Enemies-To-Lovers is Getting Old, Said No One Ever by Amy Lea | Author Guest Post (+ Giveaway)

I’m excited to welcome Amy Lea, author of Set on You, to the blog today! Set on You is officially out in the world as of yesterday, and I thought it would be fun to invite Amy to talk to us a little more about her book! She’s written up such a fun post on her favorite romance trope, and I think you’re going to really enjoy it. A special thanks goes out to Spark Point Studio, who is sponsoring a giveaway of Set on You for one of my readers! Read more about the book and enter to win below!

---

Whenever someone asks me what my favorite romance trope is, my first response is always: I LOVE THEM ALL. *grabby hands* Generally speaking, making decisions isn’t my strong suit. Trust, my husband is traumatized from years of asking me which restaurant I want to eat at. But if someone were to threaten to push me off a cliff or ban me from buying books for all of eternity, I’d cave and shout ENEMIES-TO-LOVERS.

My first traditionally published book, SET ON YOU is enemies-to-lovers. Why? Frankly, it’s my favorite to write. In fact, I have a difficult time NOT writing enemies to lovers. So far, I’ve only written one book that wasn’t enemies-to-lovers. While I love that secret book with all my heart, the entire time I was writing it, I craved the angst that comes with the hatred and the venomous insults.

“Hating someone feels disturbingly similar to being in love with them.”
– Lucy Hutton, The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

Why, may you ask? For me, it all comes down to a couple key, irresistible ingredients:

Banter

Some witty verbal sparring with an underlying layer of simmering, sexual tension is my catnip, particularly when it’s rooted in comedy (it can’t be too mean). I live for the scenes where characters viciously roast each other on spits, mostly because you learn a lot about a person when they’re heated. It allows the reader greater insight into who the character is, what drives them, their potential flaws, and what they may need to overcome by the end of the book.

In SET ON YOU, Crystal and Scott banter back and forth at the gym on numerous occasions. This banter illustrates a number of key things about Crystal in the opening chapters. In particular, we learn how passionate and dedicated she is to her job and her clients. We also get the hint that she may not be the uber-confident girl she presents herself to be. Through the banter, we also learn a little bit about Scott’s flirty, cocky, yet secret-softie personality, as well as his close relationship with his family.

Slow Burn Tension

Everyone has preferences when it comes to pacing in romance, but I’m personally partial to a slow burn. The push and pull before the payoff is electric and so worth the hundreds of pages to get there. Oftentimes, there’s something that brings the two enemies together in proximity initially. In SET ON YOU, Crystal and Scott share a gym where they both workout regularly. In addition, they also find out their grandparents are engaged. This familial aspect does two things – it forces proximity and it also raises the stakes when it comes to the risk of getting romantically involved.

Either way, the slow burn is the prime opportunity for the transition from hate to love. This section is often riddled with tiny hints of budding attraction, whether it’s physical or emotional. Sometimes it’s in a brief moment of understanding, a lingering gaze, a scorching accidental touch, or a common enemy/obstacle.

It’s especially wonderful when one or both characters are plagued with denial and internal strife over their conflicting feelings. The moment when they finally realize or admit the truth to themselves is so rewarding (extra claps for the sassy best friend or the wise elderly character who often knocks some sense into them).

Eruption

The first kiss or the first steamy scene is usually unexpected, yet wildly satisfying. My favorite is when there’s a slight roughness and lingering tension that comes through the physical act, reminding us of that fire that is fueling the passion. Oftentimes, these scenes aid in building that emotional bond between the characters, because they are finally allowing each other to see their vulnerable, naked (literally) selves.

First impressions aren’t always correct

One of the best things about enemies-to-lovers is that moment when the characters realize that they misjudged each other. That the other person is more than meets the eye. Character growth is often beautifully illustrated when they finally develop empathy and understanding for each other. Side note, my catnip is also when one or both parties secretly pine for the other, masking it in hate. ;)

The perfect match

More often than not, the two characters are not much different from one another than they may seem. In SET ON YOU, Crystal and Scott come to find that their initial dislike for each other is rooted in similarities, despite a reluctance to admit it. They wind up having a lot in common, including that they’re both uber-competitive and family-oriented.

Conversely, in other books, it’s also heartwarming when two polar opposite characters complete each other in complementary ways. Joining together with their differences can often make them an unstoppable power couple. This trope allows for endless character growth, which is often so satisfying for readers.

In all the romance books I’ve read (and I’ve read hundreds), I’ve yet to come across two enemies-to-lovers books that don’t put their own unique twists on the trope. There are endless ways to turn it upside down, sideways, and back without it feeling tired and overdone, which is why this dynamic trope has become such a timeless reader favorite.

---

Set On You by Amy Lea
Published by Berkley Books on May 10, 2022
Genres: Adult Fiction — Contemporary Romance, Romantic Comedy
Add to Goodreads • Buy from Amazon

A gym nemesis pushes a fitness influencer to the max in Amy Lea’s steamy debut romantic comedy.

Curvy fitness influencer Crystal Chen built her career shattering gym stereotypes and mostly ignoring the trolls. After her recent breakup, she has little stamina left for men, instead finding solace in the gym – her place of power and positivity.

Enter firefighter Scott Ritchie, the smug new gym patron who routinely steals her favorite squat rack. Sparks fly as these ultra-competitive foes battle for gym domination. But after a series of escalating jabs, the last thing they expect is to run into each other at their grandparents’ engagement party.

In the lead up to their grandparents’ wedding, Crystal discovers there’s a soft heart under Scott’s muscled exterior. Bonding over family, fitness, and cheesy pick-up lines, she just might have found her swolemate. But when a photo of them goes viral, savage internet trolls put their budding relationship to the ultimate test of strength.

About Amy Lea

Amy Lea is a Canadian bureaucrat by day and contemporary romance author by night (and weekends). She writes laugh out loud romantic comedies featuring strong heroines, witty banter, mid-2000s pop culture references, and happily ever afters.

When Amy is not writing, she can be found fan-girling over other romance books on Instagram (@amyleabooks), eating potato chips with reckless abandon, and snuggling with her husband and goldendoodle.

Her debut romantic comedy SET ON YOU is forthcoming from Berkley Romance at Penguin Random House in May 2022.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Floral post header photo by Darren Nunis on Unsplash

.