Thanks to Little Brown Book Group I was able to read this on Netgalley already.

And I loved it so much! The banter, the humour, the wit, the sarcasm, the story, all the side characters…I don‘t know how often I laughed out loud or giggled while reading it.
Do I want a criqitue cricket or not though? They could come in handy sometimes.

The magic system is so cleverly made up and so easy to understand. Also the author explains it and it has a glossary at the end.

It also combines some nordic and celtic history which I loved. Time between times. I really love that this is something others will read about now too!

And then the little plot twists that you kinda see coming but still makes you gasp. Especially the one at the very end 🤭

This book is worth 5 stars and more and I will not tire recommending it to my friends!

4.5 stars.
If you’re looking for a book with Dramoine coded MCs, then you’ve found some top notch “I hate you so why do I want to kiss you” vibes in this one! Everything about these two are entirely believable (fantasy setting aside of course) - their reactions, their disdain for each other, even the way they slowly start to appreciate each other and - gasp - start to rely on one another.

The storyline is fun, the side characters are great and the tension between the two builds deliciously. Where the story truly shines for he is in the dry, slightly absurd humour and laugh-out-loud banter. However my one small gripe is that I didn’t feel our FMC’s character evolution in the same way I felt our MMC’s. I’m not sure if that’s because she’s on the side of “good”, or if it will develop more in book 2, but our MMC is humbled (and recognizes this) far more than she is. As a result, her arrogance is still firmly in place whereas he starts to feel more human and more relatable.

All said, I am impatiently waiting for the second installment, and have no doubt Knightley has a long career ahead.
Thank you to NetGalley, Little, Brown Book Group U.K. | Orbit and Brigitte Knightley for the opportunity to read and honestly review The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy prior to its release.

Let’s talk about The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy.

First off, thank you to Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for providing me with this Advanced Reader Copy. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to read and review one of my most anticipated reads of 2025.

Now back to it… Did I fall for it? Kinda. Did I rage-text my book besties because the pacing tested my patience? Also kinda. Would I read the sequel? Probably.

Aurienne is a hyper-focused scientist, Osric is too charming for his own good, and their reluctant partnership is deliciously tense - but the actual story moves slower than a snail. The world-building is full of potential, but instead of exploring it, we get pages and pages of intellectual sparring. If you love slow-burn enemies-to-lovers, worlds with intrigue, Dramione vibes, and stubborn characters who refuse to admit their feelings until the last possible second, this book might be your thing - just prepare for a long ass journey.

(4.5/5⭐️) 📚 Thank you to Net Galley and Brigitte Knightley for the eARC of ‘The Irresistible Urge to Fall for the Enemy’. This book has me in a chokehold. I ate this up! This is enemies to lovers done perfectly. No instant love. Pure hatred to potential feelings towards the end. And the plot…there’s murder and mystery and an unknown threat. There’s so much going for here plot wise that the romance honestly isn’t even necessary but sure is appreciated. If anything, the lack of romance, slowly developing despite of the mayhem that occurs in the second half of the book, only adds to the anticipation! To say I am now sitting here twiddling my fingers, not knowing what to do with myself, is an UNDERSTATEMENT. Please tell me what I have to do to get my hands of the next book right this second? I must know what happens next with their relationship, can Osric be truly healed, and more importantly why has the Pox been manufactured?!

Firstly thank you to Little Brown Book Group UK and Netgalley for this e-arc.

I went into this book in a real slump, but this book has pulled me right out of that. I really got to savour this book which I am so glad that I did.
The slow burn was really burning, the banter, the tension and the dry humour that was promised really did deliver and it was all just such good fun.
This book had me giggling and highlighting quotes that I found hilarious and sending them around to everyone.
I felt myself flying through the second half of this book, I just didn't want to put it down.

Finding out the reason that the forks were sent out with the physical arcs had me giggling so much!

I am already so excited for book 2, to get to know Osric and Aurienne even more and continue to see how their relationship changes and progresses.

I was very excited to read this book, and unfortunately, my expectations were just not met. It did fall a bit flat, and some aspects just left me completely stumped. For example, the magic system: there is an index at the start of the book, but we aren’t given any backstory or information about how it was set up. It just left me craving more. Instead, we were expected just to get it. Additionally, it seemed to have been very inspired by another magical system…

It is a slow-burn romance, but I feel like once it happened, it was just so disappointing. Again, I probably had too many expectations.

There were some positives: the banter between the characters was fun, so if you’re looking for that, as well as a slow burn enemies to lovers romance, I think this might be the book for you. Thank you so much to NetGallery for providing me with this arc

I devoured The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy in one day. Osric Mordaunt has a problem with his magic and drags himself to one person he’d rather avoid: Aurienne Fairhrim, healer-scientist and unwavering moral compass. She needs cash for her plague research; he needs a lasting pulse. Their forced partnership turns every session into a duel of scalpels and sarcasm, and Brigitte Knightley’s bone-dry humour had me constantly laughing out loud and quoting lines at my long-suffering husband.

What hooked me beyond the banter is how the attraction sneaks up on them in sync. Nobody’s pining in secret while the other stays clueless; instead, both keep stumbling over tiny sparks—a shared joke, a brush of hands—then scrambling to look unaffected. The wider setting of rival Orders, creeping pox, and half-sketched rival order intrigue occasionally feels like stage scenery, but I didn't care. The book knows its heart is two hyper-competent disasters.

I especially loved how it ended. Instead of a cliff hanger, Knightley leaves Osric and Aurienne in a quiet, late-night moment that feels tender, earned, and wonderfully intimate. I finished the book already eager for their next bout of verbal fencing—yet perfectly content with where they’re left for now.

If you like sharp British wit, enemies who can’t decide whether to throttle or kiss each other, and a romance that smoulders rather than explodes, clear your weekend. I’m obsessed and can’t wait for the sequel.

When I heard this book was coming out I was SUPER excited, so having the opportunity to read it early made me so happy!

This book follows two individuals who are, by Order, natural sworn enemies. She heals, he kills. But when his life is at stake, they become begrudging allies to solve each of their problems. If you’re looking for a true enemies to lovers, where they actually LOATHE each other, then you’ll get it here. With some dry humour and political intrigue thrown in.

My pros
- proper enemies to lovers
- unique magic system and world building elements
- interesting political intrigue
- entertaining narration (note: in my head David Attenborough was voicing it, and it made it more entertaining)
- complex characters, particularly Mordaunt
- slow burn romance (not sure if pro or con at this stage…)
- the protagonists are snarky and sarcastic as hell and I’m obsessed

- some parts were a bit repetitive or they didn’t quite follow in order right
- there was a LOT of info on the world at the beginning and I still can’t figure out what time period it’s meant to be set, and exactly the world IS.
- until I realised there would be a sequel (read: when I saw I was at 96% and the enemies had not in fact become lovers), I thought the romance arc was off, but I suspect that will be resolved in the sequel.
- some big words, new words and lots of old timey language - then a random mention of a portaloo. I got a bit confused….

Overall, the tension, the stakes and the character development was really well done. I think initially I thought the pacing was a bit off, but having realised there would be a sequel, it’s definitely going to be an interesting book 2 👀

Thank you to Little Brown Book Group, Bridgette Knightley and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC to read! 📚

Oh what a ride that was.

First, I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for giving me this ARC.

The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley was a solid 4.2 ⭐️ for me.

This is a story for my slow burn girlies.

To be very honest for the vast majority of the book it was around a 3.5 ⭐️ for me. As someone who read a lot of fanfictions growing up I could see a lot of those details throughout the story like the timeline, how descriptive it can be at times or how long the chapters are. But the cliffhanger at the end O-M-G, miss Brigitte!! What have you done to us?

This could have easily been a 5 ⭐️ for me if it wasn’t for the names of characters, places, magic system etc, personally, they were a bit too complicated and even by the end of the book I’m still feeling a bit lost with a lot of the vocabulary of the book. I felt like this did made my read a bit harder than what normally would be.

I loved the humour and the back and forth insults between the main characters.

For the girlies that like a book where the mmc is morally grey that’s it right here.

Tropes expected:

Enemies to lovers
Touch her and die
Villain gets the girl
Badass fmc

I’ll be purchasing the physical copy of the book and also continuing the series.

5⭐

Thank you to Brigitte Knightley, Little, Brown Book Group, Orbit UK and NetGalley for this ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The first in a slow burn, enemies-to-lovers romantasy duology featuring a scholarly healer and a gentleman assassin, set in an exquisite fantasy world, perfect for fans of The Love Hypothesis and Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries.

I know this book isn't for everyone but this was something I love reading! The writing style, the characters & literally everything about this book made me give it five stars. The Clever Banter was top tier and I was eating it up, and I also think there was a good balance of ridiculousness and earnest! The pacing was perfectly paced. It didn't take me along time to get into this world and I was constantly engaged to the world-building and the witty and uncontrollable banter between the two MCs. It also came with a glossary, which was very helpful!

“A person of moderate intelligence would say no in response to this dire assessment. An imbecile would say yes.
‘Yes,’ said Mordaunt.”

This book had me laughing and grinning the ENTIRE time. I certainly had an idea of what I was getting into but it certainly far surpassed my expectations. It was lower stakes than I usually read but it also was so well written, witty, and the banter top notch that I absolutely fell in love with Osric and Aurienne.

The world in particular took a little adjusting, especially with the magic and the different Orders. I found it fascinating however and I do expect I need to go back and read it again to see more. But truly I want the next books, hoping to see how these characters continue to develop.

This was certainly the Enemies to Lovers trope that was needed to, where two characters or at least one of them would actively kill the other if it weren’t for a convenience they needed. The morally grey Osric was fascinating to watch develop and change in the book. I need more of it!

My biggest problem with this book is that it is TOO SHORT. I did not want it to end. I wanted so much more. But thankfully it is a series and we will get more, I just definitely wish that it was sooner.

Lovers of magical world building, unique magics, enemies to lovers, forces proximity, witty banter and so much laughter would get an absolutely joy from this book. The humor and style certainly is different from other prose but it was absolutely what I needed.

Thank you so much for the eARC and cannot wait for her future books!

So this was a witty little treat of a book, the humour and tension were off the scale between Osric and Aurienne.

I will say this was a very slow start for me, it took a good 29-30% before I really got into it, but then I was hooked and can’t wait for the next instalment.

This was a slow burn, enemies to lovers story that is done in a humorous way with two very different characters who really exist in different worlds. There was lots of world building, and this took a little while to get used to but soon became easier to understand. The slow burn was super super super slow burn, but I feel like this was counteracted well with a strong storyline and their journey. The critique crickets were also a real high, they were hilarious!

There were some ‘cheeky’ references in there, and it is very science led due to her job but this added to some of the humour as the story built.

For me this was a great read, and definite recommendation.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I wasn't sure what to expect going into this, but it had me cackling out loud!

In this book we have:

✨️Magic
✨️Touch her and die
✨️Slow burn
✨️Forced Proximity

For our main characters, we have Aurienne, who is a member of the Haelan order of healers and Osric, who is from the Fyren order, who are assasins for hire. These orders do not work together at all as one's all about saving lives whilst the other's are literally taking them.
Aurienne is a bit of an ice queen who takes no prisoners in her straight talking approach and Osric has an ego the size of the moon and sees everyone else as below him.
After an unfortunate discovery and some half assed threats of kidnapping, they find themselves stuck working together.

This story had me laughing from the very beginning! The way its written, the descriptions as well as their internal monologues came across so funny. There's a deliscious slow burn between the characters, despite their snarky and downright frosty attitudes towards each other.

And oh my word, the Critique crickets were probably one of my favourite cameos 😂
Overall, this book was a great read. The story was a little slow in places, but the comedy factor and the overall vibes of the book have me excited for the second book.

Thank you to Little brown book group UK/ Orbit for the arc of this book ❤️

A slow burn so slow, if it took any longer it would be going backwards!!

Ok ok so as a big fanfic girlie, this was one of my most highly anticipated reads of Q2 and I wasn't disappointed. The chemistry and banter between the main two characters was delicious and the way the slow burn unfolded had me screaming at the page.

That being said, there were a couple of things I wasn't as obsessed with:

1) pacing issues around the middle - for a while the plot felt a bit repetitive and the dynamic between the characters didn't seem to be developing at all. However, things picked up from the 70% mark and it was a gallop to the finish line!

2) the world building was a little weak - I generally think this is a problem with the vast amount of fanfics turned published novels, but it wasn't terrible.

Overall, this was such a fun book and the writing style felt fresh and unique in an overly saturated sub genre of sameness.

Full review coming on my tiktok soon!

A really fun fantasy about two very different people who despise each other because of their backgrounds and yet find a symbiotic relationship.
I really enjoyed this book as it is fantasy of a different kind, not about trials or games but about healings. The story line is easy enough to follow and the characters are complex and interesting. I finished the book invested in Fairhrim’s ability to cure Osric, and Osric’s ability to be a trustworthy companion.
I was glad I was reading on kindle because there were a lot of words that I didn’t know. Additionally, it was a bit overly rude at times. However, this didn’t bother me too much.
I can’t wait to see where the story leads!
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

Aurienne is a healer. Osric is an assassin. They are diametrically opposed but working together to heal Osric’s degenerating magic. What happens when feelings other than loathing start to creep in? I can’t say enough how much I adore this book. I’m still basking in the afterglow of the story. The characters are on point. The humor is amazing (pretty sure I never stopped grinning and laughing through the whole book). The side characters are great! The pacing is perfect. I don’t know what else there is to say except I am so ready for the next book!

I unfortunately really struggled getting into this book and have decided to DNF it at nearly 30%.

The language makes me feel stupid that I can’t understand it, and I’m finding the characters very unlikeable. Unfortunately I’m just not having a good time and can’t find it in me to keep going.

Thank you to Little, Brown Book group UK for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley all opinions are my own.

Osric Mordaunt is a member of the Fyren order of assassins and he urgently needs a healer but not just any healer, the only healer who can help him is Aurienne Fairhrim. Aurienne is paragon of view, a visionary and member of a rival order, of course she will never agree to help him or will she? Aurienne needs funds to help fight a very nasty virulent plague of pox that is affecting children, so when Osric bribes her to help him she agrees but only for the financial reward of doing so of course, as she detests him and everything he stands for. The two begin to work together to find a cure for Osric’s illness and investigate the mysterious pox, while trying to fight their attraction towards each other.

I loved this book, I devoured it in one sitting as it was awesome. It was slow burn, I really enjoyed it as the author really builds up the tension between them all throughout the novel. At first I didn’t think there was much redeemable in Osric but he surprised me by the lengths he went to to protect Aurienne, he may be stabby but he is loyal and persistent. Aurienne I loved her, she is smart, stubborn and doesn’t give in evenly so when Osric tries to bribe her, she’s turns the situation to her advantage. I really enjoyed the slow burn between the two main characters and the plot of the plagues and what is happening in the other Kingdoms. This book kept me engaged in the plot and the banter between the two main characters, I really can’t wait until the next book to find out where the story goes next and whether Osric will win over Aurienne. This was a really well thought out book, with a really good plot, unique magic system and slow burn romance, I would highly recommend.

Absolutely and hands down one of the most brilliant books I have read.. ever. I
went into this without having read the fanfic it is based on.. maybe if I had I would not have been so surprised by how much this was a refreshing, witty, original creation in any genre you could categorise it.. but maybe also for the best as I was able to appreciate it all the way.
I was wondering if the heroine would be a version of Emily Wilde and in a way they could be.. distant cousins.. but she is so much funnier, deeper, interesting, wittier.. and the hero.. sorry Wendell.. I thought you slightly lukewarm already, and you don't hold a candle here.
An added tidbit.. if you come from a medical background or similar you will appreciate all the lingo so much more than the average reader who might have to crack the dictionary open a few times.. and even then knowing what the terms are is not the same as the meaning known to you as part of your professional life for decades.. I do not know if the author has any medical background but she uses all of them like a pro in the most hilarious way.. and is responsible for me trying not to laugh out loud every time I heard one of them at work for weeks after.
A true delight as far as I'm concerned.

The way I preordered this book after finishing this arc was ONE CLICK. This book has it all. The tropes, the storyline and the characters just held my heart hostage for weeks. I find myself at a loss for words with how much I enjoyed this. BLOODY FABULOUS!! Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for this one!