I was intrigued by this quirky and snarky, enemies to lovers, slow burn, fantasy. It has an assassin versus a healer and I lost myself in their world of intrigue and magic. Some of the world building in the beginning took some time for me to understand, but once I figured out what was going on, the story was addicting and I couldn’t put the book down.

Ostric, from the Fyren Order of Assassins, has a problem. He needs help from Aurienne, a healer, who is a member of his enemy’s order, the Haelens. He has a seith (magic) degenerative disease and his magic abilities are weakening. He secretly goes to see Aurienne and begs for her help. His timing is good. Aurienne desperately needs funding for research to find a cure for a terrible pox that is making their children very sick. Ostric agrees to fund her research if she will help cure him of his disease.

In the beginning of the book, we see Ostric’s life as an assassin and it is pretty morbid. He has expertise in espionage and intelligence gathering. When he hears there could be an enemy behind the Haelens’ Pox he and Aurienne investigate the rumors and threats together and as they begin to learn more about each other – they like what they see!

I especially admired Aurienne. She had strength and intelligence and is dedicated to her work as a healer. She wants Ostric to be, well, kinder and gentler. She even asks Ostric to consider trying negotiation before turning to violence when he is dealing with informants! Ostric can be sarcastic and snarky which adds humor to the story. When Aurienne goes to his home for a meeting with him, she sees the dogs he has rescued and she begins to see him in a new light. When Ostric is injured fighting an enemy headed for Aurienne’s stronghold, she takes him to her parent’s home to recover. Her parents don’t know his real identity but they think he is interested in her romantically and it’s cute. He is smitten with her and I loved the scene when they dance together and share a passionate kiss.

The hardest part for me was the world building in the beginning. But I hung in there and gradually began to understand it better. (The author gives us some definitions and a map in the beginning which helped). I ended up enjoying these characters and their world, though now, I have to wait until the second book in the duology to find out how it all works out. 

Brigitte Knightly has a unique voice and I think we will be seeing good things from her in the future. The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy was an addictive and truly irresistible story!