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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
DNF @ 41%
I hate to be that person but none of it worked for me
I hate to be that person but none of it worked for me
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
slow-paced
challenging
funny
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:
No
Could just tell I wasn’t going to love this like I loved the original fanfic — sad but it is what it is.
I will never get over this.
Berkley, I love you.
Recap:
So, Osric Mordaunt's got himself a little problem—he’s dying from a fatal disease (as one does). The only person who can save him is Aurienne Fairhrim, a preeminent scientist and member of an opposing order. These two despise each other. I mean, they REALLY cannot stand to even be in the same room as one another. However, there’s a twist: she is in desperate need of his help as well.
Osric is a wealthy assassin from the Fyren order (very much the “stab first, ask questions later” type), and Aurienne is a Haelen healer-scholar dedicated to her practice. She’s incredibly busy with saving children from a Pox outbreak when Osric makes her an offer she can’t refuse... Cue ominous villain laugh.
Writing Style:
The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy, which I'll affectionately refer to as TIUTFFYE, is written in third-person omniscient POV. Basically, it’s like eavesdropping on the two main characters. It reads like a rom-com that gets hit by a semi-truck of true-crime vibes and then gets lovingly shoved into a gaslamp fantasy setting. It’s a wild ride—funny, dangerous, magical, eerie, and just the right amount of sweet. Brigitte masterfully delivers the same sharp attention to detail and tongue-in-cheek humor we loved in DMATMOOBIL, while showcasing new tricks that will keep you hooked
Review (spoiler-free; all of this is in the blurb):
Okay, I have a confession to make—I am ridiculously obsessed with Osric. Seriously, how does he manage to be both unbearably pompous and irresistibly charming at the same time? He was crafted to be the human embodiment of a guilty pleasure, and you'll be eating it up with a spoon.
Then there’s Aurienne, our fierce and brilliant FMC. She’s intelligent, strong, and morally uncompromising in ways that I know I would NOT be if Osric walked into my life. This woman has all of my respect. Witnessing her wrestle with the moral dilemma of having to work with Osric? Chef's kiss. Let’s not forget, Osric is an assassin. You know, a guy who TAKES LIVES for a living. Healing HIM wasn't what Aurienne had in mind when she sought out to heal the sick. Yet, when you see Osric desperately cling to the hope that maybe, just maybe, he could be saved, it’s impossible not to root for him. I was practically begging for a cure by the end.
Brigitte warned us: this is a slow burn. I mean, a sloth would beat this romance in a race, but the angst... the YEARNING... the tension between them is delicious. The dry humor and dark jokes are so good, creating the perfect will-they-or-won’t-they dynamic that will keep you turning pages until you realize you’ve read 100 pages in one sitting. TIUTFFYE delivers the ultimate slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers rollercoaster, and I’m already dying for more. You will be, too.
Let’s be real, though. This is the first book in a duology, which means... it ends on a cliffhanger. But before you throw your Kindle out the window—It’s not one of those soul-crushing cliffhangers. You’ll close the book with a sense of hope, not despair. Thank you, Brigitte.
Full disclosure: I struggled a bit at the beginning. There were times when I found myself rereading the same pages over and over like I was stuck in a literary Groundhog Day. I felt like I’d been dropped in the middle of the action with no map to guide me. But once I figured things out, I was ALL in.
If you’re looking for a book that combines sarcastic humor, adventures (and misadventures), and enough plot twists to make your head spin—this one’s for you.
Kudos, Brigitte. Kudos. ♡
A massive shoutout to Berkley for gifting me a free copy of this book! I am genuinely honored and ridiculously excited to have my hands on this ARC. It feels like I've been presented with a golden ticket… but with more stabbing and magical healing involved.
____________________________
THE WAY THIS BOOK SKIPPED IN FRONT OF ALL OF THE OTHERS THE SECOND I WAS APPROVED FOR THE ARC
Berkley, I love you.
Recap:
So, Osric Mordaunt's got himself a little problem—he’s dying from a fatal disease (as one does). The only person who can save him is Aurienne Fairhrim, a preeminent scientist and member of an opposing order. These two despise each other. I mean, they REALLY cannot stand to even be in the same room as one another. However, there’s a twist: she is in desperate need of his help as well.
Osric is a wealthy assassin from the Fyren order (very much the “stab first, ask questions later” type), and Aurienne is a Haelen healer-scholar dedicated to her practice. She’s incredibly busy with saving children from a Pox outbreak when Osric makes her an offer she can’t refuse... Cue ominous villain laugh.
Writing Style:
The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy, which I'll affectionately refer to as TIUTFFYE, is written in third-person omniscient POV. Basically, it’s like eavesdropping on the two main characters. It reads like a rom-com that gets hit by a semi-truck of true-crime vibes and then gets lovingly shoved into a gaslamp fantasy setting. It’s a wild ride—funny, dangerous, magical, eerie, and just the right amount of sweet. Brigitte masterfully delivers the same sharp attention to detail and tongue-in-cheek humor we loved in DMATMOOBIL, while showcasing new tricks that will keep you hooked
Review (spoiler-free; all of this is in the blurb):
Okay, I have a confession to make—I am ridiculously obsessed with Osric. Seriously, how does he manage to be both unbearably pompous and irresistibly charming at the same time? He was crafted to be the human embodiment of a guilty pleasure, and you'll be eating it up with a spoon.
Then there’s Aurienne, our fierce and brilliant FMC. She’s intelligent, strong, and morally uncompromising in ways that I know I would NOT be if Osric walked into my life. This woman has all of my respect. Witnessing her wrestle with the moral dilemma of having to work with Osric? Chef's kiss. Let’s not forget, Osric is an assassin. You know, a guy who TAKES LIVES for a living. Healing HIM wasn't what Aurienne had in mind when she sought out to heal the sick. Yet, when you see Osric desperately cling to the hope that maybe, just maybe, he could be saved, it’s impossible not to root for him. I was practically begging for a cure by the end.
Brigitte warned us: this is a slow burn. I mean, a sloth would beat this romance in a race, but the angst... the YEARNING... the tension between them is delicious. The dry humor and dark jokes are so good, creating the perfect will-they-or-won’t-they dynamic that will keep you turning pages until you realize you’ve read 100 pages in one sitting. TIUTFFYE delivers the ultimate slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers rollercoaster, and I’m already dying for more. You will be, too.
Let’s be real, though. This is the first book in a duology, which means... it ends on a cliffhanger. But before you throw your Kindle out the window—It’s not one of those soul-crushing cliffhangers. You’ll close the book with a sense of hope, not despair. Thank you, Brigitte.
Full disclosure: I struggled a bit at the beginning. There were times when I found myself rereading the same pages over and over like I was stuck in a literary Groundhog Day. I felt like I’d been dropped in the middle of the action with no map to guide me. But once I figured things out, I was ALL in.
If you’re looking for a book that combines sarcastic humor, adventures (and misadventures), and enough plot twists to make your head spin—this one’s for you.
Kudos, Brigitte. Kudos. ♡
A massive shoutout to Berkley for gifting me a free copy of this book! I am genuinely honored and ridiculously excited to have my hands on this ARC. It feels like I've been presented with a golden ticket… but with more stabbing and magical healing involved.
____________________________
THE WAY THIS BOOK SKIPPED IN FRONT OF ALL OF THE OTHERS THE SECOND I WAS APPROVED FOR THE ARC
adventurous
mysterious
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 tried for two weeks, but I just could not get into it.
Repetitive banter, minimum world building or plot outside the healing and author writes like she uses a thesaurus to sound smart or fit the desired time period (18th century??) which makes the writing insufferable. Flat characters with no development or depth over halfway through. Is also somehow going to be a duology despite barely having enough plot for one book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Murder
Moderate: Torture
Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic
"His cleft chin clefted majestically" and 2 ball jokes back to back. Im done.