From Fury to Feelings (+giveaway)
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From Fury to Feelings (+giveaway)

Jaycee Weaver

I LOVE hate-to-love, enemies-to-lovers, whatever you prefer to call the trope. For me, it comes second only to friends-to-more as my favorite! There’s something about the fury, the chemistry, the potential for so much emotional entanglement.

It’s funny, since I’m not a huge fan of drama. Those books where a misconception and/or refusal to talk makes you want to throttle them both… yeah, not my favorite. Maybe it’s because I don’t mind a little confrontation. I’m a firm believer in airing your grievances (with love and grace and tempering that tongue) and not leaving things unsaid for too long because then they fester. But I LOVE me some infuriated characters who get annoyed easily or drive each other nuts—especially if one of the characters gets a kick out of poking the bear. Maybe I’m a little twisted… LOL!

It can be a tough trope, though. In fact, we talked about it in detail on an episode of the StoryChats @InspyRomance Podcast a while back. It’s worth a listen if you love or hate this trope!

After writing two more emotionally intense stories in my Sinclair Sisters trilogy, I knew Cindy’s story was going to be a lot more fun and less dramatic for my newest book, Not Another Christmas. Which is HILARIOUSLY ironic, considering she is by far the most dramatic of the three sisters. I knew right away that she lived apart from her Christmas-obsessed family, and that in her past she was enemies with her love interest. That was about it for the longest time.

Cindy Lou Sinclair, so named by her fanatical parents for that adorable little Who, has grown into a highly organized, independent young woman who’s worked her way up to hotel concierge and has her sights set on being top dog at the Coconut Springs Hotel in sunny Fort Lauderdale, FL. Her plans are thwarted by the arrival of the hotel owner’s nephew, who just happens to be an all too familiar (and dang it, handsome) face. The boy-next-door; her teenage nemesis, constant competitor, and irritating prankster.

Now that Nick Hoover has gained some experience to go with his degree, he’s ready to return to the place he grew up and reconnect with his Florida family after his workaholic father moved him across the country from them fifteen years ago. The last person he expects to see in Florida is the New Mexico girl he loved to infuriate most, but he’s not complaining.

Tension, irritation, and attraction unfold, and soon they fall into familiar old patterns (read: PRANK WARS) until her fury evolves into friendship, which gives way to feelings. It was such a BLAST writing their pranks, both in their history and in the present. I did a TON of research and had so many laughs reading blogs, anecdotes, and my own family’s devious ideas. Pranks have never come naturally to me, so being able step into Nick and Cindy’s shoes for a bit was a hoot.

What do you think about books with the enemies-to-more or hate-to-love trope? How about pranks? Tell me WHY or WHY NOT below in the comments!

I’ve collected quite a list of reader-recommended titles featuring pranks, so if, like me, you find these books to be a perfect escape for an afternoon of laughs, here you are:

(Disclaimer: I have not read all of the titles in this list, but the authors are known for writing clean books.)

I would LOVE more recommendations on CONTEMPORARY titles with pranksters and jokesters, especially if you can find Christian and/or inspirational titles! I’ll even go for enemies-to-more or hate-to-love. Anyone who comments with their remarks on the tropes, what you think about Cindy and Nick’s book, and/or title recommendations will be entered into a giveaway for a FREE EBOOK of Destination Christmas, out now on Amazon (which you could buy instead for 99¢ or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited)! Void where prohibited.

*I may receive a tiny commission from purchases made via provided links.

Until next month, my friends!

Published by Jaycee Weaver

When New Mexico resident and USA Today bestselling author Jaycee Weaver isn't reading or writing, she enjoys dates with her brainiac hubby, drinking coffee, crafting, pretending she's a nature photographer, and making her teenagers cringe. Jaycee considers herself a recovering perfectionist and frequent hot mess. She does her best to live her faith in action authentically, trusting God to be Lord over the good, the bad, and the ugly even when it’s hard.

30 thoughts on “From Fury to Feelings (+giveaway)”

  1. I enjoy books with the enemies-to-more or hate-to-love trope. Especially the banter between the characters – it’s so much fun…usually 🙂
    Just finished reading A Honey of Christmas by Jessica R Patch – such a wonderful story that makes me laugh out loud.

  2. I might like the trope of enemies a lot more if it’s done well but it doesn’t help that as a teenager I read secular books with him “uff I hate you and I want to hurt you but at the same time I feel so much lust for your body” it didn’t convince me, I need to get more into the world of contemporary Christian romance to find good examples!

  3. Hi Jaycee. Your book sounds fabulous. I enjoy friends to more, but I can enjoy the enemies to more too. I love to read the pranks as long as there is no one hurt. Thank you so much for sharing. God bless you.

  5. Hi, Jaycee! I tend to find the Enemies-to-Lovers trope a little dicey. If the original relationship was one of hatred, the change is a hard sell and needs to be carefully handled. I often find myself, when the shift to “more” happens, saying “Where did that come from?” If the author can find the pivot point, the common ground, and then give the transition its due, then I really enjoy it.

    IRL, I don’t like pranks. I usually see them as a violation of trust. “I let you close to me and this is what you do with it?” It’s probably indicative of me having a pretty thin skin.

    In stories, though, I’m fine with it, given the limits that have already been shared above. I just finished Ellie Hall’s “To Love or Not To Love the Billionaire” which had a number of pranks between the two MCs. It was fun and in some cases funny. Some of them went a little too far, I thought. I guess that is what makes the difference. If both players understand and agree to the game they are playing (including the idea of escalation and each trying to “win”), then fine. I just wouldn’t be one of them, myself.

    I have the first two as stand-alones and Destination Christmas just came in so I’m looking forward to bringing my Sinclair Sisters reading up-to-date.

    Thanks for a fun post, Jaycee!

    1. I totally get what you are saying, Lincoln! There are many scenes I enjoy reading as a viewer, but I wouldn’t want to deal with firsthand.

      And part of the chemistry I think HAS to be mutual agreement/understanding between the parties, otherwise it just comes off as bullying. You’re so right.

      1. It’s matured to a fine young adult, thanks :). If you want to take it for a walk, just let me know. I’m on your newsletter email list.

  6. I always enjoy the Hate to Love trope. I haven’t thought much about pranks in books, but I’m sure I’ve read them. I’ll be looking out for them now. Sounds fun.

  7. welcome today. Yah I am not one for loud angry confrontations. I will talk and help find a solution, this I am good with. My husband is the same way. We taught this approach to our two children. And they are better at it than we are. LOL I am not a fan of pranks, so dont tend to read those books. I do enjoy books that are strangers to other and friends to more. I have only started to read contemporary (rom com) for the last two years now. So I have so much more to delve into here

    1. Welcome to the wide world of contemporary! Lol! We love it around here, clearly. 😉

  8. I do like this trope, and I must say, Jo Grafford has some great books in this trope! Mandi Blake’s newest book in the Heroes of Freedom Ridge has this trope, too!! So much fun to read these!

    1. Ooh, yay! I’ll have to add Mandi’s book to my kindle. I love the Heroes of Freedom Ridge books. 😊

  9. I love enemies to lovers. It’s definitely the supercharged emotions and then there’s a wide range of reasons why the can’t be together (unlike friends to more which tends to be “I can’t tell her I love her because I don’t want to ruin the friendship)

  11. This sounds a really fun read!

    I’m a bit on-the-fence about enemies to lovers – when it’s done well, it’s great, but I have read this trope where either there’s a really serious reason for the couple to be enemies (and then it’s hard to buy that they would forget it and fall in love) or there isn’t a good enough reason for the dislike in the first place so the characters can seem a bit petty and unkind keeping it going.

    The pranks sound really fun (as long as, like someone has already said, they’re not dangerous or unkind) – I don’t think I’ve read any books with that sort of thing, I will have to check out some of your list, thank you!

  12. Don’t enter me I just bought the book. On Pranks I mentioned on FB my thoughts. On enemy to more it can depend. Why are they enemies. Is it just cos they are competing for the same job ect. Or was it something more. For me a misunderstanding or competing is find (Penny Zeller had a great historical on the trope from miscommunication).
    If the enemy is from something more like the hero was the school bully and the heroine was his victim even years later it will take a lot for me to buy the story. There will need to be a lot of soul searching and the hero asking for forgiveness and showing he has changed and I would still have stuggles. I say this as I was a victim of bullying and it took about 36 years to say to him I forgive you of course he had no idea but I told him it probably meant nothing to him but it does for me and I am doing this for me. (He had no idea). But even today although forgiving him took away his power over me I still feel uneasy when I see him. In saying this I would struggle with a book where a bully who caused emotional pain on the heroine (or visa versa) was able to say sorry and they become more. (if he was just in the group that was involved that I could believe as I have no issue with the others as I know they were being bullied too).

    1. I completely agree. Innocent pranks for attention or playful teasing are one thing, bullying is another. Intentional harm is never okay.

  13. I enjoy when a character does a prank. Don’t have a favorite troupe as I enjoy them all.

  14. I usually really like books that feature an enemies to lovers story line, not always, but usually. I’m a little on the fence about pranks… If its just meant to be fun, I’m totally fine with that. But it really bothers me when characters (or people irl) bully others, and then say “just kidding!” Your book sounds really great! (I’m also from New Mexico! Lol)

    1. Oh, absolutely!! Pranks MUST be done without damage to person or property without humiliation (a dash of embarrassment is one thing, humiliation is not okay). Where in NM?!

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