ARC Review: The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley on 8th July 2025
Genres: Fiction / Alternative History, Fiction / Fantasy / Gaslamp, Fiction / Fantasy / Romance
Pages: 384
Format: eARC
Source: Netgalley, Publishing company
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This stunning hardcover features a cover with foil, beautifully designed endpapers, and a black-and-white interior map!
Loyalties are tested in this slow burn, enemies-to-lovers romantasy following an assassin and a healer forced to work together to cure a fatal disease, all while resisting the urge to kill each other—or, worse, fall in love.
When Osric Mordaunt, member of the Fyren Order of assassins, falls ill, he realizes he needs the expertise of a very specific healer. As fate would have it, that healer belongs to an enemy faction, the Haelan Order.
Aurienne Fairhrim and her fellow Haelan are inundated by sick children suffering from an outbreak of a long-forgotten Pox. Unable to get the funding needed to launch an immunization program, the Haelan Order is desperate for money – so desperate that when Osric breaks into their headquarters to bribe Aurienne to heal him, she is forced to accept.
As Osric and Aurienne work together to solve not only his illness but the mysterious reoccurrence of the Pox, they find themselves ardently denying their attraction which only fuels the tension between them.
The first in the Dearly Beloathed duology brings us romance with an assassin hero and healer heroine featuring my favourite tropes of enemies to lovers so I had to get my hands on this one.
Osric Mordaunt is a member of Fyren Order who are assassin and a series of injuries had led to current predicament of needing a cure for his ?incurable disease. Enter one Aurienne Fairhrim, famous healer-scholar from the Haelan order, with a rigid moral compass and extremely reluctant to help the man who is antithesis of everything she stands for. Not only does Aurienne has to deal with a pox affecting poor children, now she has to deal with an Assassin prat for the good of many. Their moral, values and everything in between seems different.
Since Osric’s condition is very much in the realm of can’t be cured and the only option is to follow a hocus-pocus type theory that does not have actual proper scholarly basis, we accompany our protagonists as they go around their normal day jobs and then meet each other for their secret healing sessions. Along the way their adventures lead to danger, chaos and questionable healing along with finding love?
As a huge fan of enemies to lovers and reluctant partners to lovers, this book was great to read. The unique world building, the subgroups etc and how really one man wanting a cure bought about a huge load of problems is just hilarious in a comedy of errors sorta way.
I also liked the fact there is no instant hate to love scenario happening, it literally takes almost the entirety of this book with occasional glimpses of ?do I feel more followed by denial and it’s an extreme slow burn which I was here for. Also really enjoyed their banter, Osric, that man is completely unhinged (and it makes it all the fun to read) and Aurienne is just so delightful.
There is little romance in this one (hopefully more of that in the next book) but there are romantic moments that keep you hooked.
Thank you, and I would like to die suffocated by your thighs did not seem an appropriate response at this time. – Osric’s monologue.
It should’ve been the best thing in the world to see him suffer, but it had been the worst thing in the world to see him suffer – so where did her peace lie? – Aurienne’s monologue.
Quibbles: there were bits that felt a bit slow, it is a big book obviously but I guess I wanted more action.
Overall, Really enjoyed this one and as a fan of enemies to lovers I would definitely recommend this enjoyers of this trope. Cannot wait to read the next book.