You have to admit, Reylo fanfic written during The Force Awakens era had a different vibe. Sometimes I miss it. Here are 9 novels that could have been published during that glorious time.
Note: you don't have to be a Star Wars or even a Reylo fan to enjoy these. As long as you like enemies to lovers, hate to love, or the content of this blog then you're good to go ;)
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What about you? Have you read any of these books? Or can you recommend some more? Hope these books could help take your mind off the current world situation. So stay safe, everyone! Keep calm and read on.
Note: you don't have to be a Star Wars or even a Reylo fan to enjoy these. As long as you like enemies to lovers, hate to love, or the content of this blog then you're good to go ;)
1. This Shattered World by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner [YA]
A pacifist rebel kidnaps a ruthless general in the hopes that they can work together to stop their war and save his planet. Listen, this has everything I ever wanted in a sci-fi novel. And also, everything I love about a TFA-era Reylo fanfic. We have a cool, mysterious planet. Two beautifully fleshed out main leads who have to work together for the greater good. Pulse-pounding action, sizzling romance, super fun banter, an unraveling conspiracy theory, and so many pages that had me on the edge of my seat. I devoured this book in, like, two sittings and I still can't stop thinking about it.
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2. Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray [YA]
Android Boy Who Learns How To Love meets his enemy, an Angry Human Rebel. After an unfortunate incident on the battlefield, the two have to temporarily team up and go on a road trip to save the galaxy. This YA sci-fi novel features a fast-paced and action-filled plot, a structure straight out of a blockbuster or hit TV series, a slowburn romance, and some refreshing depth regarding the philosophy of the human soul. It's also written by Claudia Gray, a Pride and Prejudice and OG enemies to lovers fan. Love ya, space writer mom.
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3. Lost Stars by Claudia Gray [YA]
Am I cheating by including another Claudia Gray novel? She's just so good! This is a new Disney canon Star Wars novel. It features two childhood friends who grow up to become enemies on opposite sides of the Empire. Just like Defy the Stars, this YA sci-fi novel features a heartfelt slowburn romance, some real tragedy, and actual enemies. It's also a standalone, but it has my heart.
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4. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer [YA]
So we have a strong-willed, badass heroine looking for her missing grandmother and a gentle yet powerful street fighter with a dark secret. They fight. They flirt. They are mates. You have no idea whether or not the love interest is actually on our heroine's side. This is Book 2 of The Lunar Chronicles series so you do have to read Cinder to understand everything, but Scarlet and Wolf's arc is a standalone ;)
5. Renegades by Marissa Meyer [YA]
Are you seeing a trend here? A female supervillain infiltrates a superhero organization to take them down from the inside... but a sweet superhero falls for her, without knowing her true identity. This series features a lot of familiar plotlines and characters, but it's loads of fun and the tension of dating your secret-enemy is divine. Mwah.
I haven't read the following books yet, but they are on my TBR, and the summaries sound promising:
6. Rules of Redemption by TA White [Adult]
Kira Forrest is a survivor. She’s risen above the pain of her beginnings to become a war hero only to leave it all behind in the pursuit of a simple life. Now a salvager, she makes a living sifting through the wreckage of dead alien ships from a war that nearly brought humanity to its knees.
After her ship takes damage, she’s forced to re-route to a space station where her past and present collide with dangerous consequences.
Kira’s existence holds the key to a faltering peace treaty with the Tuann—a technologically advanced alien race who dislikes and distrusts all humans. Winning her freedom should be easy, but a powerful and relentless Tuann warrior stands in her way. Deceiving him seems impossible, especially when he strays dangerously close to secrets she struggles to hide.
Can Kira reconcile the pain of her past with the possibilities of her future? The fate of two races depends on her success.
A human scavenger and an alien warrior who hates all humans... Hmmm... I wonder what happens next?
7. Starflight by Melissa Landers [YA]
Life in the outer realm is a lawless, dirty, hard existence, and Solara Brooks is hungry for it. Just out of the orphanage, she needs a fresh start in a place where nobody cares about the engine grease beneath her fingernails or the felony tattoos across her knuckles. She's so desperate to reach the realm that she's willing to indenture herself to Doran Spaulding, the rich and popular quarterback who made her life miserable all through high school, in exchange for passage aboard the spaceliner Zenith.
When a twist of fate lands them instead on the Banshee, a vessel of dubious repute, Doran learns he's been framed on Earth for conspiracy. As he pursues a set of mysterious coordinates rumored to hold the key to clearing his name, he and Solara must get past their enmity to work together and evade those out for their arrest. Life on the Banshee may be tumultuous, but as Solara and Doran are forced to question everything they once believed about their world—and each other—the ship becomes home, and the eccentric crew family. But what Solara and Doran discover on the mysterious Planet X has the power to not only alter their lives, but the existence of everyone in the universe...
Space pirates! Two protagonists with a shared bitter past! Love-hate banter! What is not to love about this?
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8. Polaris Rising by Jessie Mihalik [Adult]
A space princess on the run and a notorious outlaw soldier become unlikely allies in this imaginative, sexy space opera adventure—the first in an exciting science fiction trilogy.
In the far distant future, the universe is officially ruled by the Royal Consortium, but the High Councillors, the heads of the three High Houses, wield the true power. As the fifth of six children, Ada von Hasenberg has no authority; her only value to her High House is as a pawn in a political marriage. When her father arranges for her to wed a noble from House Rockhurst, a man she neither wants nor loves, Ada seizes control of her own destiny. The spirited princess flees before the betrothal ceremony and disappears among the stars.
Ada eluded her father’s forces for two years, but now her luck has run out. To ensure she cannot escape again, the fiery princess is thrown into a prison cell with Marcus Loch. Known as the Devil of Fornax Zero, Loch is rumored to have killed his entire chain of command during the Fornax Rebellion, and the Consortium wants his head.
When the ship returning them to Earth is attacked by a battle cruiser from rival House Rockhurst, Ada realizes that if her jilted fiancé captures her, she’ll become a political prisoner and a liability to her House. Her only hope is to strike a deal with the dangerous fugitive: a fortune if he helps her escape.
But when you make a deal with an irresistibly attractive Devil, you may lose more than you bargained for . . .
A romantic space opera between a renegade princess and a dangerous criminal? Now where have we heard that before... ;)
9. Empress of a Thousand Skies by Rhoda Belleza [YA]
Crown Princess Rhiannon Ta'an wants vengeance.
The only surviving heir to an ancient Kalusian dynasty, Rhee has spent her life training to destroy the people who killed her family. Now, on the eve of her coronation, the time has finally come for Rhee to claim her throne - and her revenge.
Alyosha is a Wraetan who has risen above his war refugee origins to find fame as the dashing star of a DroneVision show. Despite his popularity, Aly struggles with anti-Wraetan prejudices and the pressure of being perfect in the public eye.
Their paths collide with one brutal act of violence: Rhee is attacked, barely escaping with her life. Aly is blamed for her presumed murder.
The princess and her accused killer are forced to go into hiding - even as a war between planets is waged in Rhee's name. But soon, Rhee and Aly discover that the assassination attempt is just one part of a sinister plot. Bound together by an evil that only they can stop, the two fugitives must join forces to save the galaxy.Okay, this doesn't really sound like enemies to lovers. But a vengeful princess and a war refugee forced to go on the run together? Um, yes please. I think I might have read a fic like this...
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BONUS: Bonds of Brass by Emily Skrutskie [YA Crossover]
Do you like enemies to lovers and Finnpoe? Then check out this upcoming novel.
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A young pilot risks everything to save his best friend--the man he trusts most and might even love--only to learn that he's secretly the heir to a brutal galactic empire.
Ettian Nassun's life was shattered when the merciless Umber Empire invaded. He's spent seven years putting himself back together under its rule, joining an Umber military academy and becoming the best pilot in his class. Even better, he's met Gal Veres--his exasperating and infuriatingly enticing roommate who's made the Academy feel like a new home.
But when dozens of classmates spring an assassination plot on Gal, a devastating secret comes to light: Gal is the heir to the Umber Empire. Ettian barely manages to save his best friend and flee the compromised Academy unscathed, rattled both that Gal stands to inherit the empire that broke him and that there are still people willing to fight back against Umber rule. As they piece together a way to deliver Gal safely to his throne, Ettian finds himself torn in half by an impossible choice. Does he save the man who's won his heart and trust that Gal's goodness could transform the empire? Or does he throw his lot in with the brewing rebellion and fight to take back what's rightfully theirs?
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What about you? Have you read any of these books? Or can you recommend some more? Hope these books could help take your mind off the current world situation. So stay safe, everyone! Keep calm and read on.
