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Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'
The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley
52 reviews
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Sexual content
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
slow-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
So hard to rate it, because I actually liked it, but only after I switched to audiobook (then switched back at the end), but it was still kinda hard to get through. I haven’t read the original fanfic, though now I’m intrigued and will read that (after I get through Harry Potter lol), but I see what other people are saying; the worldbuilding s u c k s. You feel like you’ve been dropped in the middle of a world you know nothing about and you never get taught it, you just have to push through and try to figure it out. Soooooo many made up words that would confuse me (and the kindle, when I’d look up the word). The medical parts in this book are basically all made up, so more confusion (I basically blanked when it would come up because it was so much info and it was so boring).
I just finished it and I can’t tell you what one of the big reveals was (what’s a Dreor?😅). But I will say it was funny, and the bickering back and forth was *chefs kiss*. The story was interesting (towards the end), so I would read (or listen) to the next book when it comes out, but I know I’d have to reread this one, just to comb through the confusion before continuing. Her writing is unique and I enjoyed it, but at times it was hard to comprehend for some reason.
I don’t know if I would recommend this to someone who’s just starting romantasy/fantasy, I think it might discourage you. If I had read this one before ACOTAR, I’d think this genre was not be for me, which would have been horrible because I love romantasy and fantasy -if you still decide to give it a try, I suggest the audiobook.
I don’t know if I would recommend this to someone who’s just starting romantasy/fantasy, I think it might discourage you. If I had read this one before ACOTAR, I’d think this genre was not be for me, which would have been horrible because I love romantasy and fantasy -if you still decide to give it a try, I suggest the audiobook.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic
adventurous
funny
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I wanted to love this but I really didn't connect with the main characters. I found Aurienne to be off putting, her cavalier attitude towards Osric dying to be at odds with her Order. At one point she thinks about what a waste her attempts at healing him are when he should just die because he's a blight on the world. I really didn't like her and Osric wasn't a charming arrogant MC, he was just overtly narcissistic.
There was literally zero romantic tension until the last 100 pages. The banter was good but sometimes a bit much. The excessive "dick and balls" jokes and oddly out of place "wank" situations and "penis" appearances were surprising for a book with literally one brief kiss.
I loved the fanfic version soooo much and had really high hopes for this version. I'm ok it was 100% different but it just didn’t hit the same amazing feels and vibes.
There was literally zero romantic tension until the last 100 pages. The banter was good but sometimes a bit much. The excessive "dick and balls" jokes and oddly out of place "wank" situations and "penis" appearances were surprising for a book with literally one brief kiss.
I loved the fanfic version soooo much and had really high hopes for this version. I'm ok it was 100% different but it just didn’t hit the same amazing feels and vibes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Gore, Misogyny, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Violence, Murder
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Sexual content, Violence, Medical content
Dark humor
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was very fun and campy. I thought the characters were really fleshed out and interesting. I like the magic system and the world that Knightley has created. The writing style and tone of the book was so campy that it was distracting. I had a hard time reading the book for long periods at a time because my brain kept wandering. The constant use of Capitalized Words for emphasis in the book grew tired. Readers of the Harry Potter series can see echoes of Draco in Osric Mordaunt and Hermione in Aurienne Fairhrim. Readers should be warned that this is a really slow burn book with no payoff. I think Knightley is saving the really spice scenes for book two.
Content: mentions of gore, violence, death, some sex
Spice rating: 2 out of 5 🔥no sex, heavy petting and dream sequences
Content: mentions of gore, violence, death, some sex
Spice rating: 2 out of 5 🔥
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence
Moderate: Child death, Sexual content, Torture
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
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I picked this up because I was excited to see an author of Draomine fanfiction pen a novel.
"The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy" is a novel that follows Aurienne Fairhrim, the best healer of her time. She is in desperate need of funding to help her heal the sick, so when her enemy, Osric Mordaunt tries to bribe her to heal him, she finds it difficult to say no.
There was something about this novel that I found difficult to get into. I never felt super invested in the story, and truthfully it felt like I was watching it unfold from far away. I was curious to see how it all played out, but I also did not really care what happened to the characters.
The tension between Aurienne and Osric felt forced to me. I felt like their connection and the inevitable enemies-to-lovers trope lacked any build up, so their connection felt almost entirely unexpected and out of left field. Consequently, I did not feel like they had any authentic chemistry.
I felt like this novel lacked some crucial world building. I do not know if I missed something, but I never felt like I had a clear vision of what was happening in the world. Along with this, I think the magic system needed some more work.
I think this romantasy was fine, but I was not blown away. I might pick up the sequel in the future, but it is not at the top of my list.
"The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy" is a novel that follows Aurienne Fairhrim, the best healer of her time. She is in desperate need of funding to help her heal the sick, so when her enemy, Osric Mordaunt tries to bribe her to heal him, she finds it difficult to say no.
There was something about this novel that I found difficult to get into. I never felt super invested in the story, and truthfully it felt like I was watching it unfold from far away. I was curious to see how it all played out, but I also did not really care what happened to the characters.
The tension between Aurienne and Osric felt forced to me. I felt like their connection and the inevitable enemies-to-lovers trope lacked any build up, so their connection felt almost entirely unexpected and out of left field. Consequently, I did not feel like they had any authentic chemistry.
I felt like this novel lacked some crucial world building. I do not know if I missed something, but I never felt like I had a clear vision of what was happening in the world. Along with this, I think the magic system needed some more work.
I think this romantasy was fine, but I was not blown away. I might pick up the sequel in the future, but it is not at the top of my list.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail
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