of riches for you. From enemy witches to teenagers fake-dating to two artists reluctantly sharing credit for their work, the books listed below will give you that sweet, sweet dopamine hit of being attracted to, and falling in love, despite enmity.
If We Were a Movie by Zakiya N. Jamal
Most of us have had a nemesis at some point, but most of us have been lucky enough to not have that person as our boss. Alas, that is precisely Rochelle’s problem.
But! Not everything is as it seems in this YA romance, and that includes the boss/nemesis in question, Amira. While the two grow closer, strange happenings begin to occur at the movie theater where they work that threaten its existence. Can they save their beloved workplace and fall in love?
Pirates of Aletharia (Lesbians, Pirates, and Dragons #1) by Britney Jackson
Emilia is in pursuit of vengeance. When she finds Captain Maria Wells, she discovers that Maria’s reputation for treachery is well-earned…as she quickly proves by tricking Emilia into her crew.
Emilia has every reason to despise her. So why can’t she get her out of her mind?
Her Spell that Binds Me (Her Spell Trilogy #1) by Luna Oblonsky
Ariadne comes from a family of magic users. Iona is not one, but they both possess tremendous amounts of magic, which threatens Ariadne’s plans. When the two compete to claim Morgan Le Fay’s mysterious pendant, all kinds of tensions arise.
Café con Lychee by Emery Lee
In this YA romance, Theo longs to escape Vermont. Gabi wants to take over his parents’ Puerto Rican bakery. When both of their dreams and their parents’ shops end up threatened by a new fusion café, the two begin to work together. But new feelings may uproot their dreams even more.
A Vow in Vengeance (Immortal Desires #1) by Jaclyn Rodriguez
Rune Ryker is done: the Immortals have taken enough. Driven by vengeance and the need to find her stolen family, Rune goes to the Immortal Realms, where she must live with Prince Draven. He’s the only person whose power rivals her own, but she only trusts him as far as she can throw him. But when he offers to teach her how to defend herself from those who wish her harm, dangerous secrets start to reveal themselves.
She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen
Enemies-to-lovers is already a winner. Add fake dating to the mix? Why, shut up and take my money.
This YA title sees Scottie and her nemesis Irene, who are forced to carpool together after a fender bender and their mother’s ensuing meddling. But when Scottie decides to bribe Irene to pretend to be her girlfriend and get back at her ex in the process, sparks begin to fly.
Outdrawn by Deanna Grey
Rivals since college, Noah and Sage weren’t expecting to work together. But now that the two artists are sharing credit for a cult classic comic, they’re spending a lot more time together—enough to spark some dormant feelings.
The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar
Childhood friends turned teen rivals, Nishat and Flávia compete to create their own businesses for a school project. There is one snag: they both start henna businesses, made worse because Flávia is appropriating Nishat’s culture. But there might be more to her than Nishat thinks.
If you can’t get enough of queer romance, why not check out the best queer romances of all time? Or perhaps you’d like more queer takes on classic tropes. If so, go right on ahead and take a look at these 12 queer fake dating books to fall for.
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