Early Review – The Exquisite Torment of Loving Your Enemy (Dearly Beloathed, Book 2) by Brigitte Knightley (5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Fantasy/Romance
Length: 416 pages
Publisher: Ace
Release Date: July 7, 2026
ASIN: B0FV5X5DQZ
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in the Dearly Beloathed series
Source: eGalley from NetGalley.com
Rating: 5/5 stars

“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.”

Series Info/Source: This is the 2nd book in the Dearly Beloathed duology. I got a copy of this on ebook from NetGalley.com.

Thoughts: I thoroughly enjoyed this conclusion to the Dearly Beloathed duology. This is primarily a star-crossed lovers type of romance, but there is a solid back story and our characters have other important commitments as well. This was easy to read, and I enjoyed every moment of it.

Aurienne is still committed to healing Osric after he funded the research for the deadly Pox that is killing children. However, they are still trying to figure out why the Pox is spreading again. As the Pox continues to spread and Aurienne continues to help Osric heal, they ending up stumbling upon information that the Tiendoms themselves have deliberately unleashed the Pox. It is a deadly web that Aurienne is desperate to unravel and Osric ends up along for the ride. As Osric realizes he is besotted with Aurienne, he does what he can to help her from the shadows, but Aurienne is the only one who can save herself from her past emotional damage.

This was a very well done story. I love some of the plot twists and the way that the whole mystery behind the Pox is resolved in this duology. This book provides a very well done resolution to the duology.

The scenes between Aurienne and Osric are at turns heart-breaking and beautiful. Knightley did an amazing job of having these star-crossed lovers fall in love while pushing to stay true to the other commitments of their Orders. This is beautifully written, and yes, sometimes the language gets a bit flowery and overdone at points, but I thought the style worked well for the story.

This is easy to read and engaging, and I breezed right through. This is a highly emotional ride; there were laughs, snorts, and tears throughout.

My Summary (5/5): Overall I really loved this book and this duology overall. If you are looking for a unique dark fantasy that has heavy themes of romance but doesn’t sacrifice the plot or world-building for that romance, I would definitely recommend this. I loved the amazing characters, the well done romance, the action, the magic, and the unique world-building.