Julia is a professional nerd who can be spotted in the wild lounging with books in the park in Brooklyn, NY. She has a BA in International Studies from the University of Chicago and an MA in Media Studies from Pratt Institute. She loves fandom, theater, cheese, and Edith Piaf. Find her at juliarittenberg.com.

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Slowburn

A one-night stand turns into a slow-burn collision when PR pro Violet Harper learns her latest client is cocky Formula One driver Chase Navarro. She’s all rules, and he’s all charm. When they land on the same F1 team, will they be able to handle the chemistry?

Outside of space operas and epic fantasies, the sports romance subgenre is probably the best place for a true enemies-to-lovers romance. Fandom, competition, and various other backstabbing moves in professional sports breed a certain type of crackling hatred. Sports romance with an athlete lends intensity to a relationship.   

Athletes themselves have even more ratcheted-up tension. Being on rival teams, or rivals on the same team, gives the tension major stakes. Even characters who are rival fans have a longer history outside of their personal disagreements to fight over. Sports romance fandom has already cycled through a few sports, thanks to BookTok, with hockey and Formula 1 making waves. Maybe competitive bocce will be next?

Whatever your preferred sport, there’s an enemies-to-lovers romance for you to root for.

Falling for a Player

Backhanded Compliments by Katie Chandler

Tennis is just as much about reading your opponent as it is about playing them. When tennis star Juliette Ricci gets her matches for the Australian Open, she finds out she’s playing against the unreadable super-player, Luca Kacic. The universe must have a sense of humor because Luca sees a soulmate tattoo on Juliette’s wrist (soulmate marks, a great fanfic trope). From enemies to reluctant friends to something more, their tennis rivalry never fades.

She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen

High school sports are cutthroat, especially for Scottie, whose girlfriend dumped her and then transferred to another school, her basketball team’s biggest rival. She needs a win. After a small car accident with head cheerleader Irene, the two form a plan. Even though they do not like each other, Irene agrees to fake-date Scottie to keep up appearances in front of Scottie’s ex. In the way these things usually go, real feelings crop up.  

The Changeup by Nicole Falls

Geffri isn’t your typical baseball player, mostly because of the ancient rule that women aren’t allowed to play. When she gets recruited to play for Team USA, it’s a dream come true, but she wasn’t expecting online commentators to go so hard at her. When she meets one of her more aggressive critics, Noah Fence, she has a lot to prove.

Love Hard by Nalini Singh

Rugby is a grunt-heavy sport, perfect for a sexy romance. However, Juliet has been burned by sports stars in the past and has no interest in ever dating an athlete again. When she re-meets Jacob, a star rugby player who’s also a single father, she’s not impressed. Jacob is also looking for a stable partner, not at all like his memory of Juliet as a rowdy teenager. But the flame is too strong between them to ignore.

Coaches and Agents

Ready to Score by Jodie Slaughter

Football is no joke, especially for Jade, assistant coach on the high school football team, and Francesca, the art teacher. They’re both gunning for the head coach position. Jade’s been working towards it for what feels like forever, and she’s not happy about Francesca coming in as an interloper and impressing everyone. They find out quickly that the intensity is not just about football coaching.

Block Shot by Kennedy Ryan

Both a second-chance and an enemies-to-lovers story, this has the best of everything. Jared is a sports agent and desperate for another chance with his former one-night stand and fellow sports agent, Banner. It’s not just that Banner is hurt by Jared’s past actions: she’s a woman in a boy’s club and needs to maintain her integrity. She and Jared can’t deny their re-ignited attraction, no matter how much they have to work through.

Bring Her On by Chelsea M. Cameron

Two cheer coaches bring as much intensity to each other as they do to the mat. Kiri Kentwood, coach of the Corsica Tigers, is forced to deal with her coaching rival of the Heartwood Bulldogs because of a ridiculous fire that burned down her school’s gym. Echo is everything Kiri wants but she knows she can’t pursue her—especially not with nationals. It’s a crackling romance that also celebrates the intense physicality of cheer.

If you want more sports-specific reads, you can dive into baseball, basketball, soccer, and then sports romance for young adults. The game never stops!