Beautiful Enemies

by Karine Saint Jacques

Could her enemies—four movie stars—ever become her most ferocious protectors, hell-bent on burning down the world for her and making her theirs?

Scarlett Young

The four Princes of Hollywood… Don’t be tricked by their charming smiles and impressive physiques. If I weren’t the director of their next movie, I’d have already run far away. For some reason, they opposed my working with them.

Surprisingly, after I stood up to them and showed up on set on the first day of filming, they sang a different song, seeking forgiveness and even hitting on me. Well, they could whistle for it for all I cared; I was much better off away from them.

Why, then, were they slowly making my heart burn for them whenever they were around?

The Princes of Hollywood

Our  movie director, Scarlett Young, had to pay for her past sins. And my friends and I had the perfect plan: make her fall in love, then crush her heart. Between the four of us—rising stars nicknamed the Princes of Hollywood—she was bound to yield to temptation.

Or so we thought. Other women might have fainted before us, overcome by the chance to be with us. But Scarlett? The further she was from us, the better she felt.

As for us, we didn’t see it coming; we were falling head over heels for her before we could stop ourselves.

But others were out to harm her, and if they dared take her away from us, we’d burn down the world until she was safe in our arms again.

Beautiful Enemies is Book 1 in the Wicked Knights series, an enemies-to-lovers polyamory romance featuring a wary heroine and four leading men who make everyone who dares touch her wish they’d never come close. Their story continues in Shattered Stars (Book 2).

404 pages, Paperback

Published August 5, 2025

About the author

Author Karine Saint Jacques pens Contemporary Romance where emotionally wounded characters venture into romantic, obstacle-filled, and often forbidden territories that challenge them to fight for true love.

Reviews

[Sienasummerrreads · Rating 2 out of 5]

Im just going to dive into this review. Im grateful that I received an ARC from the author and I did enjoy the concept but the execution personally didn’t do it for me. Reminding that reviews are for potential readers.

Please be mindful of potential spoilers in this section. The story follows a movie director named Scarlett and four men Bellamy, Ashton, Sawyer, and R.J. known as the Princes of Hollywood, who star in a film. Ashton’s cousin holds a vendetta against Scarlett because, back in high school, she cheated on him and had a reputation for getting around. Determined to have her removed from the set and stripped of the job entirely, Ashton convinces the other three to help him.

Here are some things I noticed along the way that really stood out to me and that I struggled with.

Characters – I hardly know anything about these characters beyond famous actors, a few breakups and past trauma. They didn’t have enough depth to make them memorable. Also the jealousy and immature nature of some of the men in moments was a turn off.

Plot Line – Unfortunately, it’s blatantly obvious who is behind everything that happens. From the first few chapters, it’s clear that all the drama stems from the cousin.

Patterns of Three – Three men approached her at the club, three men tried to kidnap Scarlett, and three men caused her trauma in the past.

Cousins – A cousin is mentioned twice: one is prominent in the story, and another is used to explain R.J.’s past trauma.

Very Cliché Moments – Always saving her, a picnic with a summer dress and wide-brim hat, intimate scene under the stars, and a masquerade ball. Unfortunately, for me, these moments felt cliché.

Some Writing Moments – Ashton and Bellamy only in a line or two, calling her “my lady,” and she responds in an olden day manor aswell. This was odd and out of place. She also called one of them her superhero which was an ick. The lovey dovey moments were cringe due to not much character depth.

Ashton – He had four dinners with Scarlett by himself (or attempted to, before being interrupted). None of the other men received this much attention.

Bellamy, Sawyer, and R.J. – The enemies-to-lovers element is almost nonexistent, except for one scene at the start.

Serious Topics – Such as sex addiction. Unfortunately, I laughed when one of the MMCs mentioned it to the FMC. I knew nothing about this character beyond him being a movie star, obsessed with the FMC, and having a sex addiction. The backstory is only partially revealed later, but still, I felt this topic was handled superficially. This is a serious subject and shouldn’t have made me laugh; it felt like it was thrown in just to add dept but missed the mark.

Revenge Director Scene – This was the only moment that genuinely surprised me, but the revenge scene didn’t sit right and felt a little too extreme.

Why Choose – While the “choice” element is present, she only had sex with one of the characters in this book, which left me a little disappointed.

Again a storyline like this has potential but unfortunately fell flat for me. This is more personal preference please keep that in mind. This leaves on a cliff hanger and I do want to know what happens but I don’t think I will continue the series.

Genre/Type: Adult Romance 18+
APK: Kindle ARC
Pages: 382
Rating: 🌟🌟
Spice: 🌶️
Series or Standalone: Book One In the Wicked Knights Serirss
Tropes or Themes: Why Choose, Enemies To Lovers, Workplace, Forced Proximity, MMC’s Famous Movie Stars, Obsessive, Jealousy, A Bet, Kidnap Attempt, Assault Attempt, Sex Addiction, Sex Club, Sexual Content
Discusses: Rape and Gang Rape.
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[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one. This is a new to me aurthor.
The writing flows very smoothly which makes it easy to read.
I figured out what happened to Scarlett quickly and figured that person lied about what they had done.
I didn’t know this book would end in a cliffhanger and the way it did oh man. I really need to know what happens next.
Ashton, Sawyer, Bellamy and RJ are the Princes of Hollywood. Scarlett is the young director who has been hired to make a new superhero movie. The guys are not a fan of Scarlett. They’ve been lied to about her so they are judging her before they know her.
The guys make a bet pertaining to Scarlett. Soon things change as feelings start to develop.
The only thing is Scarlett isn’t ready to let them all the way in and let them in on what happened to her. Even when one of the guys opens to her and tells her something he doesn’t let her everyone in on.
I didn’t know how things would play out but I did figure it out towards the end. I just wasn’t expecting to be left in such a cliffhanger. Now I need to know what will happen next. I need to know how one of the guys will handle being lied to by someone he truly trust.
Must read.

[Ingrid Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

On the whole I enjoyed the story but still found a girl with 4 boyfriends a bit unrealistic, but I still I couldnt put the book down once I had started and finished within 24hrs, I loved the individual character arcs and back stories, their dynamics — full of tension, banter, and complex chemistry — is what carries the story. BUT my only gripe was that the attractions came far too quickly as I usually like a slower build up but seeing as there were many individuals can understand why it happened so quickly,that was my only gripe. My favourite Princes were Bellamy and Sawyer, so opposite but so HOT not that I wanted to choose a favourite as RJ and Ashton were just as hot. but they just stood out more for me.
If you're a fan of enemies-to-lovers with a mix of emotional depth and drama, Beautiful Enemies delivers on all fronts. It’s the kind of story that leaves you torn between rooting for and yelling at the main characters — in the best way.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Felicia's Review · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an enemies-to-lovers set in Hollywood. This book had so much tension between Scarlett who is a young director and the Actors Ashton, Sawyer, Bellamy and RJ who have been named the princes of Hollywood. This book left on a cliffhanger which as made me want book two to find out what will happen next.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This enemies to lovers, why choose romance had me intrigued from the first paragraph. I enjoyed the tension, the banter, and the chemistry. I enjoyed the back stories and how the pace of the story progressed. Overall, a good read. Thank you to the author for the e-ARC of this story.

[BusyM3 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good start to this series Wicked Knights. This is a new author for me and I am looking forward to reading more from them. The story flows well, easy to follow. The characters are likeable and fit well together. Overall a good read.

I am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Cheyenne Rivera · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book ends on a cliffhanger that is good that you want to keep reading and get to the next one asap. Overall a really good read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jeanne Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the fifth book I've read written by Karine Saint Jacques; I can’t wait to read more of her books.

This is the first book in the Wicked Knights Series; it is the beginning of a new series. The story continues in the next book and needs to be read in order.