The Exquisite Torment of Loving Your Enemy

Dearly Beloathed #2

by Brigitte Knightley

The stakes are high, the love is forbidden, and the slow burn turns steamy in this swoony, witty, and heart-stoppingly romantic sequel to instant New York Times bestseller The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy.

Osric is a member of the Fyren Order, a guild of assassins who gleefully murder for money. Aurienne is a Haelan, a scholar-healer whose Order’s motto is Harm to none. Clear-cut absolutes separate them: good and bad, right and wrong, light and dark . . .

Until they don’t.

When Osric first bribed Aurienne to heal him, he never imagined those lines would begin to blur. But every healing session draws them closer together. He finds himself developing unwanted feelings for Aurienne as her capable hands heal his body—and his heart.

Aurienne’s perfect life has been flung into chaos in the form of a devastatingly handsome assassin. She should be in her research lab, not illicitly healing a Fyren every full moon—nor wrestling an attraction to him that threatens to slip into something else.

Things go superbly sideways when Osric and Aurienne discover more about the deadly Pox deliberately unleashed through the Tīendoms. The plague may be the work of another Order—an Order far nastier than either of them can handle.

As the lines between Osric and Aurienne continue to blur, the balance between peace and war, and love and hate, trembles, shifts, and hinges on a heartbeat.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Romantasy, Adult, Fantasy Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Magic

336 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication July 7, 2026

About the author

Brigitte writes what she wants to read: enemies-to-lovers romances that put the unresolved back in UST. Her debut novel, THE IRRESISTIBLE URGE TO FALL FOR YOUR ENEMY, is coming out July 2025 (Berkley / Orbit UK).

Instagram: @brigitteknightley
Newsletter signups: brigitteknightley.com

Author illustration by @gingerhuneybee.

Reviews

[Nancy •͙͙✧⃝•͙͙✩ͯ {Comment restriction}]

We have a cover. I REPEAT: We have a cover!
Now all I have to do is wait 8 more months for the BOOK.

Googles How to time travel to the future.

******************************************

I AM SCREAMING.

I WANT THIS BOOK AND I WANT IT NOW. What? I have to wait an entire YEAR for this? F***you. (I'm sorry I'm sorry I don't mean that)

[Angie]

This cover has me FERAL!!! Their hands are touching??? I’m SCREAMING!!! 🤩

PS: If anyone from the publisher or PR team sees this, just know I would die for an ARC. 🙈💕

[DianaRose]

hoorayyy i've got the arc! now i just have to read book one...

--

excited to read this one(despite not reading book one yet 🫣) and the cover is absolutely gorgina!!

[Noi (in & out)]

October 31st: we got a cover!
---------
Jul 28: Love that this is going to be a duology

[y ੯‧̀͡⬮]

drew barrymore laughing smiling in the rain gif

[sonia]

THE COVER THE COVER THE COVER THE COVER

[Dab]

THE COVER! Can we just stop whatever we’re doing for a moment and look at their hands? 😍 Can’t wait!!!

[Yennefer]

Just finished the first one, and yeah, bring it on! Need this ASAP so I can pick up after that ending.

[Sarah]

I am frothing at the mouth. I need this, there's no way I can survive a year long wait without descending into Madness.

[clicktojointhemafia]

update- have y'all seen the cover??? og my god im going to DIE

book one fucked me side ways and i want it to happen again as soon as possible xxxx

[Natalia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This sequel was EVERYTHING I could have hoped for and more. The pining, the banter…perfection. And Osric, utterly, hopelessly in love and freaking tortured by it. This book was nothing short of divine.

The story retains the lightness and humor that made the first book so amazing, but also, simultaneously delivers moments that are genuinely heart wrenching. Brigitte’s writing is brilliant. This book is brilliant. And Osric has firmly secured his place as a new all time favorite. Ugh Osric 😭 the exquisitely tormented soul falling on love for the first time.

“She had become what he could never have, and so became his greatest torment.”

Beyond the romance, the mystery surrounding the Pox adds a a layer of suspense.The balance of humor, high stakes, forbidden romance, aching pining, simmering tension, and self discovery is fan-freaking-tastic. Both characters undergo significant transformations, Osric more willingly than Aurienne I will say, and I devoured every page.

I’m endlessly grateful to Berkeley Publishing Group (Ace) and NetGalley for granting me an ARC of this phenomenal book. Effing fantastic. I will be rereading immediately. And snatching up every special edition copy I can get my hands on. This duology will forever be on my favorites shelf💫

[zoe]

COVER ART???? HELLLLOOO!!!!!!!!!

[hannie 🌷📚☕️🧸]

I have to wait a year?

[Tory]

Is it July 2026 already? 🥺💖 Because I’m not sure I can wait that long!

[Cindy ✩☽♔]

The title, the cover, perfect 🤌🏻✨chef’s kiss 😘💖

[Dominique || dominiquetravels]

➡️ The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️¼

I've been left on a cliffhanger and I need to know more. Who did it? Why did they do it? What will happen in the near future? What will happen to our main characters?

[Caro]

Osric is going to be drowning in a pool of self-loathing pinning for Aurienne and I’M HERE FOR IT! *cue “Down bad” by Taylor Swift* 🤭

[Dulce Starizny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delicious. Exquisite. Hilarious beyond belief. This book is an absolute YES from start to finish.

[Machaia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was beyond thrilled to get an ARC of this book from NetGalley. I fell in love with Brigitte's writing during her fanfic days, and the first book in this duology was my favorite book last year. I zoomed through this book in one day (one of my favorite things about a travel day is so much reading time!), but after I finished it, I needed a couple of days to consider my review.

To start with, I am so excited to see what Brigitte writes next! I'm thrilled that we are just at the beginning of what I hope will be a long writing career of excellent characters, slow burns, and witty banter. Overall this was an incredible duology and one I will recommend endlessly. Osric and Aurienne were just as lovely and as compelling as they were in the first book and continuing to peel back the layers of the plot kept me intrigued. The world she has created is clever and well-constructed, and I would love to see more stories from her set in the Teindoms. I had a marvelous time reading this, and it kept me engaged from beginning to end.

Now for the reasons it didn't get a full five stars from me like the first book. There were a couple of moments in the plot that didn't have a proper build to them. We got an answer to a question, and we didn't have the context to truly appreciate the answer - it felt a bit out of left field. Furthermore, I appreciate that Knightley was trying to make use of all of the elements of the world she created, but there were a few growing pains associated with doing so that felt a bit forced at times. Lastly, there were a few things about the ending that didn't quite work for me that made me question if Aurienne and Osric would be able to last long-term. That's the spoiler free version. Read on, gentle reader, if you want spoilers.

SPOILERS AHEAD! READERS BEWARE!

The fact that the people behind the Pox Plot were three random monarchs who we had never met didn't work for me. The books never really established much in the way of the internal dynamics of all of these kingdoms, so it didn't really feel like a strong reveal - more like a throwaway when it's something we've been building to for two books. There were also a couple of moments in the story where I felt like Osric (as he has been established over two books) acted out of character. The first being his strong reaction to Tristane being executed and the second his anger that Aurienne didn't leave Swanstone when it was attacked. With Tristane, the story had never established that Osric and Tristane had any relationship beyond terrifying boss and an employee with a healthy respect for her abilities - especially considering how ambivalent he was about killing co-workers. I expected him to be a lot more c'est la vie about the whole thing. It felt like his reaction was written in to manufacture conflict between our couple. The same with his anger towards Aurienne for not leaving Swanstone - it felt like a way to keep the couple apart. I would buy Osric being upset, but his reaction felt like too much. As to the ending, Aurienne and Osric never really had a discussion about if he would continue to be a murderer-for-hire. I do think the book established that Aurienne saw things more from Osric's point of view, but it did not convince me that she would be ok with him continuing to kill people for money. It felt like that element was swept under the rug to end the story. Also, the ceremony at the end where Aurienne announced to everyone that she loved Osric and jumped into his arms and kissed him and everyone cheered did not work for me because the book had spent too much time establishing how deep the prejudices towards other orders ran for me to believe everyone would be on board with this relationship no matter what good deeds Osric had done.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I didn’t love the first in the duology, I am so glad I continued on with this one.

I was finally able to settle into the groove of Aurienne and Osric. Things didn’t feel needlessly drawn out, complicated, or exhausting between the two of them this time. It was sweet and poetic reading the two of them, with Tristane and Xanthe pulling up as favorites behind them. The details felt more concrete.

Instead of rolling my eyes at things, I thoroughly enjoyed the development of the relationships and the plot. It’s not a read that requires much thought or analysis, making it easy to immerse myself in and get through in less than 24 hours.

Watching the noticed details be noticed and worshipped between Aurienne and Osric? Absolutely lovely and sweet, which balances out the severity of the state of things unfolding around them.

I thought about a rating below 5/5 the rest of the night and couldn’t settle on anything. This was so enjoyable; I have to give the credit where it’s due.

Much appreciation to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc.

[Maddelyn]

Osric and Aurienne are back. They've discovered the reason for the plague that Aurienne's order has been fighting. The healing process that they're trying, a mix of folk tales and science, is also working. They also come close to falling in love, but she follows the bright path and he follows the darken path. Then they uncover proof of who's behind the plague and suddenly everyone is in danger. The people behind this horrible act don't want their plans to be revealed. As Aurienne realizes just how far she will go to protect those she cares about, she and Osric slowly realize that they're not as different as they first thought.

I received a copy of this book from netgalley in return for an honest review.

[Simona Stoica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Am zâmbit ca o toantă de la început până la final.
De ce nu e o serie cu 10 volume și 5 nuvele?
Abia aștept să apară și să o recomand tuturor, să o recitesc și să împărtășesc zeci de citate, să mă bucur din nou de fiecare capitol și schimb de replici.

O serie iubită și devorată.

[Reader]

i need this in my lifeeee please please don’t met me wait a year inly to find out it won’t be published or something like that 😭 i neeeed

[julia ❤️]

I desperately needdddd thisssss 😭

[Becca]

I NEED THIS NEOWWWW

[Kim Reyes]

I love that it gets released on the day of my bday!! :)))

[Ali]

The first book f***ed me up AND NOW I HAVE TO WAIT A YEAR

[Melanie]

Omg we have a date, a cover AND a sneak peek! So excited for this book, July 2026 seems so far away

[Luckylovesbooks]

November 3, 2025
OH. MY. GOD. LOOK AT THE COVER 🥰😭😭😭🥰🥰🥰

[✎• нuѕηαн]

WE HAVE A COVER OMGGG - IT'S THE EXQUISITE TORMENT OF ME WAITING FOR ANOTHER 8 MONTHS FOR THIS.