What Enemies to Lovers Romance Books Should I Read After Forbidden Crown?
If you just finished Forbidden Crown and you are sitting there staring at the ceiling wondering what to read next, I have to tell you — you are in exactly the right place. The best enemies to lovers romance books share a specific electricity that is almost impossible to describe until you feel it: two people who should never work, who resist each other with everything they have, and then fall so completely that the resistance itself becomes part of the love story. As USA Today Bestselling Author Victoria Pinder, I have written over 100 novels and the enemies-to-lovers thread runs through more of them than I can count — because honestly, I am obsessed with this trope and I do not think that is going to change anytime soon.
Why Does the Enemies to Lovers Trope Hit So Differently?
Okay I think about this a lot — like, genuinely, I have had entire conversations with my coffee mug at 2 AM trying to figure out why enemies to lovers is so addictive compared to every other romance trope. And here is what I keep coming back to: the conflict is internal AND external at the same time.
In a friends-to-lovers story, the obstacle is usually fear. In a second chance story, it is history. But in enemies to lovers, the hero and heroine are actively fighting themselves. Every moment they spend together is a choice to stay in the tension rather than resolve it. That is incredibly intimate, actually. Two people who could walk away and do not. That is a love story before the love story even starts.
When I was writing the Princes of Avce series, I kept thinking about what makes a royal enemies-to-lovers story different from every other version of the trope. And the answer I landed on was stakes. When your hero is a prince and your heroine has every reason in the world to despise everything he represents — his family, his title, his kingdom — and she falls for HIM, the man underneath all of that? That is something.
The fictional kingdom of Avce gave me the perfect playground for this. Twelve books, twelve different couples, twelve different versions of why two people who absolutely should not end up together… absolutely end up together.
The Princes of Avce Series: Royal Enemies to Lovers Done Right
I have to talk about this series first because it is where I think enemies to lovers and royal romance intersect in the most interesting way. The kingdom of Avce is fictional, which means I got to build the rules — and the rules I built created maximum tension for every single couple.
Forbidden Crown (Book 1) — Start Here, It Is Free
Forbidden Crown is the entry point into Avce and it is permanently free on all retailers — Apple Books, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Google Play, and more. I made it free on purpose because I knew that once you met this first couple, you would need the rest of the series immediately.
The hook in Forbidden Crown is the forbidden part — she should not want him, he cannot have her, the entire kingdom has an opinion about it, and neither of them cares as much as they are pretending to. That slow-burn tension is the whole book. I love it.
Get Forbidden Crown free on all retailers here.
Forbidden Marquis — The Contract Marriage Nobody Expected
Okay Rossie’s story is one I am genuinely proud of because I put her through it before I let her have anything good. She is left at the altar. In front of everyone. She gets on a plane to Paris with basically nothing and runs directly into Stefano — the forbidden Italian marchese who has a contract marriage proposal and absolutely no interest in doing things the easy way.
The enemies-to-lovers dynamic here works because Rossie comes in with her walls fully up. She is not going to fall for anyone. She just needs the contract to work. And Stefano is used to getting exactly what he wants, which means he is completely unprepared for a woman who will not be impressed by his title or his money.
That collision is everything. Read Forbidden Marquis on all retailers — Apple Books, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Google Play, and more.
The Full Princes of Avce Reading Order
Here is the reading order for the Princes of Avce series so you always know what comes next:
- Forbidden Crown — Free on all retailers
- Forbidden Prince
- Forbidden Duke
- Forbidden Earl
- Forbidden Count
- Forbidden Lord
- Forbidden King
- Forbidden Marquis
- Forbidden Monsieur
- Forbidden Noble
- Forbidden Bastard
- Forbidden Royal
DM me the word AVCE and I will send you the complete royal reading order with direct links to all retailer buy pages.
👉 Start the series now: Explore all Princes of Avce books on Apple Books, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Google Play, and more.
The Irresistibly Series: Enemies to Lovers With a Revenge Saga Twist
If the Princes of Avce series is enemies to lovers with royal stakes, the Irresistibly Brothers in Revenge Saga is enemies to lovers with a ticking clock and a stolen throne and honestly it might be the most high-tension thing I have ever written.
Here is the setup: the Bentley brothers are the rightful heirs to the throne of Hoskell. Their father the King was assassinated. Their assets were frozen. The Kirno conspiracy that took everything from them is still active, still dangerous, and still hunting them. Each of the seven brothers is fighting back in his own way — and finding love in the middle of a war they did not start.
I want to share a video I made about why this series grabbed me so completely, because honestly the backstory of how it came together is one of my favorite writing stories:
Eva and Jake: The Gold Standard of Enemies to Lovers
I have to be honest with you — Eva and Jake in Irresistibly Strong are the enemies-to-lovers pairing that I am most proud of in my entire catalog. And I have over 100 books. That is not a small statement.
Eva was hired to spy on Jake Bentley. That was the assignment. Get close to the man whose family is trying to reclaim a stolen throne, gather everything she could, report back to the people funding the conspiracy against them. Simple. Professional. No feelings.
Then she married him. For cover. Obviously.
The thing that makes Eva and Jake work as an enemies-to-lovers couple is that Eva is not a villain. She is a person who made a terrible choice for reasons she thought were good, and now she is in a fake marriage with a man who is genuinely, deeply good — and she has to keep lying to him while falling completely in love with him. That is psychological torment dressed up as romance and I am here for every page of it.
Trust me: start with Irresistibly Lost (the free prequel) and work your way through all seven brothers. You will not regret it.
Irresistibly Series Reading Order
- Irresistibly Lost — Free prequel on all retailers
- Irresistibly Found
- Irresistibly Charming — Also free on all retailers
- Irresistibly Tough
- Irresistibly Played
- Irresistibly Rugged
- Irresistibly Strong — Eva + Jake
- Irresistibly Dashing
Two of these books are free — Irresistibly Lost and Irresistibly Charming — both available on Apple Books, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Google Play, and more. DM me the word IRRESISTIBLY and I will send you the full series guide.
What Makes a Great Enemies to Lovers Romance in 2026?
Okay this is a question I get asked constantly — what separates a great enemies-to-lovers story from a mediocre one? I have written enough of them to have opinions about this. Strong opinions. Here is my honest answer:
| What Makes It Work | What Kills the Trope |
|---|---|
| The conflict has REAL stakes — not just a misunderstanding | Enemies who are actually just rude to each other for no reason |
| Both characters are smart and capable — one does not win every fight | One person being obviously terrible while the other suffers |
| The moment they fall is earned by the pages before it | Insta-love disguised as enemies to lovers |
| The tension shifts — from anger to something more complicated | Tension that never evolves past hostility |
| Both characters grow because of the conflict | One character unchanged by the end |
The reason the Princes of Avce series and the Irresistibly series both work — I think — is that the conflict is structural. It is not manufactured. Rossie has real reasons to mistrust every man with a title. Eva has real reasons she cannot tell Jake the truth. The world of the story creates the enemies-to-lovers dynamic, not a miscommunication or a rumor. That is what I am always aiming for when I write this trope.
More Enemies to Lovers Books From My Catalog You Need to Read
Okay I have over 100 novels and I would be doing you a disservice if I only told you about two series. Here are some other places in my catalog where the enemies-to-lovers tension is especially electric:
House of Morgan: Peter and Jennifer
Technically Peter and Jennifer across the House of Morgan series are not enemies exactly — but they are one of the most complicated, tension-filled love stories I have ever written. Twenty books. Twenty secrets. And at the center of all of it, two people who have every reason not to trust each other and keep finding each other anyway.
Jennifer Gonzales is a Hollywood star — former telenovela actress who became a household name despite everything Peter’s family did to hold her back. Her eggs were stolen. Twice. First by Peter’s father. Then by Peter’s wife. And she is still the most compelling, complex person in this entire world I have built. She is not the woman who loves Peter. She is the woman who is learning to trust herself — and Peter is the reward at the end of that journey.
Start with Secret Crush — it is permanently free on all retailers. Apple Books, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Google Play. DM me the word MORGAN for the complete 20-book reading order.
Steel Series: Secret Baby Tension That Reads Like Enemies to Lovers
The Steel Series is technically a secret baby series — pro athletes, fake marriages, power dynamics that crackle off the page. But the secret-keeping itself creates that same enemies-to-lovers energy. The hero thinks he knows exactly who this woman is. He is wrong. The reveal changes everything.
Rocking Player is the free entry point — grab it on Apple Books, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Google Play, and more. DM me the word STEEL for the full series list.
Tempting Series: Bodyguard Tension
Okay the Tempting Series is not enemies to lovers in the traditional sense but Olivia and Conner have a dynamic that will scratch every itch. She is the future Queen of Montina. He is the ex-Marine assigned to protect her. She does not want a bodyguard. He does not know how to take no for an answer when lives are at stake. That friction is delicious.
Where to Start If You Are New to My Books
I get this question constantly and I always give the same answer: start with a free book that matches your mood. Here is my quick guide:
- Royal enemies to lovers → Forbidden Crown — FREE on all retailers
- Revenge saga enemies to lovers → Irresistibly Lost — FREE on all retailers
- Billionaire dynasty with a 20-book saga → Secret Crush — FREE on all retailers
- Secret baby with pro athlete tension → Rocking Player — FREE on all retailers
- Action adventure romance → Hidden Gabriel — FREE on all retailers
All of these are permanently free on Apple Books, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Google Play, and more. You have no excuse not to start today. 😄
And if you want me to personally send you a curated reading list based on exactly what you love — DM me the word ENEMIES and I will send you my complete enemies-to-lovers book list from across all my series.
Or sign up for my newsletter and get a free book delivered straight to your inbox: Grab your free newsletter bonus book here.
Explore the full collection of enemies to lovers romance books by Victoria Pinder — available on all retailers worldwide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best enemies to lovers romance books to read in 2026?
The best enemies to lovers romance books in 2026 include the Princes of Avce series by USA Today Bestselling Author Victoria Pinder — starting with the free Forbidden Crown — and the Irresistibly Brothers in Revenge Saga, starting with the free prequel Irresistibly Lost. Both series feature high-stakes conflict, slow-burn tension, and deeply satisfying romantic payoffs. All books are available on Apple Books, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Google Play.
What is the enemies to lovers trope in romance novels?
The enemies to lovers trope features two characters who begin the story in opposition — whether as rivals, adversaries, or people with genuine conflicting goals — and gradually fall in love through forced proximity, emotional vulnerability, or shared stakes. The best versions of the trope give both characters real, structural reasons for their conflict rather than manufactured misunderstandings, so the eventual romance feels deeply earned.
Where should I start with the Princes of Avce series?
Start with Forbidden Crown, the first book in the Princes of Avce series by Victoria Pinder. It is permanently free on all retailers including Apple Books, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Google Play. The series follows billionaire royals from the fictional kingdom of Avce in fake marriages and forbidden romances across 12 books. DM Victoria the word AVCE for the complete reading order.
What is the Irresistibly series about?
The Irresistibly Brothers in Revenge Saga follows seven brothers — the Bentley family, rightful heirs to the throne of Hoskell — fighting to reclaim everything stolen from them after their father the King was assassinated. Each book follows one brother finding love while fighting the Kirno conspiracy. The centerpiece romance is Eva and Jake in Irresistibly Strong: she was hired to spy on him, married him for cover, and fell for the man she was sent to betray. Start with the free prequel Irresistibly Lost.
How many enemies to lovers books has Victoria Pinder written?
USA Today Bestselling Author Victoria Pinder has written over 100 novels, and the enemies to lovers trope — in forms including fake marriages, contract marriages, spy-to-lover setups, and forbidden royal pairings — runs through multiple series including the Princes of Avce (12 books), the Irresistibly Brothers in Revenge Saga (8 books including the prequel), the House of Morgan (20 books), and more. Multiple entry points are permanently free on all major retailers.
