3.75 stars.

I really enjoyed parts of this book! I loved the morbid humour and particularly enjoyed how lots of Aurienne’s machines were named after female scientists. The medical/scientific academia in a fantasy setting is always fun to read and the relationship between the two characters felt natural.
However the info-dumping in the first few chapters was awful, I nearly dnf-ed it. Also, whilst the writing was unique (and at times very beautiful), I felt that it was needlessly complicated and overzealous. I had to keep googling words and it felt very over performative. Whilst the relationship between the main characters was fun to read, I did feel like the characters themselves were a bit one dimensional.
Nevertheless, I will be reading the sequel!
Thanks NetGalley for this advanced readers copy!

The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy was one that I was so excited about, knowing its origins as Fan Fiction and the characters it was based on. And maybe that was the issue. Because it was so obviously based on two characters we know and have seen before, it felt that I was thrust into a world that I should know more about, but didn’t. I appreciated the glossary at the beginning, but to be honest, if you can’t explain these things through exposition and are relying on the reader to do some research ahead of time… I’m not going to be interested. Maybe that’s just who I am as a reader, and that’s why the story itself didn’t quite work for me. Don’t get me wrong, the writing is beautiful, and you can see the push and pull enemies-to-lovers slow burn, it’s genuine and palpable. But somehow the plot and the rest of the book just sort of fell flat for me. I would still rate it fairly high, at 3-4 stars, because I think that likely this book is for a different type of reader, and they will love it. Unfortunately, that person isn’t me.

First let me start with, thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for approving me for the ARC! I appreciate it!

I loved this one so much, I can even say this one does feel like true enemies-to-lovers because they really dislike each other until pretty far in the book! And the slow burning is a real thing here and I devoured it.

We have Osric, our poor assassin, that needs healing urgently. And the only one who can help him is Aurienne, our pro master healer. Both are from different Orders, and they should not be seen together at all or even speak to each other. The only reason Aurienne agrees to do the healing, is because she needs funding because there is a Pox, children die, no one helps. And our guy Osric basically bribes her to help him, after telling her he’s going to kidnap her.

The fun thing is they can’t stand each other, Aurienne hates his guts and privately wishes that Osric drops dead. Osric is annoyed with her but still has his hopes that she is going to help him. But they work well together, Aurienne clutches her pearls quite often around Osric. Closer to the end, they aren’t as different as they wish to be. Both do things that they aren’t supposed to be doing. They see each other differently or maybe they just start to accept each other. And eventually they start to care and feel things for each other while being in denial. I love how slowly everything progress because it makes it more realistic.

I love their dynamic and I love how the story progress. I thought it’ll be darker because of the triggers, but I guess I’m immune to it 😂. Sincerely I hope that people will love this book, I can’t wait for the next part!

4.5 stars!!

Gosh this book is so clever its true enemies to lovers with a real slow burnnnn. Aurienne a healer and Osric an assassin forced to work together to try and heal Osric from his Seath rot.

I really enjoyed the dry humour, it’s the kind of funny that I appreciate! It’s the British witt that I love, nicely packaged into a book.
Aurienne clutching per peals everytime sent me into orbit. Shes such a strong FMC and I love the STEM and POC representation.
And Osric, we love a sarcastic clever and broody man who will do anything for you. I adored their dynamic, it worked really well in the book.

This is more of a romcom fantasy and the dual third person POV is well done.

I usually don’t highlight quotes on my kindle but I found myself doing that for this book !!

Thankyou to Hachette Aus and Netgalle for an eARC in exchange for an honest review

First of all, a huge thank you to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK at Orbit UK for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. 💖

The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy is a hilariously chaotic slowburn enemies-to-lovers Romantasy. Though honestly, I would class it more as a romantic fantasy comedy.
Low stakes, heavy on the banter, and fully aware of how ridiculous it is. In the best way.

Osric Mordaunt, a grumpy assassin with a PhD in murder, needs a cure. Aurienne Fairhrim, a morally upright healer and brilliant scientist, needs funding. Unfortunately for both, they need each other.
Thrown into a reluctant partnership to stop a resurging plague, Osric and Aurienne clash, bicker, and absolutely do not fall in love, except, of course, they kind of do.

‘What did you do?’ gasped Aurienne.
‘He fell,’ said Mordaunt.
‘He fell?’
‘Yes. On the fork.’
‘He fell on the fork ? Twenty times?’
‘Yes. Due to … fear.’
‘What was he afraid of?’
‘The fork.’

The banter in this book is GOLD. From chapter one being titled “Irresistible Bastard Meets Immovable Bitch” you know exactly what kind of ride you're in for. It's silly, irreverent, and full of crude jokes, ridiculous dog names, and arguments that somehow always border on flirtation. The chemistry is unhinged and off the charts.

That said, it is very much a vibes over plot kind of read. It reminded me a lot of Assistant to the Villain. The worldbuilding is minimal, the side characters are barely there, and the pacing is slow to start. (The slow burn is SLOW)
Not much really happens in the first half, and the romance doesn’t kick off until about 80% in. But if you’re here for the banter and the chaos, it delivers.
The story also picks up toward the end, and I’m definitely curious to see where it goes next.

Disclaimer: Note that this book does stem from fanfiction, and I feel like it could be confusing to readers who aren't aware of that.
However, if you go in expecting a fun time rather than deep lore or emotional depth, you’ll have a chaotic good time.

Rating: 4.25 stars!

Absolute loved this!

Loved the slow burn and loved how the relationship between FMC MMC develop!

Never read a book with the same magic system and was refreshing to read and delve into something new!

It was easy to read, fast paced and would be a brilliant palette cleanser between bigger fantasy reads🥰

Can’t wait for the second book!💗

AHH I found a new obsession!! I never wanted this to end. I loved everything about this book and I simply need more.

First, the BANTER was perfect, I have never experienced dialogue and interactions like this between characters and I couldn’t get enough. The humour and wit in this had me laughing so many times.

I loved both the main characters and their personalities. From Aurienne’s dry humor to Osric’s arrogance and the way Aurienne matches him in their hilarious insults and comebacks. The unfolding of their relationship and the tension and the yearning (especially in Osric’s pov) was everything to me. The balcony scene now lives rent free in my head.

THIS is slow-burn done perfectly.

Thank you NetGalley and Little Brown UK for this arc💕

This book was such a delight. The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy gave me everything I wanted from a romcom — sharp banter, real emotional depth, and a tension-filled enemies-to-lovers arc that actually felt earned. Brigitte Knightley clearly understands the genre but also brings something fresh and sincere to it.

The chemistry between the main characters was off the charts, and I found myself grinning through so many of their interactions. But what really surprised me was how much heart the story had. It’s not just about falling in love, it’s about letting your guard down, learning from your past, and figuring out how to be brave in the messiness of real connection.

Knightley’s writing is funny, snappy, and full of little moments that made me pause — the kind of lines that hit just right. There’s a lot of warmth here, even when the characters are clashing, and that made their eventual closeness all the more satisfying.

If you’re into romance with zingy dialogue, complex characters, and a relationship that grows in a believable and charming way, this one’s a must-read. It’s clever, heartfelt, and just a whole lot of fun.

The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy is unlike any enemies-to-lovers slow burn I’ve ever read — and I’ve read my fair share. Don’t get me wrong, it still includes all the tropes we know and love: the simmering hatred between a morally grey, shadow-wielding assassin and a sharp-tongued, strong-willed healer. They despise each other to the core — yet need one another, giving us the delicious forced proximity trope.

And the burn? Agonisingly slow. And I L O V E D it.

But what truly set this book apart for me was the humour. I cackled out loud multiple times. From the crude jokes to the brilliantly ridiculous pub names, to the relentless bickering between Osric and Aurienne — it’s all top-tier. And that unforgettable first meeting involving “onion boy”? Absolutely hilarious.

It did take me a little while to get into, mostly due to the unique magic system, but once I wrapped my head around it, I was seriously impressed. I believe this will be a duology, and after that ending, I’m already counting down the days until book two!

Thank you to the publisher for this e-arc!

Originally I had heard that this was originally a Dramione fanfic which made me sceptical but it was a decent read. I did really like the humor in the book even though the magic system could be explained a little bit better. I also found the prose to be great

I had absolutely loved the fanfiction that this book stems from. As a true Dramione fan I loved it and had high expectations for this one. I understand that it has to be different, can’t have any ressemblances with the famous book series.

This book was very difficult to concentrate on. The wording and sentences were like reading another language, so many new words, a way of writing the English language almost like a centuries ago. I struggled to get into this book because it was asking so much energy from me. I also would have liked more explanation of the whole world with the magical system, maybe a map to understand the basics of the world this story is set in.
Other than that, the front cover is gorgeous, the plot is well done and the author has made a great re-writing of her initial fan fiction.
The slow burn romance is slow but in a nice way and the banter the two characters have is really good.

I think that because I knew the plot line of the fan fiction, this is what kept me going and understanding more than I should. I do believe that people who haven’t read the original work will really struggle to picture what is going on and what the history between both characters is.

3.5 Stars

The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy. With this book, the title says it all.

A healer and an assassin locked in a verbal sparring match of epic proportions.
Aurienne and Osric, two people, who according to the orders they belong to, should be enemies, but actually are two sides of the same coin. Their banter was the supporting pillar through this story and kept me entertained. Aurienne‘s Deofol (an animal familiar), Cíele, is definitely my new spirit animal!

That being said, I found most other aspects of this book to be lacking. The pace picked up very, very slowly and the first 50 % of the story, were kind of repetitive. There are sprinkles of some greater overall plot mentioned and this plot does sound promising, but for my liking, there was too little of it in this book.
Same with the world the characters live in. It sounds promising, but the world building kind of consisted of a huge glossary, thrown at you at the beginning of the book, that is nothing but overwhelming. I‘m not a great fan of needing a glossary to understand what I‘m reading, and I appreciate authors who integrate world building into their writing.

All in all, I was entertained by this book, but I also expected more of it. Regardless, I will continue with the second book upon release, because I do see a lot of great potential that could come into play.

Thank you NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group UK for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

A fantastically written romance book with a true enemies trope that I had to devour within two days because I just couldn't put this book down. It's a beautifully written slow-burn romance with fantastic banter between the characters. The characters are wonderfully developed, and I fell in love with them immediately. The humorous writing brought me even closer to the characters. I did find the world-building a bit lacking, but I loved the plot and characters so much that it didn't really bother me. Overall, I absolutely loved this book!

Thank you to the publisher for the e-arc!

DNF - I wanted to like this. I really did. But it grew painful to read. I got over halfway through this before I couldn't take it anymore. I understand it's a debut and I want to be sympathetic to that. But this was also a fanfic author who received a book deal after writing only a single fic in the dhr fandom, so I had higher expectations. As someone who read and enjoyed MOBIL, I was hoping it would maintain that charm. However, it appears Knightley leaned more into the crack elements of MOBIL, stripping away the parts of her writing that I genuinely enjoyed in that fic. And I'm aware this isn't a re-write, but the similarities in structure are undoubtedly there.

Fans of Butcher & Blackbird and My Lady Jane will probably like this brand of humour. Many vulgar jokes (like on nearly every page), filled with pubs with cracky names (Moist Oyster?), quirky writing and a distinct voice (which I enjoyed). And I will say she really pulls off a slow burn because I didn't get to the romance (over 50% through) and there were still barely any sparks between Aurienne and Osric. I found the world-building to be very loose, and I struggled to understand the two MCs without context of who they were, where they came from, what their family lives were like, etc. Perhaps these elements are further explored in the latter half of the book, but it would have been helpful to read it in the beginning so I could develop more of an attachment. I also struggled with Aurienne's character. I know she's inspired by Hermione, and of course she maintains Hermione's academic excellence, but I found her lacking Hermione's heart, which is what I've always loved about her (again, perhaps we see more of her vulnerability in the latter half of the book, but she was mostly pretentious and self-righteous in the first half).

Overall, this book felt rushed. I think Knightley could have focused more on character development and world-building to really make it shine, and stripped back like 95% of the dick jokes. The plot was repetitive (they go to a vulgar-named pub, try to heal Osric, it doesn't work, they argue, they go back to their homes, they do it all over again and again and again). Nevertheless, Irresistible Urge maintains Knightley's unique voice and wit, and I hope she leans into that in later projects because she really can write.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4★
Vibes: Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Fairies, God and the Gumiho

A fast-paced, lighthearted enemies to lovers story that’ll make you laugh out loud and genuinely root for the characters.

Not gonna lie, I struggled a bit with the first 50 pages. The lack of worldbuilding totally threw me off; it felt like being dropped into the middle of a story and having to figure out where you are. The magic system and setting definitely could’ve used more clarity and context.

Buttttt, once I pushed past that, the banter and character dynamics totally pulled me in. The relationships are charming, the humor hits, and there’s a twist that keeps things interesting.

Overall: a fun, slightly chaotic read with heart. Perfect if you want something magical, romantic, and not too heavy.

First of all, thank you so much to the publisher, little brown book group UK, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Brigitte Knightley understands exactly what enemies to lovers is and does it extremely well. She was able to make her characters see the most awful parts of one another and at their worst but loved regardless. It was an insanely slow burn of a story, but those kind of stories make it so worth while.

I will be honest, it took me awhile bit to get into the story as I found the world building a bit slow, to begin with, and was confused on names of characters for a bit before it all clicked. Once I was into the story and characters I couldn’t put it down. Parts will make you laugh out loud and you’ll find yourself falling in love with the characters. I cannot wait for the next boom to continue this story and see what happens with these characters.

I didn't love this book, for me the writing style doesn't work. However, I can appreciate that a lot of people will love it

I think the people who love the current romantasy books releasing will probably enjoy this but it was a huge miss for me. This had the potential to be a fantastic book but unfortunately it fell flat in a lot of ways.

I wasn’t sure what this book was trying to be. Was it supposed to be a fun/silly fantasy or was it meant to come across more seriously, with a serious plot/world building etc with a humorous element? Idk, I had so many conflicting opinions.

The plot was really promising and could have absolutely carried this story but it was kind of just abandoned until the very end.

The world building confused me SO much. It was set in London/this world but had made up places too, and made up lore & history that was never explained so it was impossible to plant your feet in this world. As well as this; the orders? I think two, maybe three were briefly explained but how they tied into the politics and all this impending war was quite literally your best guess. The magic system wasn’t explained and I really wish we got a deeper understanding of our setting/magic/world.

The characters - I got told a lot but I didn’t experience a lot. Osric is evil, and horrible and one of the best assassins!! Okay show me then😐 Aurieene is the *best* - she this and she’s that. OKAY PLEASE SHOW ME 😩 stop telling me because it’s so hard to believe. I read a whole character driven book and I felt nothing towards either character. I felt indifferent which is one of the worst things you can feel when reading a book. The side characters were also incredibly flat.

The romance - while I had fun with the banter at the start, it quickly became tiresome and my mouth wasn’t even twitching for most of it. The end part where they are at [redacted] for a few days was the first bit of chemistry I felt.

I also didn’t like the inner monologue when it felt like they were talking to the reader or when () was used. It pulled me out of the story so quick. And the random capitalisation of random words?? What was that about? It can’t have been because this was a ARC because it happened too often to be an accident.

There was also far too many unnecessary dick/ball/sexual/vulgar jokes. I did not haha. It was an instant buzz kill and I hated that so much. AND ALSO. What was with the big, fancy words being constantly thrown in?? Babes, just say you searched synonyms for ‘___’. You can write a fantastic story with basic words…this was too much.

I did enjoy some parts like the detail it went into regarding healing and the deofol’s!! And some of the banter was genuinely funny but unfortunately there was too much lacking for me to throughly enjoy it. At lot of potential was here :/

Thank you Orbit books for the early copy in exchange for an honest review!! 💗

This is by far one of the most exciting, engaging and fun fantasy reads I have read in a while. Totally worth every minute!

In this novel it's clear that they are opposites, literally as well as figuratively. Mordaunt is sick, really sick and his powers are slowly ebbing away so he goes to Aurienne for help as she is talented and rumoured to have dabbled in the dark arts. Really funny banter between the deofols of the two mcs as well as between the two mcs. Following a through look at mmc's seith degeneration they devise a plan to meet at a specific place and time to try the old ways. After this attempt doesn't work, they try another, after almost giving up and this takes place at another location close to Randy's. Following two more meetups and a startling close encounter with something so significant they are still unable to heal the fyren. Osric and the Haelan are developing something akin to feelings of partnership between each other but still remain at odds with their occupations. Meeting up again the two have discovered a few things, the fyren can't help the Haelan with the infiltration and that the next location was a bit of a problem. The fyren killed the chief seer of that place and is wanted there. However in positive developments the seith rot has, dare I say, stopped and in a moment of happiness Osric kisses the hand of Aurienne. Following a run in with Blythe at the harmacy he finds out that he has a new mission, a dangerous and lucrative one but it involves Swanstone. In an effort to stop Blythe and save Aurienne, he kills a fellow member of his order and gets injured in the process. He tries to alert Aurienne but ends up having to go to where she is. Osric nearly succumbs to his injury but through the help of Aurienne he survives and recuperates in her presence. During that time they develop more feelings and eventually share a kiss. There is still trouble brewing because Tristaine is now tasked with the mission Blythe was supposed to complete and in finding this out, Osric finds Aurienne and tells her of this new situation and in doing so realise why the Pox, the inquiries, the vaccination, the assassination attempts are at rise. In this exchange and planning to protect her and her order does Osric realise that he in fact has fallen, not love at first sight but at last.

What I liked about the writing style of how engaging it was with the readers, allowing us to feel as if we were part of the story. I also enjoyed the little quips and monologues of each main character, it felt like breaking the fourth wall. So in conclusion it was absolutely well written!

Lastly I'd like to say how excited I am for the rest of the series! Eagerly waiting for more

infinite stars/5

A masterpiece. I’m going to need more asap please and thank you because I don’t think I can wait for the next.

As a massive fan of Brigitte’s fan fiction, to being able to read her debut novel! I’m obsessed. Expect superbly written characters, enemies to lovers, unannounced giggling fits and lots of blushing.

The way the characters are deliciously written to being completely utterly funny, clever and witty. I ate every crumb up, I think this marks my favourite read of 2025 by far.

The arrogance the characters command was just perfectly balanced. I devoured it.

I adore this form of omniscient narrative storytelling, it’s extremely engaging and has a flare of what reminds me of Dickens writing where it’s interactive, going through the motions to capture the audience and hit comical moments whilst providing vivid descriptions that we as readers can use. This novel is a masterful. There’s something about it where it makes you hang on every word wanting and waiting for more.

Hooked: So so clever, Brigitte’s choice of words were brilliant and just sucked me in so much more. The writing was superbly elegant yet tastefully vulgar that had me in constant giggling fits.

I truly can’t wait to see what comes next!
Thank you so so much to little brown book group and NetGalley for providing the opportunity to arc read one of my most anticipated reads of the year!