Mary E. Pearson tells us her favorite stories centering around the enemies-to-lovers trope and why you should give Dance of Thieves a chance.
Dance of Thieves is a cat-and-mouse game between an outlawed leader and a reformed thief who try to outmaneuver each other while rebelling against the burgeoning feelings that begin to develop between them. Now it’s just a question of what they’ll lose first, their hearts or their lives?
8 delightful enemy-to-lover pairings from ‘Dance of Thieves’ author Mary E. Pearson
The enemy to lover trope is as old as, well, history. When Marc Antony summoned Cleopatra to come before him to answer to charges, sparks flew, charges were forgotten, and history was changed. I love the enemy to lover trope because it subverts ingrained agendas that are usually quite flawed, and makes the players take a second look at a lot of things including themselves — and in the process they see a glimpse of humanity in their opponent that they didn’t see before.
And really, watching enemies turn to lovers can be just plain fun. We know they’re going to fall for each other, but the pre-game entertainment and biting banter is delicious to watch — and read.
So it’s little wonder that since I enjoy watching the agony of love bloom between enemies, that I was destined to write such a story. Kazi is a former street thief turned soldier sent to investigate an outlaw dynasty — and Jase is the leader of that dynasty. A recipe for disaster, right? Besides being enemies, they both have a load of dangerous secrets they’re hiding from each other — which makes for a lot of tense moments.
Oh, did I mention that through a turn of events they end up on the run in the middle of the wilderness chained together at the ankles? Yeah, let’s twist that screw a little tighter. They experience a lot of angry and awkward moments that sometimes turn steamy. It was deliciously evil to write.
Here’s a snippet between them once they have struck a rocky truce in their effort to survive:
‘Dance of Thieves’ — Kazimyrah of Brightmist and Jase Ballenger
He put his hand out to help me up. “We should get going, Kazi of Brightmist.”
I took it and stood. “You seem to like calling me that. Why?”
“Because I’m not sure that’s your real name. You appear to have a lot of hidden sides to you — juggling, telling riddles, taking down boys and threatening to cut their pretty necks.”
I grimaced and shook my head, sizing up his neck. “It’s not so pretty.”
He rubbed his neck as if offended. “Anything else up your sleeve I should know about?”
“If I told you, it wouldn’t be fun, would it?”
“Should I be concerned?”
“Probably.” Article Continues Below
Yes, Jase. Be concerned.
Below are more snippets of banter and barbs from a few of my favorite enemy-to-lovers in films and books.
‘The Empire Strikes Back’ — Princess Leia and Han Solo
Han: “You can’t bear to let a gorgeous guy like me out of your sight.”
Leia: “I don’t know where you get your delusions laser-brain.”
Oh, they were horrible to each other, but it made waiting for that first kiss all the sweeter.
‘Gone with the Wind’ — Scarlet O’Hara and Rhett Butler
Scarlet: “Sir, you are no gentleman.”
Rhett: “And you Miss, are no lady.”
And their opinions never changed much. These two never let up. But the chemistry was there even if they found it impossible to admit it.
‘Romancing the Stone’ — Joan Wilder and Jack Colton
Jack: “What did you do, wake up this morning and say, Today, I’m going to ruin a man’s life?”
Joan certainly did turn his world upside down. One of the things I loved about this movie is that she is a naïve romance novelist in need of some adventure — and she gets it when she meets the unscrupulous Jack Colton, a smuggler she is forced to turn to for help.
”Daughter of the Pirate King’ — Alosa and Riden
As Alosa contemplates shoving Riden into the water.
Riden: “Don’t even think about it.”
Alosa: “I already did.”
Riden: “I could have you shot.”
Alosa: “Your gun would have a hard time working once it’s wet.”
Riden: “I didn’t say I had to be the one to shoot.”
Alosa: “But let’s face it, you’d like that pleasure for yourself.”
Really, can you ever trust a pirate? But who better to anticipate their underhanded moves than another pirate? Alosa and Riden’s scheming is a joy to watch.
‘Game of Thrones’ — Jon Snow and Ygritte
Ygritte: “Girls would claw each others eyes out to get naked with you. I could teach you how to do it.”
Jon: “I know how to do it.”
Ygritte: “You know nothing, Jon Snow.”
This just might be one of the most quoted lines ever. Did you know that Jon (Kit Harington) and Ygritte (Rose Leslie) recently got married IRL? I guess “Jon” knows something after all.
‘Six of Crows’ — Nina Zenik and Matthias Helvar
Matthias: “Discipline. Routine. Does it mean nothing to you? Djel, I can’t wait to have a bed to myself again.”
Nina: “Right. I can feel just how much you hate sleeping next to me. I feel it every morning.”
Color Matthias red. Oh, Nina is merciless. But I loved her and Matthias! They are such opposites and that’s what makes them the perfect at-odds pair.
‘Pride and Prejudice’ — Elizabeth Bennett and Fitzwilliam Darcy
Mr. Darcy: “Could you expect me to rejoice in the inferiority of your connections?”
Elizabeth: “You are mistaken, Mr. Darcy, if you suppose that the mode of your declaration affected me in any other way, than as it spared me the concern which I might have felt in refusing you . . . I had not known you a month before I felt that you were the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed on to marry.”
This might be the most iconic enemy-to-lover story there is. The rude, arrogant, boorish Mr. Darcy gets his comeuppance from the sharp-tongued and witted Elizabeth Bennett. But their harsh words to each other, are of course, not the end of the story.
Do you have a favorite enemies to lovers story?
Dance of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and IndieBound, or you can add it to your Goodreads list.
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