Review – Enemies to Lovers by Alisha Rai

Item: Enemies to Lovers
Rating: 4
Author: Emily

Posted April 27, 2026 by Emily in review / 0 Comments

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review – Enemies to Lovers by Alisha Rai

TITLE: Enemies to Lovers
AUTHOR: Alisha Rai
SERIES: Daughters in Crime #2
Publisher: Avon
PUBLICATION DATE: April 7, 2026
Source: NetGalley
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RATING:

From the author of Partners in Crime, comes a sparkling new adventure rom-com where a con woman and a lawman team up on an epic cross-country road trip to save their families…and each other.

Sejal Chaudhary inherited her mama’s calculating brain, her daddy’s quick fingers, and the boatload of trauma that comes with being the eldest daughter of criminals. Although Sejal has never claimed to be a good girl, she’s spent the last couple years laying low and going (mostly) straight. That is, until a con gone wrong sends her into the arms of a handsome stranger who’s set on dragging her back into her messy family drama.

Krish Anand never mastered the fine art of being a bad boy…he would take a book over bullets any day. But when his FBI agent brother goes missing, he has no choice but to suit up for the adventure of a lifetime. Certain that someone in Sejal’s little crime family is behind the disappearance, a desperate Krish manages to convince the beautiful thief that his brother’s badge is actually his.

The deal is simple: help him find his brother, and Krish and the law will leave Sejal be. With an up-to-no-good ex also hot on her trail, Sejal reluctantly agrees. As they wind their way across the country on planes, buses, and automobiles, sparks ignite, and what began as a fragile temporary truce starts to look more and more like a partnership.

Falling for the enemy? So cliche, but so good…if only they can survive long enough to chance a happily ever after.

TROPES

Enemies-to-Lovers

Forced Proximity

Forbidden Love

Adventure Rom-Com

Setting the Scene

Review in 10 Words (or Less)

Surprisingly enjoyed the book and its characters.

Mood Before Reading

Reading slump – just put my last read on pause.

Dates Read

April 20 – 24, 2026

Review

Enemies to Lovers tells the story of a (fake) FBI agent forced to reluctantly team up with the daughter of criminals to find his missing brother, all while being hunted by a dangerous mobster (her ex).

I didn’t have any real expectations for this book since I wasn’t blown away by Partners in Crime (the first book in this series). But I did enjoy Enemies to Lovers. And not just because I love the trope (which is surprisingly kind of irrelevant in this case).

The audiobook was nice to listen to and both narrators really helped bring the main Sejal and Krish to life. I enjoyed listening to them, especially when multiple characters were involved in one interaction.

As for the story itself, I was quickly drawn in. Sejal was an interesting character from the start, even if I barely remembered her from the first book. And Krish was a nice mystery to solve. It was really nice to watch them grow as the story went progressed, even though they aren’t true enemies to lovers.

In fact, I think Sejal and Krish’s relationship skews closer to insta-love than any other trope – they were already half in love at first glance. Thankfully, there was enough development to not only make the relationship more believable, but also for me to buy it.

The one thing I have to nitpick is the crime aspects of the novel. Crime usually comes with a certain level of tension and suspense and Enemies to Lovers didn’t really deliver enough of either. It tried at times, and I get that too much of those emotions would feel out of place in what is more of a contemporary romance than a mafia romance, but the buildup is kind of cheapened without them. Instead, the ending feels a little abrupt with everything explained and/or resolved in quick succession. That said, there was a nice little twist at the end that I honestly didn’t see coming. And it gets bonus points for making complete sense in retrospect.

In conclusion…

Enemies to Lovers is a nice romance read with some additional excitement thanks to the crime elements. It works as a standalone and there’s some nice character growth and relationship development between Sejal and Krish. I just wish there was some more suspense and tension.