Stone Reeves was my neighbor, and I’ve hated him since sixth grade.Gorgeous and charismatic, he became the town’s football god, while I became the town’s invisible girl.He went to a Division 1 school for football, while my father was fired by his father.His team won the National Championship, while my mother died the same day.He was a first round pick for the NFL …… while I made the worst … …
… while I made the worst decision of my life.
Now I’m in Texas trying to pick up the pieces of my life.
But, Stone is here.
Stone is everywhere.
It doesn’t matter that disaster has struck my life again.
It doesn’t matter that he’s the one trying to console me.
It doesn’t matter that he’s the nation’s newest football obsession.
Because for me, he always has been and always will be my enemy.
** Enemies is a 100k enemies-to-lovers football romance standalone!
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I could not put this amazing book down. As soon as I finished it I wanted to go back to the start and read it all over again!!! I honestly think this book will be one I read over and over again. I almost wish I could be lucky enough to erase my memory and experience it for the first time over and over again. If you haven’t read this one yet, you need to get on that!
Stone and Dusty used to be best of friends growing up. Then things changed and they became enemies. Years later they end up in the same town. He’s now a professional football player and she’s a college student trying to escape her past and explore her dreams. Once again tragedy strikes Dusty and Stone steps in to help her out.
Stone had me wanting to scream at him for being so mean at times. Then at other times I found myself wanting to read scenes over and over again because he’s just so good with Dusty when she truly needs someone to help her through the struggle. This book is one of the best enemies to lovers stories I have ever read. If you haven’t read this one yet, you need to get on that! 5 plus stars for this one for sure!!
At first glance, Enemies is a typical romance novel with the enemies-to-lovers theme. Stone and Dusty were childhood best friends. But it’s all ended because of Stone’s growing popularity and some other events. From this point, her hatred towards Stone only growe more. When another tragedy hits Dusty life, unfortunately for her Stone is the only person who knows her and is able to help her. They spend more time together and this leads to bringing old feelings to the surface.
The story seems typical for this topic, right? Well, it wasn’t for me. It was something more. More severe. What happened to Dusty and the feelings she had to face – sadness, sorrow, hatred, lust, love – were presented in an almost primal version. More real, ugly and sad. In addition to all this, she struggled with problems typical of student life. Such as parties, haters, making new friends, studying. She really had a lot on her mind. But the last words from the last chapter and the entire epilogue were completely different from the rest. Beautiful and touching – balm for these jagged emotions.
Because of these complicated emotions and relations, I could not tear myself away from Enemies. I was hypnotized by it. I read this book in one sitting! Tijan’s writing style grabbed my attention from the first pages of this book. It was an awesome experience. Like watching a train crash that you can’t take your eyes off of.
I highly recommended this book.
I loved Stone and Dusty. This story incorporates their lifelong friendship, love and hatred. The traumas and triumphs feel real. Their need for each other vivid. The storyline is captivating. The other characters were also well done and solid. I’d love to read stories centered around some of them too.
Enemies is an enemies-to-lovers, sports romance with a little bit of friends-with-benefits (in my opinion) on the side. This is my third book reading from the author and you don’t know how I was finally looking forward to it. Excited and nervous doesn’t even begin to cover what I feel.
Now after reading the book, there was a lot of conflicting emotions in me and I’m struggling to put it in writing. Bottom line- I don’t hate it, but I don’t particularly like it. I guess, I’m still on the fence. Maybe, it was just me. Maybe it lies on the fact that I only have Dusty’s POV to rely upon on the way the story was told. Therefore, the reason why I couldn’t connect with Stone. But still, I’m looking forward to reading any book from the author in the future.
I’m not crying, you’re crying! I LOVED THIS BOOK!!! It was very emotional, but I got lost in it. But then when don’t I get lost in Tijan’s writing?!!!
5 stars
Ok so I haven’t read many Tijan books and I’m not sure why, because she is one gifted writer
I cried…. MULTIPLE times throughout this book.
My girl Dusty is such a fighter. Even though at time she fought to be numb, overall she fought to survive.
She was an intense character and my heart clung to her.
Stone sometimes seemed like he was literally made of stone. But no one was better at breaking down Dustys walls better than him.
There was so much going on this book. I couldn’t put it down, the anticipation of what each page held called to me like the sea calls to Moana.
I have no words to describe this book except I’m going to go download more of Tijan’s books right now
5 Stars
Stone Reeves was a god, everyone knew and loved him.. except Dusty Phillips, she hates him.
Stone was a first round draft pick and every time he was even mentioned Dusty got a sour taste in her mouth. When she moves into her new living arrangements at college she has no idea what she’s in for. Life has been hard for Dusty while Stone seems to have everything he’s ever wanted dropped in his lap. It’s discouraging and irritating for Dusty. Then he starts showing up.. EVERYWHERE! When disaster strikes yet again for Dusty and Stone is the one to deliver the news that makes it an even harder pill to swallow. Life for Dusty will never be the same and she doesn’t even know where to begin picking up the pieces and attempting to start over, but when Stone tries to be there for her that is something she doesn’t know how to handle. He’s her enemy and that’s all she could ever see him as.. or is it?
Dusty broke my heart! Her life has been rough to say the least. The secrets, lies, betrayals, plots.. it’s too much! It almost killed me, but then things start to fall into place and lord help me I’ve never swooned so hard over a character until Stone. He couldn’t get any more perfect, it’s like I created him myself! It has been almost 4 months since I read this book and it seems like I can’t get the characters out of my head. It took me so long to write this review because I truly didn’t even know where to begin. I was shattered by this book. It destroyed me like all of Tijan’s books. She has a way of knowing how to draw out all my ugly cry moments and then has me happy and swooning within minutes. I love her work. I can’t get enough of her words. She is like a unicorn for me, rare and awe inspiring! Her work is something that I recommend to anybody who will listen!
This book is one that I will go back and reread again just to feel all those emotions again. Dusty and all her heartache.. no person deserves that much heartache in their life but yet people deal with it everyday. I related to her on such a strong emotional level, I’ve been through some of the same anguish, it’s awful and you feel like you are drowning but then one day you start to slowly tread water and day after day it gets easier. The pain never goes away but it starts to become bearable. There are days where you forget how to swim and then there are days where you feel like Michael Phelps.
And then there’s Stone, goodness that man.. I don’t even know where to start with how much I loved him. Lord have mercy! He was everything I ever wanted and everything I never knew I needed. His loyalty and strength were just what Dusty, and I needed. Then the twist, I mean seriously who knew! GAH! I can’t say anymore without giving it all away but wow that almost ruined me.
Simply amazing
I got through so many emotions while reading “Enemies” – I cried, I hurt, I was angry and I was happy
I’m usually not a cryer but Tijan brought this out in me I just felt so much for Dusty, how much she went through and how much she was hurting!
This book is an enemies-to-lovers college football romance which features Dusty and Stone. They know each other since forever, because they grew up next to each other.
After a fall out they hated each other with a passion.
Dusty transferred to a college in the same town Stone is playing football and being seen as a legend. The hate is still going strong, but soon they both have to rely on each other to find peace, so they kinda switch from hate to like to love and back to hate.
I really liked seeing these two characters developing. Not only are they each getting stronger but also stronger together
Tijan also made me fall in love with several side characters like Stone’s friends or Dusty’s roommates. The roommates also got through a transformation : at first they were mean and become more and more loyal loved that dusty had someone that was there for her!
If you read hate to love you by Tijan, than you will definitely love this book as well! I can 100 percent recommend this book, especially if you like a good hate to love football romance book
This book was so so so good! I was hooked and couldn’t put it down!! My heart broke many times over for Dusty in this book. She lost so much and only had a few people to turn to. One being Stone and she had very strong hate for him. He broke her heart when they were young and she never forgot it. Despite the tragedy that happen, he showed her that he wasn’t that bad of guy and that he didn’t know what all went down with their parents. Truths came out and Dusty was able to see the good in Stone. See him for a great and sweet man he was. Yes he was the football God and everybody loved him! I mean they really loved him in this town! He made a promise to her mom and kept it for the most part and helped in a unique way of healing her while she grieved her loss. Her roommates were the best but they soon realized the error of their ways, stood up for her when needed and was all one big happy family by the end. There’s a whole of Hate Sex in this book and boy was it HOT!!! Her and Stone definitely had chemistry in and out of the bedroom. What started out rocky turned into something more, so much more for these two! I loved every moment of this book and how right the world was in the end for these two. They might be a favorite couple!! I’d definitely recommend this book to everyone!!
Enjoyed the story, but was disappointed there wasn’t more narration by Jason Clarke.
I was so blown away by this story. I loved every single bit of it. From start to finish I was grappling at the pages.
I was really surprised by how much I liked the characters in this story. The two main characters are childhood friends that had a falling out. The bond that they share from being so close for much of their childhood is evident in the way that they interact with each other. Even through the hate that they shared for each other in the beginning over their shared past, the bond between them still shined through. The author did a wonderful job of creating that special bond and making it radiate through the pages. Individually, the characters are wonderful as well. Dusty is strong and resilient and everything I love about a female lead character. Stone is driven and compassionate and he really surprised me at every turn. I loved the secondary characters as well. They really added something special to the story. I loved that there was some contention between Dusty and her roommates at first because it added to the story.
I loved the romance. I am a sucker for childhood friends turned lovers and the author really did an amazing job with this trope in this story. As I mentioned above, the bond between Stone and Dusty was powerful and a little transcendent of their current life circumstances. It was really beautiful. The reader could tell that they cared about each other from a mile away. And their chemistry was a tangible and heady thing.
I really enjoyed the plot of the story. It was clever and worked really well. The climax at the end was a little duller than I was expecting but it still worked. This was a story that I could not put down. I was so invested in these characters. I really loved the storytelling. The author has grown so much with her writing since the last book that I’ve read. I was really impressed. I loved the author’s writing voice and I look forward to more of her stories.
Overall, this was a story that absolutely captured my attention. I was so taken in by these characters and I was drawn into their lives effortlessly. I can’t recommend this story enough and I can’t wait for the next one from Tijan!
Enemies is the first book of Tijan’s that I have read and it certainly won’t be my last. This book is simply a must read. I love everything about Dusty and Stone and I honestly didn’t want their story to end. I loved both epilogues and the bonus prologue. These two are one of my favorite couples! They have so much passion and fire! I love them!
Dusty is one of the most badass females leads I have ever read. I really enjoyed learning more about her character throughout this story. She broke my heart. She has been through more than any young woman should ever have to go through (I won’t give specifics because spoilers!). She is so strong though. She had some ups and downs, some breakdowns, and major denial, but it just made her a stronger person in the end. She got through it all. She learned how to pick up the broken pieces and stand to mend them back together. She won’t ever completely heal from her heartaches, but she can learn to live and be happy again. She is one character who deserves it. I simply adore Dusty. I admire her strength, courage, and her overall awesomeness.
Stone. Oh, boy. I feel all the feels about Stone. He’s pure sexiness wrapped in a pro football player uniform. Yes please! Honestly though, I really did love Stone’s character. There were times when I wanted to smack him, but even then I still loved him. He is a really good person, even though he didn’t really have the best examples growing up. He tries to do the right thing and help people when he can. He definitely didn’t learn that from his parents. His parents are pretty terrible. Stone still tries to be a good person though. He made something of himself through his hard work and dedication. Football is his life. I think it saved him from himself. It gave him direction and a goal to work towards. And he’s a damn good football player. I always find it fascinating to read books about sports. I don’t like watching them, but it’s interesting to read about the characters who play them. I would have loved to get inside his head a little more. The chapters from his POV were amazing. I need more Stone!
The chemistry between Dusty and Stone is off the charts. And I mean OFF THE FREAKING CHARTS! It’s hot and full of passion and fire. I could not get enough of these two. I loved every second of their banter and fighting. I also loved the sweet and tender moments between them. I honestly just loved everything about these two. They are so perfect for one another. They are intense, passionate, and full of fire. All of that shows in how they interact with one another. It’s a fierce game between them. Neither one wants to admit that they are in love with the other. Neither one of them wants to admit how much they need each other. And when they both finally come to the realization that they need one another, BAM! It’s epically amazing. I was in full cheerleader mode right then. These two deserve happiness and they deserve to find it together. I was rooting for them the entire story. My heart was so happy when they finally figured it out. These two are #endgame!
Overall, if I could give this story more than 5 stars, I would. I loved everything about this story. I loved the backstory, the characters, the passion, the fire, the heat, and the love. I want more of Dusty and Stone. This book made me feel all the feels. I am so glad that this was my first book by Tijan. I honestly can’t wait to read more from her!
I loved this enemies to lovers book, Tijan does it again with another drama/heartfelt/ emotional story. There’s so much on Dusty’s plate for when she young that I felt she should be crying in a corner somewhere. The fact that she pills herself together and goes to school, is a tiny miracle. Even though this is a friends to lovers story with dusty and stone, it’s also a book about making new friends in people who are as different as night and day. There’s were so many emotions going on while reading that, I was so into the book I couldn’t put it down.
Dusty is looking forward to starting over in a new college far away from home, expecting peace & quiet in her room from a house she’s renting from. The surprise is on her when she realizes her room is in a party house. To make matters worse the parties cater to the college football players, the one thing she is desperate to stay away from. Just when things couldn’t possibly get worse for Dusty, her arch nemesis-former childhood best friend Stone comes storming back in her life, wreaking more havoc in her already chaotic life.
Stone doesn’t want to have anything to do with Dusty, but guilt fuels him to act on a promise he made to someone. When feelings come to light & hidden truths are uncovered, can these two figure out a way to make peace with the past & move on to the future together?
Stone makes decisions to further his career while destroying his relationship with Dusty. Dusty has never forgiven him for abandoning their friendship & for what his family did to hers. I like how Stone acknowledges & owns up to things he did. Dusty had every right to keep her guard up & to protect herself & her heart. These two will need to decide if it’s worth putting the past behind them to move forward. This was another amazing book of Tijan’s! Can’t wait to see what she has in store for us next!
Oh my god, what a great book! I didn’t know this author wrote this good. She’s a new author for me and now I will have to follow her and read her books. This one had all the feels: loss, angst, hate, enmity, need, friendship, bitchy girls, stubbornness, you name it. All except a love triangle LOL. And the angst was sublime!
Dusty Phillips and Stone Reeves were best friends and neighbors until they were in sixth grade. From then on, Stone pushed her aside in favor of his other friends and football. He was a jerk for the rest of high school until he left for college. She hated him with a passion, and of course I instantly knew the hate was hiding a hurt.
Years later, Dusty arrives at Texas C&B University to finish her studies in Marine Biology. Stone is part of the city’s pro football team The Kings and they are the gods in town. To top it all off, she ended up rooming in a football house because the girls living there were girlfriends of the college football team. It feels like she ended back in Reeves territory. Now she’s having to deal with a house full of football jocks, several bitchy girls, new town and new college, and the presence of Stone in TV and all around. There’s also her stepmother calling and insisting she get in contact with Stone and she refuses given their family history and all the damage the Reeves family have done to her family. They have a lot of baggage and Dusty has no intentions of bridging the gap.
A tragedy occurs, followed by an accident, and Dusty ends up beholden to Stone, and dependent on him for care. This brings them closer and clears up their enmity but doesn’t clear the many years of hate, of loneliness, of missing her best friend who shunned her, a secret from her past that is still haunting her, and all the sadness that she’s been carrying around for all the past years. There are some scenes that just break your heart with such wrenching pain.
Dusty was a sad character. She’s suffered injustices and big losses, and she moves around in a daze, like a survival zombie tactic. However, she has inner strength, and even though her days are crappy she forges on. Stone helps her out of a feeling of obligation, but then realizes that he had missed his friend and they were now having a hot chemistry going on. The problem is how to deal with all their baggage and their past history. They have passionate encounters and passionate fights, she’s stubborn, he’s stubborn, he wants to help and she wants to deal on her own. He’s protective, she’s dejected because she’s mourning. There are a lot of feelings in this book and I felt very strongly for both. There are also cute moments when Dusty wins over the football players in the house with her cooking and they become slaves to her offerings. They keep on buying her groceries so she’ll continue to prepare feasts for them. In the middle of her loss, she made friends and they had her back.
I was in turns amused, annoyed, saddened, glad, and anxious while reading this book. This couple led me on a very riveting read. There was a lot of angst in this book and I had a great time reading it.
Fantastic book!!!
I cannot even tell you how great this story is! This was one of those books that you couldn’t put down easily, it is well written & very put together, the characters were so easy to fall in love •
I went into this book blind; someone gave this book to me as Christmas present & sadly I’m just getting around to reading it
Dusty & Stone story is about, two kids who grew up together & once upon time were inseparable, & then the next day they’re not. Than Dusty’s became invisible to Stone after He hit puberty, & suddenly Stone was too cool for Dusty. So many bad things happen after these two stops being friends! Dusty’s life will never be the same again!
I could tell you all about Dusty’s life changing events … but where the fun in that? All you need to know is this girl moved almost five states away from that small town in South Dakota to get away from her pass
She picked Texas C&B cuz it was known for its marine biology program, but it was also known to house the newly rising in popularity pro football team, & they were smack in the beginning of that season.
Yeah you Guess it- Stone Reeves a professional football player for Texas Kings
Disaster has struck Dusty life once again. This time will Stone be there to help pickup the pieces of her life? Or will their pass keep them as Enemies?
Omg I almost forgot this amazing author gave us not one Epilogue, but two
Note: only reason why I gave 4 stars is cuz I felt cheated with Stone Reeves pov… no other reason than that
*Hope you enjoy this read & also always keep in mind this is just my opinion+ Also I wouldn’t never discourage anyone from reading this book.
This is a new author for me and I’ve seen so many comments about this book that I had to read; unfortunately, for me it fell short. I struggled through this book until I hit about the 55-60% point, then it started to peak my interest and from that point on I was engrossed in the story. The story is told in the h’s point of view until the end then you finally get a few chapters in the H’s point of view which was great. I’m probably in the minority here but I really wanted to love this read.
To me this was a very good book. Hard to put down.
It was an enjoyable read