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.

This was definitely an interesting one, and was nothing like I expected it to be! I expected it to be funny from the title, but that sense of humour definitely carried all the way through, which was a little much at some points but overall I really enjoyed it.

The dynamic between Osric and Aurienne was really enjoyable, this is definitely a slow burn relationship though in case you were looking for something more fast paced. I enjoyed the reluctant agreement that they came to because then they were forced by their contract to work with each other, seeing them look past their initial impressions of each other was really enjoyable and I’m looking forward to seeing how their relationship develops in the next book.

However I didn’t find the world building particularly strong, in practice it was really interesting and quite a unique system, however I would have preferred the exposition to have been worked into the narrative, as starting a book with pages and pages of definitions and histories is quite intimidating, I think that perhaps the glossary could have found its place at the back for referencing further after the narrative explained it.

We enter a world of magic, Orders and a slow burn enemies to lovers romance. This story follows Aurienne Fairhrim, a scholarly healer of the Haelan Order, who has vowed to harm no one and use their seith (magic) in healing and scientist research, and Osric Mordaunt, a deadly assassin of the Fyren Order, who has vowed to be wicked and to do harm in exchange for money. As it may appear, they would not get on. And they do not. They are from enemy Orders, and would hardly ever interact with one another. Unless … well Osric is in dire need of a healer for his degenerative disease, and not just any healer, but the best of the best: Aurienne. After the threat of kidnap is swiftly battered back by Aurienne, Osric bribes her to help him by offering to donate a significant amount of money to help fund her Pox research and immunisation program. Thinking of her very sick patients, she reluctantly agrees. With every secret healing session, a bond forges and rather than enemies, they slowly become hesitant allies. Especially when they encounter hints of a conspiracy amongst Orders and kingdoms which may explain the resurgence of the deadly Pox.

The enemies to lovers trope is my absolute favourite, but it’s very rare they are true enemies. But I can see Brigitte Knightley also felt this too because Aurienne and Osric were very much enemies. The added fraught relationship between their Orders really made it clear how they felt about one another, and I just adored their banter and their constant squabbling. The highlight of this book for me was the witty comebacks and the way Aurienne did not fall for any of Osric’s flirtatious ways. It was so entertaining! The overall vibes reminded me of Hannah Nicole Maehrer’s Assistant to The Villain and The Princess Bride (1987). This felt like a cosy fantasy, which I love, but with violence, gore and dirty jokes. It was a great combination.

The slow burn romance was very slowly burning throughout, and I was never bored of these characters. It wasn’t until towards the end did each of them admit it to themselves their feelings has changed, and I congratulate Brigitte Knightley for not rushing it. I’m excited to see their relationship really develop in the sequel. These characters are (obviously) so dramoine coded, and with the knowledge this book began as fan fiction, I can say this can so clearly stand on its own two feet.

The writing style felt very unique; it was witty and funny, yet also so beautiful when she was describing Osric and Aurienne’s developing friendship and connection. Though I will say on some occasions I did find those two elements to be jarring when they were both used in the span of one paragraph. The pacing felt off at times, and while I loved all the scenes of Osric and Aurienne, I did feel like the actual ‘plot’ did not start until about 60% in, and towards 80% - 90% a lot happened (which i enjoyed a lot) and then for the last 10% it slowed back down.

The ending was satisfying, though it was a cliffhanger, but I am now desperate for the next book!

Thank you so much to @LittleBrownBookGroup_UK for this eARC!

The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy is out 8th July 2025

Dearly Beloathed part one is a fun, witty and slightly crude romantasy. We have a healer and assassin from different orders that are natural enemies. They come together simply because they have things the other one needs. I enjoyed the bantering and the fact they disliked eachother so much. The slow-burn is so slow that I didn’t feel much tension and then in the very final 5% something happens but then the book ends. So generally left feeling a bit flat in terms of romance. If the world building was fleshed out more I would have definitely enjoyed this more, so much potential there that wasn’t explored in favour of banter. Overall it’s a fun and easy read for those looking for cozy with dark humour.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

Uhm, this was fine.

We follow Aurienne, an exceptional healer approached by Osric, an assassin, because he has an incurable disease that he thinks only she can heal due to her reputation and a theory she presented when she was younger. These two are from opposing Orders, and she's forced to agree to try to heal him because there's currently a pox affecting children, and her Order lacks the funds to continue developing immunization. The story goes from there, and it's promising at first, but it falls a little flat.

I was really enjoying it at the start because the humor worked well for me, I liked the tone, and it seemed that we would get some interesting worldbuilding. However, as I got further into the book, it started to lose me because I realized we weren't getting much worldbuilding or characterization at all, and the tone wasn't changing as needed to match the situations. It was all unserious, all the time, so the stakes didn't feel substantial at all. And they are substantial; children are dying, and only one of the 12 Orders in this world is doing something about it.

In the end, these characters are very surface-level. She's a healer, he's a killer; she follows rules, he breaks them; she likes to play it safe, he likes to take risks. They're opposites in every way, but I couldn't tell you anything beyond that. Why are they the way they are? What's driving them, besides duty and the desire to continue living? Who are they outside of their job? Their inner world is limited to what they think about each other, and that's only engaging to a certain point.

Similarly, the world feels very surface-level. There are words and terms, yes, and we get some info from these characters here and there, but we don't get enough to imagine a rich world and to be immersed. I know there are Orders, but we only learn some information about the two Orders the characters belong to. We know how they use their power and how it affects them, but not much else.

Most of this book is just these two bantering, which is fun, and I love slow burn, so I don't have any complaints about the relationship from enemies to lovers moving this slowly, but if I think about it for even a second, it's clear there was nothing really there for me to sink my teeth into. The chemistry was lacking, I wasn't living and kicking my feet. And the conclusion is underwhelming.

At the end of this book, it feels like nothing much happened. There was some progress in his healing, their relationship started to change, and they found intriguing information about the Pox plot, but it's all left up in the air. I won't remember a single thing about this when the second book comes out, I'm sure, but I enjoyed this enough to still give it a try. There's room for improvement here, and if the improvements are made, this could be a much more solid romantasy. As it is, it's a middle-of-the-road addition to the genre.

The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy is the kind of book that sneaks up on you—what seems like a classic enemies-to-lovers premise slowly unfolds into something far more layered, more cerebral, and frankly, more fun than I expected. This isn’t just a romance with a sprinkle of fantasy. It’s a fantasy with teeth, wrapped around a slow, antagonistic burn that’s equal parts hilarious and emotionally grounded.

Brigitte Knightley drops us into a steampunky, magic-saturated world where electricity and arcane science coexist, and where political tensions simmer beneath gilded surfaces. It’s the kind of setting that refuses to hold your hand—which I loved. No expository dumps, no neat little maps—just clever, confident worldbuilding and a cast of characters sharp enough to match it.

At the center of it all are Aurienne, a principled healer with no time for nonsense, and Osric, a morally bankrupt (but irritatingly charming) assassin who gets under her skin in about three seconds flat. They’re enemies not by petty grudge, but by vocation and ideology: she preserves life, he ends it. Watching them try to work together without strangling each other is wildly entertaining. Their insults are art. The banter? Weaponized. I was wheezing.

But what really sets this book apart is its patience. The romance builds with such deliberate tension that by the time feelings surface, it feels earned—messy, inconvenient, and inevitable. There’s no insta-love, no contrived spark. Just two extremely competent people forced into proximity, who slowly—almost reluctantly—begin to see each other as more than obstacles. It’s the kind of slow burn that respects its characters too much to rush them.

And while yes, the romance is a throughline, the plot does a lot of the heavy lifting here. There’s mystery, magical politics, secret pasts, and a richly textured world full of institutions, inventions, and magical guilds. The romantic payoff is subtle, but delicious. That said, this is book one of a duology—so if you're hoping for resolution, temper your expectations. Knightley plays the long game.

Also, a quick note: Osric is not some tortured hitman with a soft gooey center. He’s an assassin who kills people for money and enjoys his job. He has colleagues. And they are weirdly delightful. If you’re squeamish about dark humor or light gore, consider yourself warned—but if you can roll with it, the tone is chef’s kiss.

Witty, well-paced, and smarter than your average romantasy, this one’s for readers who like their romance tangled up in politics, power plays, and expertly deployed insults. I’m already counting the days until the sequel.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

I would like to thank Orbit, Brigette Knightley and Netgalley for an e-ARC of this book, in return for an honest review.

I am going to address the elephant in the room first; this book was INSPIRED BY but is not at all like the Dramione fanfiction, Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love. Trust me, I have read the fic MULTIPLE times. The main characters and their developing relationship/banter is definitely reminiscent of the original work by isthisselfcare, but otherwise the world, magic system and storyline is wholly Brigette's creation.

I am going to take some time here to discuss the controversy surrounding the marketing, as it has become a point of contention due to the fact it started as a HP fanfic. As someone who does not support not abide that particular authors views, I can also confidently say that fanfiction is for the majority, an entirely separate entity. Many of the fanfic writers who wrote/write in that universe share this perspective. Fanfic does not contribute to said authors wealth as the readers and writers were already familiar with said OG works - and likely are trying to escape the parameters of contributing to harmful rhetoric and write specifically to change factors of that universe. I take the view that, marketing these newly published/to be published works AS Dramione inspired helps to offer alternatives written by some truly wonderful people who have reworked their fics that existed years before the fallout of a certain TERF's tendancies have come to light. Also I would like to mention that it is no secret that, that particular author DETESTS fanfic. NOW ONTO THE REVIEW.

Osric, an assassin belonging to the notorious and despised Fyren order is suffering a degenerative illness that attacks his seith system, following recommendations from the best physickers money and presumably bribery and threats can buy, he learns Aurienne may be his best bet at healing the disease that will leave him unable to use his seith. As a shadow-walker, paid to commit any number of atrocities and crimes for anyone with a heavy coin-purse throughout the kingdoms, his seith being on the fritz is less than ideal - in that were his order to discover the decline of his magic, he would be executed as the weak link in their organisation.

Aurienne, a Haelen renowned for her work healing seith degeneration soon learns that her past flight of academic fancy in the form of a half baked idea about incorporating the “Old Ways” with the Haelan seith, has come back to bite her in the arse. As an epidemic of Pox is running rampent throughout the Tiendoms and targets only children - often leaving them with encephalopathy. The Order of Haelan, despite being the most prestigious and honoured healers in the Tiendoms have not had any success securing grants that would help with the development of life saving innoculations - leaving the entire order frazzled and subject to vast Seith depletion.

Osric (and his housekeeper Mrs Parson) soon learn this may be the best way to achieve his goal of acquring Aurienne's services, despite the Haelen Order's strict policy of not helping the Fyren. The Pox-ridden Peasant Children and blackmail in the disguise of a charitable donation of twenty million thrymas (which he fully intends to recuperate) to their innoculation efforts should do the trick and if all else fails, kidnapping ought to do the trick.

As it turns out Aurienne, is NOT the sort of woman that can be threatened, bribed and brow-beaten into doing anything by a man with stormy eyes, excellent hair and far too much swagger and ego. And the proposterous idea of rehashing a theory from her apprentice days seems FAR too farfetched. But when her mentor Xanthe corners her into agreeing to the arrangement, she finds she hasn't much of a choice and thus begins an EXTREMELY ill advised endeavour of forced comradeship - but neither will make it easy. And throughout the unlikely duo, begin to unravel a plot that is far bigger and more serious than originally perceived- putting not only their lives but the safety of the warring Teindoms at risk - which becomes more apparent when Aurienne inadvertently begins a war between two of these warring nations.

🩷Enemies to lovers
🗡️Forced Proximity
🩷High interaction slow burn
🗡️Hypercompetent idiots
🩷He falls first and harder
🗡️Evisceration as a love language
🩷 Clueless MMC
🗡️Stubborn STEM girly
🩷 Stabby MMC
🗡️ Touch Her and Die

This book was EVERYTHING I needed and more. It is no secret that this was one of my most anticipated reads of 2025 and it did not disappoint!

The magic system and world building (which we start to see and I hope will flourish more in book two) is unique and adds a touch of realism to an otherwise fantastical idea. In many books featuring a magic system, we see characters somehow mastering a littany of different types of magic or mastering a particular skill with very minimal deficit to them. However, Brigette has created a world and magic (seith) that directly impacts the user based on the use; we see this more predominantly with Osric who is suffering complete degeneration and seith rot, which is until this point irreversible and entirely fatal. We also see the impact of seith over-use which is unique to each user, through the Haelan. Aurienne's cost being chapped hands which can become so severe that it results in complete skin debrievment to the bones, another Haelan suffers hairloss, Xanthe suffers gastroparesis. Showing the cost and limits of magic within a fantasy is refreshing and Brigette's approach is something I have not seen before!

The travel system was also simultaneously magical and hilariously limited - the options being carriage or via weystones, which are for the most part only located attached to pubs on the weylines. Meaning that inevitably the characters are having to galavant across the country to and from weystones. The best part of this mode of travel is not the fact that it makes everyone mildly nauseous but the fact that the weystone provides the users an underground-esq message to "mind the gap" which I couldn't help but read in the British Transport announcement voice.

In a similar vein, this world also features deofol, which are mist-like corporeal animal companions which are with the user from childhood. They are wholly unique to each individual, but they also have their own personalities - this added an extra level of hilarity to most situations, particulaly between Osric and Aurienne. Osric's deofol being a wolf named Cinder, who rather sinesterly appears much like the cheshire cat, all teeth and yellow eyes. While Aurienne's is an albino gennet named Ciele, who has no problem sharing his dislike of Osric at every given opportunity.

The world is mostly built around a map similar to the UK - and it is reminscent of the early feudal structure, with each region being separate. They are ruled by kings and queens with alleigances to particular orders - with the Haelan (bright path) and Fyren (dusken path) being the only independents. In addition to these orders, we also see Hedgewitches (dim path), Agannor (dusken path), Dreor (dusken path), Ingenaut (bright path), Leyfarer (bright path) Warden (bright path). All of which feature in some capacity throughout this book - I would love to see some further in-depth exploration of these seith allegiances in the next book as there is SO much potential.

Now for the characters!:

Aurienne is such a strong fmc - in the sense that she may be viewed as a marmite character - you either love her or hate her. I adored her. She is stubborn, successful and forociously intelligent - and she knows it. She comes from an extensively intelligent background, with an ingenaut mother and a botany professor for a father. Her hobbies consist of pursuits to further her intelligence. She has an extremely strong sense of morality and justice; and takes her promise to do no harm VERY seriously. Despite a rather aseptic exterior, she is fiercely loyal and dedicated to helping people - she loves her order and friends and feels more strongly in some regards than is strictly professional. We also see her in a more vulnerable and soft light at several points throughout the book, which shows the depth and development of her character.

Osric is opposite in most ways - he is egotistical, proud and has very little care for what is lawful. He is simply out to improve his own life and collect beautiful things. He is rather conceited, but this strangely comes across as rather endearing. He is also intelligent and rather witty. That being said, despite his role as an assassin and seemingly absent moral compass; he has an extremely strong sense of justice - with retribution and revenge featuring heavily on his mind. He is most definitely a product of his past, which we learn of later in this book. That being said, despite their rocky start and initial dislike of one another, Osric becomes fiercely protective of Aurienne - even if he is clueless as to his motives for this sense of protectiveness and possessiveness.

The relationship between the two main characters is probably the most well-executed enemies to lovers trope I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Their relationship is most definitely a slow-burn, with no admission to any type of feelings until the last page. They are adorably clueless - but nonetheless, complement each other. We see the gradual development and evolution of their principles - each adopting and growing beyond their original comfort zone. But what does not change, is the BANTER between the main characters, which is truly unmatched - Brigette is a mastermind.

The side characters are loveable and add an additional level of hilarity and nuance to the plot. In addition to Cath and Eloise (Aurienne's friends and colleagues), Leofric (Osric's colleague and begrugeoning friend - who is simultaneously dim and lovable) we also have Xanthe, Aurienne's elderly mentor who rather charmingly refers to Osric as Onion Boy. Xanthe is an experience in the best way possible - with her threatening and rather insulting letters to the Teindoms royalty to her sassy orders relating to espionage, she is truly a delight. Equally, Mrs Parson offers the same role in Osric's life. I dread to think what would happen if these two characters were ever in the same room - it would undoubtedly result in chaos.

Overall, this book was FANTASTIC and everything I had hoped for and more from the many months of waiting and anticipation. Brigette's writing style is unique and hilariously approachable - while also being beautifully lush. Her characters are imaginative and distinctive. The way she writes relationships is both heartwarming and heartwrenchingly vulnerable. I cannot wait for book two!!!

Some of my favourite - spoiler free moments:

🩷 Osric wearing an pink examination gown made for children as a kilt SENT me
🩷The RANDY UNICORN
🩷 Rigor Mortis. Arson. Perjury. Forgery. Outraging Public Decency. High Treason. Diverse Felonies. Crème Brûlée.
🩷 Acts of Warranted Brutality

Fave Quotes:
🩷"You on the other hand, have got the survival instincts of a crumpet"
🩷 "Also: Fairhrim had no business having Thighs of Interest"
🩷 "'Might we,' asked Aurienne, 'go anywhere without subtracting from the population?' 'Would you prefer' asked Mordaunt, 'that we add to 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.’"
🩷 " 'You're a common thief' 'Common? How dare you'"
🩷"'You're winding me up' said Fairhrim. 'You really are delicious'"
🩷"She was a thing between desire and impossibility"
"Then came the tender apocalyse of his lips on hers"
🩷 "He and she sat in the moonlight as lover and beloved"
🩷"He hadn’t paid attention. He had been stupid – gods, so stupid. He no longer owned his heart."
🩷 "The realisation was a breaking point. He saw before him the beautiful impossibility of it all, league upon league of impossibility stretching between them. It was ruthless folly; it was the sorrow of a thing ending before it could begin; it was a new circle of torment; it was a delicious wound. What joy seamed by misery. What pleasure fraught with pain."

First of all I would like to say thank to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Just from seeing the title of this book I knew that I needed to request and read it. Enemies to Lovers yes please! It has a slow burn, immersive fantasy world and as you would expect enemies to lovers trope.

What I liked about it as well is that the main characters are genuinely enemies and not just superficial they both had a background and depth and could really feel the slow burn of them slowly letting their walls down, it was refreshing as I hate it when they are in love by the second chapter. I want some fuel to the fire.

I can’t wait for the sequel now.

So good I’ve read it twice already.

Snarky banter, enemies, mystery, magic. I had so much fun reading this. I was laughing, I was on the edge of my seat, this book has it all. Osric is the perfect anti hero, snarky, so morally grey it’s black and Aurienne isn’t your typical FMC, they’re such polar opposites, quite literally on the light and dark side but it creates the perfect tension.

And dramione coded too, just exquisite vibes all around. If you love a slow burn this is the story for you.

Also that ending??? I need the next part right now please and thank you.

4.75 rounded up

This book was so funny and is the definition of enemies to lovers. The world is complex but didn’t feel like Harry Potter and I didn’t feel like I needed any HP knowledge. The story was great, with a good plot. But the relationship of the FMC and MMC is what makes this book. The writing just makes this so easy to read.


It lost 0.25 because the ending is very abrupt.

Gagging for book 2!!

Whew… where do I even start with this one? 😅
I was genuinely excited for this book - so much that the moment I got the approval email, I dropped everything to dive in (and i was in the middle of some absolute bangers). But uh... that excitement was very short-lived.

As far as I'm aware, this is an original story, but it’s well known that the author has a fanfic background. The influence of two very recognizable characters is strong, and like with many fanfic to traditionally published works, the worldbuilding felt underdeveloped - kind of like I’d been dropped into a half-formed universe and left to figure it out on my own.

I will give credit where it’s due, the humor absolutely carried the first half for me and caused some proper laugh out loud moments. But over time, even that started to wear thin. I completely lost interest and ended up shelving the book for WEEKS before finally dragging myself kicking and screaming across the finish line.

Unfortunately this book was just not for me. I want to preface that I didn't read the original fanfiction, and I do think that if you have you might go into this with some prior attachment to the characters and the story. However, I wasn't able to connect to the characters or the story in the slightest. I wasn't a fan of the writing, finding it to be juvenile and incredibly jarring, so much so that it would take me out of the story completely, from the humour used to the names of places and people (theres only so many butt/bollock/nipple jokes I can take). I thought the world-building left a lot to be desired and honestly, and probably most importantly, I just didn't feel the connection between the two main characters. I probably enjoyed two or three scenes in this whole book, hence the 2 star rating. Maybe if you've read the original story, you might enjoy this more but unfortunately it just wasn't for me.

I went into this having not read any of the author's fanfiction before so I really had no idea what to expect.

It was such a fun read for me and I love the fact that for once it was a true enemies to lovers. For me I massively enjoy when the FMC, is in the STEM world. I adored her intelligence and moral compass. Osric is very cheeky and a charmer. Together their chemistry and banter is off the scales! I love that they stay consistent to their true nature throughout the book, you feel like you know them so well you could imagine what they would do in any given scenario.

It is incredibly slow burn and their relationship felt like a very natural progression and not one built off lust.

The author clearly is incredibly bright herself and I learnt a thing or too about my vocabulary when I was cracking out the dictionary.

For some it could have done with perhaps a smidge more world building to really sell the fantasy side of this book.

For anyone who is obsessed with enemies to lovers like me, adores an opposites attract with quick witted banter , favours strong and developed MC's and can't say no to a fantasy then you absolutely must pick this up!

Thank you so much for the ARC, I am so ready for book 2!

4.25/4.5 ⭐

The Irresistible Urge is a wonderfully absurd, true-enemies-to-lovers, laugh-out-loud fun adventure. I went in with low expectations, but came out thoroughly entertained!

Osric and Aurienne are two equally strong characters and the loathing between them worked so well. There’s never a dull time when they’re together and their chemistry is soooo good. This is how you do proper banter! It’s short, snappy, and I literally wanted to grab a bowl of popcorn every time they were on screen. It genuinely felt like I was watching a ping pong match every time they’re hurling insults and jibes at each other with their sharp-tongues and it led to so many genuine laugh out loud moments throughout the novel. I will never get tired of their banter and cannot wait for more of it in book 2. There’s genuinely too many good quotes between them that makes the book so re-readable.

I appreciated how this was TRUE enemies to lovers since novels like these are hard to come by these days. They are from two different orders, one that is evil and one that specialises in healing, and are forced to come together when Osric realises he is degenerating and requires Aurienne to heal him. I was worried they would fall too quickly as these novels often do, but oh no. They genuinely loathe each other with every fiber of their being and stay that way for a very long time. The slow burn was phenomenal and I loved seeing the gradual progression to them helping one another out of necessity to genuine love. Knightley knows how to establish memorable scenes where you’re able to pinpoint the exact moment they shift from enemies to not exactly lovers, but a point in which they tolerate the other’s presence a bit more.

Because they totally don’t like each other.

Individually as characters, I really liked both Osric and Aurienne, too. This novel is compared to Emily Wilde and I see the resemblance! Aurienne is very Emily Wilde coded with her sharp intellect and how she leads with her mind instead of her heart. She’s very blunt and her tongue is just as sharp as Osric’s – maybe even sharper. I love that she lives by a strong moral code as a healer and is openly scornful of the things Osric does even when she is forced to heal him. It made the loathing between them very justifiable and palpable, which is why the enemies to lovers between them worked incredibly well.

Osric too is just as snarky and genuinely ruthless. He’s not just an assassin in name and the novel does not shy away from his violence. Yet with his humor, charm and hilariously entertaining quips, it was hard to dislike his character. He had me right from the beginning and I loved seeing Osric’s sulkier, spoiled side. It truly did feel like I was reading about Emily and Wendell in another universe if they hated each other, LMFAO. I loved seeing Osric go from hating Aurienne to being someone that genuinely cares for her well-being and the things he does for her had my heart fluttering. I always live for the “he falls first and harder” trope.

I did have some trouble navigating the world building on this one. This is a very character-driven novel, so I found it hard to visualise the setting, which I’m assuming is supposed to have a futuristic, sci-fi feel to it. The magic system was also confusing initially as it expects you to figure it out along the way. As a result, I was quite lost in the beginning with the key terms and didn’t realise there was a glossary at the end of the novel. I wasn’t quite sure why certain words were capitalised as well and did not understand the stylistic choice for it. The novel also is intentionally silly, and while it is a self-aware novel and the characters poking fun and how absurd it is, it also did feel a little overbearing at times and certain jokes stretch on for too long.

Nonetheless, Osric and Aurienne carried this novel as they should and I will be eagerly awaiting book 2!

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thoroughly enjoyed this. Although, you know those reels that do the rounds from time to time about trying to understand a new fantasy world and terminology? Well, I think it may be about this book because I spent a lot of the first 30% at least going what, who, huh? Buttt I kind of just lent into it and decided to just accept it. I would say - there’s a glossary at the beginning- read it!

I also didn’t know about the dramomine background prior to reading which I think was good as I’m not really interested in that. I also don’t think that this felt like that story too much?

Anyway! My fave part of this was the banter. It was glorious. It made me lol and I love it when books make me lol.

I really liked the characters who I felt were well matched. It’s a slow burn. I thought this was going to be a stand alone. The whole vibe of the cover, the title and the romance focus made me think this but it’s not at all! The story starts as one thing and kind of ends up another but I really didn’t mind because I was having a good time.

Also, FINALLY, this is a true enemies to lovers story. About time, too!

Overall, I would describe my experience of this book as brilliant, confusing, slow burn, bantery, fantasy world building lite paired with some of the densest fantasy terminology I’ve read in a while. I want a deofal and I want a tacn and I don’t want to be a Harlem or a Fyren.

So pretty good! 😂

Incredibly witty and highly stimulating!
This book was addictively funny, dripping with British dry humor and I was so here for it! I was totally hooked from page one.

First of all, those chapters titles: I laughed so hard ! It goes like: Irresistible Bastard meets immovable bitch to Onion boy, his travels and misfortunes or Osric the microbe

Aurienne and Osric also detest each other, or rather what the other represents with their orders being complete opposites and all, and the banter it creates, gosh! An absolute delight. She is a healer and he is an assassin and they are forced to work together as he is dying from a rot on his magic though they can barely stand each other and want to throttle each other from time to time 😅

Osric was such a great MMC! Shadow daddy, Witty, assassin ( with manners, mind you!) and absolutely cocky, and Aurienne took a great time humbling him with her indifference and snarky retorts.
Aurienne is such a strong FMC, impassible and a genius in her field, and is neither swayed nor threatened easily.

This was highly educational too, because it’s full of unusually used words and thus expanded my vocabulary immensely, and I absolutely love it for that!

Also, the tropes are troping in this one! Enemies to lovers, Forced proximity, banter with the slowest of burns, STEM rep, great magic system and world building, Bi FMC, intelligent insults et cetera…

The romance just begun in this book and I cannot wait to continue their adventure…

Thank you so much Little Brown Book Uk and NetGalley for this copy, this was a regal!

From the blurb, marketed tropes and author reviews for ‘The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy’ I was certain I was going to find this book a comedic romantasy masterpiece.

Aurienne, an uptight fiery scientist female protagonist? Perfect.

Osric, an unapologetic assassin forced to seek her help? Tell me more…

The two of them investigating the root causes of his damaged seith system and a growing epidemic? Sign me up!

To some degree, I would say that I was impressed by how it actually stayed true to the enemies-to-lovers trope, not having the characters gloss over their opposing factions or wave off their animosity towards each other instantly. The sarcasm, innuendos and macabre humour also initially hit all the right spots.

However, part of the problem is that this humour doesn’t stop. There is no breathing room. The humour gets stale, which is frustrating when some lines later in the book would have had me heartily chuckling had it not already gone past the point of saturation.

Prior to this I would’ve absolutely considered the constant witty responses and sexual jabs woven with dark humour to be a perfect fit for me. Yet it pervades the book to the point of rendering the characters (that I so wanted to adore!) to two dimensional caricatures that are there to churn out gradually cheaper cracks or explain the seith system. It meant there was minimal space left to develop their characters beyond their archetypes, explore how their relationship changes beyond the surface level and give the worldbuilding something beyond the generic.

I will say I definitely appreciated the effort behind the explanations of the seith system, and I felt it contributed towards its presumed purpose of exploring Aurienne’s personality and worldview. Yet, even as someone with a STEM background, this tipped towards excessive at points.

The Britishisms and what I think were historical colloquialisms, coming from a southern English perspective, came across a bit forced. They were perhaps there to give the book more of a historical setting? However, when combined with the very modern dialogue, attitudes and the juvenile comedy it quickly becomes very jarring. Despite the plot focusing more on the character interactions, this writing style meant that you couldn’t fully connect with the characters or world and made it sadly underwhelming.

Regardless, I would very much like to thank Netgalley, Orbit and the Little Brown Book Group for providing the e-arc in exchange for an honest review. Even though this book just didn’t fit with my preferences, I would recommend this to contemporary romance readers who are looking to explore the romantasy genre.

I was sold on this book with first chapter title irresistible bastard meets immovable bitch. Loved the descriptions at the beginning of the world and how to pronounce the words.

I was laughing out loud and giggling through this book I can’t even describe the writing but it’s so clever how it flits between one persons POV and the thoughts from the other.

The tension and banter between Osric and Aurienne is next level and this book now may be my whole personality.

Whoever approved me for a Netgalley ARC did me a big disservice because this book blew me away and now I need to wait even longer for the sequel. (Jokes aside, I want to give a very big thanks for it.) One of the easiest 5/5 ratings I've given.

While I've read a lot of Dramione fanfic, I never read Mortifying Ordeal. (Although I'm pretty sure I have to now...) I loved how this story took the best part of fanfics as inspiration, making everything fresh instead of simply being a published fanfic.

First, what I love the most was the characters. Osric is an asshole but he's so likeable at the same time, and the plot of him needing healing works so well to create an engaging dynamic with Aurienne who I also love so much. I loved all the comedy and spending time with them.

Also, the worldbuilding is beyond what I expected and keeps the plot moving perfectly. 10/10, no notes, give me an unlimited number of books in this world.

But the best part is the perfectly excuted slow burn. The energy it brings is so magical. I literally can't wait for the sequel.

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would, mainly because it wasn’t what I was expecting in some ways. I enjoyed both the main characters separately but then also together, the chemistry and banter between them was great and the plot is interesting. The only things I wasn’t the biggest fan of was, and is possibly a personal thing, in some places the world building felt messy or complicated and the ending really didn’t feel like one.
I will read the next in the series.

Thank you for the arc.