Ms. Knightley’s author blurb describes her novels as “enemies-to-lovers romances that put the unresolved back in Unresolved Sexual Tension. Her work is enjoyed by fans of slow burns, tongue-in-cheek rom-coms, and suffering.”
This pretty much perfectly describes what I am looking for in a romance novel. Her sense of humour is just ideal for me as well. It is great fun to watch assassin Osric deal with goody two shoes Aurienne during the course of the story. Osric's seith, his magical ability, is malfunctioning and Aurienne is the most talented seith healer in her Order. Osric has decided to bribe or kidnap only the best.
Regular healing has no cures for Osric's disease, but he has heard of a suggestion that Aurienne made as an undergraduate about Old Magic ways of doing things. She tries dutifully to explain that there is no proof of such things and that she no longer believes in their usefulness. Osric, facing death, is willing to try anything and twists her arm. This begins a series of surreptitious meetings and travels where the two snipe at each other. It was highly entertaining.
I love the series title, Dearly Beloathed. Very little is resolved by the end of this first volume and I devoutly hope that my library acquires the second book next year. In tone, it reminds me a lot of Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer, although it is slightly more adult in tone. Each magic practitioner has a Deofol, a spiritual familiar that can be sent on errands. They resembled the Daemons of Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass. All in all, it was funny and engaging.
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