I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Exquisite Torment of Loving Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley Series: Dearly Beloathed #2
Published by Ace Books on July 7 2026
Genres: Adult, Romantasy
Pages: 416
Format: Finished hardcover
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: A delightfully swoony conclusion to Brigitte Knightley’s Dearly Beloathed duology, The Exquisite Torment of Loving Your Enemy sparkles with wit, romance and unforgettable characters.
“Hearts are such wretched things.”
I enjoyed the first book in Brigitte Knightley’s duology, The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy, but the second book is better in just about every way. I honestly never thought I’d give this book five stars, but here we are. The Exquisite Torment of Loving Your Enemy is a masterclass in world building, plot and character development, a book that made me laugh out loud, cheer for the characters (both the good guys and the bad guys!), and yearn for Osric and Aurienne to get together. This is a series that should be read in order, because the second book picks up right after the ending of book one, and it’s important to see how the relationships develops across the two books. Honestly, I’m still on a high after finishing this, which is the definition of an excellent book.
To recap a bit, in the first book we learn that Osric Mordaunt, who is a member of the Fyren Order (deadly assassins) is sick with something called seith rot, a grave illness that is destroying his magic. There is no cure for seith rot, but someone suggests he contact Aurienne Fairhrim, a talented healer who belongs to the Haelan Order. This is problematic because the two Orders are more or less enemies and don’t ever mix, but if anyone can help Osric, it’s Aurienne. She agrees to help him after he promises to donate a large sum of money to her order for research.
When the second book opens, Aurienne and Osric are still searching for a cure. Aurienne has uncovered an ancient stone carving that may hold the key, so each month on the full moon they meet at strategic locations around the Tiendoms (the land where the story takes place) to perform a healing ritual. By this time, both have come to grudgingly respect the other and both are having (unwanted) romantic feelings as well, although neither will ever admit it.
There’s also a secondary plot involving sick children who have been infected with the Pox, a deadly disease that Aurienne’s order is frantically trying to combat. Of course, there is a political scheme behind the Pox outbreak, and Aurienne and Osric find themselves in the middle of it and reluctantly working together.
While the The Irresistible Urge didn’t bring Osric and Aurienne together romantically, there were plenty of hints that their relationship was heading in a certain direction. In The Exquisite Torment, lucky readers will see that relationship reach its pinnacle (pun intended for those of you who watch Bridgerton!), even through all sorts of ups and downs, lies, betrayals, and sexual longing while also realizing they can never be together—their Orders hate each other. This “push-pull” was, ah hem, exquisite and so well done. Expect a few spicy scenes, in particular one that takes place at the opera (!!)
Brigitte Knightley’s writing is amazing. Of course there is plenty of wonderful banter among all the characters—the verbal sparring between Orsic and Aurienne was simply delightful—but I also loved being in Osric’s head in particular. Since the chapters alternate between the two main characters’ POVs, we get a peek into their private thoughts. I thought I would die laughing during Osric’s chapters. Let’s just say he is completely confident about his looks and his sexual prowess:
“Osric pulled on formfitting trousers, because he had a bulge to show off, and swept a rich, claret-coloured overcoat over his shoulders. He stepped out of Rosefell Hall and strode towards the waystone looking well-bred, well-endowed, and fiendishly expensive.” 😂
In fact, the whole story is sprinkled with so many wryly funny moments like this.
Knightley’s ability to write “bad” characters that you end up loving is one of my favorite things in the book. For example, there’s Tristane, the Fyren warchief, a ruthless woman who runs her Order with an iron fist and lacks compassion of any kind. However, she has several wonderful interactions with Aurienne (her sworn enemy) that made me change my mind about her. As for Osric, a brutal killer who charms his way through life, it’s hard to hate someone who loves dogs, and Osric’s dogs are the perfect addition to soften his rough edges. It doesn’t hurt that they have unforgettable names: Rigor Mortis and High Treason, for example. And while we’re on the subject of animals, Aurienne has a cat named Acts of Warranted Brutality, lol. This gives you a good idea of Knightley’s sense of humor, so you can decide for yourself if her style will work for you. Obviously I loved it!
Knightley’s world building is stunning. She’s created a fully realized world that feels both familiar and new. Despite the focus on the characters and their relationships, the author manages to bring the Tiendoms to life without so much as a single info-dump. I also loved the map and the description of the different Orders in the finished book. A hefty portion of the story involves the characters moving from one place to another, and it was nice to have a map to refer to. I won’t go into the many, many world-building details in this review, there just isn’t time, but trust me when I say it’s a world I want to spend more time in!
And while the pacing and plot are top notch as well, it was the emotional scenes that pushed this book over the edge for me. I know it seems cliché, but I swooned, I cried, I laughed, and I got that tingly feeling inside when all the pieces finally fit together at the end. I know this is the conclusion to Knightley’s duology, but I’m holding out hope that she will return to this world in future books. In any case, I am now a devoted fan for life and will read whatever she writes next. Highly recommended, don’t miss this series!
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
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