Friends, allow me to warn you in advance: This book is about to smack you over the head with a cliffhanger. Good thing it’s worth the fall over the edge.
Let’s set the scene: In The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy, Brigitte Knightley drops us into a romantasy where assassins and healers are locked in a centuries-old rivalry, and the only thing more dangerous than the pox sweeping the land is the chemistry between our leads. Osric Mordaunt, a member of the infamous Fyren Order of assassins, is dying from a degenerative condition known as seith rot. His only hope? Aurienne Fairhrim, a preeminent healer from the rival Haelan Order, who would rather eat her research notes than help a Fyren—except she’s desperate for funding to save her own people. Cue the attempted kidnapping, the bribe reversal, the forced partnership, and the kind of slow-burn tension that could set the whole city on fire. And as if that weren’t enough, their faffing about with the rules (and with each other) might just set off a war of more than words—or something even more catastrophic.
The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy is for all the enemies-to-lovers fantasy rom-com fans, but with a nod to the Dramione fandom—a group that finds themselves questioning if art can be separated from its artist.1 This is a romance wittily written for those who always wondered what would happen if the brightest witch of her age and the snarkiest arse were forced to work together, and fall for each other in an alternate universe.
Aurienne Fairhrim: A fastidious healer and medical doctor, Aurienne is a specialist in seith and the kind of woman who will work herself to the bone if it means saving even one more child. She has all the morals in the world, a deep love of life, and is working her hands to the bones, literally. She might also be the only person Osric believes could maybe—just maybe—be prettier than him, though he’d never admit it unless he could torture her with it.
Osric Mordaunt: Osric is the sunniest shadow daddy in the assassin’s guild, with a quick wit, a quicker trigger for murder melees, and a face that could charm the fangs off a viper. He’s the kind of man who can make you laugh even as he’s plotting your demise, and he brings a dangerous sort of joy to the page. Osric is all swagger and smiles, but don’t let that fool you: he’s lethal, loyal, and just a little off-center by the healer who might save his life—or end it.
Knightley’s world-building is imaginative and lush. The characters are absolutely adorable, and the banter is super smashing with enough sass to power a small city. And, girl, the dialogue is filthy in the most glorious, gutter-humor way. I also liked the cultural touches, like Aurienne’s Moroccan2 heritage and other characters who clearly aren’t from the UK or its colonies. Thankfully, there’s no racism here, just class dynamics via the various guilds. It does have “animal familiars” called “deofol”—from Old English (OE) dēofol “devil.” A deofol is a projection of a person’s spirit, a clear nod to “dæmons” in Philip Pullman‘s His Dark Materials trilogy. All in all, the storytelling and universe pop. This is a slow burn that teases, torments, and tantalizes, and just when you think it’s about to ignite—bam! That cliffhanger hits, leaving you gasping and fumbling around for the sequel.
What makes this book sing is its humor and cleverness. It’s hilarious and sharp, but never at the expense of dimensional characters or stakes. Aurienne and Osric aren’t just archetypes or clones—they have perspectives that shift and deepen as the story unfolds. If there’s a flaw, it’s that sometimes the book is almost too clever, layering in so much wit and wordplay that you might wish for more moments to sink in and feel. But honestly? That’s a minor quibble in a book that’s this much fun.
And for my fellow audiobook lovers: Heather Long and Thomas Judd narrate with verve and nuance, each bringing their character to life with distinct voices and energy. It’s not a duet, but the consistency between the narrators adds a delicious extra layer to the slow-burn tension and the riotous humor.
By the end, and that accursed cliffhanger, The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy—Book 1 of the Dearly Beloathed Duology—is a raunchy magical rom-com romp that will leave anyone who loves a good enemies-to-lovers slow burn smitten by its suspense and spice. Just be ready for that fall.
Rating: B
Level of Enthusiasm: 92%
