Enemies to Love stories are some of my favorites. I love reading as characters walk that long between two equally strong emotions: love and hate. As I’ve been writing an enemies to love story (Dancing with Dandelion, the final book in the Bloom Sisters Series), I’ve discovered this particular storyline comes with its own set of challenges, especially in Christian Romance. Afterall, we are called to love our neighbor — and 1 John says whoever hates their brother walks in darkness! Whoa.
So how can I write a story where the hero and heroine hate each other at the start? As an author, I don’t want either of them to be inherently “unlikeable.” The flaw that the other character despises in them can’t be something so terrible that the reader won’t root for them to be together!
When I started thinking about Andi (aka Dandelion, but only if you want to feel her wrath) and Ross, I had to decide why they immediately clash. Andi is a Sergeant Major in the Army. She’s an expert in her field and used to having her opinion valued and her orders followed. But after 20 years in the service, she is ready for something different, and goes back to Bloom’s Farm to act as the head of security and open a martial arts dojo nearby.
Ross McClain, on the other hand, is still very much in the trenches of life as a Secret Service Agent. He’s used to having his orders followed and his opinion valued by his team leader. He’s very much in control of his actions, his environment, and his body as an avid student of martial arts.
Turns out – when I started to write these two characters, it wasn’t so much that either of them was particularly unlikeable. But they are similar enough — and stubborn enough — to clash when it comes to almost anything.
I’m still in the throes of letting them tell me exactly how these two strong leaders learn to compromise and admit the tension they feel isn’t always as much on the dislike side of the line as they might insist!
Andi and Ross won’t get their story told until January, so until then — if this is a storyline you like, here are some books with enemies to love that I’ve enjoyed!
![Short Sighted: Interracial Enemies to Lovers Christian Romance (The Buchanans Book 4) by [Rose Fresquez]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41wzCcNx5cL.jpg)
Rose Fresquez – Short Sighted
She needs a job. Her enemy is hiring.
These two characters have to put the past behind them to achieve a common goal — a perfect formula for turning enemies into true loves!
Elizabeth Maddrey – So You Love to Hate Your Boss
She doesn’t pull her punches. He never needs to throw one. Can these opposites cooperate long enough to fall in love?
I can always count on Elizabeth to handle a tough storyline in a grace-filled way. I loved watching these two characters discover they weren’t actually as different as they once thought.
![The Trouble With Love: Faith & Fortune 1 by [Toni Shiloh]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41PQbo0uOqL.jpg)
Toni Shiloh – The Trouble With Love
Holiday Brown has everything — including a thorn in her side in the form of her best friend’s brother. I loved watching her reevaluate her opinions about the man she can’t stop thinking about!
Jessie Gussman – The Cowboy’s Enemy
Enemies to Love is a great story to combine with a second-chance romance, and Jessie Gussman does it perfectly in this one!
What about you — do you like to read about two people who butt heads or misjudge eachother, only to realize they really have far deeper feelings? Drop some enemies to love stories in the comments if you’ve got them, and tell me why you like this storyline or if it’s not for you!
Tara Grace Ericson lives in Missouri with her husband and two sons. She studied engineering and worked as an engineer for many years before embracing her creative side to become a full-time author. She loves cooking, crocheting, and reading books by the dozen. Her writing partner is usually her black lab - Ruby - and a good cup of coffee or tea. She loves a good “happily ever after” with an engaging love story. That’s why Tara focuses on writing clean contemporary romance, with an emphasis on Christian faith and living.
These are some of my favorite stories too!
Hi Tara! Enjoyed reading Elizabeth Maddrey’s So You Love to Hate Your Boss. Depends on my mood whether I like this storyline. Presently I am reading more historical fiction. Best wishes.
It depends on the story .
Pride and Prejudice! :-D It’s the gold standard for enemies to love.
Enemies to love is not only fun for me for the dialogue or “witty banter”, but also because it’s fun to see the journey of when their feelings start to change (mainly because they start getting to know the other person better).
I love Rose Fresquez and Jessie Gussman! Adding your other recs to my TBR ;) One I recently read and enjoyed was My Own Best Enemy by Julie Christianson.
I love this trope! Thanks for mentioning mine. I’m off to fill up my TBR on the two I haven’t read yet. :)
Yay! They are so fun.
I could see how being in the right mood makes a difference. Elizabeth’s was really good!
I agree! I don’t want to read about people who are mean to each other – that ruins the character for me.
100%
I’ve been meaning to reread it for about two years and haven’t gotten to it!
Thanks for the rec! I will check it out.
I love the witty banter, too – and the way feelings change when they get to know each other.
I usually don’t read them but I love everyone’s books here so I need to put some of them mentioned in the post, including P&P which I have never read. The line between love and hard is so hard for an author to cross successfully.
It’s one of my three favorite tropes.
Thanks for the mention of Short Sighted. I loved reading Toni Shiloh’s Trouble with Love. I’ll havr to add yhe Cowboy’s Enemy on my TBR
It’s one of my three favorite tropes.
Thanks for the mention of Short Sighted. I loved reading Toni Shiloh’s Trouble with Love. I’ll have to add the Cowboy’s Enemy on my TBR
I do enjoy an enemies to love story.
I really enjoy the enemies to love trope, I think because so often we dislike people because of perceptions more than reality. I enjoy reading stories where both characters grow and learn to view their enemy in a different light.
I do like this trope!!! I loved Rose and Elizabeth’s books! I admit, I have read the others. I know I’ve read others, but right now, I can’t name them!
Besides a few tropes (secret baby) Most of the time I don’t even think on the trope when reading the book. I know I have read enemy to love before but I cant think of them right now or the story. I know some would be where they but heads and a couple were more because of a family feud situation or wrong side of the tracks but I don’t actually go for tropes (unless secret baby which I will often avoid).
But the story you are writing sounds interesting and I would read the blurb and think I like the sound of this book. I guess I didn’t know I was meant to work out what the trope is in a book (until a year or so ago I didn’t even know what a trope was).
I think that the characters can be both strong and become enemies because of this. Love watching them grow closer.
Yes, I do enjoy finding that the problem between them really is not something that happened or was a misunderstanding. I cannot think of any stories off the top of my head. Thank you so much for sharing. God bless you.
Hi, Tara!
Enemies to love is not a trope I look for but I have enjoyed several stories in that style recently. Elizabeth Maddrey’s Billionaire one, of course, and also one of the clean but not inspirational variety by Hanna Hart called “Marriage of Convenience at the Cowboy Billionaire Ranch”. No, I’m serious. On top of all the tropes in the title alone, the theme of enemies to love is central to the story. It’s part of a sibling series.
I guess what makes the concept workable for me is the idea that the opposite of love isn’t hate, it’s indifference. There can be many ways to have two characters look at each other with negative tones: authority challenges, competition, bad history, third party manipulation, stubborn pride, etc.
I’m currently finishing up the Main Street Minden series (one more to go) and have been working my way through the Bloom siblings (Poppy is next) and I have Andi on pre-order. :-)
Looking forward to it!
As someone already said “Pride and Prejudice” lol a classic.
I really like this trope not in Christian romance but as a teenager I read some fantasy stories where the boy tried to kill the girl the first time he met her because of a misunderstanding! (fantasy world … ahem … not ours is justifiable hahaha).
I also always wonder how it would have ended if Harry Potter was a girl … a part of me knows that I would have “shipped” her with Draco and not with Ron xD. I also blame the anime … they use that trope a lot like in Sakura Card Captor.
What I like is when the trope is love / hate they go from hating / disliking each other to being allies or friends then almost best friends and once things have smoothed out without losing the spark they are a couple.
The problem with western books is that they go from yelling / hating to kissing while still hating … that doesn’t convince me. I think being a Christian does not exempt you from “hating” someone or making you disliked very much … imagine an ex-bully who turns to Christ and then meets the girl who made life miserable in high school: you have your romance love / hate served.
PS: I like you by Kasie West is a youthful romance clean of enemies to really sweet lovers that captures very well how misconceptions make the girl perceive the really sweet guy in the wrong way.
I love those type of books
I enjoy those type
No problem! It was a great story!
There are some talented authors in InspyRomance who have cross that line well! I’m so glad I get to learn from them!
It’s one of my favorites, too. I’m surprised it took me this long to write one!
Yay! I hope you’ll check out some of the ones I mentioned.
Great point! It’s a great storyline for growth and lessons about not judging people!
I had a hard time when coming up with the list – sometimes it’s hard to keep all the books straight in our head!
I think authors usually pay more attention to tropes than readers do, I think before I became a writer I was drawn to certain storylines but I probably wouldn’t have been able to say exactly why… but I was gravitating to my favorite tropes without realizing it!
And secret baby is one I struggle with, too!
Men too! It’s a great storyline for growth and transformation.
It’s definitely a different dynamic when the conflict is rooted in their personality or character traits, isn’t it?
My pastor mentioned that this past week – “the opposite of love is indifference” – I don’t think I had ever thought of that before, but it’s totally true!
Thanks for reading the Minden Series and working your way through the Bloom sisters! I hope you are enjoying them!
Hah! Great point about “shipping” with Draco – I probably would have done the same!
I agree about romances where they have a physical relationship while their emotions are still negative. It makes no sense!
The Cowboy’s Enemy was so much fun! Especially the worm scene ;)
I do like enemies to love, Tara. I like storylines where I get to watch God soften characters until they realize they’re meant to be.