Take a photo of a barcode or cover
Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'
The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley
34 reviews
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
*repeatedly slaps book cover* this is the good shit right here! Brimming with everything I enjoy about Knightley's writing - posh, witty, poetic, with the drive-by quirky (and crass) humor I love. The narrators are unreliable, the plants are delicately paid off, the denial is turned up to 11 - get it in my veins!
I reserve the right to bump this up to 5⭐ after reading the second book, since it is only half of the story. I'm excited to see how it all ties together.
I reserve the right to bump this up to 5⭐ after reading the second book, since it is only half of the story. I'm excited to see how it all ties together.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Chronic illness, Sexual content, Medical content, Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Child death, Sexual assault, Torture, Alcohol
Not sure what it was but I had a hard time caring about the main characters. The humor/snark/wit was solid, though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Blood, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I read this because it kept popping up as a romantasy recommendation. I sort of wish I'd known what I was getting into. The author has a sharp, witty sense of humor, except that the humor is mostly crude and largely sexual. I can't say I found the worldbuilding very compelling, although it did depict a thoroughly, compellingly, unlikeable world. Life there is grim. Politicians are corrupt, academia is disrespected and underfunded, murders are rampant, a generation of children are sick with a plague and no one cares. Everything is about sex and maybe also about hanging out at shady pubs. Everyone's morals are questionable. There is magic, yes, but so far seems to be either used for healing or killing, with few other applications. Maybe it's also for sex. Part one doesn't really get into that. What era is it set in, exactly? This alternate England has mentions of Franklin, Byron, Lovelace, Curie, but no explanation of how anything is really different from our world. There is electricity, but women also wear long skirts and garters, while men are warriors in full suits of armor and long cloaks.
I wouldn't recommend this book to someone who isn't already intimately familiar with fanfiction, because while it is, technically, entirely original, the style reads as fanfiction. Characters appear, fully fleshed, with little to no further explanation of who they are or what else they do, leaving the reader to fill in the blanks by imagining who else they resemble - it took me a while before I figured out the MCs were probably inspired by Hermione and Draco, or that their deofol are meant to be not just daemons but patronuses. There are clever little snippets of description, here and there, but the heavy reliance on crude humor really bogs the story down. For example, as characters pass through a brothel, it feels less a description of an actual place and more like scrolling through endless paragraphs of AO3 tags detailing a variety of smutty topics. (Considering how much sex-related content there is, there is surprisingly little actual sex in this.) If this was fanfiction, I might have been invested enough in the characters alone to keep reading, but as an original work.... It just isn't compelling.
I wouldn't recommend this book to someone who isn't already intimately familiar with fanfiction, because while it is, technically, entirely original, the style reads as fanfiction. Characters appear, fully fleshed, with little to no further explanation of who they are or what else they do, leaving the reader to fill in the blanks by imagining who else they resemble - it took me a while before I figured out the MCs were probably inspired by Hermione and Draco, or that their deofol are meant to be not just daemons but patronuses. There are clever little snippets of description, here and there, but the heavy reliance on crude humor really bogs the story down. For example, as characters pass through a brothel, it feels less a description of an actual place and more like scrolling through endless paragraphs of AO3 tags detailing a variety of smutty topics. (Considering how much sex-related content there is, there is surprisingly little actual sex in this.) If this was fanfiction, I might have been invested enough in the characters alone to keep reading, but as an original work.... It just isn't compelling.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Plot- .75
Aurienne is a healer, Oric is an assasin. Their professions contradict one another, but they are forced to work together when Oric might loose his magic without healing. Overall I didn’t have any complaints about the plot, the pacing did feel a little off, I’m all for a slow burn, but it felt like a complete 180 from hate to love instead of tension building over time. A few things bugged me regarding the plot though. I’m not sure if this is going to be a series or just a standalone, but I was disappointed when the motive for them working together in the first place (Oric needing healing) wasn’t settled, it was just left unresolved. I’m leaving this complaint out of the spoiler warning because I think people need to know going in (but skip this if you don’t want to know about individual spicy scenes) but there was a very uncomfortable instance in which Oric did things in the same room as a sleeping Aurienne, hoping she wouldn’t wake up. It felt very creepy and predatory.
Setting- .5
I have no idea how to describe this world. The magic system, creatures, and order system are all super fleshed out and interesting. However, I couldn’t tell if this was set in an alternate past of our universe, a whole new fantasy world, or even possibly the future.
Characters- .25
I felt the characters all fell very flat. Aurienne was very cocky, but not in an endearing way. Oric seemed laughably soft and weak willed for an assasin. I never really understood the chemistry between them.
Prose/Style- 1
The reason I kept reading was the writing style and humor. This book was really funny, I haven’t laughed out loud at a book in a long time. (I will say a lot of the humor is potty, or sexual related humor if that is a problem for some readers) I also loved the writing style and narration style being more casual almost? Like being in the narrators literal thoughts almost.
Enjoyment- .75
I enjoyed this almost all the way through, but I got bored towards the end. The humor kept me going and not much else.
Aurienne is a healer, Oric is an assasin. Their professions contradict one another, but they are forced to work together when Oric might loose his magic without healing. Overall I didn’t have any complaints about the plot, the pacing did feel a little off, I’m all for a slow burn, but it felt like a complete 180 from hate to love instead of tension building over time. A few things bugged me regarding the plot though.
Setting- .5
I have no idea how to describe this world. The magic system, creatures, and order system are all super fleshed out and interesting. However, I couldn’t tell if this was set in an alternate past of our universe, a whole new fantasy world, or even possibly the future.
Characters- .25
I felt the characters all fell very flat. Aurienne was very cocky, but not in an endearing way. Oric seemed laughably soft and weak willed for an assasin. I never really understood the chemistry between them.
Prose/Style- 1
The reason I kept reading was the writing style and humor. This book was really funny, I haven’t laughed out loud at a book in a long time. (I will say a lot of the humor is potty, or sexual related humor if that is a problem for some readers) I also loved the writing style and narration style being more casual almost? Like being in the narrators literal thoughts almost.
Enjoyment- .75
I enjoyed this almost all the way through, but I got bored towards the end. The humor kept me going and not much else.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Sexual content, Violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
If a stem romance, a British comedy, fan fiction and cozy fantasy all gave DNA, the combination of their gen(r)es would result in “The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy”.
When I first opened this book, looked at the map and started reading, I will admit that I was not blown away since I am not a Dramione fan. However, the more I read, and laughed at the wicked (and risqué) humour, the more I appreciated this story.
The writing and world building were excellent with no literary anachronisms that so often break the illusions that the author attempts to build. The magic system and alternate history of this world is a bit complex and takes a while to get your head around but adds a wonderful dimension to the experience as you read. Even the med-speak required since the plot begins with Osric needing healing, feels like it could be scientifically based (yes, I realise that magic is not real but a girl can dream).
Although sometimes I feel that the enemies to lovers dynamic has been done to death (it seems that every romantasy book these days has it as a basis), it doesn’t stop me from appreciating it when it has been well done and that is exactly what Knightley has pulled off. She has penned a love letter to the enemies to lovers trope that is handled with all the delicacy of a fly swatter in its obviousness (it’s in the title, after all) but with hilarious and even touching results.
The cherry on the cake for me was the characters themselves who I really like despite my initial reluctance based on their fan fic origins. Aurienne is a great example of a strong MMC with a mind of her own and a wit to match. I also loved Osric’s popinjay outlook and his complete lack of conscience even though we see some grey morals later. And the banter between them was fantastic. No insta-love (or lust) here which was a nice change in this kind of plot line. As for the spice… yes, there is some that when combined with a liberal sprinkling of British sexual humour and double meanings throughout results in maybe 🌶️🌶️ as well as a lot of laughter.
I was a bit frustrated at the fact that it ended on a cliffhanger - relationship wise as well as the mystery of who is responsible for the Pox. There are simply too many books out there which are awaiting sequels and unfinished stories are becoming the bane of my reading life! Despite the end and the slightly slow start, this one gets my highest rating for one reason: it brought a smile to my face with its excellent writing, world building and wit.
5 stars 🤓📚
@brigitteknightley
#theirresistibleurgetofallforyourenemy #dearlybeloathed
#booksbooksbooks #bookish #bookaddict #reading #bookstagram #booktok #bookreview #bookdragon #bookworm #lovebooks #booklovers #booknerd #bookrecs
#fiction #fanfiction #fantasy #EnemiesToLovers #comedy #banter #cozyfantasy #magic #dramione
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Sexual content
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Beautifully executed romantasy!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Cursing, Torture
Minor: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Death of parent
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Witty, funny, smart, a little spicy, but honestly so enjoyable. A classic enemies to lovers. My only issue is that I have to wait for the second part for I’m not sure how long?!? I’ll be waiting in pins and needles to see this relationship and story line develop more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Cursing
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Child death, Sexual content, Terminal illness, War
Minor: Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Sexual harassment
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm a sucker for good enemies-to-lovers slow burn with lots of banter. Also, we stan a woman in STEM who meets a morally grey chaos goblin and instead of thinking " I can fix him," looks at them with disgust and says "let them rot." I absolutely loved this book and I'm going to need book 2 ASAP
Set somewhere in the late 19th century in an AU of the United Kingdom where the country is split into 10 different kingdoms. Within the 10 kingdoms are 8 Orders (Guilds) specializing in a specific skill set (healing, engineering, assassination, etc). An Assassin and a Healer are forced to work together to solve not only his illness but the mysterious reoccurrence of a previously long-forgotten Pox, they find themselves ardently denying their attraction, which only fuels the tension between them.
Incredibly smart and full of very British dry humor. Honestly, this is one of the only books I've read to make me laugh out loud in a long time. While the humor is very tongue-in-cheek, it also has a lot of crude jokes in it, which might be off-putting for some (especially ch 5)
If you're familiar with Bridgette's fanfiction, you know how she goes above and beyond when doing research for her stories, and this was no exception. I don't even want to know the number of hours she put in doing research on things from Old English to complicated medical terminology.
While ambitious, the world-building was done quite well for a debut novel. Besides the glossary in the beginning, and the basic info on the different Orders (guilds) and a pronunciation guide in the back, most of what we learn about the world and the characters we learn as we go, and are added in as a natural part of the story. Which, honestly, I prefer since I HATE huge info dumps.
The magic system is interesting, love that it's mixing magic with actual science, where it is just a part of the human body similar to the nervous system. Also loved the deofol, which are familiars that are a physical manifestation of a person's magic.
The characters are well thought out, and I liked that you slowly learn more about the main characters as they learn more about each other. However, I wish we got to learn more about Aurienne and her hinted at dark past (hopefully we do in the 2nd book.) Banter was top tier. I genuinely enjoyed the main character's interactions, and it was so entertaining to watch Osric fall first and fall harder but be in denial about it. The way we see them go from instant hatred to begrudgingly mutual respect to love was amazing. Plus the YEARNING?! Ugh, be still my heart.
Also, I've seen people complain about the "random capital letters in sentences". I was curious about it and did a little Googling and found out it's a stylistic choice to show emphasis. To either show that the capitalized word refers to a specific concept, rather than the real meaning of the word, or so that the reader can more dynamically and accurately hear the dialogue. You can see other examples of this in Terry Pratchett's work and even in Winnie the Pooh! So definitely not random but I can understand why some people wouldn't like it.
This is just me being petty, but to everyone complaining about the "made-up nonsense words," if you can learn how to say the names of the dragons in Fourth Wing, you can pronounce deofol and seith. 😒
Set somewhere in the late 19th century in an AU of the United Kingdom where the country is split into 10 different kingdoms. Within the 10 kingdoms are 8 Orders (Guilds) specializing in a specific skill set (healing, engineering, assassination, etc). An Assassin and a Healer are forced to work together to solve not only his illness but the mysterious reoccurrence of a previously long-forgotten Pox, they find themselves ardently denying their attraction, which only fuels the tension between them.
Incredibly smart and full of very British dry humor. Honestly, this is one of the only books I've read to make me laugh out loud in a long time. While the humor is very tongue-in-cheek, it also has a lot of crude jokes in it, which might be off-putting for some (especially ch 5)
If you're familiar with Bridgette's fanfiction, you know how she goes above and beyond when doing research for her stories, and this was no exception. I don't even want to know the number of hours she put in doing research on things from Old English to complicated medical terminology.
While ambitious, the world-building was done quite well for a debut novel. Besides the glossary in the beginning, and the basic info on the different Orders (guilds) and a pronunciation guide in the back, most of what we learn about the world and the characters we learn as we go, and are added in as a natural part of the story. Which, honestly, I prefer since I HATE huge info dumps.
The magic system is interesting, love that it's mixing magic with actual science, where it is just a part of the human body similar to the nervous system. Also loved the deofol, which are familiars that are a physical manifestation of a person's magic.
The characters are well thought out, and I liked that you slowly learn more about the main characters as they learn more about each other. However, I wish we got to learn more about Aurienne and her hinted at dark past (hopefully we do in the 2nd book.) Banter was top tier. I genuinely enjoyed the main character's interactions, and it was so entertaining to watch Osric fall first and fall harder but be in denial about it. The way we see them go from instant hatred to begrudgingly mutual respect to love was amazing. Plus the YEARNING?! Ugh, be still my heart.
Also, I've seen people complain about the "random capital letters in sentences". I was curious about it and did a little Googling and found out it's a stylistic choice to show emphasis. To either show that the capitalized word refers to a specific concept, rather than the real meaning of the word, or so that the reader can more dynamically and accurately hear the dialogue. You can see other examples of this in Terry Pratchett's work and even in Winnie the Pooh! So definitely not random but I can understand why some people wouldn't like it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Murder
Moderate: Sexual content