World Building ⭐️⭐️- I feel like the world building was a bit lacking. I think this could be because it’s was originally fan fiction from a very went established series, so world building wasn’t really required. I’m not a fan of a few pages at the beginning of the book detailing the different orders or what each specialised in. Even with that, I’m still not really sure how the magic system worked, just that there were some bad, some good, and there is a cost.

I did however appreciate the pub names they travelled to. Very quirky!

Characters ⭐️⭐️⭐️ - The banter was good, a bit immature at times, but it carried the story. I know it was enemies to not so much enemies) but there were situations where I felt like there could have been more depth to their interactions. I did like the whole pinky touching slow burn vibes.

Plot ⭐️⭐️⭐️ - I liked the plot, the reason that Aurienne is forced to help Osric, and the hidden secrets they stumble across. I also appreciated how her healing attempts are a struggle and it’s not an easy fix which have them skipping into the sunset.

Ending ⭐️⭐️ - this is where I was upset. I felt like the book was written and then sliced in half to make another book. There wasn’t really an ending it just stopped. The “revalation” wasn’t really news to anyone as it had been building throughout the book. In fact, I think the revelation was a step back from when he was at her families house.

Overall ⭐️⭐️⭐️ - As much as I had notes, I did like this book and would read the next - especially as I felt like we were just starting to get into the story.

Oh, do I have opinions.

This is a romcom/fantasy in which Aurienne, a Haelan (healer), is bribed into healing Osric, a hitman-for-hire. What I most enjoyed about the book was its romance elements! The banter was delicious and so fun to read, and the sarcasm of it all, as well as the slow burn romance??? That was by far my favourite part of the novel! Osric is honestly so sweet and I love how both of them sacrificed for each other 🫶 Also!! The critique crickets were my favourite part. They’re HILARIOUS

However, this book was really not for me, although I had high hopes for it 😭

I understand this was meant to be a satirical romance, not to be taken seriously, but what threw me off was the writing style. The first 50% were full of info dumps through dialogue, and the beginning has a whole scene explaining what a “seith” was through a bullet-pointed list seen in a corner of an office??? Also, there are only so many d!ck jokes I can take before it becomes repetitive and crude like pls you are EATING why is every single piece of food comparable to a genital.

I love 3rd person POVs because they have narrator injections, they show the characters’ actions and let the audience infer from there. However, there’s so much telling here and hardly any showing. For example, we are TOLD this joke is funny and dry, and therefore it MUST be funny and dry. The humour lies in its obviousness. Like idk how to explain this but its this joke: “You stay here and clutch your pearls” “Clutch my - ?“ and after something happens, “Aurienne clutched at her pearls”. Its not just one instance, which is funny, but that’s how almost every joke is set up. Honestly, this is like if Philomena Cunk wrote down all her jokes in rapid fire dialogue (I love her jokes btw I am a dry humour fanatic) and I say that bc they’re NOT FUNNY WITHOUT THE DRY DELIVERY!! I would have honestly loved to see this as a TV show bc it felt like the author was writing for the screen, not in a novel (the second half was much much better though)

Also, what’s with the random capital letters? Let me give a few examples: “patrons always Learned Something” “whether they should be Concerned?” “there was much to Cope with”. It works for some cases, but when you have it multiple times in a chapter?? i cannot make this up.

There’s also a lot of vocab thrown in for the sake of it?? I swear I’m not dumb, the author really just dug deep into the thesaurus to find these. Like: “oeillade” (did you know this means ogle. WHY DIDN’T YOU USE THE WORD OGLE.) “salubriousness” “lackadaisical” and ofc my favourites, “Aurienne lied again, yeastily” and “jiggery-pokery” and “pettifogging”. After much research, I finally know what these words mean, but they’re literally just dumped in with no explanation whatsoever AND they’re uncommon words. The medical language too, there’s just a bunch of terms dumped in one after another like “sphygmomanometer” “he can go to a chirurgeon for an embolectomy” and then we just move on with no elaboration and it FEELS like the author is trying to make her prose sound more sophisticated but honestly it feels like she picked the most confusing word from a thesaurus, and idk it’s a bit pretentious to me 😭.

Writing style aside, though, I honestly did enjoy the romance. I loved their back and forth, I loved the prose in the second half and how you could see them falling for each other. This is definitely not for me, though, and I doubt I will be reading the second book.

Thank you to the author and Netgalley for the ARC! This is my honest opinion.

I’ve never laughed so hard whilst reading a book ever ! This was honestly what I needed and was so much fun ! The witty banter back and forth between both characters , the magic system and setting and the incredible amount of innuendos that made this book funny from the get go ! I cannot wait for the next instalment in this series ! Definitely one of my favourite reads this year so far !
Thank you little brown book group and net galley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review !

I didn't love the first half of this, it was a bit boring to me, but at about the halfway point it really started to pick up. I do think there was a lack of reason provided in this book to love the characters, I do think the banter was proper and Ali Hazelwood fans would definitely enjoy it. A super slowburn and an actual enemies to lovers trope, which people will enjoy and I did like the forced proximity.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an arc of this book.
This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. I was so excited to see how Brigitte Knightley was gonna rework the fanfic that I loved so much. I was disappointed. I loved the banter between Aurienne and Osric. The enemy to lovers was really well done. The world building is extensive. It was everything that I wanted for this book. I can’t wait for the sequel. Highly recommend!

The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy is everything the title promises — witty, emotional, and absolutely addicting. If you're a sucker for enemies-to-lovers stories that actually take their time building tension and trust, this one's a must-read.

The banter? Elite.
The slow burn? Torturous in the best way.
The emotional payoff? Worth every second.

What I loved most was how the two leads are more than just foils — they challenge each other, yes, but they also see each other, in ways no one else does. The rivalry never feels one-note. There’s pain, pride, loyalty, betrayal… and underneath it all, a connection neither of them wants to admit.

Bonus points for:

• A morally gray love interest you know you shouldn’t root for but absolutely will

• A heroine who refuses to be overshadowed — sharp, strategic, and stubborn as hell

• A plot that doesn’t forget to be a plot (the romance is central, but not the only thing happening)

If you love books that leave you yelling “Just kiss already!” at the page and then sobbing two chapters later, this is your kind of chaos.

I did a happy dance when I was approved for this book, and that buoyant joy did not leave me the entire time I read it! This is such a witty and endlessly fun book - I cannot recommend it enough. The whole bit in the Randy Unicorn had me howling!

*ARC received in exchange for an honest review.

A couple of years ago, I fell into a Dramione hole (and there I've stayed). So, when I saw The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy was up for review, I jumped at the chance.

I can appreciate that it must be difficult to adapt what was originally fanfiction into something completely different. I get that. However, the world-building in this book was non-existent. A magic system exists, but it wasn't explained; I don't know anything about how or why it works. There is a glossary at the start of the book, and halfway through, I was still scrolling back to refer to it. I'm all for glossaries; however, having your readers solely rely on a glossary to understand a fraction of the world you have created is lazy..

I can usually put up with the above if I really like the characters, but I struggled to connect with either of the two leads. The writing is also very unserious; it's almost as if it's written as a comedy rather than a romance/fantasy. I'll admit there were occasions I smirked at a few sarcastic, dry lines, but as a whole, the humour was quite jarring and childish for me. And then it just ended.

Someone out there is going to love this, no doubt. Unfortunately, it wasn't developed enough for me. It isn't a bad book, at all; it just doesn't do enough. I would give the second book a chance to see if there's further development with the world-building and magic system.

Osric is a member of the Fyren, an order of assassins who specialize in shadow-walking. He has a degenerative condition with no known cure. The only healer who can help him is Aurienne, member of the enemy order Haelan. He bribes her with funds to research a pox that affects children. Together, they experiment with unconventional healing for him and investigate the mystery of the reappearing deadly virus. In spite of themselves, an attraction is borne between them and the problem of what to do about it.

When the first chapter is named "Irresistible Bastard meets Immovable Bitch" you happily realize what you're in for. The narrative gave me the sense of gliding; that is how good the pacing and companionable, sharp-witted writing were, in a fantastical world with arrogant, full-of-sass hosts. A world where there is a London and a Thames, where electricity is relatively new and there is gas, but also kingdoms and Orders, brands on your palm that help your seith (magic), travel by waystones and animal familiars that materialize to give messages. You will admire how clever it is in the unfurling of the plot with its brilliant mix of danger and quirkiness.

Having mostly quick paragraphs and non-wordy descriptions, this is more of a show-through-the-story than tell-us vibe, except for the very welcome guide at the beginning. There are one-sentence paragraphs, sometimes one after another, that paint the desired image quite effectively, as there are phrases that stand out with their vivid and creative word-enchantment. Sometimes the healer or seith jargon confuses me, but I don't understand all the science jargon the Doctor spouts in Doctor Who either and I still enjoy it. The world is obviously thought out, but the author prefers to spark our imagination and let it roam. She does guide us in the right direction. I really liked that magic is not only an everyday thing but part of their physiology.

The snappy dialogue and the characters' goading each other, the insult throwing, are all the money. I like that they loathe each other, not just cause they have to, due to who they are. He is charming and wonderfully despicable, she is eternally offended, believing in her moral and intellectual superiority. You love them just the same. There is something endearing in his act of putting his faith in her and the glimpses of either protagonist's vulnerability as we breathe in their conflicting and ever-growing emotions. The POVs give such a complete picture of what is going on that we often forget whose POV it is.

There was a sporadic use of parentheses that I know some people will hate, but I think it added a refreshing note to the narrative and was appropriate for the ambiance.

This book shows us that even a single person can shift your world view. The world is not black and white; there is a lot more grey. It makes us think on the nature of faith and hope. The symbolism of the pox leans towards privilege or the lack thereof.

Outrageously funny, saucy in parts, with engaging characters & creatures (including critique crickets), and the sweet taste of slow-burn and forbidden, this is how enemies-to-lovers should be done. I absolutely adored this book.

An immediate lifetime favourite!

When I saw the announcement for this book I was beyond excited, and it did not disappoint. The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy was everything I wanted it to be, I immediately fell in love with the world and the characters, and I was obsessed with the mystery and intrigue. The magic system of the this book felt new and fresh and whilst I was left wanting to know more, this was in the best way possible, and I think more will be introduced naturally throughout the plot in the second book. I immediately connected with the characters, I felt I understood them from the get-go and was rooting for them both, despite being polar opposites. It was also the perfect slow-burn romance for me, and the even the smallest gradual shifts felt so monumental in their story,

I only had two criticisms - firstly the information on the orders and the world at the beginning was maybe a little too much, I found myself having to go back to check info at the front a few times, and think this could have been woven into the storyline more. Secondly, I felt the audience could have been shown just how dangerous Osric is from the beginning rather than told. It's not until around half-way we realise just how lethal he can be, and think this would have been better to have experienced right off the bat.

That being said, I absolutely loved this book, and I cannot wait for book 2!

Having read Knightley's previous work, I was looking forward to this when I received the ARC (thanks NetGalley).

The world is built geographically similar to ours, but with a whole new governmental/political system which the characters belong to. The FMC and MMC belong to different orders within this system and are forced to work together through necessity, which is of a different nature to each of them.

The magic system is unique and mostly well explained. I appreciated the glossary at the start of the book with explanations and pronunciations.
Though there are 8 orders of specialists in this world, only the two which the MCs belonged to are explained in any detail within the book, other than the brief introduction to the other orders in the glossary.

The story was well paced and the descriptions vivid and set the scenes well. The two MCs were well developed and insights into their pasts were good in giving a fuller impression of them and their personalities.

The romance was slow burn and allowed the actual story to progress, which allowed the reader to feel that the romance really was more to do about the MCs coming to appreciate each other's skills and personalities, and not just a physical trait attraction (though of course still an aspect).

I enjoyed reading this book, and look forward to seeing what else Knightley creates in the future.

I wanted to like this, but I truly feel like I'm being punked by all the positive reviews. Not only was this lacking in character development and world building, but the humour was vulgar and bawdy in such a way that it felt like it was written by a 13-year-old boy. Why are we getting multiple special editions and sprayed edges for 400 pages of ball jokes?! Is this the "banter" everyone is referring to?! I am no prude by any means, but this was wildly outside of my sense of humour in a way no other female-written book has ever been. Did we really need genitalia to be mentioned every other sentence?

I'm glad people are enjoying it but this reviewer is wildly confused.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 ⭐

The writing was unique, but so incredibly captivating. Set in an alternate universe England, I loved the subtle medieval elements of the novel. I also really loved the dry humour and banter between Aurienne and Osric. The magic system could have been expanded on a little bit more, but that doesn’t take away much from the novel. This book felt like being a fly on the wall, seeing the two MCs interact and being in their little bubble that they almost forgot about the rest of the world. The slow burn didn’t feel torturous either (at least on my part); it felt normal, seeing them being forced into an unconventional setting and then slowly realising that the other person might not be as bad as they thought.

Being one of my highly anticipated books of 2025, this did not disappoint.

Thank you to Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for the early proof in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a highly anticipated read for me but this book sadly didn’t do it for me.
I found the characters hard to connect with and the magic system poorly explained and I was extremely confused for the first 20% of this book.
I love a slow burn but this was a snail pace burn although I did like the banter between the main characters. I’m unsure if I will continue with the next book.

The way I SCREAMED when I got approved for this ARC!

This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2025, and it did NOT disappoint!

This book was hilarious! I swear, I either chuckled or laughed at every single page. The writing is so unique and fun, I couldn't get enough! The dark elements mixed in with the dry humor of the MCs was simply perfect!

You have Aurienne, a stoic, almost standoffish healer, and you have Osric, an assassin, who thinks murder is the solution to most problems. They immediately LOATHE each other, while circumstances, and Osric's predicament, force them to work together.

The tension! The BANTER! The way they both slowly start to respect and appreciate each other. The SLOW BURN.

This is the first of a duology and I obviously CANNOT WAIT for book 2! I definitely recommend if you love romantasy filled with magic, exquisite world-building, a little mystery, and a morally (very dark) grey MMC!

Words can not express how much I enjoyed this book. A book that can have me laughing out loud is a winner for me.

As one of the many Dramione rewrites coming out this year i an a little worried that they all will be as amazing as I want them to be. Thankfully, this one exceeded my expectations.


Osric is a member of the Order of assassins and he is slowly dying. While Aurienne is a healer, who hates his kind and him with a passion. When he asks for her help, she is forced to accept. Osric offers her ( bribes is more like it) a donation that she greatly needs to fund a vaccine for a disease that's running rampant among children. What follows is some of the best banter I have ever read. And the ending has left me craving more.

Thank you to Netgalley, Brigitte Knightley and little brown for this ARC

4.5★

The Irresistible Urge To Fall For Your Enemy is Brigitte Knightley’s debut and the first of duology Dearly Beloathed set in a magic adjacent Britain where arrogant genius researcher Aurienne is bribed by arrogant assassin-for-hire Osric to heal the magic related injury slowly killing him. Meanwhile Aurienne tries to find answers to a Pox engineered to kill off the poorest of the nation, unfortunately for her the answers might come easier with a certain someone’s help, cue Osric.

‘It was hard, being perfect in an imperfect world, but Aurienne managed. If she had a flaw, it was that she was the Best, and she knew she was the Best.’

This book is written in quite possibly the perfect humour for me, it’s quick, dry and undeniably page turning, alongside the slowest burn romance that claims to be enemies to lovers but could be better put as dislike to friends to...? ‘Lovers’ isn’t really accurate, since for most of this book the closest to lovers these two become is an old married couple playing divorce chicken. If incessant arguing is considered attraction, then this book deserves all of the trope tags. Osric is a connoisseur and collector of beauty, amidst his devotion of great artworks like Vermeer’s Milkmaid realising Audirenne is his hardest acquisition yet is one of the best takes on the ‘he falls first and hardest’ trope I’ve read.

As Aurienne and Osric experiment with ways to heal his degenerating injury they are so throughly ensconced in their own bubble you become a voyeur, like sitting in a corner of the room being forgotten about as they bicker back and fourth, just watching behind your popcorn. This I liked however, only so far into a book can it sustain, there are times I wished they would take you along with them on their own tasks, expand the world a bit more than the occasional settings like backdrops in a play, give us more about the other orders and their magic. There are some scenes that were so beautiful Knightley’s descriptive imagery created such a vivid picture in my mind, I wanted to understand the vague folkish magic that Aurienne herself longed to comprehend in her hopeful younger days.

‘He was indeed, very good at what he did. The problem was that what he did was Very Bad.’

I can overlook this though, because The Irresistible Urge To Fall For Your Enemy was funny and even though Osric and Aurienne think of themselves (but not each other) very seriously, this book is extremely unserious. Come for the romance and stay for the romance. If you enjoyed the type of romance in Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett and the whimsical gothic romanticism in Ava Reid’s work, The Irresistible Urge To Fall For Your Enemy will have you engrossed. I’m very much looking forward to the next book, where I’m sure Knightley will keep teasing us with the slowburn while these idiots hopefully save the children and for the love of god just kiss already.

The banter is bantering🤌🏻🤌🏻🤌🏻!
(I’d read it again only for the banter).

First of all thank you to the publisher gifting me the eARC because I was crushing on this book HARD. Can you blame me? Look at that cute cover.

I enjoyed it thoroughly. Throughout the book I was constantly laughing and smiling at these two amazing protagonists who are complete opposite of each other.

Where Osric is this drama queen, golden retriever, playful, morally grey, very very charming but dangerous assassin, Aurienne is this brilliant healer, very grumpy, honourable and reserved.

I loved that it was really a forbidden romance. They are from different and kinda enemy factions and can’t be even seen together.
But for me the highlight was- They DESPISED everything about each other. They were even disgusted to be in each other’s presence but circumstances repeatedly forced them to be together and it was kinda hilarious.
So it was very beautiful to read how their bond blossoms. I loved that progression. And then when yearning hit, it was absolutely amazing. We see Osric slowly starting to fall for her and vice versa.

Plot was fantastic, I didn’t see the twist with the king coming. Writing was beautiful and I especially enjoyed the language. I think I’ve a feeling that i’ll read anything this author writes.

You know a book is good if the first thing that comes your mind after finishing it is when is the next book coming? I need the next book now!

-Opposite attract.
-Assassin x Healer
-Forbidden romance (or to even meet).
-Hate to friends to more?
-Slowburn and yearning.
-Black cat heroine x golden retriever hero.
-He is a hoot and a drama queen!
-Absolutely recommended.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2025. It's a fantasy rom-com with a really slow burn romance. The author is well known for their popular fanfic THIS IS NOT IT. I honestly expected this to be for the Dramione girlies. Even though this book isn’t a reworked version of that fic, but it just… isn’t.
There’s virtually no world building. We don’t know where or even when the story takes place. There’s magic, but it’s never really explained how it works.
Since this is a rom-com, I understand why the world building might take a backseat in favor of character focus but unfortunately, that wasn’t well executed either. I could see where the inspiration for the characters came from, but they felt dull and flat.
The banter was funny at first, but eventually the constant dick jokes started to feel forced and unnecessary. After 90% of the book, we finally get some romance but by then it felt too little, too late for a rom-com.
I actually really liked the author’s writing style in general, but in this book, it felt like “big” words were used unnecessarily often, which disrupted the flow.
I honestly believe this book would’ve worked better as a standalone. I’m honestly not sure if I’ll pick up the next book

This book is everything I love about the enemies-to-lovers trope, and then some. Bridgette Knightly absolutely nails the tension, the banter, and that slow build-up that keeps you reading. I adored the chemistry between our two main characters, Oriec and Aurienne, their banter was was top tier. However I did find some of the dialogue a little out of place and forced at times but overall, I loved the seeing the story unfold between these two.

It’s clever, it’s swoon worthy and full of intrigue. If you're into witty banter, slow-burn romance, and a little chaos, The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy is a must-read.