Enemies to Lovers Books

They start out wanting each other dead, or at least gone. The fun is in watching that turn into something else, slowly or all at once.

Spiciest here: Corrupt. Darkest: Does It Hurt?.

Last updated

We may earn a commission when you buy through links on this page. It doesn't change what we recommend. How we make money.

The books

  1. A Court of Thorns and Roses

    Sarah J. Maas · A Court of Thorns and Roses #1

    Spice 3/5 Darkness 3/5

    Beauty and the Beast with fae and a lot more blood. The first half is slow and the second half under the mountain is why everyone kept going. Book two is where it gets good, honestly.

    • Fae
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Fairy Tale Retellings
    • Curses
    Content warnings

    Graphic violence, Torture, Murder, Dubious or non-consent

  2. Fourth Wing

    Rebecca Yarros · The Empyrean #1

    Spice 3/5 Darkness 3/5

    Violet is fragile and was supposed to be a scribe. Instead she's at a war college where cadets push each other off parapets and the dragons pick who lives. Fast, bingeable and meaner than the cover suggests.

    • Dragons
    • Academies and War Colleges
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Forced Proximity
    Content warnings

    Graphic violence, Murder, War, Death of a loved one

  3. From Blood and Ash

    Jennifer L. Armentrout · Blood and Ash #1

    Spice 4/5 Darkness 3/5

    Poppy is the Maiden, veiled and untouchable, and her new guard Hawke is far too interested in her. Very talky, very horny, and the twist lands if you don't see it coming.

    • Vampires
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Forbidden Love
    • Morally Gray
    Content warnings

    Graphic violence, Murder, Physical or emotional abuse, Kidnapping

  4. The Cruel Prince

    Holly Black · The Folk of the Air #1 · complete series

    Spice 0/5 Darkness 3/5

    A mortal girl raised in Faerie after the man who murdered her parents adopted her. Jude wants power, Cardan wants her gone, and nobody in this court is nice. No spice, all knives.

    • Fae
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Court Intrigue
    • Morally Gray
    Content warnings

    Graphic violence, Murder, Physical or emotional abuse, Death of a loved one

  5. The Serpent and the Wings of Night

    Carissa Broadbent · Crowns of Nyaxia #1

    Spice 3/5 Darkness 4/5

    A human girl raised by the vampire king enters a deadly tournament where the prize is a goddess's favor. Hunger Games energy, gorgeous writing and a rival who's very hard not to like.

    • Vampires
    • Deadly Trials
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Gods and Mythology
    Content warnings

    Graphic violence, Gore, Physical or emotional abuse, Death of a loved one

  6. Corrupt

    Penelope Douglas · Devil's Night #1 · complete series

    Spice 5/5 Darkness 4/5

    Her fiancé's older brother and his friends just got out of prison, and they blame her for putting them there. Devil's Night pranks, revenge and the book that set off a whole wave of masked-men dark romance.

    • Revenge
    • Stalker Romance
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Possessive Hero
    Content warnings

    Dubious or non-consent, Stalking, Kidnapping, Graphic violence

  7. Quicksilver

    Callie Hart · Fae & Alchemy #1

    Spice 4/5 Darkness 3/5

    Saeris is a thief who touches the wrong thing and gets hauled into the fae realm by a very rude fae warrior. Long, crude in a fun way and properly spicy once it gets there.

    • Fae
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Forced Proximity
    • Morally Gray
    Content warnings

    Graphic violence, Gore, Murder

  8. A Broken Blade

    Melissa Blair · The Halfling Saga #1 · complete series

    Spice 2/5 Darkness 3/5

    Keera is the King's Blade, a half-fae spy who drinks to forget what she's done for a human king. Hunting a rebel called the Shadow drags her back toward the fae lands she abandoned. Indigenous-inspired and slower than the hype. Readers rate the first two books highest.

    • Assassins
    • Fae
    • Court Intrigue
    • Enemies to Lovers
    Content warnings

    Self-harm, Suicide or suicidal thoughts, Drug or alcohol abuse, Murder, Sexual assault

  9. A Court This Cruel and Lovely

    Stacia Stark · Kingdom of Lies #1 · complete series

    Spice 3/5 Darkness 2/5

    Prisca has hidden her magic her whole life. Then a fae prince turns up who needs exactly that, with a curse sitting in the middle of it. Clear ACOTAR comp and a fine one to read next.

    • Fae
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Deals and Bargains
    • Forced Proximity
    Content warnings

    Graphic violence, Physical or emotional abuse

  10. A Cursed Kiss

    Jenny Hickman · Myths of Airren #1 · complete series

    Spice 2/5 Darkness 2/5

    Keelynn's sister died from a Gancanagh's cursed kiss, so she teams up with a witch and the half-fae Tadhg to bring her back. Irish folklore all the way down. There's a lot of miscommunication, but Tadhg carries it.

    • Fae
    • Curses
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Morally Gray
    Content warnings

    Death of a loved one, Murder, Graphic violence

  11. A Dawn of Onyx

    Kate Golden · The Sacred Stones #1

    Spice 3/5 Darkness 2/5

    A healer gets caught fleeing her village and ends up working in the enemy king's castle, and yes, the brooding commander is more than he looks. If you've read ACOTAR, you'll know exactly where this is going, and that's sort of the point.

    • Captor and Captive
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Forced Proximity
    • Slow Burn
    Content warnings

    War, Graphic violence

  12. A Deadly Education

    Naomi Novik · The Scholomance #1 · complete series

    Spice 0/5 Darkness 3/5

    El is at a magic school with no teachers, where monsters crawl out of the drains and a chunk of every class dies before graduation. She's also prophesied to destroy the world. Her grumpy voice carries the whole thing.

    • Academies and War Colleges
    • Dark Academia
    • Deadly Trials
    • Enemies to Lovers
    Content warnings

    Graphic violence, Gore, Death of a loved one

  13. A Promise of Fire

    Amanda Bouchet · The Kingmaker Chronicles #1 · complete series

    Spice 3/5 Darkness 2/5

    Cat is a soothsayer hiding in a traveling circus until Griffin, a warlord, figures out what she can do and carries her off. The Greek gods meddle constantly. Banter-heavy and steamy, and Griffin is an alpha who actually listens.

    • Gods and Mythology
    • Captor and Captive
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Forced Proximity
    Content warnings

    Kidnapping, Graphic violence, Physical or emotional abuse

  14. A River Enchanted

    Rebecca Ross · Elements of Cadence #1 · complete series

    Spice 0/5 Darkness 2/5

    Jack Tamerlaine comes home to the isle of Cadence after ten years away to help find missing girls, called back by the heiress who used to torment him. The island's spirits of wind, water and earth are the Fair Folk in all but name. Quiet and atmospheric.

    • Slow Burn
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Fae
    Content warnings

    Kidnapping, Death of a loved one

  15. A Shadow in the Ember

    Jennifer L. Armentrout · Flesh and Fire #1 · complete series

    Spice 4/5 Darkness 3/5

    Sera was raised to seduce and kill the Primal of Death, who was promised her as a bride and then never came to collect. When Nyktos finally shows up, the plan gets messy fast. Long and repetitive in the middle, and a prequel world for Blood and Ash readers.

    • Gods and Mythology
    • Arranged Marriage
    • Assassins
    • Enemies to Lovers
    Content warnings

    Graphic violence, Physical or emotional abuse, Murder

  16. Brutal Prince

    Sophie Lark · Brutal Birthright #1 · complete series

    Spice 4/5 Darkness 2/5

    Aida Gallo burns down part of the Griffin family's house, so Callum Griffin gets her as a wife to keep the Chicago peace. She is a gremlin and it's a delight. Mafia-lite, lots of banter, a good first mafia book.

    • Mafia
    • Arranged Marriage
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Possessive Hero
    Content warnings

    Graphic violence, Murder, Kidnapping

  17. Children of Blood and Bone

    Tomi Adeyemi · Legacy of Orïsha #1 · complete series

    Spice 1/5 Darkness 3/5

    The king wiped out the maji and stripped the magic from the land when Zélie was a kid. Now she has a chance to bring it back, with the king's daughter along and his son hunting them. West African-inspired quest with a lot of grief under it.

    • Forbidden Love
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Gods and Mythology
    Content warnings

    Genocide, Torture, Graphic violence, Death of a loved one

  18. Court of Ruins

    Jenna Wolfhart · The Fallen Fae #1 · complete series

    Spice 3/5 Darkness 2/5

    Reyna Darragh would rather swing a sword than smile at court, but a political marriage could end the war faster than her blade ever will. A short, steamy KU fae romance that doesn't waste your time.

    • Fae
    • Arranged Marriage
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Court Intrigue
    Content warnings

    Graphic violence, War

  19. Deviant King

    Rina Kent · Royal Elite #1 · complete series

    Spice 4/5 Darkness 3/5

    Aiden King decides Elsa is his target at their elite British prep school, and he is relentless about it. A bully romance with a buried childhood mystery underneath. Early Rina Kent, so tamer than her college books but still dub-con heavy.

    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Possessive Hero
    • Revenge
    • Morally Gray
    Content warnings

    Dubious or non-consent, Harm to children, Physical or emotional abuse

  20. Divine Rivals

    Rebecca Ross · Letters of Enchantment #1 · complete series

    Spice 1/5 Darkness 2/5

    Iris and Roman are rival reporters at the same paper while a war between two gods creeps toward their city. She types letters to her missing brother on a magic typewriter, and someone writes back. Soft, sad and very You've Got Mail.

    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Slow Burn
    • Gods and Mythology
    Content warnings

    War, Death of a loved one, Drug or alcohol abuse

  21. Does It Hurt?

    H.D. Carlton · standalone

    Spice 5/5 Darkness 5/5

    Sawyer is a con artist on the run, and Enzo Vitale is the man she tries to steal from. Then things go very wrong for both of them. Less stalker than Haunting Adeline, but the backstories are brutal, so read the warning list first.

    • Captor and Captive
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Morally Gray
    • Possessive Hero
    Content warnings

    Harm to children, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Torture, Murder

  22. Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries

    Heather Fawcett · Emily Wilde #1 · complete series

    Spice 0/5 Darkness 1/5

    Emily is a prickly Cambridge professor who goes to a frozen northern village to study the local Folk, and her charming, lazy rival Wendell Bambleby invites himself along. Told through her field journal. Cozy and very funny, with real faerie menace underneath.

    • Fae
    • Slow Burn
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Deals and Bargains
    Content warnings

    Kidnapping

  23. Faebound

    Saara El-Arifi · Faebound #1 · complete series

    Spice 2/5 Darkness 3/5

    Two elven sisters, a disgraced soldier and a fortune teller, get exiled and stumble into the fae everyone said were extinct. The main romance is sapphic.

    • Fae
    • Forbidden Love
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Court Intrigue
    Content warnings

    War, Graphic violence, Death of a loved one

  24. Fortuna Sworn

    K.J. Sutton · Fortuna Sworn #1 · complete series

    Spice 3/5 Darkness 4/5

    Fortuna is a Nightmare who can see the fears of anyone she touches, and when her brother goes missing she ends up a prisoner of the Unseelie Court. Getting out costs her something very fae. Bleak, messy, and the love interest debate is half the fun.

    • Fae
    • Captor and Captive
    • Deals and Bargains
    • Morally Gray
    Content warnings

    Physical or emotional abuse, Torture, Kidnapping, Human trafficking, Graphic violence

  25. Frost

    C.N. Crawford · Frost and Nectar #1 · complete series

    Spice 4/5 Darkness 2/5

    Torin, the icy Seelie king, needs a queen to save his kingdom and holds a deadly competition to pick one, and a sarcastic human woman with nothing to lose ends up in it. The Bachelor with fae and frostbite. Quick, snarky and steamy.

    • Fae
    • Deadly Trials
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Arranged Marriage
    Content warnings

    Graphic violence, Murder

  26. Gideon the Ninth

    Tamsyn Muir · The Locked Tomb #1

    Spice 0/5 Darkness 3/5

    Lesbian necromancers in space solving murders in a haunted palace. Gideon is a swordswoman with a meme for every occasion. Confusing for 100 pages, then you're hooked.

    • Deadly Trials
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Gods and Mythology
    Content warnings

    Gore, Murder, Harm to children, Suicide or suicidal thoughts

  27. Gild

    Raven Kennedy · The Plated Prisoner #1 · complete series

    Spice 2/5 Darkness 4/5

    Auren is King Midas's gilded favorite, living in an actual birdcage and calling it love. Then raiders grab her on the road and a fae commander named Rip becomes her problem. Gild is slow and mostly setup. Glint is where the series takes off.

    • Captor and Captive
    • Fae
    • Slow Burn
    • Morally Gray
    Content warnings

    Sexual assault, Human trafficking, Physical or emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Murder

  28. God of Malice

    Rina Kent · Legacy of Gods #1 · complete series

    Spice 5/5 Darkness 5/5

    Killian is a psychopath at a university on a private island, and Glyndon catches his eye. Rina Kent goes full throttle. People either love it or DNF it.

    • Stalker Romance
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Possessive Hero
    • Dark Academia
    Content warnings

    Dubious or non-consent, Stalking, Graphic violence, Suicide or suicidal thoughts

  29. Heartless Hunter

    Kristen Ciccarelli · The Crimson Moth #1 · complete series

    Spice 1/5 Darkness 2/5

    A witch rescuing other witches from the gallows fake-dates the hunter tracking her down. Both are lying about everything. Twisty and quick.

    • Witches
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Forbidden Love
    • Court Intrigue
    Content warnings

    Graphic violence, Murder, Death of a loved one

  30. King of Battle and Blood

    Scarlett St. Clair · Adrian x Isolde #1

    Spice 5/5 Darkness 3/5

    A princess marries the vampire king to save her people and plans to kill him on the wedding night. A lot spicier than her Hades books.

    • Vampires
    • Arranged Marriage
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Possessive Hero
    Content warnings

    Graphic violence, Gore, Murder

  31. King of Wrath

    Ana Huang · Kings of Sin #1

    Spice 4/5 Darkness 2/5

    Dante Russo is blackmailed into marrying Vivian Lau, and he makes it clear he resents every minute. Billionaire grump, Manhattan glamour, almost no actual darkness. Think of it as dark romance with the training wheels still on.

    • Arranged Marriage
    • Possessive Hero
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Touch Her and Die
    Content warnings

    Physical or emotional abuse, Drug or alcohol abuse

  32. Kingdom of the Wicked

    Kerri Maniscalco · Kingdom of the Wicked #1 · complete series

    Spice 2/5 Darkness 2/5

    Sicilian witch summons a prince of hell to find out who killed her twin. Wrath is the best part, and the spice goes up a lot in book two.

    • Witches
    • Demons
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Revenge
    Content warnings

    Murder, Gore, Death of a loved one

  33. Kingmakers: Year One

    Sophie Lark · Kingmakers #1 · complete series

    Spice 4/5 Darkness 2/5

    A boarding school on a remote island where the heirs of crime families learn how to run them. Leo Gallo and Anna Wilk are childhood friends on opposite sides. More school drama than horror, which makes it easy to binge.

    • Dark Academia
    • Mafia
    • Forbidden Love
    • Enemies to Lovers
    Content warnings

    Graphic violence, Murder

  34. Lords of Pain

    Angel Lawson and Samantha Rue · Royals of Forsyth University #1

    Spice 5/5 Darkness 4/5

    At Forsyth University a trio of Lords runs everything, and Story Austin becomes their very unwilling plaything. Dark college why-choose with secret-society rituals. The foreword warnings are long, read them.

    • Why Choose
    • Dark Academia
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Possessive Hero
    Content warnings

    Dubious or non-consent, Physical or emotional abuse, Graphic violence

  35. Losing Wendy

    T.A. Lawrence · The Lost Girl Series #1 · complete series

    Spice 2/5 Darkness 3/5

    Peter Pan retold as a mystery, with Wendy Darling, winged fae, mating marks and something killing in Neverland. Enemies to lovers on a very slow fuse. Darker than the premise sounds, and not everyone liked where it takes Wendy.

    • Fairy Tale Retellings
    • Fae
    • Fated Mates
    • Enemies to Lovers
    Content warnings

    Murder, Graphic violence

  36. My Dark Romeo

    Parker S. Huntington and L.J. Shen · Dark Prince Road #1

    Spice 3/5 Darkness 2/5

    Dallas Townsend's family needs money, and Romeo Costa needs a wife he can hurt. He's genuinely cruel for a long stretch, so the grovel has to work hard. Feels more like an angsty billionaire romance than true dark.

    • Arranged Marriage
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Revenge
    • Possessive Hero
    Content warnings

    Physical or emotional abuse

  37. Night of the Witch

    Sara Raasch and Beth Revis · Witch and Hunter #1 · complete series

    Spice 1/5 Darkness 3/5

    Sixteenth-century Germany, where the witch trials are real and so is magic. Fritzi is a witch, Otto is a witch hunter, and they need each other to find her missing brother. Alternating chapters with real historical dread underneath.

    • Witches
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Forbidden Love
    • Forced Proximity
    Content warnings

    Torture, Graphic violence, Murder, Death of a loved one

  38. Pestilence

    Laura Thalassa · The Four Horsemen #1 · complete series

    Spice 3/5 Darkness 4/5

    The apocalypse is here, and firefighter Sara Burns shoots the first Horseman with an arrow. He doesn't stay dead, and now she's his captive on a road trip of plague. Grim premise, banter-heavy delivery. War, the second book, is many readers' favorite.

    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Captor and Captive
    • Gods and Mythology
    • Forced Proximity
    Content warnings

    Torture, Kidnapping, Murder, Graphic violence

  39. Powerless

    Lauren Roberts · The Powerless Trilogy #1 · complete series

    Spice 0/5 Darkness 2/5

    Ordinary humans are hunted in a kingdom of the gifted, and Paedyn fakes her way into a deadly royal competition. YA, clean, very addictive.

    • Deadly Trials
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Forbidden Love
    • Court Intrigue
    Content warnings

    Graphic violence, Death of a loved one

  40. Punk 57

    Penelope Douglas · standalone

    Spice 4/5 Darkness 2/5

    Misha and Ryen wrote letters for years without meeting. When he shows up at her school under a fake name, he finds out his sweet pen pal is the mean queen bee. Bullying and angst more than real darkness.

    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Slow Burn
    • Revenge
    • Forbidden Love
    Content warnings

    Physical or emotional abuse, Death of a loved one

  41. Ravenous

    Kresley Cole · Immortals Untold #1

    Spice 4/5 Darkness 3/5

    Cole kicks off a new arc set in her Immortals After Dark world, with rival supernatural factions in the Skein and enemies who absolutely should not be sleeping together. It's a fresh starting point, so you don't need twenty backlist books first.

    • Forbidden Love
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Morally Gray
    Content warnings

    Graphic violence, Murder

  42. Serpent & Dove

    Shelby Mahurin · Serpent & Dove #1 · complete series

    Spice 2/5 Darkness 2/5

    A witch on the run ends up married to a witch hunter. It's exactly as chaotic as it sounds, with a dark streak that shows up in the back half.

    • Witches
    • Arranged Marriage
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Forbidden Love
    Content warnings

    Graphic violence, Murder, Physical or emotional abuse

  43. Shield of Sparrows

    Devney Perry · Shield of Sparrows #1

    Spice 3/5 Darkness 3/5

    A dutiful princess who was never meant to rule seals an old treaty with her own blood and gets sent across the sea to a husband she barely knows, in a realm the gods filled with monsters. A legendary monster hunter rides along and resents her. Fast, smooth and full of misdirection.

    • Arranged Marriage
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Forced Proximity
    • Slow Burn
    Content warnings

    Graphic violence, Murder, Death of a loved one

  44. Sky in the Deep

    Adrienne Young · Sky and Sea #1 · complete series

    Spice 0/5 Darkness 3/5

    Eelyn spots her supposedly dead brother fighting for the enemy clan, then gets captured and has to winter in their village. Viking-flavored, short and bloody, with the enemy slowly turning into family. No spice at all.

    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Captor and Captive
    • Forbidden Love
    • Forced Proximity
    Content warnings

    War, Graphic violence, Death of a loved one

  45. Sorcery of Thorns

    Margaret Rogerson · standalone

    Spice 0/5 Darkness 2/5

    Elisabeth grew up in a library where grimoires growl and turn into monsters if you damage them. When one gets loose, she's stuck with Nathaniel, a snarky sorcerer, and Silas, his demon servant, who steals every scene. Cozy and creepy at once.

    • Demons
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Slow Burn
    • Forced Proximity
    Content warnings

    Murder, Graphic violence, Death of a loved one

  46. The Book of Azrael

    Amber V. Nicole · Gods & Monsters #1

    Spice 4/5 Darkness 4/5

    Dianna is a shape-shifting monster who does terrible things for her maker. Liam is a god-king forced to work with her. The main characters really aren't nice people, and it's dark and very horny.

    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Morally Gray
    • Gods and Mythology
    • Forced Proximity
    Content warnings

    Graphic violence, Gore, Torture, Murder

  47. The Bridge Kingdom

    Danielle L. Jensen · The Bridge Kingdom #1

    Spice 3/5 Darkness 2/5

    Raised to be a spy, married off to the enemy king she's supposed to destroy. Tight and fast. Great if you like your heroine competent and in over her head.

    • Arranged Marriage
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Assassins
    • Court Intrigue
    Content warnings

    Graphic violence, War, Physical or emotional abuse

  48. The Emperor's Enemy

    Jasmine Mas · Unsurvivable Love Duet #1

    Spice 3/5 Darkness 4/5

    Zora Ravenal, a knight mage from the north, gets forced into a partnership with a terrifying Royal Mage in the middle of a war. Real enemies to lovers with great banter. The secret-keeping gets repetitive, and the warnings are heavier than you'd guess.

    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Forced Proximity
    • Morally Gray
    Content warnings

    Graphic violence, War, Murder

  49. The Ever King

    LJ Andrews · The Ever Seas #1

    Spice 3/5 Darkness 3/5

    Erik Bloodsinger, the sea fae pirate king, is mostly teeth and grudges, and he kidnaps the earth fae princess Livia Ferus right off her own shore. Salty, Viking-flavored and a blast once she starts biting back. You can skip the Broken Kingdoms books.

    • Captor and Captive
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Fae
    • Morally Gray
    Content warnings

    Kidnapping, Graphic violence, Torture, Murder

  50. The Hurricane Wars

    Thea Guanzon · The Hurricane Wars #1 · complete series

    Spice 2/5 Darkness 3/5

    Talasyn is a soldier on the losing side of a war, and Alaric is the shadow-wielding prince of the empire that's winning. Their magic works best together, which neither of them likes. It started as Star Wars fanfic and still feels like it, for better or worse.

    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Forced Proximity
    • Slow Burn
    • Morally Gray
    Content warnings

    War, Graphic violence, Physical or emotional abuse, Death of a loved one

  51. The Lies We Steal

    Monty Jay · The Hollow Boys #1 · complete series

    Spice 5/5 Darkness 4/5

    Ponderosa Springs is rotten, and the Hollow Boys are the four guys nobody in town wants to cross. Rook and Sage start as enemies after her sister dies, and the secrets get uglier from there. Moody small-town gothic with real grief in it.

    • Dark Academia
    • Revenge
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Morally Gray
    Content warnings

    Murder, Death of a loved one, Sexual assault, Drug or alcohol abuse

  52. The Shadows Between Us

    Tricia Levenseller · standalone

    Spice 0/5 Darkness 2/5

    Alessandra plans to seduce the Shadow King, marry him and kill him. He's got plans too. YA and clean, but the heroine is delightfully ruthless.

    • Villain Gets the Girl
    • Court Intrigue
    • Morally Gray
    • Enemies to Lovers
    Content warnings

    Murder

  53. The Silver Swan

    Amo Jones · Elite Kings Club #1 · complete series

    Spice 4/5 Darkness 4/5

    Madison Montgomery transfers to Riverside and lands in the middle of a secret club of ten guys run by Bishop Hayes. The plot is chaotic and twisty to the point of confusion, and people love it for exactly that. One reader noted the front-matter warnings don't cover everything.

    • Dark Academia
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Possessive Hero
    • Morally Gray
    Content warnings

    Suicide or suicidal thoughts, Harm to children, Graphic violence

  54. The Sweetest Oblivion

    Danielle Lori · Made #1 · complete series

    Spice 4/5 Darkness 3/5

    Elena's sister is engaged to Nico Russo, and Elena is the one he can't stop looking at. Sharp and funny. Lighter on darkness than most mafia books.

    • Mafia
    • Arranged Marriage
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Forbidden Love
    Content warnings

    Graphic violence, Murder

  55. The Veiled Kingdom

    Holly Renee · The Veiled Kingdom #1 · complete series

    Spice 4/5 Darkness 2/5

    Nyra has spent her whole life hiding that she's really Verena, the lost fae princess of Marmoris, and Dacre, the man she can't stop wanting, has no idea. Fast and very spicy, light on worldbuilding. That's either the appeal or the problem.

    • Fae
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Forbidden Love
    • Forced Proximity
    Content warnings

    Graphic violence, Murder, Death of a loved one

  56. The Wolf and the Woodsman

    Ava Reid · standalone

    Spice 2/5 Darkness 4/5

    Évike is the one girl in her pagan village with no magic, so she's the one handed over to the king's zealot soldiers. Then she ends up stranded in the woods with their one-eyed captain. Hungarian and Jewish folklore, a lot of body horror and a slow, prickly romance.

    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Forbidden Love
    • Gods and Mythology
    Content warnings

    Gore, Torture, Physical or emotional abuse, Genocide

  57. The Wrath and the Dawn

    Renée Ahdieh · The Wrath and the Dawn #1 · complete series

    Spice 1/5 Darkness 2/5

    The caliph of Khorasan takes a new bride every night and kills her at dawn. Shahrzad volunteers to avenge her best friend and keeps herself alive with stories. A Thousand and One Nights retelling with slow enemies to lovers and gorgeous food and clothes.

    • Fairy Tale Retellings
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Arranged Marriage
    • Curses
    Content warnings

    Murder, Death of a loved one, Suicide or suicidal thoughts

  58. The Wren in the Holly Library

    K.A. Linde · The Oak and Holly Cycle #1

    Spice 4/5 Darkness 3/5

    Kierse is a thief in a New York still scarred by a war with monsters, and she gets caught breaking into the house of Graves, a centuries-old something who offers her a job instead of killing her. Beauty and the Beast bones and plenty of heat. The first act is slow.

    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Fairy Tale Retellings
    • Morally Gray
    • Forced Proximity
    Content warnings

    Graphic violence, Murder, Death of a loved one

  59. The Wretched Divine

    Adalyn Grace · The Wretched Divine #1

    Spice 2/5 Darkness 4/5

    Grace's adult debut: a knight bonded to an angel has to team up with a demon to find a cure. Way darker than Belladonna and a bit overstuffed, but the emotional core is the most complicated thing she's written.

    • Demons
    • Forbidden Love
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Morally Gray
    Content warnings

    Graphic violence, Death of a loved one

  60. These Hollow Vows

    Lexi Ryan · These Hollow Vows #1 · complete series

    Spice 2/5 Darkness 2/5

    Brie hates the fae, then her little sister gets handed over to the Unseelie to pay a debt. Her way in is posing as a bride for the Seelie prince Ronan while the shadowy Finn works his own angle. Pick a team early, because readers are still arguing.

    • Fae
    • Love Triangle
    • Court Intrigue
    • Deals and Bargains
    Content warnings

    Kidnapping, Graphic violence, Death of a loved one

  61. These Vile Hearts

    Melody Robinette · standalone

    Spice 2/5 Darkness 2/5

    Maddox is type 1 diabetic, just lost her job and her insurance, and makes a deal with a dryad queen: kill the Redwood King and get cured. Then she mistakes his cursed brother Castor for him. Funny, angry about real healthcare, and a very good debut.

    • Deals and Bargains
    • Curses
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Forbidden Love
    Content warnings

    Murder

  62. These Violent Delights

    Chloe Gong · These Violent Delights #1 · complete series

    Spice 0/5 Darkness 3/5

    Romeo and Juliet in 1926 Shanghai. Juliette is heir to the Scarlet Gang, Roma is heir to the rival White Flowers, and a contagion is making people tear their own throats out. Atmospheric and gory, with a monster in the Huangpu River.

    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Forbidden Love
    • Morally Gray
    Content warnings

    Gore, Graphic violence, Murder, Suicide or suicidal thoughts

  63. This Monster of Mine

    Shalini Abeysekara · This Monster of Mine #1 · complete series

    Spice 3/5 Darkness 4/5

    A legal thriller in a Rome-inspired city. Four years after someone threw Sarai from a tower, she's back as a Petitor who can hear lies, assigned to Tetrarch Kadra, the feared judge whose voice sounds exactly like her attacker's. She works with him by day and plots against him by night.

    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Revenge
    • Morally Gray
    • Court Intrigue
    Content warnings

    Graphic violence, Torture, Murder, Physical or emotional abuse

  64. Throne of the Fallen

    Kerri Maniscalco · Prince of Sin #1

    Spice 4/5 Darkness 2/5

    Envy gets his own book and Maniscalco cranks the spice way past Kingdom of the Wicked. A spin-off you can read on its own.

    • Demons
    • Forced Proximity
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Curses
    Content warnings

    Graphic violence, Murder

  65. To Kill a Kingdom

    Alexandra Christo · standalone

    Spice 0/5 Darkness 3/5

    Lira is a siren who takes a prince's heart every year on her birthday. Elian is a prince who hunts sirens. Her mother curses her into a human body and sends her after him anyway. The Little Mermaid with knives, in one fast standalone.

    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Fairy Tale Retellings
    • Curses
    • Forbidden Love
    Content warnings

    Murder, Graphic violence, Physical or emotional abuse

  66. Vicious

    L.J. Shen · Sinners of Saint #1 · complete series

    Spice 4/5 Darkness 3/5

    Baron Spencer earned the nickname Vicious, and Emilia LeBlanc was the one girl at their Todos Santos high school who saw through him. Ten years later in New York, he's still not done with her. Classic bully-to-lovers angst.

    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Revenge
    • Possessive Hero
    • Morally Gray
    Content warnings

    Physical or emotional abuse, Sexual assault

  67. Voidwalker

    S.A. MacLean · Beasts of the Void #1

    Spice 4/5 Darkness 3/5

    Fi is a smuggler who can walk the Void between worlds, and a job gone wrong drops her in front of Antal, an antlered daeyari lord whose species eats humans. He'll spare her if she helps him find whoever attacked his city. Predator and prey, with claws and tails and a lot of heat.

    • Deals and Bargains
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Forbidden Love
    • Morally Gray
    Content warnings

    Graphic violence, Gore, Murder

  68. Zodiac Academy: The Awakening

    Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti · Zodiac Academy #1 · complete series

    Spice 2/5 Darkness 3/5

    Twins Tory and Darcy Vega find out they're the lost heirs to the Fae throne and get dropped into Zodiac Academy, where four Celestial Heirs want them gone. Book one is mostly bullying and pranks, which is a dealbreaker for some. Stay and it becomes a nine-book obsession.

    • Academies and War Colleges
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Fae
    • Forbidden Love
    Content warnings

    Physical or emotional abuse, Graphic violence, Drug or alcohol abuse