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Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'
The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley
31 reviews
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Sexual assault, Torture
Minor: Child abuse, Suicide, Death of parent, War
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Gore, Torture, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
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:
Yes
Love the banter! Such a slow burn on the romance but the banter made it so good for me. I'm definitely going to listen to the audio. This is probably a book I can re-read. I found myself rooting for them to help each other and for things to work out. It's going to be tough to wait for book 2.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Murder
Minor: Death of parent, War
The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy was an enjoyable read. I was curious to see how closely it would resemble its source material, and to my surprise, it felt very original. My knowledge of the source material is limited, since I have not read the books and only watched the first two movies, but my point still stands. The sense of originality comes mostly from the world-building, which is what I would praise the most. I love how the Tīendoms are inspired by the Anglo-Saxon and Viking map of the British Isles around the 9th century. This gave the story depth from the very beginning, since it did not pretend to be something completely different or try to create an entirely new map that would be harder to pull off. It also avoided the risk of being boring, such as by simply mimicking 21st-century Great Britain. Instead, it struck a balance that made sense and allowed the world-building to feel semi self-explanatory. That said, there is still much in terms of politics and foreign policy that could have been explored. For example, we only hear about countries outside the British Isles in passing, with France being the only one mentioned. However, the book did leave a solid setup for deeper exploration in the sequel.
The magic system was also intriguing. Everything felt carefully thought out, with each term having its own etymology. The Orders and the way they function added an extra layer of fascination and kept me genuinely curious.
I enjoyed the romance as well. I am usually fond of the chemistry and dynamics between characters like Osric and Aurienne, on whom the leads are based. This is very much a slow-burn book, so readers will not find much in terms of actual romance until well into the story. Most of what we get at first is rivalry, banter, and denial, slowly giving way to a growing attraction. Personally, I did not mind the pacing. A faster development would have felt forced, and this way, it left plenty of space for more romance in the second book, which will now feel earned.
Overall, I am happy with my read of The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightly. I am giving it 4.25 stars and look forward to seeing the resolution of the series in The Exquisite Torment of Loving Your Enemy.
|—TL;DR—|
Focus Genre: Romantasy
Nostalgia: Disqualified
Personal Enjoyment: 4⭐
Plot: 4⭐
World-Building/Setting: 5⭐
- Magic/System/Tech: 5⭐
Characters: 4⭐
- Relationships: 4⭐ (Includes romantic and non-romantic connections)
Romance: 4⭐
- Chemistry: 5⭐
- Fluff: 3⭐
- Steam: Disqualified | In terms of, you'll only find two scenes of self-pleasure.
Writing/Prose: 4⭐
Pacing: 4⭐
Ending: 4⭐
=Overall=
4,17-stars⭐ ≈ 4,25-stars⭐
~24/08/25~
Pacing: 4⭐
Ending: 4⭐
=Overall=
4,17-stars⭐ ≈ 4,25-stars⭐
~24/08/25~
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Child death, Sexual content, Torture, Medical content
Minor: Suicide, Death of parent, War
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Really enjoyed this book! Cannot wait to read the next one. :) A great debut for Brigitte!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gore, Violence, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content, Torture, Death of parent
adventurous
challenging
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
The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley is the first book in the Dearly Beloathed series. Osric is in desperate need of help from someone of the Haelan Order. But he is a member of the Fyren Order, assassins who are not well liked. He makes Aurienne and the Haelan Order an offer they cannot deny. In order to help each other out, they have to work together, which is not easy as natural enemies that have some chemistry.
I am very unsure about this book. I found it on social media and immediately pre-ordered it as it seemed right up my ally. Enemies to lovers, fantasy, slow burn. However, I have a kind of love-hate relationship with this book. On one hand, I understand the hype, on the other, I don't. Brigitte Knightley's writing style is quite poetic. I had a really hard time getting into the book. English is not my first language and I had to translate several words to get what they were talking about (let's not talk about the fact that I study this language...). So the text per se was hard for me to comprehend. Secondly, I did not the fully warm with the main characters. I think that this goes hand in hand with my understanding problems, but Osric and Aurienne seemed too distant. They also lack chemistry. I liked them more towards the end, but I still can't grasp them fully.
Don't get me wrong. I really enjoyed the plot. I love fantasy books with new plots and this book is definitely one of them. And don't get me talking about the cover. It is gorgeous! I will definitely read the next book, because I want to know what is going to happen to Osric, to all the children with Pox and to Osric's and Aurienne's relationship. Because this book is a real slow burn romance! I enjoy that.
As I said, I don't fully get the hype, but I enjoyed the book. Oh, and it has a map included which I LOVE!
I am very unsure about this book. I found it on social media and immediately pre-ordered it as it seemed right up my ally. Enemies to lovers, fantasy, slow burn. However, I have a kind of love-hate relationship with this book. On one hand, I understand the hype, on the other, I don't. Brigitte Knightley's writing style is quite poetic. I had a really hard time getting into the book. English is not my first language and I had to translate several words to get what they were talking about (let's not talk about the fact that I study this language...). So the text per se was hard for me to comprehend. Secondly, I did not the fully warm with the main characters. I think that this goes hand in hand with my understanding problems, but Osric and Aurienne seemed too distant. They also lack chemistry. I liked them more towards the end, but I still can't grasp them fully.
Don't get me wrong. I really enjoyed the plot. I love fantasy books with new plots and this book is definitely one of them. And don't get me talking about the cover. It is gorgeous! I will definitely read the next book, because I want to know what is going to happen to Osric, to all the children with Pox and to Osric's and Aurienne's relationship. Because this book is a real slow burn romance! I enjoy that.
As I said, I don't fully get the hype, but I enjoyed the book. Oh, and it has a map included which I LOVE!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Sexual content, Medical content, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Child abuse, Torture, Death of parent, War
dark
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It was fine. Slower than I would have liked. A lot of things happen, but also maybe nothing? It's hard to say what events are important for future plot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Death, Gore, Medical content
Minor: Physical abuse, Death of parent, Alcohol
This did not work for me. I hate to rate a debut author low, but I actually did not enjoy my time reading this book.
The worldbuilding was confusing - set in a 'different world' (the map is clearly the UK), but then there were references to real historical things/people (ex: daguerrotypes) that didn't align with our historical timeline. So I wish they had either gone full high fantasy or kept things more historically accurate. The magic system isn't explained well, so I was honestly confused about it the entire book. Like what does Osric use his magic for when it's not broken? I was texting my friend who'd read it to ask questions (she didn't know either). The plot was slow and honestly I was quite bored for most of the book. Also I'm sorry but Aurienne is dull and every time we were in her pov I was uninterested. But the worst part was the humor. Crude/potty jokes are just not my personal taste and that was all we got. No good banter. And then the book ends in the most abrupt way that's so jarring.
Honestly I don't even know if I'll read the sequel.
The worldbuilding was confusing - set in a 'different world' (the map is clearly the UK), but then there were references to real historical things/people (ex: daguerrotypes) that didn't align with our historical timeline. So I wish they had either gone full high fantasy or kept things more historically accurate. The magic system isn't explained well, so I was honestly confused about it the entire book. Like what does Osric use his magic for when it's not broken? I was texting my friend who'd read it to ask questions (she didn't know either). The plot was slow and honestly I was quite bored for most of the book. Also I'm sorry but Aurienne is dull and every time we were in her pov I was uninterested. But the worst part was the humor. Crude/potty jokes are just not my personal taste and that was all we got. No good banter. And then the book ends in the most abrupt way that's so jarring.
Honestly I don't even know if I'll read the sequel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Medical content, Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Child abuse, Sexual content, Death of parent
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
relaxing
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
You know what? I liked it and I just need to deal with that.
Another illumicrate sub that I might not have picked had I actually read the little teaser but it was good.
This used to be Dramione FanFic and while I knew that, and the art definitely confirms it, I wouldn’t have noticed if I hadn’t known though. Yes, their appearance descriptions were pretty close to Dramione, it just felt like regular OCs and not like already established characters.
The world was very interesting, though there were way to many made up words for things that didn’t need made up words in the slightest, especially in the first couple pages.
The idea of the Tācn and Deoful was really cool though and I did enjoy those immensely.
For some FanFics-turned-published-Book it’s really noticeable and it feels like only the names have been changed but this world had enough ideas to stand on its own two feet.
The Enemies to Lovers part was okay-ish done, in a way that they never truly felt like enemies, more like opponents which was a lil misleading by saying its Enemies to Lovers but I do get it and their opposites-attract kind of thing was well done.
The plot-based reveal near the end was foreseeable but that ain’t a bad thing, I’d rather foresee it than be completely blindsided because it doesn’t make any sense.
The romance was surprising me as well, in so far that I didn’t expect it too be slow-burn at all and was kinda prepared for insta-love. Which, thankfully it wasn’t and I do enjoy a good slowburn.
There’s probably going to be a second book and I’d definitely give it a shot.
Another illumicrate sub that I might not have picked had I actually read the little teaser but it was good.
This used to be Dramione FanFic and while I knew that, and the art definitely confirms it, I wouldn’t have noticed if I hadn’t known though. Yes, their appearance descriptions were pretty close to Dramione, it just felt like regular OCs and not like already established characters.
The world was very interesting, though there were way to many made up words for things that didn’t need made up words in the slightest, especially in the first couple pages.
The idea of the Tācn and Deoful was really cool though and I did enjoy those immensely.
For some FanFics-turned-published-Book it’s really noticeable and it feels like only the names have been changed but this world had enough ideas to stand on its own two feet.
The Enemies to Lovers part was okay-ish done, in a way that they never truly felt like enemies, more like opponents which was a lil misleading by saying its Enemies to Lovers but I do get it and their opposites-attract kind of thing was well done.
The plot-based reveal near the end was foreseeable but that ain’t a bad thing, I’d rather foresee it than be completely blindsided because it doesn’t make any sense.
The romance was surprising me as well, in so far that I didn’t expect it too be slow-burn at all and was kinda prepared for insta-love. Which, thankfully it wasn’t and I do enjoy a good slowburn.
There’s probably going to be a second book and I’d definitely give it a shot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Kidnapping, War
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed this book a lot, it was definitely the slow-burn/enemies to lovers I was looking for that ended on such a cliffhanger.
I loved that there was no lusting after each other but rather they noticed aspects of the other character, inciting internal conflict because of how opposite they are. I'm excited to see where this goes in the next book. It's extremely light on the spice but it felt appropriate for the book.
My only issues with the book was the lack of world building and that I needed to look up a handful of words while reading (most likely a me problem).
I have not read the fanfic this came from and don't plan on reading it. I thought it was enjoyable as it's own book and I don't want or have a need to compare the two. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I loved that there was no lusting after each other but rather they noticed aspects of the other character, inciting internal conflict because of how opposite they are. I'm excited to see where this goes in the next book. It's extremely light on the spice but it felt appropriate for the book.
My only issues with the book was the lack of world building and that I needed to look up a handful of words while reading (most likely a me problem).
I have not read the fanfic this came from and don't plan on reading it. I thought it was enjoyable as it's own book and I don't want or have a need to compare the two. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Death of parent