The Enemy Trap

by Maren Moore

Hayes Davis is America’s sweetheart, the #1 hockey player in the country, and my fake fiancé.
Simple, right? It would be, if my betrothed were anyone else.

But it turns out America’s sweetheart is arrogant, selfish, and a guy I have no intentions of letting break my heart again.

It was never supposed to happen.
But then one night changes everything.

Now, he’s not only my pretend fiancé but my very real baby daddy.

How can two people who hate each other pull off the lie of a lifetime while figuring out how to raise a child together?

Everything between us was supposed to be fake, but I’m not pretending anymore

Genres: Enemies To Lovers, Romance, Sports Romance, Fake Dating, Sports, Hockey, Contemporary

219 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 3, 2021

Reviews

[Larissa Cambusano · Rating 3 out of 5]

quick & cute read! I didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it either <3

[Nayeli ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

✨ 3.5 stars ✨

BR with Flor🌼

"She looks like the best version of Heaven I'll ever see laid out next me. Her cheeks are flushed, and a small smile rests on her lips from my teasing. She looks happy."

I have my emotions mixed with this book because there were things that I liked, more than anything the first chapters that had INCREDIBLE ✨tension✨ between both MCs and the fights they had between them were super funny, omg! 😂😂

Examples:

"Aww, don't be like that, St. James. What can I say? The name just stuck. Plus, how many times have I told you I'm going to do the exact opposite of what you want?"
Add his ability to unnerve me with just his childlike ridicule to the list of things I loathe about of him. It's something he obviously hasn't grown out of over time.
Unlike most males, who leaves the immaturity in high school, Hayes just seems to have gotten worse in adulthood."

"I don't want anything to do with you, actually. But your ego makes that hard to see, huh?
He laughs, so low and hoarse I feel it in my stomach, "I think you want war, and baby...I play win."

Yeah, guys everything was awesome here, BUT after that 40% where was the enemies to lovers trope? Exactly, it DISAPPEARED !

Meanwhile Flor and I were like this:



Everything started to happen so fast, many things that were important (imo) were skipped and thanks to those aspects the love story didn't develop well (which is unfortunate because it did have the potential to be a better book) 😩
I wouldn't have bothered if the book was a little longer, and I know that if it had had more chapters I would have enjoyed it more.


Despite those things, this book had one of the cutest scenes I've ever read🥰😍 the hero was super loving, dedicated, charming and always supported the heroine in any way he could without a second thought. So just because of him I can say that I liked the story a little more, sorry not sorry😂 and well, I did like the heroine too! She was funny, nice, loving and caring.

💗 Adding cheesy and beautiful quotes here: 💗

"Every fucking day, I'm falling farther and farther in love with a woman I can't have."

"Dont ever hide from me, baby. Your body is a work of art, and I'm going to spend the next twelve hours worshipping it until you understand just how beautiful it is"

"I'm done pretending. You are mine, Sophia, and if any part of you, even the smallest amount feels like you aren't, then you need to walk out that door, because I am done holding back, I'm done pretending that this isn't real and that you aren't the only thing that I want."

[ApoorvaReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars ⭐️

”The last thing I need to do is accidentally fall for my fake husband to be. No matter how charming and ridiculously hot he is.”

I usually don’t read R.Holmes works too much but when I heard she was writing under a pen name and the genre was rom-com, I decided to cross my fingers and give this one a shot and i immensely enjoyed this!!
This book has enemies to lovers (my fav🥺),pregnancy trope and fake engagement!

”These powerful, deep moments with Sophia are few and far between, but when they happen, they take root in my heart and grow. Every fucking day, I'm falling farther and farther in love with a woman I can't have.”

Sophia St. James, 30, is a sassy and funny h. I really liked reading her pov. She and Hayes share a dislike since their school days. They get irritated around each other and they can’t really ignore each other cause their bestfriends are married to each other😂 I loved their banter and how they started exploring love with each other.

”His arms are tight around me, as if he’s afraid that if he lets go even the smallest amount, I’ll fall back apart. It’s a comfort I never knew I needed. And I can admit right now that I need him and his strength.”

Hayes Davis is a professional hockey player which makes him America’s sweetheart. He’s got a reputation with women (yeah, playboy) but what I really liked about him was how he changed afterwards. He was so protective and careful towards Sophia and wanted to help her through everything which had me “awwwing” a lot!🥰🥺

”I want her to know that I want her unlike any woman ever, and I will spend the next however long it takes until she realizes that she is the woman of my dreams.”

Overall, I had a lot of fun reading the book, there were so many cute scenes and the hospital scenes nearly killed me😭 they were so cute sksks. I am excited to see what Marren has up her sleeves for her next release!

”Every single day he surprises me more and more. Instead of my number one enemy, he's actually the only person I want by my side through this. My number one man.”

*** ARC provided in exchange for honest review.***

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars 



I love sports romances and when I saw this was fake dating/enemies to lovers I was here for it. Unfortunately I was reading this book the same time I was listening to an audiobook about fake dating/enemies to lovers and this one just didn’t measure up. I really liked the hero, Hayes, but the heroine drove me a bit batty. Especially towards the end. This was a quick, sweet, and steamy read and I liked it well enough, but didn’t really stand out to me.

[Flor ❁ (HIATUS) · Rating 3 out of 5]

more like two stars 🤨

buddy read w Naye 🖤

[jagodasbooks · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't like this book. It was kinda cringey and overdramatic. Also their "hate" felt really forced and was without reasonable reason. It was childish.

"I'd literally rather have sex with cactus then come within five feet of his..."

I had also problem with so many culture reference, for example:

"Now I'm nervous. Did something happen? Were we pirated? My mind immediately flashes to Pirates of Caribbean and a delicious Johnny Depp, and then I realize how utterly ridiculous that sounds."

"Everything is making me nauseous. I cried watching fucking Harry Potter. What? Dobby is a free elf. That shit gets me every time."

My main problem was with writing, it felt like I was reading Wattpad. Everyone "sing sang" every time and so on. What is this? Soap opera? Don't recommend.
1,5/5⭐

[mira · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.25⭐️

ya this author is just not for me. i liked the concept of the book. the tropes are good but god the execution was so bad that i skimmed most of it to see how it ends, and ya not satisfied at all. its also fade to black :) not my fucking scene tbh.

[Michele · Rating 2 out of 5]

My feelings through this book was: meh . It fell over the top, and rushed. Her reason for hating him, their little games, how he was a manwhore and "never getting married and having kids ugh" and then suddenly he was the most devoted dad to be, sweet as a pie. Where did that guy came from?

As I said, a ok read. Pretty fast read too. I read while I worked (sorry, boss) and it took like 3 to 4 hours.

[Elisa ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

so, the first 40% of this book was amazing, but the rest...
let's start with the good things:
- this movie gave me The backup plan vibes (that Jennifer Lopez movie)
- I'm a sucker for a guy that looks tough but is an actual teddy bear
- roommates trope
- baby

now, let me rant:

- so the passing of this book was weird, as soon as she gets pregnant, times fly! In one chapter she's 12 weeks, the next one she's 18 weeks then suddenly she's 30 weeks pregnant.
i just wanted more of them spending time together and falling in love.

- he's a famous hockey player, but we never see him play. i don't care about sports, but still, the synopsis focus on him being a hockey player, so he should at least play one game.

- the third act conflict was just miscommunication for me, if she had just listened to him!

[Shivani (shivsreads_ ) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meddling friends √

Hot,playboy athlete turned giant teddy bear √

Major simping √

"I love my baby mama" √

The Enemy Trap my Maren Moore is an enemies-to-lovers, fake fiancée, accidental pregnancy story that is equal parts sweet and steamy. Sophia and Hayes have hated each other for years but are forced into each other’s lives repeatedly because they share a god daughter. One heated and drunken encounter when they are stranded on a yacht leads to Sophia getting pregnant with Hayes’s baby. This story is told from dual pov as these two people who cannot stand each other, now get ready to co-parent while pretending to be engaged in order to help Hayes keep a good image from a PR perspective.

This is a fun and light hearted plot that is fast paced. It did not feel as though any part of the book was unnecessarily dragging. Sophia is feisty, quirky and a bit insecure due to her past. Hayes is the best type of book boyfriend there is. He is a reformed playboy who is utterly smitten with Sophia and their baby. All those scenes with him obsessively worrying about the baby were downright swoon worthy.

This book focuses majorly on how the MCs go from enemies to roommates and soon to be parents to lovers and more. There is not much in the way of their individual goals or aspirations in terms of their careers. But it is delightful to read about how devoted Hayes is to both his girls.

The misunderstanding that arises at around 90% of the story could have been easily avoided. This problem between the couple did not come across as well planned out. I felt like it was hastily made up to keep the story interesting. But it is a good thing that we don’t see a lot of wallowing by the MCs. The issue is quickly resolved and they move on to the HEA.

Overall, The Enemy Trap was a fluffy and optimistic read that left me feeling happy with a smile on my face. I recommend this book to those who want a fun and low angst romance.

Happy reading! 😊

Find me :
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[Alexandra · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF’d at 71%

What I loved:
Cute concept. Enemies that get “parent trapped” on a yacht by their friends then end up banging. Then they conceive a child and have to fake being engaged. Cute concept. Lots of potential.

What didn’t work:
• Said banging scene was A FADE TO BLACK. this climatic scene and the book was doing so well...this moment that is life changing actually FADES TO BLACK????
• they get fake engaged and out of the blue the MMC starts having real feelings for her out of the blue. No development of those feelings and how we got here other than she’s his baby mama.

People I blame for this:
• booktok aesthetics. Just stop. They’re so gorgeous and can be very misconceiving.
• booktoks skewed “spice ratings” - don’t tell me it’s SUPER SPICY. When the 2 moments are fade to black and were at 71 % of the book. At least tell me this prior to reading the book. Stop misleading people because you want your content to do well.


Probably would have finished this book if i went into it with different expectations.

[Grecia Robles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me gustó, no fue el mejor libro que he leído de fake romance eso si pero es entretenido.

Es un enemies to Lovers, se han odiado siempre al menos ella sí, él solo la fastidia porque ella lo destesta y en una de copas una noche loca ella queda embarazada y tienen que fingir que se van a casar por el bien de la carrera de deportista de él ya un escándalo más y lo pierde todo.

Pero ya sabe que en el proceso de fingir la línea es muy delgada.

Lo único que no me gustó fue el drama final innecesario pero de ahí en fuera si estuvo bonito.

[Melanie (mells_view) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hayes is dangerous. For my head and my heart.

I’m sort of split on this one. Did I read the entire book? Yes. Was it entertaining? Yes. THAT SAID, the love story felt a little forced and lacked some build up/tension I was sort of anticipating. There were also a few things that rubbed me wrong in this one, but I’ll just chalk them up to personal preference. All in all this was a good read. I enjoyed the overall plot I just wanted a little bit more in some aspects.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

A hockey and enemies to lovers will always catch my attention, however this one fell flat for me. I was enjoying this one and the two MCs realizing they actually had feelings for each other, until about the 90% mark. The reason for the third act breakup was just so frustrating. I get he is a former playboy, but at no point did a “he cheated on me” argument fit the story. It felt very out of place and unlike both of the characters. Overall enjoyable, but the ending unfortunately lowered the rating for me.

[Zoë]

I was sooo excited for this book. A new hockey romance that I hadn't read yet!

I open the book, see accidental pregnancy, close the book and throw it across the room.



I'm not mad, just disappointed

[M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

- hate to love
- unexpected pregnancy
- fake dating / fake engagament
- early 2000s rom-com movie vibes

3.5 || If you have read the other works of this author, then just by looking at this cover you have to know that these stories are at opposite poles, and I loved that duality.

Hayes Davis, being the famous hockey player that he is, has a lot of fans, but sadly Sophia St. James is not one of them. Actually, she has hated him since forever, and the time, the forced proximity and the fact that they share a goddaughter has not made things better for their relationship. Too bad for them that they didn't see coming that their best friends had a secret agenda when it came to them, seeing all that bickering and bantering for what it really was; a lot of chemistry and sexual tension. Now they are trapped together, and the aftermath of that tequilas night... yeah, you know where this is heading.

My favorite part of this book was how sweet and fun the romance was. Of course Sophia was wary of Hayes at first, after all she had made him look like satan's son in her head FOR YEARS, but he was really nothing more than a teddy bear, wrapped up in handsomeness and abs! He really worked to prove to Sophia that he was a good person and was there for her and their baby, and after all those ups and downs, we got a ton of cute moments between them, which is kind of my favorite thing in books with the unexpected pregnancy trope.

The only thing that totally didn't work out for me was the conflict at the very end, It was just miscommunication and I think it would have been a little better before the end of the book. Oh, and also the sport aspect. I don't care much about the details because I hardly ever understand what's going on (hi, not a sports person here), but it was a bit weird that it was mentioned how much of famous hockey player he was, but we never really saw any of that aspect of his life. I understand that he was injured and all, but it was strange that it was just a character trait that never developed.

ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest review.

[Fanny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Crei que esta lectura me iba a gustar mucho mas, pero me parecio muy simplona. No tiene gancho, la pareja principal se enamora de un instante al siguiente y la trama en mi opinion esta bastante desperdiciada, tenia potencial suficiente como para ser un libro que destacara pero la autora no supo darle un buen desarrollo.

La personalidad de los personajes tampoco es algo que merezca mencion, a ambos los percibi muy irreales, les falta profundidad y apenas sabemos nada de ellos despues de 24 capitulos.

El drama que salio de la nada a un par de capitulos de el final fue de autentica risa, completamente innecesario, ademas, la escritora lo resuelve en un par de parrafos y de una manera absurda.

En fin, The Enemy Trap no se ha convertido en uno de mis mejores recuerdos de este año. Es plana, con algunos errores en la narracion y que en general, te deja indiferente, lo unico positivo es que lee de forma agil, por lo demas, olvidable.

2 Estrellas!

[Rania · Rating 1 out of 5]

Whoever recommended this book to me, your moms a hoe

[Carolina Batista · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.8⭐️
Accidental Pregnancy with Enemies to Lovers…YES

Such a cute romance but I find myself thinking that all of Maren books go by so fast. This one had big time jumps and we missed moments from them that I would have love to see. Also, I needed more angst when they “hated” each other.

Nonetheless, cute romance and easy read. Will continue to read all of her books.

[Ilaria &#x1f338; · Rating 4 out of 5]

nice, cute, fresh summer read .
3.5 stars

[Karla✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5🌟
La verdad me encanto muchos tropes que me fascinan juntos Enemies to lovers, fake marriage, y un poco de comedia y mucho mucho romance, aunque al final ese mini drama no se me hizo necesariamente adecuado ese epílogo lo es todo 💜✨

[Katherine Ramos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hockey & enemies to lovers? Count me in!

I loved that this was a quick, wholesome, cute and a tad spicy read. I love the pacing, story and everything. I just wanted more angst!

[The Romantic Rush Blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

Welcome to the sweet and sassy mind of Maren Moore! The Enemy Trap is a heartfelt and charming feel-good story, chock full of that rom-com magic- witty banter, steamy chemistry, and swoony feels. Maren's debut is the perfect balance of melt your heart sweetness and light hearted laughs. I simply adored Hayes and Sophia's enemies to lovers romance.

Maren is working with a lot of different tropes here- but she fuses them so seamlessly. Enemies to lovers, surprise pregnancy, sports romance, fake engagement- so much yumminess in one fast paced read. Our story centers on down on her romantic luck Sophia St. James- newly 30, newly single, newly unemployed. Already wallowing in her life not turning out how she expected, fate rubs salt in the wound by putting her in the same place as her former childhood friend, now enemy, NHL superstar Hayes Davis- a dreamy mixture of playboy vibes with nice guy bones- oh yes, my ovaries are already twitching. These two get more rise out of each other than yeast to bread- so much so that their perpetual headbutting inspires their mutual best friends to trap them on a yacht as a rouse to get them reconcile, resulting in an unexpected night of naughty boat shenanigans- oh, but only if that was the ONLY surprise that came from that night. Now, these two enemies are stuck together in a far more permanent arrangement- an soon that fiery loathing turns into a fiery something else.

SWOOOOOOOOOOON- this story is just adorable. With all the dark complications of our modern world, this is just the light and optimistic story I needed-cute, straight forward, low angst, and super steamy. Seriously- this book is so sweet, I may get a cavity- and it would be totally worth it. Hayes is the ultimate book boyfriend- reformed jerky jock turns into the most devoted, besotted, possessive, and romantic hero ever- a total panty melter. I’m pregnant just thinking about him. And don’t even get me started on this man with a baby- yup, ovaries exploded and body overheated. And Sophia is basically the literary me- a bit jaded, sassy, and quirky, but underneath her is thinly veiled insecure and the thirst for real connection and trust. Their chemistry is toaster-strudel level delicious. Banter, emotional connection, sexual tension, and sweet wooing.

I couldn’t wipe the stupid, lovesick grin off my face the entire time- I was totally charmed and full of feel good butterflies. What a marvelous debut- and if this story is any indication, I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot more of the saccharine, sexy swoon of the sensational Maren Moore!

[Mia · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars


I was really into it until 40% all tension they had just disappeared over night. But overall okay read.

[Khadidja · Rating 2 out of 5]

girl what

[Antonella · Rating 1 out of 5]

oh, this was painful to read...
beautiful cover and tropey storyline
however, the characters!!! yikes

[veronica ☽ · Rating 2 out of 5]

A quick, adorable read filled with enemies to lovers, accidental pregnancy, and so much tension!

Sophia has loathed Hayes Davis since elementary school when he would tease her and pull on her hair. Ever since then they have had to be civil with each other as they are both godparents to their best friend’s daughter. When their friends enemy trap them on a yacht overnight, the line between hatred and lust blurs. A few weeks after the drunken mistake, Sophia releases she is pregnant with her enemy’s baby.

Refusing to be the next tabloid gossip, he convinces Sophia to be his fiancée for the paparazzi while they tackle the ropes of parenthood. He’s a professional player in hockey and with women, but can he settle down and make a goal on Sophia’s heart?

2.5 star read! I felt the ending was not needed because it contributed to miscommunication. Their hatred for each other was genuinely childish. Also all the pro-life propaganda… The whole book gave me WASP core vibes. 😐

things I liked: close proximity, the cute nicknames Hayes has for the baby and Sophia, and the fake dating trope!

[isy · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 star

--dnf: 27%

So this year I am trying to dnf books I don't like more often since I normally just try to push through them and waste my time. This book just did not do it for me.

From the first page, I hated the writing and I already found the heroine annoying. There was no chemistry between the characters in my opinion and their banter was SO cringy. There was this one time where they chased each other with cake at their godchild's birthday party. THEY ARE THIRTY. From that point on I was SKIMMING the paragraphs.

Then I keep reading cause it's a surprise pregnancy book and there is all this foreplay for them to bang, and guess what...

IT FADES TO BLACK.

Nope. I'm simply dead.

There are SO MANY wattpad books that are written better than this (and don't get me wrong there are some good books on there, but there is a TON of shitty ones). I feel like this book would fit right in with the books on wattpad that are written by 12-year-olds.

The hero said "MAMA" TEN TIMES ON ONE PAGE!!! WHY?!!!!!

Please leave me be while I try to regenerate brain cells

[maddison · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I saw this posted on Instagram I knew I’d enjoy it. This featured a terrific cast of characters and a terrific hate-to-love story. A fake fiancé, enemies to lovers, and accidentally pregnancy all in one!?! Count me in. It was adorable and entertaining to read about Sophia and Hayes' love for each other.

It was also nice to read a book in which the male seemed to be a little more smitten with the female. The bulk of the books I read are nearly always written from the perspective of the female character, and you perceive her as the more in love member in the relationship, but this provided me everything I’ve been looking forward to in a book. Where the guy is more smitten than the girl!!!!!!! Plus, in my opinion, reading a book from both perspectives makes the book better!

The only issue I had was with the ending, which had a lot of miscommunication. I'm hoping that one day we'll forget about the miscommunication at the end of the book that would just add a little something extra. I would have given this 5 stars if it hadn't been for the miscommunication, but it just threw me off a little, even though I see why there was a misunderstanding. I was also bothered with the baby name SHDJDJD. Not me believing it was actually going to be Leighton this entire time.

*ARC provided for an honest review*

[BB · Rating 1 out of 5]

Blech. If you like dry and poorly described/poorly developed everything, this is for you.

The absolute lack of chemistry was brutal. Absolutely brutal.

It's supposed to be enemies to love, but you don't really get either of those things.

It's boring. They're boring empty characters, with boring empty (redundant) dialogue.

Even if you skim, it's so frigging boring.

I could point out the plot holes in the half assed plot, but it's not worth the effort. You'll notice, but there are so many other glaring issues.

Just. Don't.

Final thought: the dedication to the real Holly bummed me wayyy the hell out, because that character is a garbage friend