Unfortunately this was not for me.
What I really liked was the character interactions. I had quite some fun with them.
However, I struggled with the pacing and the worldbuilding was a bit lacking.

Unfortunately I was unaware this is dramione fanfiction, and is using that as a marketing tactic. As a transmasc person I don’t feel comfortable reading or reviewing this book with its strong ties to the original IP.

4 stars because the overall plot was actually very good! I loved the reveals towards the end of the book, I thoroughly enjoyed the world building as it felt complicated yet really easy? You kind of pick up on what things mean along the way especially with the magic system it took me a while to understand it but it didn’t hinder from the experience.

I LOVE British banter in any book and the banter in this book is brilliant! Lots of swearing in the best funniest way, and loadsssss of hilarious British sayings! I found myself laughing quite a lot especially cause I was listening to the audio, osric in audio was just perfect!

The romance is veryyyy minimal! They literally are enemies to not even lovers and there is 0 spice! But the overall plot and story is strong and the small bits of ‘no I should feel this way’ and the yearning are great! I hope we get a lot more in book 2!

I’d love to know more lore about this world, Bridget did a brilliant job of creating this magic system that just felt so real and immersive!

Thank you netgalley for the arc! I used Spotify to listen to the audio as I found reading the ebook a little difficult as it wasn’t formatted the way I usually like so the audio was much easier and I also now own the gorgeous illumicrate SE😍

I do love a cosy vibes slow burn (and this was the slowest of slow burns) romantasy. Especially enemies to lovers so I was really keen to read this.

And it did not disappoint.

The scornful banter between these two was so fun to read and as the author very slowly built the romantic / sexual tension I really wanted to see where this was going. They constantly snipe at each other, while slowly developing secret lustfull thoughts for each other.

Osric an assassin for hire, is all but on his last legs and needs Aurienne to heal him. Together they embark on a journey to access the magic of the old ways to do so. Which she doesn't believe will work but is ordered to do anyway.

This had an interesting magic system, different fractions each with a given talent and a magical symbol to enable them to use it which was really enjoyable to read about. The world building was great, well explained, interesting but not too complex. It was easy to focus on the characters and plot of this and get swept up into the story

We had a plague epidemic, assassins, healers and a mystery person trying to find out who donated money to the epidemic immunisation fund.

I was intrigued throughout reading this. Lots of twists and turns, two great (if opposing) characters to love and a slow burn romance in the pipeline.

Keen to read book two.

There is no world building whatsoever, the made up words used and the magic system are explained in the glossary but that's it.
The author took inspiration from a well known fictional world but that should not keep her from explaining how things work in this book.
There are random caps on words and it doesn't make sense. There are also random French words and the use of complicated words instead of common ones.
It was kind of funny sometimes but in a weird way. There are a lot of jokes on intimate parts and the humour is redundant.
Osric is insufferable for most part of the book. I guess it's done on purpose and I couldn't stand him.
Adrienne and Osric don't have any chemistry between them and it's supposed to be an enemies to lovers...

Spoiler
There is a weird s*x scene where he touches himself while watching her sleep in the same room... It's creepy and there's no consent on her part.

I was waiting for a conclusion for the plot (Osric's healing and the children's pox) but got none.
It's a duology so I guess it's going to be in the next book.
I'm disappointed with the slow burn romance, nothing much happens and the male main character is perverse.

2.5 stars <3
unfortunately, i did not enjoy this book as much as i thought i would, though it was still very entertaining and funny. full review on goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7720381872

I am so sorry to say this - but this book was not for me. I couldn't give more stars because I had to quit reading after only a few chapters. I just couldn't connect to those overly sarcastic characters and the whole writing style just didn't give me any joy.

And maybe it's because my first language isn't English but I already had to stop at page one after reading this paragraph: " Osric dropped the daguerreotype. It landed on his disk, from which vantage the woman's penetrating gaze found a new victim and perforated the ceiling. Also ornamenting Osric's desk unpleasantly were Aurienne Fairhrim's curriculum vitae and a list of publications verging on the infinite."
I read so many English books and I'm familiar with fantasy books and all the new words you learn when entering a new fantasy world but this paragraph was overly complicated in my opinion.

I had high hopes but unfortunately this just wasn't for me.

Osric Mordaunt is an assassin in the Fyren Order, and unfortunately for him he is in need of a healer that can perform a miracle, and the only name of the list of candidates is Aurienne Fairhrim. Aurienne is part of the Haelan Order and that means she would never be caught dead helping his kind.

Osric learns her Order is in need of a large donation to help develop a vaccine for a disease only affects children and is out of control her bribes Aurienne with the money in exchange for her help in healing him. She has no choice but to agree, and when it is clear none of her methods could possibly heal him and he expects her to use old theoretical magic she is not thrilled to be wasting her time on what she believe is a lost cause.

Honestly this had top tier witty banter that i just could not stop squealing about. The enemies to lovers really hit on this one, and both characters were so well fleshed out, the magic system was so interesting, the world building was amazing, it was fabulous not matter what way you look at it. I am absolutely dying to the next part of this story.

4.25 ⭐️

Thanks to Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group UK/Orbit for this eARC

It took me a while to get into the humour of this book, at first I found it a little bit silly, but as soon as I started to get used to the rhythm and flow I couldn’t put it down. Osric and Aurienne are textbook enemies to lovers with the chemistry practically steaming off the page, I ended up loving them both and rooting for their relationship to go somewhere. The worldbuilding is interesting, dark, almost steampunk or gothic in the way it’s portrayed and quite different to anything I’ve read before. I loved the snappy sidekick characters and laughed out loud a few times at their antics. Overall, I really enjoyed my time in the world and that ending?!?! - I will be picking up the sequel the moment it’s released

This book was such a fun and hilarious time! The snarky banter between the two main characters (Aurienne and Osric) was amazing, I was constantly giggling. Every interaction between these characters was golden. Aurienne and Osric are true enemies to lovers and the slow burn was SLOWLY BURNING. wow!

The writing took some getting used to but I really enjoyed the style. However, there were some complex words throughout the book that I didn't know or how to pronounce and it really disengaged me from the story/characters.
The world building was a little bit hard to picture at times but I overall liked the concept of the world and especially the magic system; there were aspects that I thought were very unique and fit well into the world, the plot and the vibe of the book.
The plot of enemies needing each other is a definite read for me. However, I feel like it original main plot was lost a little bit towards the end but I suppose that's for book 2...

I will definitely recommend this book and be reading book 2!!

Thank you Brigiette Knightley, Berkley Publishing and Netgalley for an ARC copy!

2.5⭐️

✅ A true enemies-to-potential-lovers situation
✅ Very slow burn romance

❌ Personally the humour was not to my taste and was too much
❌ World building was lacking and relied heavily on a glossary
❌ I hate to use the word lazy but the writing felt very simple and underdeveloped
❌ Struggled to care about or empathise with the characters

After seeing so many glowing reviews, I was surprised to find that this book sadly was not for me.

Right from the get go, alarm bells were ringing when I saw a glossary of terms at the start of the book explaining concepts about the world. The story relied heavily on that glossary being there, rather than making any substantial effort at integrating world building within the writing.

The two main characters, and indeed all the characters you meet in the story, came across as very one-dimensional and caricature in their personalities, which made it a real struggle for me to care about them or become invested in their story. I couldn’t really take them seriously (but maybe that was the author’s intended tone of this story).

Which brings me onto the humour - I’m sure many people will absolutely love the tone of the humour in this book and the constant (and I do mean constant) banter between the characters, but unfortunately for me I found it too crude, and way too much. It was almost like a lot of the plot was just there to facilitate continuous quippy back-and-forth remarks, putting characters in situations that present an opportunity for making crude jokes and mocking insults.

For people who like true slow burn enemies-to-potential-lovers storylines, the two main characters, Osric and Aurienne, absolutely start off utterly hating one another and this continues for most of the book, with the barest hint of attraction towards the end. I’d say this was done fairly well, although I could never really get behind the extent of their hatred towards one another. This was seemingly only due to the two characters belonging to opposing factions (i.e. their ‘careers’) but not based on any history between them, which could’ve made their hatred more credible and interesting.

The writing itself felt very under-developed, with a lack of any substantive world building and with many sections of character dialogue which read more like a script, giving a bantery back-and-forth dynamic but with no descriptions of which character is saying what, or how they’re saying it/what they’re doing. The world and the magic system has a good foundation and plenty of potential, but was just so surface-level in how it was used. Likewise the characters felt very black-and-white in their thinking and feeling, with no nuance or extra layers to explore.

So overall, this was a very disappointing read for me sadly, and I will not be continuing the series.

HOWEVER I would say that for anyone undecided about picking this up, still give it a go - the writing and tone may click with you better than it did me, and I’d say you’ll know pretty early on if it’s something you’d enjoy. If you generally enjoy light-hearted and unserious stories then you might enjoy this one.

I loved basically everything about this book.
The banter in this book was absolutely top tier, and I was giggling at so many of the interactions between our two main characters. I also love the set up of this book, with the reluctant partnership between two characters who really don’t want to have anything to do with each other due to their own c soliciting morals and roles in the world. Finally the world itself I found really engaging, and while not a world set up I haven’t seen similar to before, the author still made it feel unique and easy to fall into.
I will for sure be picking up the sequel when it’s out and I’m so excited for it!

Disclaimer: I do not support J.K. Rowling and affirm my stance. While I did not purchase this book, I requested it as an ARC. I have since gained insight into the impact that these published works, which are derivatives of fan fiction, continue to have on the LGBTQIA+ community. In response, I will contribute to LGBTQIA+ causes as a means of making amends. I firmly believe that every trans woman is a woman, and I reject J.K. Rowling's ideology.

Thank you to Little, Brown Book Group UK for providing this free advanced reader copy through NetGalley. The opinions expressed are my own.

Osric Mordaunt (Assassin) needs help and only one healer actually can. He bribes his way into getting Aurienne Fairhrim (Healer) to help him. It was hate on first sight. So they strike a deal, Osric donates an obscene amount of money to Auriennes Order and she will try to heal him of his ailment. But with a pox epidemic and the whole mystery of Osric's ailment, thing aren't as easy as they seem.

This was a fun little romantasy but do you know the feeling of thinking you read a standalone and it actually isn't? Yeah. But that explains the pace.

It didn't read the original fanfiction but you can't tell that it was a fanfiction. The characters could stand on their own and the story did not depend on the original story. I was pleasantly surprised at the fun banter between the characters. At first I was a little intimidated because the book had a lengthy glossary. The worldbuilding didn't feel as forced as I thought it would be by the size of the glossary. However I think it could've been a little more simplified.

The book started off feeling slow and not very exciting, which made me question if I would enjoy it (the banter between the characters did help). When the story picked up and the stakes rose, it became much more exciting, and I found myself turning the pages and having much more fun.

3.75/5 ⭐

✨✨ARC Review ✨✨

Firstly, I love the style of this author’s writing. I found the writing beautiful but also honestly really quite funny.

My main issues with this book are the characters and the world building. While I loved the characters I found it really hard to separate them from Draco and Hermione. The house that Osric lives in is almost identical in description to Malfoy Manor. But while a few little hints to the original books would be fine these characters just feel exactly like their counterparts. This particular made me feel uncomfortable during the spicier parts of the book because these are characters I remember as young teenagers. I did enjoy the tension between the characters and the romance was written well.

I also wanted more world building from this book. I’m not sure if this is something that is going to crop up with the influx of published fan-fiction writers. Within fan-fiction the world-building is already done for you but in publisher fiction this just feels like you’ve missed a part of the book.

It’s also important to note that fan-fiction is free. I think if I wanted to read a dramione story I’d be more likely to read a fan fiction over a published work (although this isn’t really the area of Harry Potter fanfiction I read).

ARC Review: The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5 Stars)

This book was an unexpected delight — witty, sharp, slow-burning, and thoroughly entertaining from start to finish.

What stood out to me the most was the dry humor and the genuinely hilarious banter. There were scenes that had me laughing out loud — not just smiling, but full-on wheezing. The dynamic between the two leads was filled with snark, tension, and emotional depth, making their interactions a constant highlight throughout the story.

The slow burn romance was done so well. This wasn’t just some light enemies-to-lovers flirtation — it was a true, satisfying enemies-to-lovers arc that felt earned and believable. Watching the relationship evolve from hostility to vulnerability to genuine care was such a rewarding journey.

And let’s be honest: if you're a fan of Dramione-coded tension — a sharp, intelligent heroine and a brooding, misunderstood "enemy" with hidden depths — this book will absolutely scratch that itch.

Both main characters were incredibly lovable in their own right. They felt distinct, well-developed, and layered — flawed but deeply relatable. I was invested in each of them individually, not just as a couple.

The worldbuilding was on the subtle side, but still effective and well-structured. It never overwhelmed the story, but created a solid backdrop that added just the right amount of tension and intrigue. Everything made sense, and I never felt lost or confused.

At a few points, the pacing slowed down more than I would have liked — but to be fair, the plot was well thought out and had enough emotional stakes and character development to keep me engaged. I never felt bored, just occasionally a little impatient.

You‘ll love it if you like:
💥 Great banter
💘 Top-tier slow burn
🖤 Real enemies-to-lovers tension
🐍 Perfect for Dramione fans
🌍 Subtle but strong worldbuilding
🤣 Dry humor that lands

This is the kind of romantasy that sneaks up on you — charming, clever, and packed with heart. I’d absolutely recommend it to fans of emotionally grounded romance with a smart edge and a dash of danger.

Thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown UK for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I enjoyed this book so much. It feels like a true enemies to lovers, which I think is hard to come by these days. The slow-burn is everything! The world-building is understated but so interesting, making it easy to follow along with whilst also staying captivating. Can't wait for the next book!

I went into this novel not really knowing what to expect - I've been told that the author started out writing Dramione fanfic, but that this novel was not just a rework of her existing work. Instead it is a new fantasy with Hermione/Draco vibes - which given that I've never read any fan fiction was not particularly helpful.

The plot follows an assassin - Osric - and a healer - Aurienne - as they are forced to work with each other after Osric blackmails Aurienne into attempting to heal him. They are diametrically opposed and it is hate at first sight...except of course they begin to fall for each other whilst galavanting up and down the country in a series of escapades to try and heal Osric. Towards the end of the novel another plot involving a mystery enemy appears, which I'm sure will be the plot of book 2. Which was slightly disappointing as I had wrongly assumed this was a standalone.

I would describe this novel as a romantic romcom, rather than romantasy. Maybe because the world building was pretty much non-existent. I enjoyed that there wasn't just a huge info dump at the start, however I still don't really understand the world or the magic. There are references to eight different orders, various English towns and cities, but also random French sprinkled in? It seems like only those in the orders have magic, but the magic is never really explained, other than one character is a healer and the other an assassin. How the magic is used or expressed by each of those orders is still a mystery. I'm assuming that because the author started out writing fanfic, they just don't have the world building experience and are used to their audience not needing explanations.

Despite this I really enjoyed the novel. The writing style really drew me in and I flew through this. There were a couple of aspects of the writing that irritated me, such as the Random Capitalisation of Words for Emphasis, which was used far too frequently, but mostly I love it. When I first started reading I was expecting traditional romantasy prose so it took a little while to get into it, but once I realised that actually this is a silly and unserious book with dry, witty prose, I was hooked. The banter between the characters was really enjoyable and I loved the arrogance of both characters. The humour was on the juvenile side, with many dick jokes, but apparently I have the humour of a teenage boy, so I really enjoyed it.

Definitely liked the story even though the burn is soooooo slow (which is fine I love a good slow burn). Characters are likable, the MMC smash, yes queen, go get that. I mean an assassin 💅genuinely go for it if you also love a slow burn and wanna meet a kickass healer and a hot assassin.

The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy

Rating: 4

Listen, I was sold on the trope of "Hypercompetent idiots"

A fun, extremely slow burn story packed full of sharp wit and a compelling story focussing on Osric and Aurienne, an assassin and a healer forced to work together against their better judgement.

Brigitte Knightley has written a fantastic novel, and I already can't wait until the sequel.

Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC

*Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK | Orbit for providing me with this ebook in exchange for an honest review*

The fan-fic background wasn't lost on me. If it was being published as a Dramione fanfic it would made more sense. I was expected to already understand the unexplained parallel England yet I didn't for the life of me, understand anything that was happening. It had wayyyyy too many dialogue instead of narration and most of the time if felt like the author was bored to dig deeper. The characters felt flat and one-dimensional without actual purpose.
The writing as well was one-dimensional and at some point the glaring telling instead of showing made me want to hurl it on the wall.
BUT! Did I enjoy the book? YES.
Was it worth the hype? Meh.
Will I be reading the next book? yes.
Will I be biting my nails at the edge of my seat waiting for it to get published? Probably no.