Why is Enemies-to-Lovers Such a Beloved Trope?

I know exactly why I adore this trope: because I’ve lived it—several times, in fact. Every man I’ve dated has fallen into one of two categories within moments of meeting them—either I adored them right away, or I wanted to throttle them.

Here’s the twist: the ones who immediately caught my curiosity usually ended up being frogs disguised as princes, while the ones who drove me mad? Those are the ones who kept my attention for years. Guess which camp my husband falls into?

Yep, he drove me absolutely insane when we first met. Pushed all my buttons, turned me upside down, and inside out. But it was that very energy that pulled me in, because it clashed so perfectly with my own.

Some of the greatest love stories of all time are built on this foundation. Jane Austen might be the queen of the enemies-to-lovers trope, and even if you’re not a historical romance fan, you know the tale of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. Their shared disdain and smoldering tension has been retold over and over because it’s just that timeless.

Now, let me tell you about my upcoming release, The First Spark. It’s all about two small-town store owners who absolutely cannot stand each other. And they would stay enemies, too—except Ash needs Oriana, or more specifically, her signature. He’s desperate to renovate their shared basement into a speakeasy, but guess who has to sign off on the new lease? Oriana, of course. And she has no intention of letting that happen.

But desperate times call for desperate measures, so Ash locks them both in the basement after hours to "negotiate." What follows are some nasty barbs and finger-pointing until they finally hash things out. And then...things get really interesting. Because underneath all that hostility? A whole lot of passion just waiting to be unleashed.

Hating someone takes a ton of energy, and if that energy ever flips—damn, is it getting hot in here, or is it just me?

So, if you’ve never dipped your toes into an enemies-to-lovers romance, what are you waiting for? The First Spark drops on November 25, 2024!