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Dearly Beloathed #2
The Exquisite Torment of Loving Your Enemy
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.
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.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published July 7, 2026
About the author
Brigitte Knightley
6 books4,471 followersBrigitte 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.
Instagram: @brigitteknightley
Newsletter signups: brigitteknightley.com
Author illustration by @gingerhuneybee.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,424 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
⭐️ 5 ⭐️ This book left me breathless. It tormented me when I was at work, when I woke up or when I tried to go to sleep, when I tried to do anything remotely away from it. The only time I felt at peace was when I had it in my hands with my eyes GLUED to it. It's outrageously good, I didn't want it to end, it literally plagued me in my sleep. I want more of that kind of torture.
Lets backtrack a tiny bit!
The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy was hilarious. I had a great time and I absolutely devoured the slow burn tension. It was romantic and swoony. They were true ENEMIES but when Osric bribed Aurienne to heal him, he never expected the lines to blur for both of them. Aurienne loved torturing Osric, in all ways possible. She loved to make him suffer and wanted to annihilate the man with her beauty, wit and brains. They had strong emotional chemistry without relying on any explicit scenes and a refreshing, witty banter that had me in tears from so much laughter. Their slow burn was to die for because their relationship felt natural and genuine. Now in The Exquisite Torment of Loving Your Enemy, it's time for them to turn into LOVERS.
A mysterious illness is spreading and political tension rise between all Orders. Osric and Aurienne uncover a conspiracy, a plague to be exact, that threatens all Orders. Meanwhile, their secret arrangement remains intact and forces them to continue to have repeated contact. Every time they meet, their verbal exchanges are to die for. They get on each other's last nerve but underneath all of their bickering and snarky remarks, they just want to devour each other! Osric is so smitten with Aurienne and she's so attracted to him and his good heart, they literally can't stay away. All their eye exchanges, light touches, close proximity, the jabs--they slowly but surely tormented me. This book has the most delicious, most excellent slow-burn payoff I've been searching for. THIS is how you do it, especially since book one had no explicit scenes, the wait was so worth it!
"You are riding my last nerve", said Aurienne...
"My favorite place to be," said Mordaunt
"So you want to be my sack of potatoes or my bride?"
"Potatoes", said Aurienne
"Unromantic choice, but you ARE starchy"...
Oh and let's not forget about the comedic creativity of this book. Acts of Warranted Brutality, that cat gave me a great laugh.
Or how about Mordaunt's dogs? Rigor Mortis, Arson, Perjury and Forgery, Outraging Public Decency, High Treason, Crème Brûlée, Diverse Felonies... like how do you even come up with that? Thats so witty, considering Osric's charming character and his never ending love for murder. The names themselves had me laughing so hard that I was snorting. I had the BEST time with this book words can't describe how much I loved every single part of it.
And character growth? Immense. For someone who was so egotistical, selfish and self-centered, Osric never faltered for me. He's highly skilled at what he does, he's secretive, deceptive but the moment he met Aurienne, he was able to admire and recognize greatness and intelligence in someone else besides himself. The growing respect between the two led them to mutual understanding, openness and unwavering morals. I can't say she changed him because I saw him change for her. Their dramatic verbal sparring and teasing led them towards each other. It was magnetic, protective and so so swoony. Aurienne gave Osric a sense of stability and showed him compassion; she realized that Osric had a goodness to him that he kept hidden for the most part to hide his vulnerability. She made him vulnerable, she made him feel things he never felt before and she accepted all of him, not just parts of him.
"I want to do things for her", continued Osric.."Things that matter. I want to make her happy. She is no longer a means to an end. She's despair. Folly"
Can't you tell this book tormented me?
I felt the love, the adoration and the desire to be close, to be better, to be something more in this life..together.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group and the author, Bridgitte Knightley for an early ARC.
Publication date: July 7, 2026
Lets backtrack a tiny bit!
The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy was hilarious. I had a great time and I absolutely devoured the slow burn tension. It was romantic and swoony. They were true ENEMIES but when Osric bribed Aurienne to heal him, he never expected the lines to blur for both of them. Aurienne loved torturing Osric, in all ways possible. She loved to make him suffer and wanted to annihilate the man with her beauty, wit and brains. They had strong emotional chemistry without relying on any explicit scenes and a refreshing, witty banter that had me in tears from so much laughter. Their slow burn was to die for because their relationship felt natural and genuine. Now in The Exquisite Torment of Loving Your Enemy, it's time for them to turn into LOVERS.
A mysterious illness is spreading and political tension rise between all Orders. Osric and Aurienne uncover a conspiracy, a plague to be exact, that threatens all Orders. Meanwhile, their secret arrangement remains intact and forces them to continue to have repeated contact. Every time they meet, their verbal exchanges are to die for. They get on each other's last nerve but underneath all of their bickering and snarky remarks, they just want to devour each other! Osric is so smitten with Aurienne and she's so attracted to him and his good heart, they literally can't stay away. All their eye exchanges, light touches, close proximity, the jabs--they slowly but surely tormented me. This book has the most delicious, most excellent slow-burn payoff I've been searching for. THIS is how you do it, especially since book one had no explicit scenes, the wait was so worth it!
"You are riding my last nerve", said Aurienne...
"My favorite place to be," said Mordaunt
"So you want to be my sack of potatoes or my bride?"
"Potatoes", said Aurienne
"Unromantic choice, but you ARE starchy"...
Oh and let's not forget about the comedic creativity of this book. Acts of Warranted Brutality, that cat gave me a great laugh.
Or how about Mordaunt's dogs? Rigor Mortis, Arson, Perjury and Forgery, Outraging Public Decency, High Treason, Crème Brûlée, Diverse Felonies... like how do you even come up with that? Thats so witty, considering Osric's charming character and his never ending love for murder. The names themselves had me laughing so hard that I was snorting. I had the BEST time with this book words can't describe how much I loved every single part of it.
And character growth? Immense. For someone who was so egotistical, selfish and self-centered, Osric never faltered for me. He's highly skilled at what he does, he's secretive, deceptive but the moment he met Aurienne, he was able to admire and recognize greatness and intelligence in someone else besides himself. The growing respect between the two led them to mutual understanding, openness and unwavering morals. I can't say she changed him because I saw him change for her. Their dramatic verbal sparring and teasing led them towards each other. It was magnetic, protective and so so swoony. Aurienne gave Osric a sense of stability and showed him compassion; she realized that Osric had a goodness to him that he kept hidden for the most part to hide his vulnerability. She made him vulnerable, she made him feel things he never felt before and she accepted all of him, not just parts of him.
"I want to do things for her", continued Osric.."Things that matter. I want to make her happy. She is no longer a means to an end. She's despair. Folly"
Can't you tell this book tormented me?
I felt the love, the adoration and the desire to be close, to be better, to be something more in this life..together.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group and the author, Bridgitte Knightley for an early ARC.
Publication date: July 7, 2026
Currently Reading
June 19, 2026UPDATE 2: I’ve started reading and omg I missed Aurienne and Osric so much 💕
Let the denial begin!!
-
UPDATE: I have an ARC 😭
-
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. 🙈💕
Let the denial begin!!
-
UPDATE: I have an ARC 😭
-
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. 🙈💕
Want to Read
January 27, 2026So apparently they are sending out ARCs. Please let me get one. PLEASE.
******************************************
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)
******************************************
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)
July 8, 2026
a man who yearns is a man who earns
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
My love towards Osric and Aurienne knows no bounds, this duology has such a special place in my heart, I'm both happy and sad it ended, it was pure perfection!!
Aurienne's and Osric's adventure to heal his seith rot under the full moons, their feelings towards each fighting their way out and the impossibility of them, the conspiracy behind the disease affecting the children and a deadly order made this book an unforgettable journey.
Osric might be one of my favourite characters ever, he loved so selflessly. He was an assassin, yet he saved so many lives. The changes Aurienne inspired, everything he did, he did it for her. He gave so much just to make sure she would be okay.
Aurienne closed her heart off, but the way Osric slowly crawled in there was such a delight. She finally saw him as more than his order and it made all the difference. What she did for him did too.
Their progression was honesty perfect, an emotional slow burn, full of banter, yearning, push and pull and some heat. The torment, the inn, the lake, the libraries, the help, the watch, the storm, the opera, the island, the signet ring, the protectivness, the hurt, the deofols, the healing and the love against all odds.. It was an amazing ride and I loved every second of it. Their story wasn't easygoing, it was full of brokenness and regret, but they were always a different side of the same coin and with a love that could conquer the impossible, if only they dared to try.
The pace of the story was to my liking. Aside from some wonderful moments between them, we also got some secrets, laughter, abandoned asylums, danger, murder, unlikely allies, brave warriors, battles, tearful moments and above all else, happiness.
It was such a great conclusion to the story.
I hope we come back to this world again, I still have some questions and I would love to see everyone again. I'm also very curious about Tristane.
*Thank you to Netgalley and to Little, Brown Book Group UK for providing me with an ARC.*
.·:*¨ ¨*:·.
OMG my wish actually got granted!!!
I can't believe it, this the first time it happened. I'm so happy, especially since this is one of my most anticipated releases.
Aurienne's and Osric's adventure to heal his seith rot under the full moons, their feelings towards each fighting their way out and the impossibility of them, the conspiracy behind the disease affecting the children and a deadly order made this book an unforgettable journey.
Osric might be one of my favourite characters ever, he loved so selflessly. He was an assassin, yet he saved so many lives. The changes Aurienne inspired, everything he did, he did it for her. He gave so much just to make sure she would be okay.
Aurienne closed her heart off, but the way Osric slowly crawled in there was such a delight. She finally saw him as more than his order and it made all the difference. What she did for him did too.
Their progression was honesty perfect, an emotional slow burn, full of banter, yearning, push and pull and some heat. The torment, the inn, the lake, the libraries, the help, the watch, the storm, the opera, the island, the signet ring, the protectivness, the hurt, the deofols, the healing and the love against all odds.. It was an amazing ride and I loved every second of it. Their story wasn't easygoing, it was full of brokenness and regret, but they were always a different side of the same coin and with a love that could conquer the impossible, if only they dared to try.
The pace of the story was to my liking. Aside from some wonderful moments between them, we also got some secrets, laughter, abandoned asylums, danger, murder, unlikely allies, brave warriors, battles, tearful moments and above all else, happiness.
It was such a great conclusion to the story.
I hope we come back to this world again, I still have some questions and I would love to see everyone again. I'm also very curious about Tristane.
*Thank you to Netgalley and to Little, Brown Book Group UK for providing me with an ARC.*
.·:*¨ ¨*:·.
OMG my wish actually got granted!!!
I can't believe it, this the first time it happened. I'm so happy, especially since this is one of my most anticipated releases.
August 16, 2026
I spent a good chunk of this book convinced I didn't like it anymore. Turns out I am the unreliable narrator, not Brigitte Knightley.
This picks up where The Irresistible Urge left off. Aurienne is still trying to heal Osric, they're still investigating the conspiracy, and the two people who absolutely should not fall in love are, unfortunately, doing exactly that.
I took AGES to read this book. Somewhere in the first half, I got into this weird semi-slump where I randomly became convinced that the humor wasn't as funny, the writing wasn't as good, the scenes were repetitive, the whole thing was dragging. Honestly, I think that was just me being in a weird mood. This is definitely a book I need to reread because I was just not being fair. However, something was off. I couldn't figure out what it was because the book was doing everything I wanted it to, until it finally clicked: their love doesn't really feel forbidden.
Technically, yes. Haelans and Fyrens are opposing Orders. They're not supposed to love each other, and that feels convincing in book 1 because they are still actively opposed to everything the other person represents. It's clear that the romance is forbidden because they themselves forbid it. That is not true in The Exquisite Torment. They no longer have personal objections to the idea of being together, but their love is still forbidden because of their Orders. Except... Not really? Osric's Fyren colleagues like Aurienne. Aurienne's Haelan colleagues are increasingly fond of Onion Boy. Some of them are basically rooting for Aurienne and Osric to get together. So every time they lamented that they could never be together, I kept wondering: according to WHO? Who is forbidding this romance? Everyone is on your side!!
And then the battle happened.
Oh.
OHHH.
The battle started, and the more I read, the less I cared about the forbidden romance not feeling forbidden. I almost forgot how much I love the way Knightley handles Osric's lethality. So many dangerous MMCs come with constant reminders that they're dangerous. Look how deadly he is! Look how easily he could kill her! Isn't it romantic that he doesn't? Osric is a professional assassin (and very good at what he does, thank you very much) and the book almost lets you almost forget what that means.
And then he completely turns the tides of a battle that was starting to look lost ON HIS OWN. I won't tell you how he does it, just so you can experience it for yourself, but just know it's hot, ok??? I'm down bad. I'm on my actual knees 🧎🏻♀️And he acts like it's no big deal! The book barely acts like it's a big deal! Which is exactly why it becomes approximately ten thousand times hotter when you're finally reminded what he's capable of. I put my Kindle down to go to bed, tried to sleep, couldn't stop thinking about the book, went "wait, actually, nope," and picked it straight back up. I genuinely can't remember the last time I wanted to read that badly. How am I supposed to read other books after this?
I'm trying to remain spoiler-free here, but the SACRIFICES Osric makes during those last 25% of this book. Vain, conceited, materialistic Osric Mordaunt did ALL OF THAT?? ONION BOY IS ONION MAN NOW 😭
There's a beautiful poetry to the journey Aurienne and Osric make, both literally and metaphorically. They go to all these in-between places, and that's where the healing (supposedly) happens. And during this journey of the in-between places, they slowly destroy the idea that either of them was ever entirely one thing, and realize they are also sort of in between all the things that made them enemies in the first place. Life and death. Light and dark. Haelan and Fyren. Good and bad. Neither gives the other those qualities. They were already there. They just recognize them in each other before they can recognize them in themselves.
Aurienne has darkness in her despite devoting herself to healing. Funnily, between herself and Osric, she's the cold one. She guards her heart fiercely, and has to learn that building a fortress around your heart might protect you from grief, but the walls keep the good things out too. Osric has tenderness and selflessness in him despite building his life around death and his own pleasure. They hate each other for what the other represents until they start recognizing pieces of those same qualities in themselves, and realize they're not so different after all.
I MEAN??? I'm literally sick 😩 don't talk to me
I also think the world-building deserves more credit than it gets. No, this isn't Lord of the Rings levels of lore, but this is romantic fantasy. We don't need all that. Good world-building is, to me, less about how many pages of info-dumping a book contains, and more about whether it feels like people actually live there. Little details that make the world feel real (like Leyfarers having an old joke about “Derepmet visibility” because the weather is so bad they can only see TEMPERED written backwards on the windshield) do more for me than three pages of lore. Add the bizarre pub names, the critique cricket still hiding somewhere in Osric's house calling him unsavory names, and little customs like not sharing your deofol's name unless you're close… I can believe this world exists because of those little details, not because I was told the entire history and every circumstance that created the world they live in.
And uhhh?? Tristane??? Hello?? Mommy?? First of all, what da fuck? And secondly, that’s hot. If I wasn’t already in love with Osric, I'd be all over Tristane.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go stare wistfully out a window while thinking about Osric Mordaunt, which means after all of that, I have apparently become Osric Mordaunt.
A big thank you to NetGalley, Brigitte Knightley, and Little, Brown Book Group UK/Orbit for the ARC!
⚬──────────✧──────────⚬
See also, my review for:
The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy
Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love
This picks up where The Irresistible Urge left off. Aurienne is still trying to heal Osric, they're still investigating the conspiracy, and the two people who absolutely should not fall in love are, unfortunately, doing exactly that.
I took AGES to read this book. Somewhere in the first half, I got into this weird semi-slump where I randomly became convinced that the humor wasn't as funny, the writing wasn't as good, the scenes were repetitive, the whole thing was dragging. Honestly, I think that was just me being in a weird mood. This is definitely a book I need to reread because I was just not being fair. However, something was off. I couldn't figure out what it was because the book was doing everything I wanted it to, until it finally clicked: their love doesn't really feel forbidden.
Technically, yes. Haelans and Fyrens are opposing Orders. They're not supposed to love each other, and that feels convincing in book 1 because they are still actively opposed to everything the other person represents. It's clear that the romance is forbidden because they themselves forbid it. That is not true in The Exquisite Torment. They no longer have personal objections to the idea of being together, but their love is still forbidden because of their Orders. Except... Not really? Osric's Fyren colleagues like Aurienne. Aurienne's Haelan colleagues are increasingly fond of Onion Boy. Some of them are basically rooting for Aurienne and Osric to get together. So every time they lamented that they could never be together, I kept wondering: according to WHO? Who is forbidding this romance? Everyone is on your side!!
And then the battle happened.
Oh.
OHHH.
The battle started, and the more I read, the less I cared about the forbidden romance not feeling forbidden. I almost forgot how much I love the way Knightley handles Osric's lethality. So many dangerous MMCs come with constant reminders that they're dangerous. Look how deadly he is! Look how easily he could kill her! Isn't it romantic that he doesn't? Osric is a professional assassin (and very good at what he does, thank you very much) and the book almost lets you almost forget what that means.
And then he completely turns the tides of a battle that was starting to look lost ON HIS OWN. I won't tell you how he does it, just so you can experience it for yourself, but just know it's hot, ok??? I'm down bad. I'm on my actual knees 🧎🏻♀️And he acts like it's no big deal! The book barely acts like it's a big deal! Which is exactly why it becomes approximately ten thousand times hotter when you're finally reminded what he's capable of. I put my Kindle down to go to bed, tried to sleep, couldn't stop thinking about the book, went "wait, actually, nope," and picked it straight back up. I genuinely can't remember the last time I wanted to read that badly. How am I supposed to read other books after this?
I'm trying to remain spoiler-free here, but the SACRIFICES Osric makes during those last 25% of this book. Vain, conceited, materialistic Osric Mordaunt did ALL OF THAT?? ONION BOY IS ONION MAN NOW 😭
There's a beautiful poetry to the journey Aurienne and Osric make, both literally and metaphorically. They go to all these in-between places, and that's where the healing (supposedly) happens. And during this journey of the in-between places, they slowly destroy the idea that either of them was ever entirely one thing, and realize they are also sort of in between all the things that made them enemies in the first place. Life and death. Light and dark. Haelan and Fyren. Good and bad. Neither gives the other those qualities. They were already there. They just recognize them in each other before they can recognize them in themselves.
Aurienne has darkness in her despite devoting herself to healing. Funnily, between herself and Osric, she's the cold one. She guards her heart fiercely, and has to learn that building a fortress around your heart might protect you from grief, but the walls keep the good things out too. Osric has tenderness and selflessness in him despite building his life around death and his own pleasure. They hate each other for what the other represents until they start recognizing pieces of those same qualities in themselves, and realize they're not so different after all.
“It wasn’t a defiling. It wasn’t a sullying. He kissed her like she was sacred; every press of mouth on mouth was a prayer. How could it be a sin to drown in devotion?”
I MEAN??? I'm literally sick 😩 don't talk to me
I also think the world-building deserves more credit than it gets. No, this isn't Lord of the Rings levels of lore, but this is romantic fantasy. We don't need all that. Good world-building is, to me, less about how many pages of info-dumping a book contains, and more about whether it feels like people actually live there. Little details that make the world feel real (like Leyfarers having an old joke about “Derepmet visibility” because the weather is so bad they can only see TEMPERED written backwards on the windshield) do more for me than three pages of lore. Add the bizarre pub names, the critique cricket still hiding somewhere in Osric's house calling him unsavory names, and little customs like not sharing your deofol's name unless you're close… I can believe this world exists because of those little details, not because I was told the entire history and every circumstance that created the world they live in.
And uhhh?? Tristane??? Hello?? Mommy?? First of all, what da fuck? And secondly, that’s hot. If I wasn’t already in love with Osric, I'd be all over Tristane.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go stare wistfully out a window while thinking about Osric Mordaunt, which means after all of that, I have apparently become Osric Mordaunt.
A big thank you to NetGalley, Brigitte Knightley, and Little, Brown Book Group UK/Orbit for the ARC!
⚬──────────✧──────────⚬
See also, my review for:
The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy
Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love
July 15, 2026
5 🌟 ”𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙤 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩.”
a 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩 duology 👏🏻💟
from the witty banter, to the interesting world, to the amazing plot that had me glued to this book, i loved every moment in this. i am soo obsessed and soo sad it’s over 🤧
🦢 • . ݁₊ ⊹ 𝘈𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘦 & 𝘖𝘴𝘳𝘪𝘤 ⊹ ₊ ݁. • 🐺
my loves!! 💜 i ate up how down bad 𝘖𝘴𝘳𝘪𝘤 was for 𝘈𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘦 and how she is just playing into it hehe. the tension + yearning it created ugh!! the whole build up of their relationship was just everything truly.
⋆.˚ㅤꨄ︎ 𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 ☽˚.⋆
Two words: 𝙾𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚊 𝙷𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎 🥵
i genuinely have nothing else to say. i laughed, i cried. pure perfection. no notes. 10/10.
that epilogue 💖✨
“𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙨𝙤 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙗𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜.“
a 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩 duology 👏🏻💟
from the witty banter, to the interesting world, to the amazing plot that had me glued to this book, i loved every moment in this. i am soo obsessed and soo sad it’s over 🤧
🦢 • . ݁₊ ⊹ 𝘈𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘦 & 𝘖𝘴𝘳𝘪𝘤 ⊹ ₊ ݁. • 🐺
my loves!! 💜 i ate up how down bad 𝘖𝘴𝘳𝘪𝘤 was for 𝘈𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘦 and how she is just playing into it hehe. the tension + yearning it created ugh!! the whole build up of their relationship was just everything truly.
⋆.˚ㅤꨄ︎ 𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 ☽˚.⋆
Two words: 𝙾𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚊 𝙷𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎 🥵
i genuinely have nothing else to say. i laughed, i cried. pure perfection. no notes. 10/10.
that epilogue 💖✨
“𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙨𝙤 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙗𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜.“
July 15, 2026
Okay this was still just as snarky/funny/flirty as the first book, but the YEARNING??? Osric has single handedly surpassed every other Man Who Yearns ™ for me. It was like reading the diary of a love-lorn 16th century poet THAT IS HOW INTENSE IT WAS!!! This man was PATHETIC over Aurienne!🤭🤭🤭
Honestly I just loved this. The character development and plot all came together so beautfiully! I hope we get to return to this world soon, because Osric and Aurienne have my whole heart 💜
••••••••••••••
Foaming at the mouth for more of these ridiculous love-birds 😍
Honestly I just loved this. The character development and plot all came together so beautfiully! I hope we get to return to this world soon, because Osric and Aurienne have my whole heart 💜
••••••••••••••
Foaming at the mouth for more of these ridiculous love-birds 😍
Read
July 24, 2025drew barrymore laughing smiling in the rain gif
Want to Read
January 15, 2026hoorayyy 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!!
--
excited to read this one(despite not reading book one yet 🫣) and the cover is absolutely gorgina!!
remind-me-once-out
November 1, 2025October 31st: we got a cover!
---------
Jul 28: Love that this is going to be a duology
---------
Jul 28: Love that this is going to be a duology
July 19, 2026
౨ৎꨄ︎ 6 stars
wow… this duology completely shattered me and i’m currently refusing to say goodbye <3
i knew brigitte had in hands an extraordinary continuation to this story and i was not wrong. it picks up right where the story ended in book one and there is always something happening. the flow is perfect and i was at the edge of my seat almost every chapter.
this duology is not just a fantasy and romance between enemies. this is about pain, about moving on from your past lovers and past mistakes. it’s about growing and becoming a better person. it’s about a strong bond that deepens with every scene. there’s banter that makes you laugh out loud, ridiculous situations that are so fun you have to re-read them. but there are also sad, tragic moments that make you gasp with tears. everything is so beautifully written that i have to bow in front of brigitte’s excellent work.
if i loved osric in the first book, i have no idea how i feel about him now. this man surprised me on so many levels. my heart was aching with him. the yearning and longing? chef’s kiss. 1000 out of 10. and i must say that i have never read about a character with a better arc development than his. towards the end of the book, i was proud of him and the switch to his beliefs and character. but the most beautiful thing about this man definitely has to be his love for aurienne. the painful slow burn in book one was so worth it for the feelings i was experiencing here.
aurienne opened up in this book more and i finally understood her and fell in love with her. she’s such a fierce and extraordinary yet broken woman. she’s not perfect and she knows it. she makes mistakes, she lets the past to be in a way to her decisions. but the way she changes and finally decides to be happy again… nailed it. brigitte nailed it.
the switch in their characters would never happen if they didn’t meet. if they didn’t create this bond and if they didn’t fall in love. and that’s what makes this book so beautiful. the journey, the moments, the changes. they are perfect for each other and i love them with my whole heart.
if you haven’t read this duology yet, i definitely recommend and might be even forcing you to give it a shot. you won’t be disappointed. the only bad thing about this story is that it ended and it seems that i will never accept this fact.
────୨ৎ────
౨ৎꨄ︎ pre-read: i already started this and i’m loving this and them!!!! don’t want to say goodbye to them at all…
wow… this duology completely shattered me and i’m currently refusing to say goodbye <3
i knew brigitte had in hands an extraordinary continuation to this story and i was not wrong. it picks up right where the story ended in book one and there is always something happening. the flow is perfect and i was at the edge of my seat almost every chapter.
this duology is not just a fantasy and romance between enemies. this is about pain, about moving on from your past lovers and past mistakes. it’s about growing and becoming a better person. it’s about a strong bond that deepens with every scene. there’s banter that makes you laugh out loud, ridiculous situations that are so fun you have to re-read them. but there are also sad, tragic moments that make you gasp with tears. everything is so beautifully written that i have to bow in front of brigitte’s excellent work.
if i loved osric in the first book, i have no idea how i feel about him now. this man surprised me on so many levels. my heart was aching with him. the yearning and longing? chef’s kiss. 1000 out of 10. and i must say that i have never read about a character with a better arc development than his. towards the end of the book, i was proud of him and the switch to his beliefs and character. but the most beautiful thing about this man definitely has to be his love for aurienne. the painful slow burn in book one was so worth it for the feelings i was experiencing here.
aurienne opened up in this book more and i finally understood her and fell in love with her. she’s such a fierce and extraordinary yet broken woman. she’s not perfect and she knows it. she makes mistakes, she lets the past to be in a way to her decisions. but the way she changes and finally decides to be happy again… nailed it. brigitte nailed it.
the switch in their characters would never happen if they didn’t meet. if they didn’t create this bond and if they didn’t fall in love. and that’s what makes this book so beautiful. the journey, the moments, the changes. they are perfect for each other and i love them with my whole heart.
if you haven’t read this duology yet, i definitely recommend and might be even forcing you to give it a shot. you won’t be disappointed. the only bad thing about this story is that it ended and it seems that i will never accept this fact.
────୨ৎ────
౨ৎꨄ︎ pre-read: i already started this and i’m loving this and them!!!! don’t want to say goodbye to them at all…
July 11, 2026
Assassin DESPERATELY IN LOVE. His healer TEMPTED endlessly. Their mischievous BANTER & forbidden SPICE 💜✨ I’ll sign up for 20 more books of this!
Another instalment of Osric being DOWN SO BAD he can’t stand himself. It was an absolute pleasure watching an arrogant man come down with a desperate case of ’I-love-her-and-I-know-she-is-too-good-for-me-but-I can’t-help-msyelf’ 💜 This book really focused on the TORTUOUS forbidden love as the two realize their attraction but have to sneak around. That scene with him under HER DRESS while she’s out with another man *yup he can get it*
“He was looking well bred, well endowed and fiendishly expensive.”
COMEDIC POETRY! The way this author writes in a unique blend of sarcasm and absurdity but phrased so eloquently it throws you for a loop ✨what a masterpiece ✨ The banter was just perfection but I was living for Osric’s POVs and his dramatics. Osric, you would have loved Ru Paul!
Favorite moment: when they pretend to be wife/husband at a hotel & he can’t stop calling her “wife”
High stakes! I didn’t expect this second book to be so intense and fast paced. I loved the plot developments and was completely surprised by the slightly open-ended conclusion 🌱🌳 It was giving the Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries! I really hope this story continues or has a spinoff.
Another instalment of Osric being DOWN SO BAD he can’t stand himself. It was an absolute pleasure watching an arrogant man come down with a desperate case of ’I-love-her-and-I-know-she-is-too-good-for-me-but-I can’t-help-msyelf’ 💜 This book really focused on the TORTUOUS forbidden love as the two realize their attraction but have to sneak around. That scene with him under HER DRESS while she’s out with another man *yup he can get it*
“He was looking well bred, well endowed and fiendishly expensive.”
COMEDIC POETRY! The way this author writes in a unique blend of sarcasm and absurdity but phrased so eloquently it throws you for a loop ✨what a masterpiece ✨ The banter was just perfection but I was living for Osric’s POVs and his dramatics. Osric, you would have loved Ru Paul!
Favorite moment: when they pretend to be wife/husband at a hotel & he can’t stop calling her “wife”
High stakes! I didn’t expect this second book to be so intense and fast paced. I loved the plot developments and was completely surprised by the slightly open-ended conclusion 🌱🌳 It was giving the Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries! I really hope this story continues or has a spinoff.
July 20, 2026
I’m absolutely in awe of this author’s writing. It’s beautifully unique, and the deadpan humor is glorious.
This was the slowest of slow burns, with a pretty relaxed pace despite the wars and everything else going on. I enjoyed it almost as much as the first book, but it was maybe just a little too slow to earn a full five stars.
We meet Aurienne and Osric again when they’re already very inconveniently attracted to each other and just starting to realize it. There’s a lot going on in the world, and I have to admit the amount of detail was a little overwhelming. I’m not sure I remember everything correctly. Oh well.
The romance was more important anyway. 😏 There was plenty of pining and banter, but also some spice, which was an interesting development after the kissing-only first book. 👀
If you liked the first book, you’ll very likely enjoy this one too.
I very much hope to read more from this author in the future!
I received a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
—-
I got the ARC! Little, Brown Book Group UK has granted my wish, thank you, thank you, thank you! 🥹💗🎉💃
——-
THE COVER! Can we just stop whatever we’re doing for a moment and look at their hands? 😍 Can’t wait!!!
This was the slowest of slow burns, with a pretty relaxed pace despite the wars and everything else going on. I enjoyed it almost as much as the first book, but it was maybe just a little too slow to earn a full five stars.
We meet Aurienne and Osric again when they’re already very inconveniently attracted to each other and just starting to realize it. There’s a lot going on in the world, and I have to admit the amount of detail was a little overwhelming. I’m not sure I remember everything correctly. Oh well.
The romance was more important anyway. 😏 There was plenty of pining and banter, but also some spice, which was an interesting development after the kissing-only first book. 👀
If you liked the first book, you’ll very likely enjoy this one too.
I very much hope to read more from this author in the future!
I received a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
—-
I got the ARC! Little, Brown Book Group UK has granted my wish, thank you, thank you, thank you! 🥹💗🎉💃
——-
THE COVER! Can we just stop whatever we’re doing for a moment and look at their hands? 😍 Can’t wait!!!
July 13, 2026
This book completely reframed how I feel about the first one. On its own it's great, but as the back half of a larger story, it's phenomenal. Knightley delivers a masterclass in slow-burn romance. It might genuinely be one of the slowest burns I've ever read, but the payoff is more than worth it.
The writing is whimsical, the banter is top tier, and the chemistry between Aurienne and Osric carries every page. Together they are such fully realized characters that you eventually forget the source material that inspired them. That's a testament to just how strong Knightley's character work is.
The first book asked for a lot of patience, and this one rewards every bit of it. Once the full story comes into focus, my complaints about the pacing and abrupt ending of the first book almost completely disappear. This is one of the best duologies I’ve read in a long time. Despite its source material, this never feels derivative. In a sea of romantasy that often feels repetitive, Knightley has a voice that feels both inspired and distinctly her own.
What a read. I genuinely didn't want to put it down.
The writing is whimsical, the banter is top tier, and the chemistry between Aurienne and Osric carries every page. Together they are such fully realized characters that you eventually forget the source material that inspired them. That's a testament to just how strong Knightley's character work is.
The first book asked for a lot of patience, and this one rewards every bit of it. Once the full story comes into focus, my complaints about the pacing and abrupt ending of the first book almost completely disappear. This is one of the best duologies I’ve read in a long time. Despite its source material, this never feels derivative. In a sea of romantasy that often feels repetitive, Knightley has a voice that feels both inspired and distinctly her own.
What a read. I genuinely didn't want to put it down.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
✨🗡️ The Exquisite Torment of Loving Your Enemy 🗡️✨
💖💖 Osric & Aurienne Foreverrr 💖 💖
This. was. so. freaking. good.
It was magical, filled with dark whimsy and witty banter. Equal parts funny and poetic. They are both so over the top and ridiculous in the best way. Truly the antics in this book 😂😂😂
And the slow burn finally paid off. The spice was 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year and after finishing it, I’m giving it 6 stars. I’m so sad the duology is complete, but this was the perfect way to wrap it up. We truly need more duologies because this was perfection.
Read If You Love
🗡️ Assassin MMC
🌿 Healer FMC
💖 Enemies to lovers
💫 Forbidden romance
🤝 Forced proximity
🕯️ Plague mystery
_ _ _ _
⭐Final Score: 6 Stars
📅 Pub Date: July 7, 2026
Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.
💖💖 Osric & Aurienne Foreverrr 💖 💖
This. was. so. freaking. good.
It was magical, filled with dark whimsy and witty banter. Equal parts funny and poetic. They are both so over the top and ridiculous in the best way. Truly the antics in this book 😂😂😂
And the slow burn finally paid off. The spice was 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year and after finishing it, I’m giving it 6 stars. I’m so sad the duology is complete, but this was the perfect way to wrap it up. We truly need more duologies because this was perfection.
Read If You Love
🗡️ Assassin MMC
🌿 Healer FMC
💖 Enemies to lovers
💫 Forbidden romance
🤝 Forced proximity
🕯️ Plague mystery
_ _ _ _
⭐Final Score: 6 Stars
📅 Pub Date: July 7, 2026
Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.
July 12, 2026
4.5⭐️
This was delightful, everything i wanted it to be!
The author somehow managed to keep the yearning that we love while introducing intimate scenes as well.
Osric aka Mr Hungwell is hilarious and pathetically down bad as ever and Aurienne is letting her walls down.
Their banter never fails to make me laugh.
Im going to miss these characters
This was delightful, everything i wanted it to be!
The author somehow managed to keep the yearning that we love while introducing intimate scenes as well.
Osric aka Mr Hungwell is hilarious and pathetically down bad as ever and Aurienne is letting her walls down.
Their banter never fails to make me laugh.
Im going to miss these characters
August 6, 2026
*me slamming through the wall with a cape and running around the boxing ring high fiving the audience* SHEEEEE’S BAAAAAAAAAAAAAACKKKKK 👹👹👹👹👹👹👹
oh the witty sarcastic dialogue and descriptions i eat you up and yet i still crave more for i am gluttony incarnate. five stars alone for that summary of book 1 at the beginning mwah mwah mwah and another five stars for the book so that’s twenty stars 💜💜💜
oh the witty sarcastic dialogue and descriptions i eat you up and yet i still crave more for i am gluttony incarnate. five stars alone for that summary of book 1 at the beginning mwah mwah mwah and another five stars for the book so that’s twenty stars 💜💜💜
July 16, 2026
can he really be called your man if he’s not laying around his mansion in agony like a consumptive Victorian lord because of how down bad he is for you?
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
“No words could describe her, anyway, just as no words can capture the loveliness of sunlight on a petal.”
Feeling deeply unwell, over the best book I’ve ever read.
I spent an hour, sobbing, when I realized I was down to the last 40 pages, because I was so sad at the prospect of it being over. Days later and I’m still not over it. Will I ever read a book this good, again? Maybe, if Brigitte writes it.
I have described Brigitte’s writing as Pride & Prejudice with dick jokes and it has never been more true than in Exquisite Torment. She has out Austen-ed herself. I am in awe.
There is yearning, and there is Yearning. It’s masterful, how she gave us two diametrically opposed opposites in Osric & Aurienne, and so carefully, so patiently, brought them together. Here, the slow burn continues to patiently simmer, with incredible “just kidding I hate you” steps back & delicious payoff that will have you SCREAMING. I was barking, like Osric’s 8 dogs, over some of these scenes.
The symbolism and imagery in her writing, too, is insane. I have 10+ scenes I need art of. She paints these gorgeously vivid and thematic and meaningful descriptions of between-places and it’s all so stunningly visual it feels worthy of the Louvre.
The world is even richer and sharper, as is the theology and the magic and the politicking.
I adored every single plot beat. Some choices truly surprised me, in the best way.
The jokes, too, work even better. I laughed harder than I have in EONS. She is the funniest human.
Add to that (hyper specific trope edition):
- Retrievers who do not retrieve
- Crashing birthday parties
- Would shove in a lake—(murdery) and (affectionate)
- Petty thievery to be petty
- Botanicals not suitable for fleeing danger
- Oh how dare you, no, I think I hate you again
- I can fix him (no really I can’t)
- A laundromat’s worth of quashing
- Annual yearnings are way up
- She’s bisexual, he’s try-sexual
- Jewelry for her but actually for him
- Obsessed with her curls
- Inappropriate use of [redacted]
- Only one bed (in only one suite) ((in only one penthouse))
- My wife (disbelieving)
- Dinner at the opera
& you have, quite literally, the PERFECT book.
However many copies you have preordered of this one—double it.
The real Exquisite Torment is that perfectly satiated emptiness that comes, at the end, realizing you’ll never follow Osric & Aurienne for the first time again.
The easiest ♾️⭐️ ever. Thank you Ace for publishing this, and for the early copy.
Feeling deeply unwell, over the best book I’ve ever read.
I spent an hour, sobbing, when I realized I was down to the last 40 pages, because I was so sad at the prospect of it being over. Days later and I’m still not over it. Will I ever read a book this good, again? Maybe, if Brigitte writes it.
I have described Brigitte’s writing as Pride & Prejudice with dick jokes and it has never been more true than in Exquisite Torment. She has out Austen-ed herself. I am in awe.
There is yearning, and there is Yearning. It’s masterful, how she gave us two diametrically opposed opposites in Osric & Aurienne, and so carefully, so patiently, brought them together. Here, the slow burn continues to patiently simmer, with incredible “just kidding I hate you” steps back & delicious payoff that will have you SCREAMING. I was barking, like Osric’s 8 dogs, over some of these scenes.
The symbolism and imagery in her writing, too, is insane. I have 10+ scenes I need art of. She paints these gorgeously vivid and thematic and meaningful descriptions of between-places and it’s all so stunningly visual it feels worthy of the Louvre.
The world is even richer and sharper, as is the theology and the magic and the politicking.
I adored every single plot beat. Some choices truly surprised me, in the best way.
The jokes, too, work even better. I laughed harder than I have in EONS. She is the funniest human.
Add to that (hyper specific trope edition):
- Retrievers who do not retrieve
- Crashing birthday parties
- Would shove in a lake—(murdery) and (affectionate)
- Petty thievery to be petty
- Botanicals not suitable for fleeing danger
- Oh how dare you, no, I think I hate you again
- I can fix him (no really I can’t)
- A laundromat’s worth of quashing
- Annual yearnings are way up
- She’s bisexual, he’s try-sexual
- Jewelry for her but actually for him
- Obsessed with her curls
- Inappropriate use of [redacted]
- Only one bed (in only one suite) ((in only one penthouse))
- My wife (disbelieving)
- Dinner at the opera
& you have, quite literally, the PERFECT book.
However many copies you have preordered of this one—double it.
The real Exquisite Torment is that perfectly satiated emptiness that comes, at the end, realizing you’ll never follow Osric & Aurienne for the first time again.
The easiest ♾️⭐️ ever. Thank you Ace for publishing this, and for the early copy.
July 30, 2026
OMG!
I loved the first book, the bickering, the hate, the disgust, the sarcastic, unhinged banter between Osric and Aurienne, the hilarious situations they got into while doing the healing attempts by the old ways.
Their walls tumbling down, the slow burn and the realization that they had feelings for each other they could not deny!
And the last check up showing that the degeneration seemed to have slowed!
This one had me completely obsessed!
For the first time they were working.together.
He told her that the security in Swanstone should be reinforced by wards and other devices, because someone from his order will eventually come.
The next healing attempt would be made in Glastonbury Tor, a Druids place, and she thought it strange that Osric hadn't contact her.
But Osric discovered that he was in love with Aurienne
It was absurd, impossible!
He was just attracted to her!
But he hardly slept, didn't eat, a longing and a sadness seemed to fill his soul, not helped by the bickering and hilarious remarks of the critique crickect that was some where in his house, and only with the company of his rescue dogs with the most amazing names!
The day of the healing arrived, she noticed he was different, he had been sick he said.
He would shadow walk with her into the compound, they would be fine.
But in the center of the labyrinth the sacred tree was expecting them, the plants were hallucinogenic, and they heard the Dreor piercing it.
In the cellar they found a sophisticated pharmaceutical complex and bottles with the same stuff, pox, they had seen before in Wellesley.
The Druids were all dead, like an execution, except one that told them what happened before he died.
The Dreor were coming and they went it the shadow of the underground river.
Her seith came into him to replenish, not heal!
Since when could one share seith, Osric thought?
They almost drowned but the treatment is functioning!
They found a small inn to eat, clean themselves, rest and recover the cost.
Just one bed, a Fyren holding her and she felt safe, confortable, no feelings of panic.
Small kisses and touches that he could not forget.
The way she smelled, the way she tasted, the swooning!
And Tristane, the Fyren warchief, was caught trying to enter Swanstone!
He wanted to protect her from Tristane but he didn't want Tristane to die either.
She would be executed.
He was so angry with her because she prevented him to free her but he also missed her!
Aurienne would never trust him again she said.
The next healing would take place in the Dyfed mountain, and they were fighting again, trowing hilarious names at one another, but Osric forgave her because she cared enough to make a new attempt.
She laughed a genuine delighted laugh.
They had drink too much.
He kissed her, she kissed him back, they fell in the river, and in the room they made love to each other.
She wanted him baddly and he could not deny he wanted her too!
Returning to his house she confirms the rot receeded!
He wanted to make her happy, he was happy to see her happy!
He helped her so much and never wanted to negotiate with her.
The asylum with the kids with pox, own by the Dreors, where for the first time she used her seith to not no harm.
And when she goes to his house to give him a present, a pocket watch, she enters a Fyren party and she kills again to save his life.
There's one last healing in the Isle of Stígr that will be stunningly beautiful, under the rain and the waves and the whales!
Will she cures this unhealable disease?
Will they never she each other again?
A terrible battle aproaches Swanstone and the few that are there will have to fight for their lives like never before!
But they will be helped by the most improbable person you will ever expect!
Of course the ending is absolutely amazing!!
I loved the first book, the bickering, the hate, the disgust, the sarcastic, unhinged banter between Osric and Aurienne, the hilarious situations they got into while doing the healing attempts by the old ways.
Their walls tumbling down, the slow burn and the realization that they had feelings for each other they could not deny!
And the last check up showing that the degeneration seemed to have slowed!
This one had me completely obsessed!
For the first time they were working.together.
He told her that the security in Swanstone should be reinforced by wards and other devices, because someone from his order will eventually come.
The next healing attempt would be made in Glastonbury Tor, a Druids place, and she thought it strange that Osric hadn't contact her.
But Osric discovered that he was in love with Aurienne
It was absurd, impossible!
He was just attracted to her!
But he hardly slept, didn't eat, a longing and a sadness seemed to fill his soul, not helped by the bickering and hilarious remarks of the critique crickect that was some where in his house, and only with the company of his rescue dogs with the most amazing names!
The day of the healing arrived, she noticed he was different, he had been sick he said.
He would shadow walk with her into the compound, they would be fine.
But in the center of the labyrinth the sacred tree was expecting them, the plants were hallucinogenic, and they heard the Dreor piercing it.
In the cellar they found a sophisticated pharmaceutical complex and bottles with the same stuff, pox, they had seen before in Wellesley.
The Druids were all dead, like an execution, except one that told them what happened before he died.
The Dreor were coming and they went it the shadow of the underground river.
Her seith came into him to replenish, not heal!
Since when could one share seith, Osric thought?
They almost drowned but the treatment is functioning!
They found a small inn to eat, clean themselves, rest and recover the cost.
Just one bed, a Fyren holding her and she felt safe, confortable, no feelings of panic.
Small kisses and touches that he could not forget.
The way she smelled, the way she tasted, the swooning!
And Tristane, the Fyren warchief, was caught trying to enter Swanstone!
He wanted to protect her from Tristane but he didn't want Tristane to die either.
She would be executed.
He was so angry with her because she prevented him to free her but he also missed her!
Aurienne would never trust him again she said.
The next healing would take place in the Dyfed mountain, and they were fighting again, trowing hilarious names at one another, but Osric forgave her because she cared enough to make a new attempt.
She laughed a genuine delighted laugh.
They had drink too much.
He kissed her, she kissed him back, they fell in the river, and in the room they made love to each other.
She wanted him baddly and he could not deny he wanted her too!
Returning to his house she confirms the rot receeded!
He wanted to make her happy, he was happy to see her happy!
He helped her so much and never wanted to negotiate with her.
The asylum with the kids with pox, own by the Dreors, where for the first time she used her seith to not no harm.
And when she goes to his house to give him a present, a pocket watch, she enters a Fyren party and she kills again to save his life.
There's one last healing in the Isle of Stígr that will be stunningly beautiful, under the rain and the waves and the whales!
Will she cures this unhealable disease?
Will they never she each other again?
A terrible battle aproaches Swanstone and the few that are there will have to fight for their lives like never before!
But they will be helped by the most improbable person you will ever expect!
Of course the ending is absolutely amazing!!
May 28, 2026
5⭐️ 🌶️3
- Enemies-to-lovers
- Rom-com
- Magic systems
- Forced proximity
- Morally grey MMC
- Slow-burn
TETOLYE is the second book in the Dearly Beloved Duology, and we return right where book one leaves off. Aurienne continues to attempt to heal Osric’s rot in exchange for the funds needed to combat a devastating pox epidemic. As the two work side by side to unravel both his condition and the sinister origins of the pox, their reluctant alliance slowly begins to shift into something far more complicated. The closer they get to the truth, the closer they grow to each other and, in the process, they both begin to heal in ways neither of them expected…
TETOLYE has all the charm and fun that made me fall in love with this series in the first place, it’s such a satisfying and magical conclusion! The narrative voice is witty and genuinely laugh-out-loud funny throughout. The banter between Aurienne and Osric is brilliant, their dynamic has a perfect mix of tension and chemistry - once again delivering a fivestar enemies-to-lovers romance!
The world-building and magic system continues to be one of my favourite parts of the series , I was completely pulled back into Aurienne and Osric’s world. All the different factions and magical elements are set out and evolved so well without becoming overly heavy. The mystery surrounding the pox kept the stakes high and intriguing and the plot was easily just as gripping in book two as it is in book one.
The spice levels also definitely go up a notch in the second book - the slow burn was definitely worth the wait 🔥!
It perfectly balances cosy fantasy vibes, humour, romance, and moments of deeper emotional connection. Perfect for anyone who loves fantasy rom-coms with good banter, morally grey MCs, and slow-burn tension.
I can’t wait to see what Brigitte Knightley writes next!
Thank you so much to Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for the ARC - I was genuinely so excited to see this land in my inbox!
- Enemies-to-lovers
- Rom-com
- Magic systems
- Forced proximity
- Morally grey MMC
- Slow-burn
TETOLYE is the second book in the Dearly Beloved Duology, and we return right where book one leaves off. Aurienne continues to attempt to heal Osric’s rot in exchange for the funds needed to combat a devastating pox epidemic. As the two work side by side to unravel both his condition and the sinister origins of the pox, their reluctant alliance slowly begins to shift into something far more complicated. The closer they get to the truth, the closer they grow to each other and, in the process, they both begin to heal in ways neither of them expected…
TETOLYE has all the charm and fun that made me fall in love with this series in the first place, it’s such a satisfying and magical conclusion! The narrative voice is witty and genuinely laugh-out-loud funny throughout. The banter between Aurienne and Osric is brilliant, their dynamic has a perfect mix of tension and chemistry - once again delivering a fivestar enemies-to-lovers romance!
The world-building and magic system continues to be one of my favourite parts of the series , I was completely pulled back into Aurienne and Osric’s world. All the different factions and magical elements are set out and evolved so well without becoming overly heavy. The mystery surrounding the pox kept the stakes high and intriguing and the plot was easily just as gripping in book two as it is in book one.
The spice levels also definitely go up a notch in the second book - the slow burn was definitely worth the wait 🔥!
It perfectly balances cosy fantasy vibes, humour, romance, and moments of deeper emotional connection. Perfect for anyone who loves fantasy rom-coms with good banter, morally grey MCs, and slow-burn tension.
I can’t wait to see what Brigitte Knightley writes next!
Thank you so much to Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for the ARC - I was genuinely so excited to see this land in my inbox!
June 23, 2026
as if this would be anything but 5 stars if I could give it more I would it’s everything I wanted and more adore it so incredibly much osric marry me
August 9, 2026
THE COVER THE COVER THE COVER THE COVER
July 8, 2026
i love those wonderful idiots 😌💖
(ale chyba pierwszy tom podobał mi się trochę bardziej)
(ale chyba pierwszy tom podobał mi się trochę bardziej)
August 12, 2026
SUPERB! SUBLIME! A FEAT OF SHEER GENIUS!
Osric and Aurienne’s angsty romance stretched my heartstrings to the point of sweet combustion in this second installment.
And yet, perhaps the most exquisite torment that awaited me in this book was the fact that it ends, marking the conclusion of this stunning duet.
I fell asleep crying tears of mournful joy after reading the final chapter, only to wake up the next morning, reread the last ten pages of pure bliss, and cry some more.
After which I bought the audiobook so Aurienne and Osric can shadow-walk through the caverns of my cochleas at all times.
The genius of Brigitte Knightley's writing simply can’t be overstated.
Aurienne and Osric are so vividly alive in my heart and spirit that it's almost painful. In fact, nearly every character in this story charmed me so spectacularly that they came to feel like tangible beings inhabiting my imagination.
She has a gift for transforming even the most mundane activities into unforgettable comedic mementos that linger in my mind the way a favorite movie scene or quote does.
And her signature blend of dry, cheeky, absurd yet eloquent British humor is completely addictive.
Not to mention the sheer magnificence of the world she constructed. We’re transported from the austere grandeur of Swanstone, to Osric’s decrepit yet charming manor, to mystical and lush destinations revealed beneath each month’s full moon, to tense deliberations among all eight Orders at the stone-laden Stānrocc, and countless other pit stops along the way. Every location felt distinct, alive, and utterly entrancing in its own right.
I'm so down bad for this book that I can't stop listening to “WHY” by Sasha Keable while reliving the euphoria of my favorite moments 😭
Like their moonlit rendezvous at a lavish lakeside hotel, where they unknowingly book the same suite and have to share it while posing as husband and wife…
🎶 I spent plenty on this spot
Booked a nice little hotel for the both of us
If it’s you, it’s not a lot, little mama
We’ve been close but we’re not close enough 🎶
Or the iconic opera scene, which I won’t spoil, but just know this lyric is impossibly fitting:
🎶 I wanna be inside you, woah
Under your skin (remix: skirt 😝), I’ll say it again
Close ain’t enough 🎶
Or even the relentless war raging inside Osric between his overwhelming sense of inadequacy and his equally overwhelming desire for Aurienne.
He sees her as perfect in every way: her indomitable honor, her unwavering devotion to her duty, her angelic beauty, the immense power she wields, the brilliance of her scientific mind…
But sees himself as tainted beyond repair due to the menacing tācn he bears and the murderous life he’s led.
He’s painfully aware that she’ll always be too good for him and out of reach. Yet he can't help but cling desperately to every tiny glimmer of hope she dangles his way. Every smile, blush, and laugh. Every irrefutable demonstration of how deeply she cares for him and the lengths she’ll go to heal and protect him.
Eventually, it becomes impossible to deny that she’s it for him. No one could ever compare to Aurienne.
🎶 Who gave you permission to be this perfect?
I think you should go ahead and thank your mama for me
Lord knows what I did to deserve this
‘Cause you done stood by, stood by, stood by, stood by me, yeah
And I know I’ll never find somebody better, yeah
Why is it me, you give all this love to? 🎶
Everything about this song evokes the same terrifying bliss I felt watching Osric and Aurienne gradually fall in love despite the impossibility of it all.
The emotional healing and personal growth Aurienne and Osric undergo is simply divine to witness.
Their tender connection becomes a constant catalyst for that healing and growth, teaching them how to embrace parts of themselves they’ve rejected or forgotten.
Aurienne’s journey is one of embracing her darkness, and revisiting old wounds so that she can finally reopen her heart.
Overcoming political peril alongside Osric slowly awakens her to the inherent duality within us all. She realizes that ‘good’ and ‘evil’ aren’t absolutes, and learns the importance of considering intent and circumstance when assessing both.
She gains a new appreciation for the immense power she holds, and grapples with the gravity of wielding it, ultimately making peace with the understanding that "the pursuit of rights sometimes involves wrongs".
Regarding matters of the heart: a crushing heartbreak seven years prior had convinced Aurienne that closing herself off was the most rational, logical path forward. That love simply wasn’t worth the risk of emotional devastation.
But her inescapable attraction to Osric forces her to confront the reality that, in protecting herself from heartbreak, she’s also deprived herself of joy.
“She cared for him, against her will and against her better judgement. She wrestled with the blasphemy of her feelings: longing for him, dreading it; wishing to kiss him, detesting herself for that desire; hating herself for her own indecision, indiscretions, idiocy.”
Osric’s journey is one of accepting that his past doesn’t define him, and that he’s indeed capable of, and worthy of, goodness despite his perceived badness.
He’s the walking embodiment of an acute agony many of us know all too well: believing you’re fundamentally inadequate in some way and mourning a desired future you’re convinced you’ll never be able to experience as a result of that, all while tormenting yourself with the seemingly futile yet inextinguishable hope that perhaps there’s still a chance for you.
It's easy to assume Aurienne simply changes him. But I think we're shown something far more intimate where Aurienne’s heart and integrity gently activate those dormant aspects within Osric.
Her compassion and unwavering insistence that “there’s latent good in all”, including him, gives him the opportunity and permission to become a version of himself that had long been buried beneath years of survival.
He tries to refute his kind heart, insisting that the good he does is merely a selfish attempt to win Aurienne’s heart. But in choosing goodness for her sake, he gradually rediscovers the instinct to protect, provide, and care, and eventually does it for himself too.
“He was going to do a good thing, consciously and willingly, with no benefit to himself. What was the matter with him?”
She becomes the muse who reawakens his heart and inspires him to express a generosity and integrity he’d spent years convincing himself he didn’t possess to justify the life he’d chosen.
“She had thought that he would simply take the kiss, as he had taken all his life. But he did not. He waited. He confirmed that latent nobility she knew was in him. Chivalry. Self-denial. Decency.”
Their relationship becomes beautifully symbiotic:
Falling in love with someone who embodies the very qualities they had disowned allows them to see those traits in a new light and eventually embrace them within themselves.
Her light activates the goodness buried within him, while his noble ruthlessness helps her see that darkness can become a force for good when guided by love and purpose.
In this way, they both become more complete versions of themselves, an aspect of their bond which I absolutely adored.
“‘I always do what I ought,’ said Aurienne.
‘I always do what I oughtn’t, and look where it gets me,’ said Osric.
She gave him one of her almost smiles. ‘Is there a middle ground?’
‘Shall we go see if we can find it?’”
Gradually, they each find the courage to embrace vulnerability again.
Despite everything the world has taught them about the potential cost of doing so.
Together, they rewrite a narrative that had long divided the tīendoms.
And just to set the record straight…
Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who’s the most yearnsome yearner of them all?
IT’S OSRIC MF MORDAUNT 🗣️
Otherwise known as Mr. Hungwell 😌
Why is he so funny?
Why is everything he does so irresistibly charming?
How can someone be so arrogant and yet so fragile?
How does that fragile arrogance only make him more endearing?
How can he murder people so callously and still possess the heart of a teddy bear?
Why do all of these contradictions make such perfect sense when they belong to him?
How long must I mourn the fact his existence is nothing more than a collection of words inked onto paper?
These are the questions that will haunt me until the dawn of time.
In summary…
The banter was divine:
“Mordaunt said his pie was lovely and tender, unlike Aurienne. She said her crust was superbly flaky, just like him.”
“'You’re late,' said Fairhrim.
'You said three but didn’t specify a time zone,' said Osric breezily."
“He did not have a significant other of any kind. He did have a significant irritant, however.”
The yearning was rhapsodic:
“I want you,” he said into her neck. “Even if there’s no point—even if it can’t mean anything—even if it’s courting sorrow."
“He took the crumbs and was grateful for them, like a pathetic cur whining at her ankles.”
“I want to do things for her,” continued Osric. “Things that matter. I want to make her happy.”
The reverence was otherworldly:
“Osric pushed the hair behind her ear. ‘You’re brilliant. You’re terrifying. If it wasn’t so impossible, I’d be at a real risk of falling in love with you.’ Hope was the colour of the blush across Fairhrim’s cheeks.”
“He kissed her like she was sacred; every press of mouth on mouth was a prayer.”
“She smiled a smile that made his soul irrevocably hers.”
Osric's diva behavior was unmatched:
“Osric’s eyebags remained unaffected by his expensive French crèmes. In his defence, it was eleven thirty in the morning. How typical of Fairhrim to force him out of bed at this improbable hour.”
“Osric pulled on formfitting trousers, because he had a bulge to show off.”
“Osric poured a cup of tea. Anxious about waking Fairhrim with the tinkling sound of stirring in milk and sugar, he drank it black, at great personal sacrifice.”
And so I think it goes without saying that I adored this sequel.
It absolutely surpassed the first book and will live on in my heart for a very long time.
If you love cheeky British humor and can’t resist a slow-burn romance between tortured souls…
Then you’re in for an absolute treat with this duology.
5 stunning stars 🌟
Osric and Aurienne’s angsty romance stretched my heartstrings to the point of sweet combustion in this second installment.
And yet, perhaps the most exquisite torment that awaited me in this book was the fact that it ends, marking the conclusion of this stunning duet.
I fell asleep crying tears of mournful joy after reading the final chapter, only to wake up the next morning, reread the last ten pages of pure bliss, and cry some more.
After which I bought the audiobook so Aurienne and Osric can shadow-walk through the caverns of my cochleas at all times.
The genius of Brigitte Knightley's writing simply can’t be overstated.
Aurienne and Osric are so vividly alive in my heart and spirit that it's almost painful. In fact, nearly every character in this story charmed me so spectacularly that they came to feel like tangible beings inhabiting my imagination.
She has a gift for transforming even the most mundane activities into unforgettable comedic mementos that linger in my mind the way a favorite movie scene or quote does.
And her signature blend of dry, cheeky, absurd yet eloquent British humor is completely addictive.
Not to mention the sheer magnificence of the world she constructed. We’re transported from the austere grandeur of Swanstone, to Osric’s decrepit yet charming manor, to mystical and lush destinations revealed beneath each month’s full moon, to tense deliberations among all eight Orders at the stone-laden Stānrocc, and countless other pit stops along the way. Every location felt distinct, alive, and utterly entrancing in its own right.
I'm so down bad for this book that I can't stop listening to “WHY” by Sasha Keable while reliving the euphoria of my favorite moments 😭
Like their moonlit rendezvous at a lavish lakeside hotel, where they unknowingly book the same suite and have to share it while posing as husband and wife…
🎶 I spent plenty on this spot
Booked a nice little hotel for the both of us
If it’s you, it’s not a lot, little mama
We’ve been close but we’re not close enough 🎶
Or the iconic opera scene, which I won’t spoil, but just know this lyric is impossibly fitting:
🎶 I wanna be inside you, woah
Under your skin (remix: skirt 😝), I’ll say it again
Close ain’t enough 🎶
Or even the relentless war raging inside Osric between his overwhelming sense of inadequacy and his equally overwhelming desire for Aurienne.
He sees her as perfect in every way: her indomitable honor, her unwavering devotion to her duty, her angelic beauty, the immense power she wields, the brilliance of her scientific mind…
But sees himself as tainted beyond repair due to the menacing tācn he bears and the murderous life he’s led.
He’s painfully aware that she’ll always be too good for him and out of reach. Yet he can't help but cling desperately to every tiny glimmer of hope she dangles his way. Every smile, blush, and laugh. Every irrefutable demonstration of how deeply she cares for him and the lengths she’ll go to heal and protect him.
Eventually, it becomes impossible to deny that she’s it for him. No one could ever compare to Aurienne.
🎶 Who gave you permission to be this perfect?
I think you should go ahead and thank your mama for me
Lord knows what I did to deserve this
‘Cause you done stood by, stood by, stood by, stood by me, yeah
And I know I’ll never find somebody better, yeah
Why is it me, you give all this love to? 🎶
Everything about this song evokes the same terrifying bliss I felt watching Osric and Aurienne gradually fall in love despite the impossibility of it all.
The emotional healing and personal growth Aurienne and Osric undergo is simply divine to witness.
Their tender connection becomes a constant catalyst for that healing and growth, teaching them how to embrace parts of themselves they’ve rejected or forgotten.
Aurienne’s journey is one of embracing her darkness, and revisiting old wounds so that she can finally reopen her heart.
Overcoming political peril alongside Osric slowly awakens her to the inherent duality within us all. She realizes that ‘good’ and ‘evil’ aren’t absolutes, and learns the importance of considering intent and circumstance when assessing both.
She gains a new appreciation for the immense power she holds, and grapples with the gravity of wielding it, ultimately making peace with the understanding that "the pursuit of rights sometimes involves wrongs".
Regarding matters of the heart: a crushing heartbreak seven years prior had convinced Aurienne that closing herself off was the most rational, logical path forward. That love simply wasn’t worth the risk of emotional devastation.
But her inescapable attraction to Osric forces her to confront the reality that, in protecting herself from heartbreak, she’s also deprived herself of joy.
“She cared for him, against her will and against her better judgement. She wrestled with the blasphemy of her feelings: longing for him, dreading it; wishing to kiss him, detesting herself for that desire; hating herself for her own indecision, indiscretions, idiocy.”
Osric’s journey is one of accepting that his past doesn’t define him, and that he’s indeed capable of, and worthy of, goodness despite his perceived badness.
He’s the walking embodiment of an acute agony many of us know all too well: believing you’re fundamentally inadequate in some way and mourning a desired future you’re convinced you’ll never be able to experience as a result of that, all while tormenting yourself with the seemingly futile yet inextinguishable hope that perhaps there’s still a chance for you.
It's easy to assume Aurienne simply changes him. But I think we're shown something far more intimate where Aurienne’s heart and integrity gently activate those dormant aspects within Osric.
Her compassion and unwavering insistence that “there’s latent good in all”, including him, gives him the opportunity and permission to become a version of himself that had long been buried beneath years of survival.
He tries to refute his kind heart, insisting that the good he does is merely a selfish attempt to win Aurienne’s heart. But in choosing goodness for her sake, he gradually rediscovers the instinct to protect, provide, and care, and eventually does it for himself too.
“He was going to do a good thing, consciously and willingly, with no benefit to himself. What was the matter with him?”
She becomes the muse who reawakens his heart and inspires him to express a generosity and integrity he’d spent years convincing himself he didn’t possess to justify the life he’d chosen.
“She had thought that he would simply take the kiss, as he had taken all his life. But he did not. He waited. He confirmed that latent nobility she knew was in him. Chivalry. Self-denial. Decency.”
Their relationship becomes beautifully symbiotic:
Falling in love with someone who embodies the very qualities they had disowned allows them to see those traits in a new light and eventually embrace them within themselves.
Her light activates the goodness buried within him, while his noble ruthlessness helps her see that darkness can become a force for good when guided by love and purpose.
In this way, they both become more complete versions of themselves, an aspect of their bond which I absolutely adored.
“‘I always do what I ought,’ said Aurienne.
‘I always do what I oughtn’t, and look where it gets me,’ said Osric.
She gave him one of her almost smiles. ‘Is there a middle ground?’
‘Shall we go see if we can find it?’”
Gradually, they each find the courage to embrace vulnerability again.
Despite everything the world has taught them about the potential cost of doing so.
Together, they rewrite a narrative that had long divided the tīendoms.
And just to set the record straight…
Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who’s the most yearnsome yearner of them all?
IT’S OSRIC MF MORDAUNT 🗣️
Otherwise known as Mr. Hungwell 😌
Why is he so funny?
Why is everything he does so irresistibly charming?
How can someone be so arrogant and yet so fragile?
How does that fragile arrogance only make him more endearing?
How can he murder people so callously and still possess the heart of a teddy bear?
Why do all of these contradictions make such perfect sense when they belong to him?
How long must I mourn the fact his existence is nothing more than a collection of words inked onto paper?
These are the questions that will haunt me until the dawn of time.
In summary…
The banter was divine:
“Mordaunt said his pie was lovely and tender, unlike Aurienne. She said her crust was superbly flaky, just like him.”
“'You’re late,' said Fairhrim.
'You said three but didn’t specify a time zone,' said Osric breezily."
“He did not have a significant other of any kind. He did have a significant irritant, however.”
The yearning was rhapsodic:
“I want you,” he said into her neck. “Even if there’s no point—even if it can’t mean anything—even if it’s courting sorrow."
“He took the crumbs and was grateful for them, like a pathetic cur whining at her ankles.”
“I want to do things for her,” continued Osric. “Things that matter. I want to make her happy.”
The reverence was otherworldly:
“Osric pushed the hair behind her ear. ‘You’re brilliant. You’re terrifying. If it wasn’t so impossible, I’d be at a real risk of falling in love with you.’ Hope was the colour of the blush across Fairhrim’s cheeks.”
“He kissed her like she was sacred; every press of mouth on mouth was a prayer.”
“She smiled a smile that made his soul irrevocably hers.”
Osric's diva behavior was unmatched:
“Osric’s eyebags remained unaffected by his expensive French crèmes. In his defence, it was eleven thirty in the morning. How typical of Fairhrim to force him out of bed at this improbable hour.”
“Osric pulled on formfitting trousers, because he had a bulge to show off.”
“Osric poured a cup of tea. Anxious about waking Fairhrim with the tinkling sound of stirring in milk and sugar, he drank it black, at great personal sacrifice.”
And so I think it goes without saying that I adored this sequel.
It absolutely surpassed the first book and will live on in my heart for a very long time.
If you love cheeky British humor and can’t resist a slow-burn romance between tortured souls…
Then you’re in for an absolute treat with this duology.
5 stunning stars 🌟
July 17, 2026
Delightful. Osric, my stressy, depressy, pathetically tortured, babygirl Onion Boy. You yearned your ASS off in this one.
“If I’m to heal this horrid, fatal ache – it’s you. If I’m to fall on my knees, it’s before you—”
“If I’m to be happy, it’s with you.”
"Love is the beginning and end of grief."
“If I’m to heal this horrid, fatal ache – it’s you. If I’m to fall on my knees, it’s before you—”
“If I’m to be happy, it’s with you.”
"Love is the beginning and end of grief."
July 26, 2026
My new favourite romantasy duology.
I already can't wait to go back and reread these together and annotate the crap out of them!
The banter? Top-notch. The romance? Spectacular. Absolutely no notes for these two books!
Perfection.
I already can't wait to go back and reread these together and annotate the crap out of them!
The banter? Top-notch. The romance? Spectacular. Absolutely no notes for these two books!
Perfection.
July 10, 2026
It's with the greatest sadness that I must inform you that this was Not Good. I am now questioning whether I actually enjoyed the first book or if I was just excited because of the fic that its based on.
The book picks up on the same scene as the last book ended. There was a disruption in the momentum of the story by doing it this way. A shame that they didn't commit to doing just the one standalone novel.
The world building becomes completely nonsensical in this instalment. Theres were so many times I stopped and took note of the magic system not making sense or, somehow worse, being far too convenient. I still love elements of magic such as magic functioning like a nervous system in the body and there being a Cost to your magic as it adds to the plot and characters.
The big battle at the end I really enjoyed. It did feel quite epic. Very reminiscent of the Battle of Hogwarts.
The romance didn't quite work for me in this one but mostly because of the dialogue. It felt cheesy and overwritten which is something I enjoy in the exposition as Knightley is very witty but it just felt overdone with the dialogue.
Saying all of this, i think that Brigitte Knightley is an immensely talented writer. Her use of language and her ability to write characters is excellent. Rewriting fanfiction - and getting the deal based on said fanfiction - really backs you into a corner when you're trying to turn it into a novel. This is a particular problem with world building because you have to shoehorn these elements in because you have to keep everything else from the original fanfiction the same. Whatever she writes next I will be unabashedly excited for because I know without these limitations she can write something truly excellent... I would just ask for no more books in this world. I'm happy to beg.
The book picks up on the same scene as the last book ended. There was a disruption in the momentum of the story by doing it this way. A shame that they didn't commit to doing just the one standalone novel.
The world building becomes completely nonsensical in this instalment. Theres were so many times I stopped and took note of the magic system not making sense or, somehow worse, being far too convenient. I still love elements of magic such as magic functioning like a nervous system in the body and there being a Cost to your magic as it adds to the plot and characters.
The big battle at the end I really enjoyed. It did feel quite epic. Very reminiscent of the Battle of Hogwarts.
The romance didn't quite work for me in this one but mostly because of the dialogue. It felt cheesy and overwritten which is something I enjoy in the exposition as Knightley is very witty but it just felt overdone with the dialogue.
Saying all of this, i think that Brigitte Knightley is an immensely talented writer. Her use of language and her ability to write characters is excellent. Rewriting fanfiction - and getting the deal based on said fanfiction - really backs you into a corner when you're trying to turn it into a novel. This is a particular problem with world building because you have to shoehorn these elements in because you have to keep everything else from the original fanfiction the same. Whatever she writes next I will be unabashedly excited for because I know without these limitations she can write something truly excellent... I would just ask for no more books in this world. I'm happy to beg.
March 22, 2026
loved this even more than I thought I would
magic meets whimsy meets enemies to lovers meets man down bad meets fucking CUTE okay
I haven’t been in the reading mood for most of March & this duology single handedly revived me. It’s fast paced, fun, packed with banter and *most importantly* super lighthearted!!
I’ve been burnt out on romantasy for awhile bc everything just feels so dramatic (how many times can I read about the world ending or an evil monarch needing to be over thrown before I slip into melancholy?? the answer - not many!!)
rapid fire thoughts:
- so unique compared to other romantasy stories
- lighthearted & so easy to read
- similar whimsy style as the Antiquarians Object of Desire aka another 5 star read
- a dramatic man (affectionate)
- normally I don’t like when MMCs are super talkative but Osric is charm incarnate!!!!
- I could see this story playing in my head like a movie which is so rare for me
for the readers wanting more whimsy in their life!
magic meets whimsy meets enemies to lovers meets man down bad meets fucking CUTE okay
I haven’t been in the reading mood for most of March & this duology single handedly revived me. It’s fast paced, fun, packed with banter and *most importantly* super lighthearted!!
I’ve been burnt out on romantasy for awhile bc everything just feels so dramatic (how many times can I read about the world ending or an evil monarch needing to be over thrown before I slip into melancholy?? the answer - not many!!)
rapid fire thoughts:
- so unique compared to other romantasy stories
- lighthearted & so easy to read
- similar whimsy style as the Antiquarians Object of Desire aka another 5 star read
- a dramatic man (affectionate)
- normally I don’t like when MMCs are super talkative but Osric is charm incarnate!!!!
- I could see this story playing in my head like a movie which is so rare for me
for the readers wanting more whimsy in their life!
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