On this Valentine's Day, may love overcome enmity

The enemies-to-lovers trope has been seducing audiences for years. The allure of two characters who can't stand one another but are thrown into a situation that requires them to work together through gritted teeth is heightened by exchanges of snark, smouldering chemistry, and simmering tensions that give way to unexpected heart-to-hearts that lead to softened emotions and love.

The trope has become something of a guilty pleasure in fan fiction spheres and TikTok, which have made it viral. Works centred on duelling couples who end up falling for each other have found ready audiences. One such work is Thea Guanzon's The Hurricane Wars, which was born out of fanfic that ships opposing Star Wars characters Rey and Kylo Ren.

"Love and hate are two very intense emotions that can often be mistakenly interchanged," writes Sara Kabir in The Daily Star. "We all have an innate desire to be loved for who we really are, flaws included. Enemies-to-lovers reflects that desire, showing us that another person can love them and accept them for all they are despite their flaws." Such stories, Kabir adds, "lets us dream of a world where love can fix all conflicts."

The current state of the world suggests that love is sorely lacking, and wouldn't it be great if all the world needs is a bit more love? With that in mind, we'd like to suggest a few reads in the enemies-to-lovers genre that might help with spreading a bit of that hope as we approach the Valentine season. Some of these are the first books in a series and if you liked them, there's more in store.

From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Blue Box Press
9781952457012

Poppy, annointed as the Maiden of her kingdom, awaits the day of her Ascension, which will determine the kingdom's future. But underneath the cultivated poise of one who is chosen is a desire for more, and it is awakened by Hawke, her new amber-eyed bodyguard. As Hawke pushes her buttons and gets on her nerves, a fallen kingdom stirs and the spectre of war looms – not the best time for a budding romance between a Maiden and her bodyguard.

The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen
Context Literary Agency LLC
9781733090315

Lara is a princess who is raised as an assassin to be married off to the wicked king of the Bridge Kingdom, said to impoverish its neighbours by monopolising trade. Her upbringing, however, also instills the princess with the desire for freedom. Completing her mission will be difficult, but not for reasons one might think. Her new husband, King Aren, is not the monster she was led to believe, nor the Bridge Kingdom deserving of destruction. But caught between love and duty, Lara has to choose one and sacrifice the other.

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
Wednesday Books
9781250857439

Young Iris Winnow's family is barely holding on. There's a war going on between gods and her brother off fighting in it. Her mother is battling addiction, and she has a rival for a columnist's job at the paper she's working in. To cope, Iris writes to her brother but the letters end up in the hands of her rival: fellow journalist Roman Kitt. Seeing this side of a girl who dislikes him, Kitt writes her back anonymously. How will this change things between them?

The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller
Feiwel and Friends
9781250189967

Tired of playing second fiddle to her sister, Alessandra Stathos schemes to obtain power by marrying the infamous Shadow King and then murder him and take his kingdom for herself. Nevertheless, vain and villainous Alessandra's goal won't be a waltz down the aisle, as she's not the only one who wants the Shadow King dead. But as she strives to keep him alive until the nuptials, will her heart give way?

The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski
Farrar, Straus & Giroux
9781408858202

Kestrel, a general's daughter in a vast empire that loves war and enslaves their conquered, has two choices: join the military or get married. Kestrel, however, wants to make music, a preposterous notion in a militant empire. Conquerors enjoy music, they don't make it. But an impulse to buy a slave leads her into more trouble than she's ready for, not least her growing feelings for the abrasive slave, Arin. But Arin has his own secrets, and it eventually dawns on Kestrel that her sudden purchase might have been a bad bet...

The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson
Square Fish
9781250063151

The House of Morrighan is steeped in tradition but its princess, Lia, isn't happy with arranged political marriages with strangers, like hers. So, in the tradition of headstrong leading ladies in some stories, she runs away on the morning of her wedding and lives incognito in a village. Her rural halcyon days don't last as who should come a-calling but an assassin, and the guy she left at the altar, both of whom Lia finds attractive. And there's also the question of Lia, who may not be aware of the surprise she's hiding...

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
Little, Brown
9780316310314

As a child, Jude's parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were abducted and taken to the realm of the faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants to belong there, even though she's mortal. So maybe getting embroiled in faerie intrigues isn't the best way to fit in, especially when calls are growing for the High King of the Faerie to retire. Among the candidates for the next High King is Prince Cardan, perhaps the worst of the fae Jude has ever seen. But the fae realm is in trouble, and Jude has to muster all her cunning to be as bad as the baddest fae to save the realm and her sisters.

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh
Putnam Publishing Group
9780399171611

In this interpretation of Arabian Nights, Khalid, the young Caliph of Khorasan, takes a new bride each day only to have them killed. One of these unfortunates is Shahrzad's friend and she vows vengeance. Volunteering as the Caliph's next bride, Shahrzad stays alive by telling him stories day after day. With each passing day, however, Shahrzad gets to know and eventually comes to love Khalid. This complicates her quest for revenge, but could there be a reason behind the deaths of the Caliph's brides?

Even if there's not enough love in the world to fix everything that's wrong with it, we hope you'll love these picks and that we can continue to make your world a little better with our collection of titles.

Happy reading!