Thanks sooooo much to net galley and the little brown book group for a copy of this. This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it did not disappoint. I loved the enemies to lovers in the book and how the characters relationship developed. I also loved the story line.

eARC provided by Little, Brown Book Group UK | Orbit, from NetGalley

An exceptional work of art.
The prose is the perfect combination of vulgarity and sophistication. I have never seen the like of someone combining the two, but the end result is hilarious.
As a non native English speaker I did have to look up lots of words, and every time I did I was met with the most ridiculously appropriate explanations, making me laugh out loud.

This is one of my most anticipated books of the year and it did not disappoint. Having read DMATMOOBIL I had very high hopes for this book, and they were all fulfilled. If you enjoy slow burn romance, humor, and a touch of magic in a world where the border between good and bad slowly disintegrates I highly recommend reading this book.

The only negative thing I have to say is that having read this as an ARC means that I will have to wait even longer for sequel, which will be agony. But I will persevere.

Pspsps.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. - Freya, arc & monthly book box pick reviewer (athenafreyag on Instagram)

The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy is definitely one of the most anticipated releases of 2025 so I was ecstatic to having received the earc from Orbit!

Osric is a Fyren, as in an assassin for hire. His order, the Fyrens, can shadow-walk (use the shadows to travel) and justifiably they terrify everyone. But Osric is also an irreverent softie. He saves old, tortured dogs and brings them to his home!! Yes, he is an assassin but you can always decide if someone was a soul by how they treat animals. However, handsome Osric is suffering from seith rot, a disease that is attacking his seith which is his source of power from what I've understood. And that brings him to Aurienne, a renowned healer and a prodigy of sorts. She is as irreverent as Osric is. She is judgy and unrelenting. Her tongue and her mind are as sharp as her scalpels and Oscric's knives. Even though they despise each other, through their adventures, they learn more about each other, and they end up admiring each other as much as they despise each other. Enter a conspiracy, a threat of war, and a fight to cure a disease killing children, and we have a nice, big mess to solve!

I loved Osric and Aurienne as characters, and I loved their development! I even loved how petty they were when each of them insisted they were prettier than the other lmao. I absolutely loved their irreverence!! Aurienne's judgement was getting a tad annoying once or twice (I don't like judgy people) but her morals were still inspiring. Not to mention that Osric's humour and delight were palpable! He is truly irresistible! Both Osric and Aurienne are extremely competent in what they do, and smart, competent characters is my absolute weakness!

The banter was insane! Their conversations or well arguments felt like intense super-long tennis rallies, and I loved every second of it! This is a true enemies to more romance, and I am so here for it!

What I wasn't too enthused about was the writing style. The choice to capitalize some words seemed random and unnecessary. Incorporating some dialogue parts into narration (literally in having it in paragraphs like "He said ... and she responded with ..." was jarring to me, as well. I love dialogue, and having it presented like that was disconnecting and quite frankly, it took the fun out of the dialogue. In general, the writing was accessible and made reading this book a fast process; however, the nature of the writing style and several writing choices made it not very appealing to my taste. I enjoyed the book a lot, and I will definitely read the sequel, but I just didn't love it as much as I thought I would. I would also have liked more worldbuilding explanations in the first couple of chapters. For example, "seith" was often mentioned but I had no idea what it was and how it was used in this world.

Having lower stakes than usual was refreshing, since we already have way too many romantasy books about saving the world and poor oprhans wanting to get revenge. I believe that this book can be the start to publishing funny romantasy books, romantasy with low stakes, and really character-driven romantasy books.

If I were to describe this book with one word, it would be IRREVERENT. Osric and Aurienne were delightfully irreverent, as was the writing. And I am a sucker for irreverent characters!

This is the July pick for a UK monthly book box company, and I will renew! Can't wait to see their design!

I loved this book so much, the fantasy and romance elements really were tied together well and I loved the plot that was going on the whole time. Honestly I couldn't put this down. I will 100% be picking up more books by this author as I now have an itch that needs to be scratched

From the moment this book was announced, it became one of my most anticipated reads of the year—and it didn’t let me down.

While the beginning moves at a slower pace, it serves an important purpose in establishing the world and characters. Admittedly, it took a bit of effort to get into it at first, especially with the amount of information introduced early on. The magic and order systems are complex, and there’s a lot to absorb. But once I found my footing, the story truly took off and became impossible to put down.

One of the standout elements for me was the dialogue. The banter is sharp, funny, and genuinely entertaining—I was grinning through so many of their exchanges. The relationship between Osric and Aurienne is beautifully developed, unfolding gradually in a way that feels authentic and rewarding. The dual POV adds another layer of depth, letting readers experience their growth and the story’s events from both sides.

The romance is a slow burn, but it works perfectly within the larger narrative. Nothing feels rushed, and the emotional payoff is well worth the wait. What begins as a seemingly straightforward goal—Aurienne trying to heal Osric—evolves into something much bigger and more meaningful by the end.

My only frustration is that I now have to wait for book two just as the story was building so much momentum—I can’t wait to see where things go next!

Thanks so much to NetGalley for the ARC!

I'm actually not sure where to start but I genuinely LOVED this so much. I think this has shot all the way into my top 5 favourite books, and I would rate it 6 stars if possible.

I really wasn't sure what to expect starting this, based off the premise (e.g., starting as a fanfic) and some of the hype I've seen - but I loved the set-up, setting, and characters the most. I really enjoyed both Aurienne and Osric, and really appreciate that the ENEMIES in enemies-to-lovers was actually apart of the beginning of the relationship. I enjoyed the humour in this book, especially the dry, sarcastic humour from Osric.

I'm really looking forward to the next book, as this is going to be a duology. I'm hoping to learn more about the other orders, world, and magic systems!

This book was such a fun read!! I laughed out loud so many times. Love the characters and especially the slow burn and the banter. Osric and Aurienne are wonderful.
I‘m already excited to sell this one to my customers!

‘I’m a cock hair away from murdering this man."

🔪 The Irresistible Urge to Fall for your Enemy ARC by Brigitte Knightley 🔪

The irresistible Urge to Fall for your Enemy is the first book in the Dearly Beloathed series by Brigitte Knightley. This slow burn, enemies to lovers romantasy will have you begging for more!

(A knight of shining armour he wasn’t, but a knight in shining passive aggression – yes.)

The book starts off with a lot of information which is a lot to digest at first but slowly makes more and more sense as you get further into the book. There is so much rich world building, an interesting societal system and magical system that boggles my mind in hour the author thought of it.

‘He’s more important to me than I would wish him to be,’ said Aurienne. ‘For what it’s worth, I think you’re more important to him than he’d like you to be, too.’

The language and the ideas in this book are fascinating and I really enjoyed the storyline and how it flowed. I adored the characters and the way their relationship developed was both amazing and frustrating. At times I truly believed the characters hate each other. This book was not only gripping but funny as hell. I laughed so much throughout it, especially loved their banter but the critique crickets had me cackling!

‘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.’

This was a massive slowwwwww burn and with an ending like that I just have to have the next book to see if they finally admit their feelings!!

Thank you Netgalley and Brigitte Knightley for the opportunity to read this!!

🔪 Enemies to lovers
🔪 Smart witty banter
🔪 Morally grey
🔪 Assassin MC/Healer MC

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Delightfully charming and witty, The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy, is perfect for readers looking for a romantic comedy set in a fantasy world. Following the hilarious encounters between Ozric, an assassin, and Aurienne, a healer - naturally two sworn enemies - who must work together albeit unwillingly, a slow tentative romance unfolds. Our main character's interactions and banter is genuinely hilarious and a delight to read - a credit to the author for writing humour that does not feel forced in the slightest and rather imbues the novel with such undeniable warmth.

As many readers may come into this expecting a 'Dramione' fanfiction just published in traditional format - I personally feel this is hugely different to Knightley's AO3 works and different in a fantastic way! There is no natural assumption that readers are familiar with the world and so the author carefully crafts an understandable but unique magic system that stands entirely on its own. Whilst the fanfiction aspect to this book heavily factors into its marketing online, this book can equally be loved and enjoyed by those seeking a light fantasy read featuring the beloved enemies to lover’s trope.

This novel is very much a rom-com that happens to be set in a fantasy world - with an emphasis upon character relationships and interactions. As such, I think it will be hugely popular amongst readers who enjoy cosy or light fantasy that focuses on the romantic plot. This novel seems perfect if you have read and enjoyed Assistant to the Villain or Legends and Lattes.

It took me a while to get into Thai but once I did I was completely hooked. I found the juxtaposition of writing style difficult at first but as the book went on it became easier to manage. Really enjoyed and I’m looking forward to reading the next book

Wanted to love this but unfortunately, just couldn’t get invested in their relationship. At no point did it feel like anything more than a working relationship, where they got along slightly better by the end.

Really loved the magic system and I would’ve loved to learn more about all the different tacns!

A slow-burn enemies-to-lovers where he falls first set in a whimsical world? Yep, this had me sold from page one.

This book was an absolute JOY to read. Funny, and irreverent, with great characters and a plot that keeps you guessing - my only big complaint was that I wanted more of it. However, I love that there is so much more still to come with these characters and that their relationship has been left unfinished.

I wanted a little more world-building as you're thrown straight into things and have to work a lot of it out as you go. This does add to the whimsy though, so I'm not totally mad at the bumbling along and figuring it out as I go approach.

This was a massively fun read and I'll absolutely be reading the second one. It does give paperback vibes rather than special edition hardback (if you get what I mean) but there's nothing wrong with that at all and it was a breath of fresh air after a much heavier book.

4.5⭐️A laugh-out-loud hilarious fantasy featuring an uptight healer and a flamboyant assassin caught in a slow-burn, enemies-to-reluctant-allies dynamic. Expect an abundance of witty banter, adventure, mystery, murder, and bickering-as-flirting perfection.

🖤 What I Loved:

Brigette Knightley’s unmatched sense of humour
The archaic magic system and old-world influences
A touch of academia & robust vocabulary (keep a dictionary handy!)
The agonisingly slow burn and delicious yearning
A highly competent, unapologetic FMC
A ridiculously dramatic MMC who stabs first, asks questions never
The inner monologues & “critique crickets” (iconic)
Easter eggs for fandom readers (iykyk)

⚔️ Tropes & Themes:

Rival Orders
Reluctant Allies
Forced Proximity
Court Politics
Pox Outbreak
Quest for a Cure
Hurt / Comfort

I thought the tension and banter were perfectly balanced. I love a slooooooow burn where you truly earn the shift from enemies to mutual admiration. 😍 Prepare to cackle — I laughed out loud more times than I can count.

There is quite a bit of medical terminology, so expect to Google a few things — but that only added to the immersive worldbuilding for me. I had so much fun reading this and desperately NEED the next book ASAP!

Thank you to Little Brown UK for the ARC. I received this book in exchange for an honest review, and all opinions are my own

A really highly anticipated read that lived up to the hype! Such a fun story with fun characters. Definitely will be recommending it. A lot of fun tropes done in a quirky style with great banter

<b>Basic info:</b>
- (Adult) Fantasy + Romance
- 3st person, single timeline
- Part of a series

<b>Tropes & hooks:</b>
- A fantasy world with magic, and divided into orders
- Assisin MMC + Healer FMC (aka women in magical STEM)
- Hate to love
- Forced proximity
- Slow-burn (and I mean it)
- Quest to find a cure

<b>What the book is about:</b>
Osric is part of an assassin order, and unfortunately for him, he caught a nasty disease. Aurienne is a healer and probably the only one who can heal him. So Osric presents himself in her office, demanding she cure him of her own will, or he will kidnap her. Aurienne is having none of it and tricks Osric into making an anonymous donation to the research of a Platt's Pox (magical childhood disease) that is mysteriously spreading across the continent in exchange for her help. So both of them, with all the hate they have towards each other, embark on a journey to cure Osric and find more information about the mysterious outbreak of childhood diseases.

<b>My opinion:</b>
- I believe this book will not be for everyone, but it was definitely for me. It is a particular mixture of dark(ish) romance and comedy, and I believe the humor might not work for everybody.
- I love that the story kicks off right away.
- If you like books where the heroes go on a quest, this book is for you. The research on both Osric's disease and Platt's Pox is interesting and leads to some politics and hidden motives.
- If you like series where the couple doesn't get together in the first book, this series is for you.
- The romance is just amazing, but don't expect too much of it. It's a hate-to-love done right, it's a real slow burn. Osric might be a brute, but Aurienne is having none of it, and if she's in trouble, you can be sure Osric will be there to help her. They both are sarcastic, clever, and witty. The way they roast each other is just hilarious.
- The fantasy part. This book would be perfect for beginners in fantasy since the fantasy world is pretty simple. You just need to know there are orders and that people can do magic.
- The book is written in 3rd person but features chapters from both perspectives. In his chapters, he was called by his name, she was called by her surname, and in her chapters, it was in reverse. To be sincere, this drove me a little crazy.

<i>I received an eArc in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to everyone involved in eARC distribution.</i>

I really wanted to love this novel, I was so hyped to read it and I struggled with it. I had to put this down several times and then picked it back up, for me it wasn't the plotline that put me off - I really enjoyed that and the characters were all created really well. It was the repetition of "he said" "she said" "(insert character name) said". There was a lot of said being overused and it started to grate. I understand this could be (probably is) a me problem but I'm sorry, it just distracted me as I couldn't get into the flow of reading.
However that aside, I can see the potential of this novel, plotline, characters, descriptions were all great.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book took me by surprise in more ways than one.
It was one of my most anticipated reads and I was sure I would love it from the get-go--but that was not the case. I am comflicted because while it took me until 60% of the book to truly begin enjoying it, once I did get to that point I absolutely LOVED IT.
There was a total switch for me from the tower scene on, because before that, the story struggled to keep my attention.
This very specific brand of humour was funny to me, but I can see how for a lot of people it could be a bit much.
I think Osric and Aurienne are very interesting characters individually, and that was ultimately what led me to love their relationship as a couple. I wish there had been a bit more of a smooth transition between loathing and loving, but I love how we ended on Osric realizing he'd been falling for her the entire time.
The writing was lovely, if a bit difficult; I had to reread a few times certain sentences because I wasn't entirely sure what they meant lol!
All in all, 'm excited for the next one! Things are bound to get dangerous, romantic, and spicy, and I'm here for all of it!

I did not complete the book as I felt like the storyline fell a little flat and writing style was too simple. I wasn’t able to immerse myself in this world and didn’t fall in love with the characters.

This is definitely one for all my wattpad and AO3 girlies looking for their next read.

I was surprised by how character-driven this book was from the off. It relies heavily on character dialogue and leans in to the banter and chemistry. Which is great if you’re looking for a lighter read but if you’d prefer a heavy world build this won’t be for you.

A slow burn romance is always a hit and I enjoyed how it was done in this book. I appreciated how it didn’t lean on heavy spice and kept things light.

An abrupt ending but clearly setting up for a sequel so understandable! Just be prepared!

she’s a grumpy, genius healer who just wants to do research in peace. he’s a morally gray assassin with chronic illness and commitment issues. he literally breaks into her office and is like “heal me.” and she’s like “no.” and he’s like “money.” and she’s like “ugh fine.”

and thus begins the slowest, slow-burniest enemies-to-lovers romantasy you’ve ever read. like painfully slow. slow as in “we’re 75% in and they still hate each other’s guts but are also kinda obsessed” slow. and honestly? it works. sometimes. kinda. let’s talk about it.

⸻

what i ate UP:
• the banter. these two are academic, snarky little menaces. it’s not flirty, it’s full-on verbal sparring and it’s entertaining as hell. if enemies-to-lovers is your jam, you’ll eat good.
• the “he falls first” energy? oh baby. the way he softens for her?? i was kicking my feet.
• forced proximity, slow tension, mutual obsession disguised as hate? DELICIOUS.
• also? aurienne is a STEM queen. she’s not just smart, she’s methodical, focused, and actually reads like someone who’s dedicated her life to healing.
• the fantasy world? gorgeous aesthetic. plagues, secret societies, deadly illnesses—it’s giving medieval drama with a dark academia edge.

⸻

what made me sigh and look at the wall sometimes:
• the writing tries too hard sometimes. like, i get wanting to sound smart and lyrical but there were moments where i was like… ok brigitte, pull it back a bit.
• some of the jokes were a little too “lol XD crickets” for me. not in a quirky way, just a why is this here way.
• the magic system? undercooked. i needed more meat. more depth. more “how tf does this work.”
• and the banter, while elite, did get exhausting. like babes… can we breathe? can we have one convo that doesn’t sound like a Shakespeare roast battle?
• the formatting?? weird. random caps, parentheses for dramatic effect, strange phrasing… i get that it’s part of the ✨style✨ but it lowkey pulled me out of the story sometimes.

⸻

final verdict:
this book is unserious in the best way. if you’re looking for perfect pacing or crystal-clear worldbuilding, you’ll probs get annoyed. but if you want chaotic enemies with sharp tongues and sharp weapons, slow-burn yearning, and a romance that’s more about vibes than logic—this is your book.

3/5.
fun. messy. hot. confusing. like a fantasy fever dream.