Review | The Irresistible Urge to Fall for your Enemy (Dearly Beloathed #1) by Brigitte Knightley

Review of ‘The Irresistible Urge to Fall for your Enemy‘ (Dearly Beloathed #1) by Brigitte Knightley. Discover the enemies-to-lovers romantasy that blends sharp wit, sizzling chemistry, and a morally gray assassin you can’t help but fall for. The irresistible urge to fall for your enemy by Brigitte Knightley delivers the kind of romance that simmers slowly but burns brighter with every page. Set in a lush fantasy world and filled with clever banter, high-stakes healing, and reluctant attraction, this is the kind of book that sneaks up on you with its emotional depth just when you’re least expecting it.

‘The Irresistible Urge to Fall for your Enemy‘ by Brigitte Knightley is a wickedly smart and swoony romantasy packed with sharp banter, slow-burn tension, and two hypercompetent idiots who want nothing more than to not fall in love until they absolutely do

Synopsis

Osric Mordaunt, member of the Fyren Order of assassins, is in dire need of healing. Naturally – such is the grim comedy of fate – the only healer who can help is Aurienne Fairhrim, preeminent scientist, bastion of moral good, and member of an enemy Order.

Aurienne is desperate for funding to heal the sick – so desperate that, when Osric bribes her to help him, she accepts, even if she detests him and everything he stands for.

A forced collaboration ensues: the brilliant Woman in STEM is coerced into working with the PhD in Murders, much to Aurienne’s disgust. As Osric and Aurienne work together to heal his illness and investigate the mysterious reoccurrence of a deadly pox, they find themselves ardently denying their attraction, which only fuels the heat between them.

Review

A scholarly healer and a charming assassin are forced to work together to investigate a mysterious pox outbreak, all while trying (and failing) not to fall for each other. What starts as an uneasy alliance turns into a slow-burning, banter-filled connection that neither of them expected… or wanted.

I really loved this book. Like, really loved it. It’s one of those reads that hooks you with a familiar trope (hello enemies to lovers) and then surprises you with how well it’s executed. The chemistry between Aurienne and Osric is everything. Their banter had me smiling, their tension had me holding my breath, and the whole dynamic was written with so much wit and care. He falls first and harder? Yes please. And can we talk about “evisceration as a love language”? Because honestly, iconic.

The plot itself was also genuinely interesting. I came for the romance, sure, but I kept reading because I was fully invested in the pox mystery and the stakes involved. The way science, magic, and politics were woven together made the story feel grounded even in its fantasy setting. And while the story moves fast and flows beautifully, I do wish we had gotten a few of the answers a bit sooner. Some things took a little too long to unravel, but it never dragged enough to make me lose interest.

Aurienne was such a brilliant heroine. Smart, prickly, morally driven, and always trying to do the right thing, even when it’s complicated. And Osric… he’s the emotionally complex assassin I didn’t know I needed. Their scenes together had such great push and pull, and their slow build was so worth the wait. If you love a romance with tension, pining, and a whole lot of mutual denial, this one delivers.

Also, can we just appreciate how stunning this edition is? The artwork, the color palette, the fact that it’s signed… I’m obsessed.

Final thoughts

The Irresistible Urge to Fall for your Enemy is a smart, romantic, and fast-paced fantasy that hits all the right notes. With sharp writing, incredible chemistry, and a world you’ll want more of, it’s an easy recommendation for fans of romantasy, slow burns, and morally gray men who fall hard and fast. I’m already counting down the days for the sequel.

Rating

9/10

Details

• Trigger warnings: Graphic violence, on-page torture, death of minor characters, swearing, brief sexual content, fictional medical content, and depictions of sick children in a hospital-like setting.
• Themes: Morality versus survival, reluctant trust, the ethics of healing and killing, forced proximity, and the slow unraveling of emotional armor.
• Representation: Features a strong woman in STEM as the lead, alongside exploration of disability, chronic illness, and themes of caregiving and autonomy.
• Genre: Fantasy, romance (adult)
• Pages: 306
• Publication date: July 8, 2025
• Publisher: Argyll Productions
• About the author:
  Brigitte’s modus operandi is to write what she wants to read: enemies-to-lovers romances that put the unresolved back in UST. Her work is enjoyed by fans of slow burns, tongue-in-cheek romcoms, and suffering. The spirits of Wodehouse and Jerome K. Jerome pervade her writing, but Austen is at its soul.