Brigitte Knightley has shown with this book that we need more fantasy romcoms! We get a great slow burn, even though the characters spend most of the scenes together. However, their feelings towards each other change very slowly, they're basically simmering. After all, Aurienne and Osric belong to completely opposite Orders - one specialises in contract killings, the other focuses on healing people.

The matter of their romance is not over in this volume. I can already feel how excited it's going to get, as I think we're in for a lot of twists and turns in the plot and the relationship of the main characters.

The book's humor was made for me, every dialogue and banter brought a smile to my face. Although, there was no shortage of more serious, emotional scenes either!

Despite having such a great time and swallowing the book in two days, I was missing a few elements. The magic system is incredibly interesting: we have magic mysteriously flowing through people, the symbols of the Orders seared into the palms for more advanced use of magic, and familiars whose form creates itself at a young age of the owner. I'd like to read more about how it all works, besides we haven't had more characters using magic so far.

In the second volume I'd also like to see the development of various characters. When we read fan fiction we know the characters before reading, we are usually already attached to them - here it was a bit like reading these characters. I don't know quite whether this is a positive or negative feeling, but I came to that conclusion. I would also like to say that I love the way the author writes. The sentences are beautifully written and at the same time you literally flow through the book!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher Little, Brown Book Group UK for providing me with an arc in exchange for my honest review!

The beginning was tough. So much that I almost gave it three stars. Not because of the plot or characters, it's not a bad book per se, no. It was the writing that almost turned me away. It was very fanfic like. And not like those soul crashing poetic fanfics but rather those cliche ones, the ones you read and kinda cringe. In trying to look witty and comedic the writing lost the appeal. It was too much. BUT fortunately it got better and I started to actually enjoy the book. Didn't even realise I finished it until I saw 'the end'. There were moments that made me genuinely laugh. The interactions between our main character were hilarious as well. Shoutout to the author for making it true enemies to almost lovers yet. Slow burn indeed lmao. The story itself has a huge potential to evolve in next book. And I genuinely hope it will because the idea is amazing but the execution could've been a little bit better. Doesn't change the fact that I enjoyed the book, tho.

This was absolutely BRILLIANT.

I can't fault anything about this book. The plot, the characters, everything about it was 5 stars. The writing style and flow was so unique, so different to what you'd expect in a fantasy romance, but boy does it suck you in.

This book was derived from a Dramione fanfic, but you absolutely cannot tell that the origins of this story was pulled from Harry Potter. The magic system and the world building was utterly unique, and completely different from the HP world. It was still heavily solid, it made sense and was carefully thought out that you're immediately immersed into its world.

Audrienne and Osric. Oh so similar, but at the same time, oh so different. They're the most unlikely pair but their evolving relationship was one I absolutely adored and their chemistry was ultimately, undeniable. They are both so confident in themselves and their beliefs within the magic system, that their bickering was one of a kind. Full of witty banter, sass and equal parts indignation at the prospect that the other could be right, it was incredibly humorous.

Speaking of the humour. The amount of dry, sarcastic humour that was embedded in this story, had me gasping for air. By page 3, I was already cackling, and it was consistent throughout the book. Both Osric and Audrienne had their moments, both of them blowing smoke up their own butts, but Osric takes the cake for me. Sometimes he didn't even mean to be funny, but the outlandish conclusions he makes and the amount of self-love this guy displays to himself and to others, you can't help but giggle.

And that ending? Had me double checking my kindle that I wasn't missing extra pages because that cliffhanger?! But it was absolutely swoon-worthy. The slow-burn romance that builds had me foaming at the mouth for more. Again, Brigitte's writing had me absolutely spellbound, and as the little crumbs of their slowburn tension made their appearance, I ate them up greedily.

I cannot express the love I have for this book. I don't think there's anything out there like it. It was the perfect enemies-to-lovers romantasy, full of witty banter that will make you not want to put this book down.

**I'll add my social review closer to the release date!

3.5 stars!!
I’ll start off by saying I did enjoy this book but it’s a different read for me so it took me a while to get into it.
I loved the humour and did laugh out loud a few times plus the story line gripped me and I needed to know what was going to happen.
I love both of the main characters! Aurienne is a badass with a fab sense of humour and Osric is moody but also had a great sense of humour so the banter was hilarious between them both which added to the slow burn, tension!
I’d definitely recommend if you like Fantasy/Romance!
Thank you to NetGalley for sending me this arc

This book was the fanfic rewrite I needed. I cannot wait for the second one!!!
Enemies to lovers Romantasy featuring an assassin and a healer.
A stunning start to a slow burn duology. The yearning is worth it.

Thank you Netgalley for the option to read this stunning arc.

Two people from completely different walks of life, forced to work together to save the worse of the two. Aurienne despises the Fyren, and rightly so, and when she is forced to save him from his uncureable illness, well its safe to say she can’t wait for it to fail so there will be one less murdering Fyren in the world.

Obsessed!!! If i could leave a one word review of this book it would be OBSESSED, because I am. I cannot cope with there not being anymore of this story to read yet and I admittedly spent a long while tapping my kindle screen begging for more words to appear.😫

Every single character is witty and hilarious but the banter between Aurienne and Osric is top tier! I have never found my self cackling out loud at a book as much as I did this one.

For lovers of the enemies to loves trope and a slow burn, this is a sloooooow burn, like you gotta wait until the last 10% sloooooowww burn!!! And these haters truly hate, loathe, despiseeee each other. I’ve never read an enemies to lovers like it yet!

You do not wanna miss out on this incredibly funny, witty, and unique story!

Thank you to the Little, Brown Book Group, Orbit and Netgalley for allowing me to read this early!!

A big fat 5 stars. The humour in this is unmatched!! The characters are just so compelling and hilarious I loved their energy and their relationship. I did originally read the fanfic so I was ecstatic to receive this but I have to say it wasn’t what I was expecting! Although I absolutely LOVED it and will recommend it to everyone!!

4.5 ⭐️


This is now up there with one of favourites. I kept of savouring each page 😭😭

This book has some of the funniest conversations between two characters I’ve ever read. Every interaction they had was hilarious. The banter between the two, truly incredible. I just loved the adventures they went on to try and find a cure for Osric..

The plot was engaging, and I loved the fact that Aurienne and Osric really got to know each other (begrudgingly) over time! This made the payoff at the end SO satisfying when romance started to blossom between them! To be honest there wasn’t really much romance in this first book because they truly did not like each other weren’t willing to change who they were to either and I liked that! It meant they ended up respecting and liking each other for who they already are!!

The ending!!! the ending!! I cannot wait to read book 2. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants a fun story with the best characters ever!!!

Thank you to the author and the publisher for this ARC!

I picked up The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy from NetGalley because of the amazing cover, and I read that it might loosely be a Dramione fanfic. It’s the first book in the Dearly Beloathed duology and is in dual third-person POV.

Set in a unique fantasy world in the UK (as far as I understood as no continents were specified), this is a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance between Aurienne, a no-nonsense healer, and Osric, a charmingly unapologetic assassin. Their banter is dry and sharp, their moral clashes are strong, and their forced proximity makes for some great angsty relationship.

The world-building is creative though initially, the terminology took some getting used to. The antagonism, the core morality difference between the two, the opposites working together for a common goal and wading through their hatred for one another, was enjoyable to read.

The plot leans more on the main characters and their dynamics, magic systems, and politics than fast-paced action. While the romance starts slow and shifts a little abruptly, the chemistry and snark kept me hooked.

My only complaint was that the characters sometimes felt one-dimensional outside of their witty exchanges. Certain moments felt repetitive, like the fact that the heroine did not quiver in fear when he was near, and their banter - even though it was fun to read. The character development felt a little stagnant as I couldn't connect on a deeper level with them and it was quite fixed on their enmity and vitriol exchange.

Overall, though, this was a good read. If you enjoy morally grey heroes, strong heroines, dry humor, and a fantasy setting with subtle political undercurrents, this one’s worth a try.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publishers for access to this ARC 📚.

🔥Quick Fire Review🔥

Genre/Themes: 🐺🦢🔮🏰⚔️🛡️🦹🏻‍♂️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏳️‍🌈👩🏾‍❤️‍👨🏼🧚🏼‍♀️🩻👩🏾‍⚕️
Tropes: Victorian, Gothic Romance, Countdown to Destruction, Chronic Illness, Magic, Training Academy, Blackmail, Reluctant Hero, Bisexual, Assassin, Antihero, Loveable Rogue, Playboy, Jerk, Love Interest Has Profession Protagonist Hates, Afraid to Commit, Rivals, Love/Hate Relationship, Opposites Attract, Slow Burn, Enemies-to-lovers, Forbidden Love, Lovers in Denial, Heist, Taverns, Conspiracy, Corrupt Officials, Hidden Truth, Nursed Back to Health
Positives: unique and entertaining plot, good characterisation, quirky and fun prose, interesting world
Room for Improvement 🔎 : some confusing or underdeveloped aspects of world-building that was sometimes difficult to immerse in, inconsistent pacing and plot choices
Rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌖

✍🏻 Full Review - RISK OF SPOILERS 🛑

DISCLAIMER : I had no idea this was originally a HP fanfic until I read the reviews afterwards so I have no preconceived notions of the writer/story.

Oh how I love a good slow burn. And when they said slow, they meant SLOOOOOOOW. I thought this was great. It did take up to about 30% for me to really get into it but then I ended up finishing the rest in one session because I couldn’t put it down. I will just say as well that the Biology nerd in me LOVED how well this was incorporated into the plot.

Characterisation:
Oscric’s surname was ‘Mordaunt’ (which I only realised is an actual word when it didn’t get highlighted as misspelt when writing this review; a quick google shows it means ‘biting, sarcastic’) which I’d say was very on the nose. I like to think that wasn’t actually his real name. Being an assassin and all, he might have chosen to hide his true identity and it would be pretty funny if he picked that name himself. Osric’s sarcasm was usually related to his good looks, how fun assassinating people was, toilet humour or sex jokes. It was either with the intention of winding Aurienne up or making himself laugh. He basically came across as a teenager trapped in an adult body, with the world being his big playground. Aurienne saw him as this evil, bloodthirsty, immoral reprobate. But I never really saw him that way. Maybe that says a lot about me, I don’t know. He seemed to have his own moral compass, and didn’t murder people just for the fun of it. He murdered people he either thought deserved it because they were just as ‘evil’ as he was or as part of his job. A means to an end. He liked murdering because he was good at it, and being good at it gave him a livelihood. Even if that livelihood was looked down upon. His arrogance came from his skill and his ability to bounce back from all of the incidences he gained his scars from, some of which were from his own father. And probably from all of the sexual interest he got, too. I enjoyed watching him having to realise his own mortality. After getting away with, literal murder, for so long and now to be dying a slow, degenerative death and having no control over it amped up his insecurity and desperation. I enjoyed watching him being thrown off, played at his own game by Aurienne. Having to rely wholly on somebody else, without his usual tricks of seduction or manipulation being effective. He’d learnt not to rely on anybody after having to murder his abusive father, a figure you’re meant to be able to trust. I can’t say I found him particularly funny, unfortunately. Maybe because of the immaturity of his jokes and the fact that they just weren’t very clever. I was, however, fond of him because of the vulnerability he started to show. Especially in his inner narratives, where he ‘absolutely didn’t find her beautiful’ or ‘definitely didn’t find her brilliant’. There’s just something very loveable about out-and-out psychos having a soft side. Murdering two people impulsively just because he predicted they were going to harm Aurienne? That’s pretty sexy. I only wish we’d actually seen more of his skill or his seduction. I was repeatedly told how brilliant he was at these things, but his infiltration of places by shadow-walking or his ‘jobs’ were always skimmed past and his skills in seducing were only off-handedly mentioned or hinted at through Sacramore or Leofric.
Aurienne was such a refreshing character. A mixed race, bisexual academic who was heavily autistic-coded. She was so oblivious to the fact that she and Osric were two sides of the same coin. She had her own moral compass, which meant beginning to be lax with her ‘ethics’ to achieve what she wanted. A means to an end. Aurienne was arrogant, because she knew she was good at what she did and because she had been able to succeed following her years of trial and error. She had pursued a career that was looked down upon by her mother. She’d learnt not to fall in love with anybody after a loss of a romantic relationship devastated her, somebody she had trusted. Even the way they spoke to each other, in clipping, short jabs was the same. Referring to each other only be surname. The ways in which they were opposite were so directly opposite that it again, became complimentary. Aurienne healed, Osric killed. Aurienne was revered by everybody, Osric was feared by everybody. The pair existed in both dichotomies and parallels. Aurienne was the funnier character to me. Her jokes and jibes were far more cutting, being about intelligence or character. Her complete dismissal of Osric’s threats or attempts at manipulation was so amusing, because of how mad it made him. Sometimes it seemed like she didn’t even notice them, and wasn’t intentionally ignoring them, which made it even funnier. She looked at everything through a scientific lens, methodological and academic. She wanted everything to be replicable, repeatable or reproducible. Her ethics were black and white, good or bad. Which was why Osric and their quest threw her for such a loop. The way she spoke so matter-of-factly about the human body and its excretions, such as being fascinated by the size of ‘The Clydesdale’s’ penis from an anatomical point of view rather than sexual, made her so entertaining. I wish we’d seen a bit more of her role as a researcher and teacher at Swanstone, especially as she says her graduates ‘will soon outshine her’. What about them would make her drop her arrogance and desire to remain the top of her field?
I felt the chemistry between ‘Mordaunt and Fairhrim’ was very natural. Despite themselves their quest together developed a very organic intimacy, because of the secrecy and the fact it was taking them out of their regular day-to-day lives and what they knew. The gradual development of their physical comfort with each other, the way they began to enjoy the challenge they presented each other and the way Mordaunt in particular started to feel jealousy and possessiveness were all very well written. Their dialogue managed to feel very real, despite Aurienne’s more stilted and jargon-heavy way of speaking, because of how quick and impulsive their exchanges were. As I’ve said before it felt like reading the script to a romcom.
Supporting characters were a bit more hit-and-miss. Xanthe was funny, because she was so nonchalant about the fact that she was willing to go rogue to get the funding they needed. She was so blasé about scheming with a literal assassin, even planning an infiltration to get to a suspicious King. This completely shocked Aurienne, who completely idolised Xanthe and couldn’t believe she would step a foot out of the line of ethics and conduct. Xanthe was just as stubborn as Aurienne, and angry at the powers that be refusing to help the less fortunate. Xanthe would work herself to unconsciousness using her seith to heal her patients. Aurienne’s idolisation and need for validation from Xanthe could have been explored a bit more. She often said she would ‘never’ do something without her input, downright refused in fact, and I just wondered why she acted like this around Xanthe when Xanthe was clearly pretty rebellious herself. At first I thought it was because Xanthe was a lead in her field, but then other characters such as Cath, Felicette and Elodie were leads in theirs and she wasn’t intimidated by them as she was Xanthe. Was it just because Xanthe was an authority figure? A maternal figure? I suppose that could make sense as we learn her own mother was quite strict and critical and not so keen on her career choice, so perhaps she sought that validation from Xanthe instead. Like I say their relationship could have been developed more. I’d say the same for the other Swanstone colleagues, as they are the closest thing Aurienne had to friends. The scene where they are all overwhelmed and lie on the floor in Aurienne’s office was sweet, I wished we’d seen more of that teamwork and sisterhood particularly in their exhausting treatment of the Pox. As mentioned earlier I would have enjoyed seeing more of Aurienne’s students, as this was potentially a particular area of pride for her but it was all mentioned rather off-handedly and I think we only see Aurienne have one conversation with them.
Osric’s order members were even vaguer. Tristane was considered the ‘leader’, and Osric talked about how she was not to be fucked with. The most connected, most talented and most ruthless Fyren in all the land. And yet Osric had no problem lying to her and literally murdering one of their own under her nose. Are you trying to tell me that he denied killing Blythe, immediately left to report to Aurienne and wasn’t followed? That Tristane didn’t suspect him at all at any point in the book? When she was very vocal about ‘removing’ members of their order the moment they proved disloyal or a liability? I was told Tristane was supposed to be scary and intimidating, but I just didn’t feel it at all. Lady Windermere and Blythe were mentioned and were a couple, but they were forgettable characters that I’m fairly certain we don’t know or hear anything of interest about until Osric murders Blythe. Sacramore, the glorified receptionist, was the most entertaining character at the Fyren HQ just because we got to see Osric flirt with him. Leofric was supposed to be the most significant of these Fyren members, being a ‘sometimes-partner’ who called Osric his ‘best friend’. But I felt no development of this and didn’t really see the point of him as a character. He appeared twice as an inconvenience, always drunk, as attempts at comic relief and light peril. Talked about his uneven balls, his torn nipples all while getting too close to figuring out that Osric and Aurienne were in collaboration. Was he acting as a spy for Tristane? Someone Osric wouldn’t suspect? Maybe. I could forgive that.
Parental figures in the book were Mrs Parthon, a family assistant that remained with Osric following their deaths, and Aurienne’s actual parents Radia and Rosbert. Mrs Parthon was great, similar to Xanthe in being hilariously nonchalant about misdemeanours despite being innocent-looking older ladies. Some more development of Osric’s fondness of her wouldn’t have gone amiss. However I felt the introduction of Aurienne’s parents wasn’t done very well at all. We got a rushed meeting, a rushed low-down of their personalities - Radia being the emotionally closed-off, talented academic like her daughter and her father being the lighter hearted one - and I was expected to believe they would just be fine with some injured dude crashing in their house while hosting an anniversary party. Radia was occasionally mentioned to be ‘a bit suspicious’ but nothing came of it. The party gave opportunity for an ex-lover of Aurienne’s to get Osric all jealous, but overall I felt the inclusion of Aurienne’s family wasn’t needed. A bit like SJP said in an interview recently about Carrie in Sex and the City, how they chose not to mention parents because they wanted Carrie to just be Carrie and her personality be how it is, a separate entity. Introducing the parents brings about pathologising, psychoanalysing and skews the vision of the adult character into the product of their parents.

World-Building:
This was the aspect that I was less convinced of in the book. The concept of the Orders, the Paths, the Tācns and the Seith were all great. No problem with those. Especially how Seith was explained, almost with modern biology, as if it was another nerve system in the body and how Leylines across the Waystones were described almost like modern physics. I loved that. But then Xanthe revealed it was 1866 in her dialogue, and I was completely thrown. For a start, Danelaw, Mercia and Wessex all still existed in this story, but Xanthe discussed how the Norman Conqeust DID happen. These places became obsolete following the conquest in real life, but it’s made clear that the Normans did take over in the book’s timeline because of the French influences. So, that was a bit confusing. Add in the modern dialogue, the modern science and research methods and the fact that the majority of the time the aesthetics of the characters such as their clothes or hairstyles all sounded pretty modern too, it’s safe to say I had no idea it was meant to be set in the Victorian era. I just didn’t get that vibe at all. Sometimes it actually felt more medieval, with the Wardens being more like Knights and the Norse influences such as the Waystones. The Pox plot, the odd mention of clothing like stockings with garters (‘being over the knee in the new fashion’) or suspenders, Osric’s jokes about a seductive ankle and the use of daguerreotypes were the only clues I retrospectively realised were meant to be Victorian. I think the mentions of real-life events were what threw me and I think I’d have just preferred an entirely fictional timeline. Maybe the descriptions of outfits, hairstyles or settings needed more detail to make the Victorian influence more immersive.
Other world-building issues were the mentions of ‘the Old Ways’, or characters randomly mentioning Gods. At no point were these Gods explained or explored. What were the ‘Old Ways’ and how do they differ to the new? Gods are still worshipped, how so? Which Gods? What are the beliefs surrounding them? ‘The Old Ways’ seem to be related to Fairy Magic, which the old translator discussed and was excommunicated for, but there was so little discussion about this magic or the history of it. The Hedgewitches could have potentially been a key to more information, but were intentionally kept elusive. The most we learnt about their part of the world were the Critique Crickets, which were a delightful addition by the way. While I enjoyed the Deofols, their existence wasn’t explained in the same depth that Waystone travel and Seith were. Just that the more talented you were with Seith the more detailed the Deofols were. The travelling between Tācns was vaguely mentioned, having to ‘connect’ them to allow for it to happen. I just felt their significance wasn’t really expanded upon, especially since everyone with Seith had them, they were unique to the individual and their names were considered ‘intimate information’. I think they were meant to be pretty important, a form of self-expression or maybe even an extension of oneself but this didn’t feel well represented. Better development of the relationships between the characters and their Deofols would have helped.
While the Order of the Dreors was mentioned, as the Order to be feared, some of the other Orders could have been explored more. The Leyfarers were left coins at the Waystones, but I don’t recall meeting any. I don’t think we meet an Agannor at all, or if they’re even discussed. The Wardens and Ingenauts are around, but again not delved into much. I think the Ingenauts and the role of their Order might have helped add to the Victorian feel of the book by showing us more industrialism or the influence of the revolution. I think more exploration of the Kingdoms (Tīendoms) in general were needed, particularly amongst the citizens who didn’t have Seith, to make the world feel more fleshed-out. Especially more experiencing of the tensions between the Kings and Queens of the Tīendoms. While we know Aurienne is very sheltered and intentionally is written not to know of much outside Swanstone, Osric definitely did. I was surprised that there were so few scenes of Osric’s shadow-walking and his jobs. This would have been a perfect opportunity to explore the Tīendoms and watch him use his powers and talents.

Prose\Plot:
As mentioned earlier the short choppy dialogue of the characters was refreshing and very naturally comedic, especially amongst the fantasy genre where long-winded, exposition-heavy and flowery dialogue is a norm. My only quarm was that the capitalisation of random words to Make Them Amusing got a bit tiresome and sometimes it was on random Words that didn’t make sense to have an inflection. What I did admire is how even though some of the comedy was intentionally immature, the book still felt unmistakably adult and not YA. I also loved how blatantly British the writing is.
Plot wise, on the whole, I really enjoyed Osric and Aurienne’s quest to heal him. The scene on the lighthouse with the birds was stunning, and the blend of science and magic in halting his degeneration was such a great read. The finding of the locations and discovering the link between them was brilliant too. The plot I was less immersed in was related to the Pox, and the politics surrounding it. It didn’t feel as well paced. The Tavern scene to gain intelligence I enjoyed, even if it was a little far-fetched that the guy that could organise a heist was stupid enough to tell a load of confidential information to a whore he’d never met before. But the time in the castle was a bit rushed, which was a shame as the discovery of the Pox could have been an engaging scene had we seen Osric’s exploration of the castle. As I’ve said I was NOT a fan of the ‘Osric meets Aurienne’s family’ plot line. I honestly felt it took me out of the story and significantly changed the gothic feel of the book up to that point. The stabbing, the nursed back to health, the seeing an ex and getting jealous? Fine with all of that. But could it not have been ANYWHERE else around ANYONE else? It felt a little too sitcom-adjacent, whereas the rest of the book had balanced that perfectly.
Overall, I ended up thoroughly enjoying the book and hope the world is developed more in book two. And obviously I can’t wait for my next fix of Aurienne and Osric.

If I had known this was originally a fanfic I would’ve never requested it.

This book made me feel illiterate. Like there’s some inside joke I wasn’t in on. Maybe it worked as fanfiction, but this is supposed to be a standalone book now and it reads like it skipped the part where you build your own world. There’s no setup, no structure. You’re dropped into chaos with fantasy words thrown around like we’re supposed to just get it. The glossary? Useless. A lazy backup when the writing should’ve done the explaining.

The way these characters talk is bizarre. It’s stiff, unnatural, and completely detached. No rhythm, no emotion. Just awkward, cringe worthy lines that feel like AI-generated sarcasm. And the humor? Immature as hell. Loaded with “Your mom” jokes and genital jokes. Is this what humour has been reduced to? Who thought this was clever?

It’s aggressively British but randomly tosses in untranslated French like it’s trying too hard to sound smart. And then out of nowhere, it reads like a fantasy anatomy manual when the FMC is working. Words that serve no purpose except to confuse.

There’s zero chemistry between the main characters. No emotion, no tension, no connection. Just flat, lifeless interactions. And the plot? If you can even call it that. It’s all filler. I couldn’t care less about anyone in it.

I pushed through hoping something would redeem it, but it just left me frustrated and annoyed.

Thank you Netgally & Little Brown Group for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was so much fin , the banter was top tier, funny , and i love how the characters just bounced off themselves.

5/5 stars

Listen, if you go into this book expecting the Dramione fan fiction, you are going to be disappointed. Take it as a new book from a new author and you will be blown away.

Tropes:
Slow burn
Romantasy
Banter

Summary: I picked this book up and then i couldn’t put it down. I was in a strong chokehold from the get go. I know this was a fan fiction before it was picked up to be published, but I didn’t get the chance to read the fan fiction and i think I’m thankful i didn’t because this edition was absolute perfection. The one thing i was not expecting from this book, was the humour. I honestly had no idea i would be laughing as hard as i was. It was fun! The characters were well written and likeable, to say the least. The entire thing was done so perfectly and it worked amazingly. Between the plot, the. Characters and the humour it was an easy 5 star read. I think it was easy to see this book as the Dramione fan fiction, as it was when it was fan fiction but actually, this book is its own story. It really does have the ability to be a best seller. Easily. I cant wait to see what Brigitte does next.

The moment I picked this book up, I couldn’t put it down!

Upon learning that one of my favourite fan fictions was being adapted and published, I knew it would live up to my expectations. In fact, it superseded my expectations.

The wittiness from our MC’s, and the comedic style of writing is nothing at all like anything I’ve ever read, making it such a unique book!

If you’re a sucker for a slow burn like myself, this book is the slowest of slow burns to ever have been written, and I lapped it up!

Five stars doesn’t seem to be enough for how much I enjoyed this book!

4.25***

A deeply funny first instalment of a new romantasy series that explores a forbidden and ill-advised partnership between one desperate enemy and one supercilious saviour.

This book made me really happy to read. A slow burn romance paired with brutal yet hilarious banter? Absolutely sign me up. Brutal banter is my love language. But also, this book was written sooo well! The descriptive writing was really powerful and it felt like it lit up my imagination. I immediately cannot wait to read more of it. I recommend this to anyone who gets easily addicted to romantasy.

I really struggled to read this book. I don’t know if I’m just not intelligent enough for it or in the right frame of mine but I just struggled understanding what was happening.

The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley

–––

⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4 stars)

Spice level: 🌶️ (Slow burn lovers, rejoice!)


First things first, thank you to Little, Brown Book Group UK | Orbit for this arc copy in exchange for an honest review!

Lord have mercy on me-this slow burn was burning away by the embers.
SO slow… in the best of ways.

I’m not gonna lie-this book had me creasing. Yes, I’m embracing full British mode for this one. CREASING. Some of the dialogue had me laughing out loud and immediately sending quotes to friends like a one-person book club.


It did take me a moment to really settle into the style. The narrative is very much rooted in the characters’ perspectives-how they describe themselves and each other changes depending on who’s speaking, and that threw me at first. But once I clicked with it? It’s actually brilliantly done.


I almost let the early reviews sway me. Yes, the writing is a little niche, a bit unconventional-but it absolutely works. The language feels like falling into a mad little British wonderland. Some phrases are hilariously stereotypical, others are so spot-on they’re almost too real. It’s chaotic in the most charming way.


Honestly, this book came at the perfect time. I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump-pushing myself through books I wasn’t fully into. But with this one, I was genuinely excited to pick it up every chance I got.


The plot itself does feel a little light at times, but that’s not where the magic lies. The banter absolutely carries this story. It’s quick, sharp, and fun. I was highlighting lines like mad and smiling through entire chapters.


And that slow burn romance? Mercy. It takes its sweet time, but the payoff is so worth it.


The ending gives just enough closure to feel satisfying while still leaving me eager for the next book. It wasn’t a dramatic, screaming-into-the-void kind of cliffhanger-but it definitely left me wanting more.


A delightful, clever, and unexpectedly funny read. Highly recommend if you’re in the mood for something a little different and entirely entertaining.

I was totally surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. It has been a while since a book made me laugh so much.
It did take a little while to get into the world building but once I did, it was so much easier to read and fully enoy it.

I loved the characters, they are so well written and likable. The dynamics, not only between the fmc and mmc but with their respective friends, 'co-workers' etc. were clearly very well developed which just shows how great of a writer Brigitte Knightley is.

Her writing style also took a while getting used to but once I did, I thought it was perfect for this type of plot.

Overall, a fantastic read and I cannot wait for the next book.

I’ll always pick up an enemies to lovers story and The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy has the will-they-won’t-they, glacial slow burn, exasperated banter I love in spades.

I know this book started out as a beloved Dramione fan-fic but it can absolutely stand on its own two feet and if I hadn’t seen the Dramione-related marketing beforehand I wouldn’t have realised. It’s fun and witty, though subtlety isn’t necessarily always its strong suit, and while some jokes did make me laugh out loud (I particularly enjoyed the Harmacy) the crudeness of its humour felt a little much at times. Osric makes a rather charming rogue (though I tried not to picture him as Draco!) and although I loved the characterisation the pacing felt a little off overall - I haven’t read the original so I’m not sure if it was always intended as a duology as the ending came about quite abruptly. That being said, it does mean I’ll definitely pick up book two to find out what happens next!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the e-ARC!!

This book was a conflict for me. I don't know if I loved it or not during most of my reading time,
The premise is quite interesting. Aurienne, a healer, is approached by Oscric to heal an unhealable disease, something that wouldn't be possible if not for her being a genius in the field. Oscric is unapproachable, full of himself, and wants things ready as fast as inhumanly possible. And comes out as condescending. And that creates the conflict between these two characters. (Enemies to Lovers arc).
It was humorous and quirky, and funny. And that's something that goes well with me as a reader.

In terms of characters, I like how work-driven Aurienne is. How she is so academically inclined, how she wants to improve by experimenting with an old method that feels impossible. And I do think she was one of the reasons why my rating is higher.

Despite all of these, I do have to confess that I found both characters very surface-level. I wish I could see more of their motivations, more of them as people outside of the main plot. And make them more real and palpable.

There's a mystery thrown in the mix connected to the pox that left me on the edge of my seat, but I do feel like the execution was not well done. It felt surface-level, both in its resolution.

I did like the writing, I think it was superb. However, I found the worldbuilding a tad confusing.

If you like banter, enemies to lovers, a cool setting and a fun read., I do think this book is a perfect companion to that delightful morning tea with a warm biscuit.