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Best of · Enemies to lovers dark romance

Enemies to lovers booksHate first, then something worse than hate, ranked

Two people who'd happily watch the other fall, right up until they can't look away. That's enemies to lovers, the oldest tension romance has. In the dark version, the war is often real. This list runs the full range, fae courts and dragon riders to campus feuds and crime families, with one book per author.

The ones here keep the war going long enough that the turn costs something.

How this list works: these are the 12 most-rated books on Goodreads among our library's enemies to lovers shelf, scored dark (3 of 5) or darker, with a cap per author and series so one name does not take over. Spice and darkness are our scores out of 5. Every blurb sticks to what our book pages say.

The enemies to lovers books, ranked

  1. 1.A Court of Thorns and Roses

    Sarah J. Maas

    Spice 3/5 · Darkness 3/5 · Trigger warnings

    Enemies to lovers with fae romance, dark romantasy and morally grey heroes on top. Hot spice, darkness 3 of 5 (dark): harm is part of the romance, not a footnote. Book 1 of A Court of Thorns and Roses. Shelf-level flags, not yet verified for this book: graphic torture, sexual assault and gore. The most-rated book on this list.

  2. 2.Fourth Wing

    Rebecca Yarros

    Spice 3/5 · Darkness 3/5 · Trigger warnings

    Also on the shelf as dark romantasy, dark fantasy romance and war romance. Darkness 3 of 5 (dark), spice 3 of 5 (hot). Book 1 of The Empyrean. Ends on a cliffhanger, so have the next one ready. Heaviest flags are moderate: violence, bullying and murder.

  3. 3.The Cruel Prince

    Holly Black

    Spice 1/5 · Darkness 3/5 · Trigger warnings

    Enemies to lovers with fae romance, dark fantasy romance and morally grey heroes on top. Spice: embers. Darkness: dark. Book 1 of The Folk of the Air. Shelf-level flags, not yet verified for this book: graphic torture, trafficking and gore.

  4. 4.From Blood and Ash

    Jennifer L. Armentrout

    Spice 3/5 · Darkness 3/5 · Trigger warnings

    Also on the shelf as dark romantasy, dark fantasy romance and vampire romance. Hot spice, darkness 3 of 5 (dark): harm is part of the romance, not a footnote. Book 1 of Blood and Ash. Ends on a cliffhanger, so have the next one ready. Shelf-level flags, not yet verified for this book: graphic torture, trafficking and sexual assault.

  5. 5.The Serpent & the Wings of Night

    Carissa Broadbent

    Spice 3/5 · Darkness 3/5 · Trigger warnings

    Enemies to lovers with dark romantasy, vampire romance and dark fantasy romance on top. Darkness 3 of 5 (dark), spice 3 of 5 (hot). Book 1 of Crowns of Nyaxia. Graphic on the page: torture, trafficking and sexual assault.

  6. 6.Credence

    Penelope Douglas

    Spice 4/5 · Darkness 4/5 · Trigger warnings

    Also on the shelf as bully romance, secret society romance and morally grey heroes. Spice: explicit. Darkness: pitch. A standalone. Graphic on the page: sexual assault and dubious consent.

  7. 7.Birthday Girl

    Penelope Douglas

    Spice 4/5 · Darkness 4/5 · Trigger warnings

    Enemies to lovers with bully romance, secret society romance and morally grey heroes on top. Explicit spice, darkness 4 of 5 (pitch): bleak on purpose. Comfort is not the job. A standalone. Heaviest flags are moderate: abuse, obsession and cheating.

  8. 8.Punk 57

    Penelope Douglas

    Spice 4/5 · Darkness 4/5 · Trigger warnings

    Also on the shelf as bully romance, secret society romance and morally grey heroes. Darkness 4 of 5 (pitch), spice 4 of 5 (explicit). A standalone. Graphic on the page: sexual assault.

  9. 9.The Sweetest Oblivion

    Danielle Lori

    Spice 4/5 · Darkness 3/5 · Trigger warnings

    Enemies to lovers with mafia dark romance, arranged marriage and morally grey heroes on top. Spice: explicit. Darkness: dark. Book 1 of Made. Shelf-level flags, not yet verified for this book: moderate blackmail and murder.

  10. 10.Alchemised

    SenLinYu

    Spice 3/5 · Darkness 5/5 · Trigger warnings

    Also on the shelf as dark fantasy romance, captive romance and war romance. Hot spice, darkness 5 of 5 (no light): the book is not interested in pulling the punch. A standalone. Shelf-level flags, not yet verified for this book: graphic torture, non-consent and sexual assault.

  11. 11.A Shadow in the Ember

    Jennifer L. Armentrout

    Spice 3/5 · Darkness 3/5 · Trigger warnings

    Enemies to lovers with dark romantasy, dark fantasy romance and vampire romance on top. Darkness 3 of 5 (dark), spice 3 of 5 (hot). Book 1 of Flesh and Fire. Shelf-level flags, not yet verified for this book: graphic torture, trafficking and sexual assault.

  12. 12.Daughter of No Worlds

    Carissa Broadbent

    Spice 3/5 · Darkness 3/5 · Trigger warnings

    Also on the shelf as dark romantasy, vampire romance and dark fantasy romance. Spice: hot. Darkness: dark. Book 1 of The War of Lost Hearts. Graphic on the page: torture, trafficking and sexual assault.

They actually hate each other

No smouldering looks across the room on page one. These two want each other gone, and the hate is real.

  1. 1.The Cruel Prince

    Holly Black

    Spice 1/5 · Darkness 3/5 · Trigger warnings

    Jude is a mortal in a faerie court, and Prince Cardan makes her life hell. Barely any spice, but the hate is real.

    What readers say: Reviewers say Jude and Cardan genuinely despise each other, and the hostility is violent, not banter.

    Sources: Let Them Read Cake review, Goodreads discussion

  2. 2.Feathers So Vicious

    Liv Zander

    Spice 5/5 · Darkness 5/5 · Trigger warnings

    Malyr hates Galantia for her father, the man who tortured him, and he takes it out on her.

    What readers say: Reviewers call it real hatred driven by revenge.

    Sources: A Turn of Page review, Good Girl Reads review

  3. 3.Crown of Oaths and Curses

    J. Bree

    Spice 3/5 · Darkness 3/5 · Trigger warnings

    Rooke and Soren loathe each other, and each other's people.

    What readers say: Readers warn that book one has almost no romance and ends on a cliffhanger.

    Sources: DG Reads review, r/fantasyromance thread

  4. 4.Alchemised

    SenLinYu

    Spice 3/5 · Darkness 5/5 · Trigger warnings

    Kaine holds Helena captive, and they're on opposite sides of a war.

    What readers say: Reviewers describe a hostile, coercive start and disagree on whether the romance works.

    Sources: BEFOREWEGO review, The Review Geek

  5. 5.Corrupt

    Penelope Douglas

    Spice 4/5 · Darkness 4/5 · Trigger warnings

    Michael and the Horsemen blame Rika for their years in prison, and they're coming back for her.

    What readers say: Reviewers say it's built on revenge for the time the men spent in prison.

    Sources: The Editor Reads review, Book Lancer review

More enemies to lovers books

Read the warnings first

Every pick links to its own warning page, and the trigger warnings A to Z explains every flag we use. Browse the whole enemies to lovers shelf for everything we have tagged, or filter the library by spice and darkness.

Questions readers actually ask

What is the best enemies to lovers book?

On this list A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas comes first: it is the most-rated enemies to lovers book in our library, at spice 3/5 and darkness 3/5. Fourth Wing and The Cruel Prince come next.

What is the spiciest enemies to lovers book here?

Credence by Penelope Douglas, at spice 4/5 (explicit). Birthday Girl and Punk 57 sit at the same level.

Is there a less dark enemies to lovers book?

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas is the lightest here at darkness 3/5 (dark): harm is part of the romance, not a footnote.

Do these enemies to lovers books have trigger warnings?

Yes. 9 of the 12 carry at least one graphic-level flag on their book pages, most often sexual assault and torture. Every pick links to its own warning page, which says whether the flags are verified from the author's notes or still shelf-level. Check the author's own list as well.

How is this list ranked?

By how many readers have rated each book on Goodreads, among the books in our library tagged enemies to lovers. We cap how many books one author or series gets so the list is not one name. Spice and darkness are our own scores out of 5.

Questions

What are the best enemies to lovers books?

Depends what you're after. For fantasy, most readers start with A Court of Thorns and Roses or Fourth Wing. For something closer to home, Credence. Every pick here shows spice, darkness and warnings.

Are enemies to lovers books always dark?

Not even close. Plenty are romantasy or contemporary with real bite and nothing heavy underneath. The darkness score on each card tells you which kind you've got.

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