I expected to enjoy this. I didn't expect to love it to the extent I did!

Firstly, the writing style is beautiful. The author excels at description and there were several scenes where she created a truly romantic atmosphere. Her writing does get quite flowery in places but the story is well edited and this never hampers the forward movement of the plot.

The world building is solid. The story is set in a fantastical version of a city which I think is London during an uncertain time period - electricity is mentioned so perhaps the turn of the last century. The use of a real setting but so changed by magic as to be almost unrecognisable reminds me a little of Babel and Sorcery of Thorns both of which I loved. I enjoyed the description of the magic system and the inclusion of 'deofols' - magical animal spirits linked to a specific person - it reminded me of the daemons in the Phillip Pullman books. Although this book is billed as romantasy and there is a lot of interaction between the two main protagonists it feels like solidly written fantasy to me rather than a romance novel with a bit of magic and supernatural creatures thrown in.

The burn is very slow which suited me fine and there is almost no smut. I wonder if this might change in the sequel but for me, I love the intensity of the dialogue and the amount of time the characters spent together without engaging in carnal acts!

My only criticisms of this book are the cliffhanger ending - there is a significant shift the character's relationship toward the end but it is by no means satisfying and with this book not even out yet I'm left wondering how long I will have to wait for a sequel. My other criticism is the insertion of a new plot device in the final chapter which I don't think was referenced earlier in the story. I feel like this could have been signposted a little better earlier in the book. These are minor complaints though. I loved this book and I will prostrating myself at the feet of the publisher desperate for a glimpse of the sequel!

3,75 stars!! <3
The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy was exactly what I thought it would be.
I ADORED the fact that Brigitte created an original story but included the essence of the DMATMOOBIL fanfic in it.
The utter disgust the characters felt for each other? UGH, true enemies to lovers just there.
Their banter was on point and made me kick my feet along the book and overall, I loved it.
It would have been a five stars for me were not for the plot and setting.
I feel like, for all of us Dramione lovers, the story made sense because we could recognise the associations, but for a reader encountering this story for the first time, they'll feel lost and overwhelmed. I wish the world setting and the magic system would have had a deeper development. That way, it'd be easier to understand why the plot went how it went.
However, it is a fantastic job for a debut and I only wish the biggest success for the author.
I can't wait to read the next!

Thank you to Little, Brown Book Group, Orbit, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I want to start this review by stating that I’ve never read any previous work by Brigitte Knightley, so I didn’t really know what to expect from this. To say I was surprised would be an understatement—I absolutely adored this. I have some opinions, yes, but I adored it.

This is primarily a fantasy with a romance subplot that grows as the story progresses—a super slow one. These characters really can’t stand each other at the beginning and only agree to work together as a means to an end. The author does a really good job of slowly developing their relationship, making the reader grow to care for them as the characters do for each other.

My main issue with this story is the underdeveloped worldbuilding. I know this story primarily takes place in a previously known world, so changing it all and making it a whole new world with its own magic system must not have been easy. I appreciate Brigitte’s work, but it could’ve been better. There are too many terms that are just thrown at the story, and maybe the reader can piece things together by context, but nothing is really well explained. Perhaps if there had been numerous info dumps, I would have totally hated it, so I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m not super happy with it, but it could’ve been worse.

The main characters are amazing, especially Aurienne. I really enjoyed reading her struggles to reconcile her morals with helping Osric, and even more when she starts to have complicated feelings about him. I can totally see where the author may have taken inspiration from, but she did a really good job of making them her own.

When I first started reading this, I hadn’t realized this was part of a duology, so I am absolutely hyped for the second book.

I was so looking forward to this, and while I totally loved the humour and had a few laugh out loud moments, this didn't hit the mark for me. There was very little background given about the characters or the world so I didn't feel fully engaged, and the plot fell a little flat.
I wish I could rank it higher, but I think this book just wasn't for me.

Thank you so much to Little, Brown Book Group UK for the ARC via NetGalley and for giving me the opportunity to share my honest thoughts on the book.

Brigitte Knightley delivers a delightful enemies-to-lovers romance that is equal parts witty and swoon-worthy. The banter between the protagonists crackles with tension, making every interaction a joy to read. While the chemistry is undeniable, I did wish for a bit more depth in the character development. That said, fans of sharp dialogue and slow-burn romance will absolutely devour this book. A fun, engaging read!

I don’t think i’ve ever laughed out loud at a book quite as much as this one. The back and forth between Aurienne and Osric was so much fun to read. I will certainly be adding Brigitte Knightley to my “buy anything they write” list of authors. Loved it!

3.5 Stars

This book started really good. I absolutely love the bantering and funny moments. The romane is solid, while also being a slow burn. I didn’t know that there’d be a second book, but it’s okay. I enjoyed the slow burn. The overall plot was intriguing. I guess Dramione fans will have fun reading this story and so will casual readers. I definitely had a good time.

However, the problem with fanfiction being rewritten and trad published, is that now the writer needs to come up with a world(building) on their own. They can no longer rely on an already established world(building). In this case, it was quite obvious that the author didn’t really know how to give the world some depth. Aside from the playful banter and witty exchanges that definitely had Dramione Vibes, the characters seemed quite one-dimensional, lacking in development and depth. The same can be said about the overall Worldbuilding and the pacing oftentimes felt weird. The ending was also quite abrupt. I know there’ll be a second book, but I think it would have worked better with as a standalone. Nonetheless a nice read, but definitely not the highlight I was hoping for.

Charmingly written with a steam-punk sort of magical system that, while a bit dense and hard to follow at first, was whimsical and pretty well thought out. The banter is bantering and the wit is delightful. Laughed out loud on multiple occasions.

I struggled with the first few chapters of this book— Aurrienne and Osric were a bit too rigid for me to like them. There’s a lot of intense world building going on and honestly the vocabulary in this book is… extensive. But as the story progressed the characters really grew on me and honestly I love how different they felt to so many other characters I’ve read.

I think if you’re looking for a fast plot this won’t be for you, it’s definitely on the cozier side. It’s a bit of a cozy mystery revolving around a virus that is killing children by the hundreds with a bit of enemies to lovers romance thrown in.
LOOK I do not toss out the trope “enemies to lovers” lightly. This is a very true enemies to lovers to its core.

This is a duology and I can’t decide how I feel about the ending of this book. It’s good but not as satisfying as I would have liked. I think I’ll like this better when I can just immediately read the next one- they maybe should have been just one book?

I feel like if you’ve read DMATMOOBIL your expectations are going to be through the roof. But pls remember that is 300,000 + words. This is a bit under 100,000.

Thanks to Little, Brown Book Group for the arc!

I was thrilled to see that my request for "The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy" was granted, as it has been one of my most anticipated reads of 2025. To start, I am a huge fan of Brigitte Knightley's earlier work, "Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love". Fans of DMATMOOBIL and those new to Knightley's work alike will enjoy "The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy" for its true adherence to the enemies to lovers and slow burn tropes we all love so much, unique magical world, smart characters and pervasive laugh out loud humour.

Aurienne and Osric are truly enemies, with a deep rooted disdain and hatred for one another from the start and throughout the vast majority of this book. Their animosity toward each other, and begrudging partnership are what drives most of the story. Unlike our characters, I found myself looking forward to their meetings as their verbal barbs and jabs were a delight to read. I also found myself wanting to put the book down and take breaks solely to prolong my reading experience - I didn't want it to end! By the time I made it to the last third of the book, however, I couldn't put it down as the tension between orders and kingdoms heated up in parallel to our characters' feelings for each other. I cannot wait for the next instalment to be released (and this, the first, hasn't even been published yet!).

I found the glossary at the beginning to be helpful, but would have liked a bit more exposition within the story to explain the history of this alternate England, and its orders and magic system to provide some more weight and history behind the conflicting orders of the Haelen and Fyren, and Aurienne and Osric by extension. It felt as if we were dropped into the middle of a story, without much character or world building from the start, but it was a delight to discover more as I read along regardless.

Thank you LittleBrownBookGroup_UK and Netgalley for approving my NetGalley request of an e-book in exchange for this honest review. You made my week!

Brigitte you understand longing and slow brun so well it is painful, and perfectly pleasurably. However ending a book this way is cruel and heartbreaking.
When I sign up to read romantacy this what I'm looking for. The enemies-to-lovers trope was perfection, and the way osric and aurienne were written was compelling and loveable.

How dare you make me feel things.
Please 🙏 I need to know how long i must suffer till the second book comes out.

The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy

This is a slow burn enemies to lovers that was full of witty banter and the slow burn is torturously slow (in the best way).

There is genuine animosity between our two main characters - Aurienne and Osric. They have valid reasons for hating each other, so to read through the book and watch their feelings shift - very, very slowly into something different, was such an enjoyable read.

The story is mainly character driven and the pacing is steady, which worked really well. The sarcasm and bickering between the two main characters had me laughing out loud at some points, the author has done an excellent job with the comedic aspect of this book, it was so easy to read.

I would’ve loved to have seen the magic system developed more throughout the story, I absolutely loved the concept of it and wanted a little more. The glossary at the beginning of the book was really useful to refer back to as I was reading, so a deep delve into the magic system and the world itself would’ve been amazing.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I feel like the author has delivered an excellent slow burn enemies to lovers and I’m delighted that it’s part of a duology as I thought this was a standalone! I can’t wait to read the next book to learn more about the world and what happens next with these characters. A solid 4.5 stars.

Thank you so much to @LittleBrownBookGroup_UK for providing me with an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review - all opinions are my own.

4.25

This was such a good book!!!!

I really loved the magical aspects and it definitely gave me Emily Wilde vibes however this was marketed to me as a fantasy romance whereas in my opinion it was a fantasy with a romance subplot but overall a good book with a great magic system and a fun and cute romance

3.5 stars !
A slow burn enemies to lovers that’s actually slow burn, full of banter between our two main characters. This was a thoroughly enjoyable read with enough plot to keep me hooked and I can’t wait to read the next book!
However the world building and character development in this book is quite weak, with most of the world building being done in the glossary. I would have loved to explore more about how the magic system and the orders work. The banter between the characters was great but at times was bordering on being silly, when that time could have been used to further develop the plot or the characters.
This is still a fun, silly little fantasy romance book that I recommend if you’re looking for something fairly easy and fast-paced to read!
Thank you netgalley for the arc !

The moment I hear about a book in my digital library that has an enemies-to-lovers storyline, I grab it without a second thought! I just can’t resist—it’s my ultimate guilty pleasure. The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy had everything I wanted in a fantasy romance: smart, funny dialogue, a slow-burning love story, and a detailed, magical world that completely pulled me in from the very first page.
Let me set the scene for you: Aurienne and Osric, two people who absolutely cannot stand each other. And when I say they don’t get along, I mean it. Their arguments are hilarious, filled with sharp comebacks and clever insults that had me laughing out loud. But the best part? Slowly, little by little, their feelings start to shift. Watching them go from enemies to something more was so satisfying—and honestly, a little painful in the best way.
What I really loved was how their hatred wasn’t just for show. Some books say "enemies-to-lovers," but the characters are flirting by chapter three. Not here! Aurienne and Osric have real reasons for their anger, and seeing them break down those walls felt completely natural and well-earned. I kept wanting to yell at them to just kiss already, but at the same time, I never wanted their arguments to end because their chemistry was that amazing.
But this book isn’t just about romance—it’s also set in a beautifully built fantasy world filled with mystery and adventure. I was hooked from start to finish, trying to piece together the clues while also enjoying the action-packed moments. And the best part? The story never loses sight of the romance. Everything blends together perfectly.
And that ending? It wrecked me. I need the next book immediately. If you love slow-burn romances that actually take their time, enemies-to-lovers where the enemies part is real, and a fantasy world that adds to the story instead of distracting from it, then you have to read this book.
A huge thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group | Ace for the digital review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

God I can't get over this. It's a true slow burn and now I'm going feral waiting for book 2 because HELLO.

Disclaimer: I'm a big fan of DMATMOOBIL—I've read it like a million times—but this is an original story. Thank you to NetGalley, Little Brown Book Group UK, and Brigitte Knightley for providing me with an eARC. I'm so honored—I didn’t even expect my request to be approved. All opinions are my own.
4,5/5
My most anticipated book of 2025!!! And I finished it in less than a day. :'(
The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy is a romantasy featuring my most beloved trope in the entire universe: enemies-to-lovers between a healer and an assassin. I loved both characters, adored their banter and bickering, and I absolutely can’t wait to see what they’ll do next.
The world-building is a little weak—it took me some time to get into it without feeling overwhelmed by all the new terminology. I hope we’ll see more development in the next book.
Still, I’ll definitely be buying a physical copy for a reread in July! <3

the immediate urge to fall for you enemy was a bit of a disappointment for me .. i went in to this book very excited at the premise, and felt lost and confused for about 50 % of the book.

i really felt like the plot had so much potential, but had quite a lot of holes. Like why the order was created, why anyone would willing become Fyren was obscure.. how the magic system worked etc.
i understand this was originally a fanfiction, so it come from a very well-developed series of books but I did feel like I needed a bit more information about the world they lived in!
the plot did pick up about the 60% mark and the pace picked up so much, that i will be continuing the series to carry on but the first half was a draggg to get through

also what was with the contrast of insanely high-brow words i had to search up the meaning of with toilet humour every five seconds ?!?

the characters overall, were pretty enjoyable to read about and i enjoyed the pace of the relationship as a whole and the dynamic that was created between them, the banter was genuinely funny at times and the ending left me wanting more to their story

overall , not necessarily bad.. i think my expectations were too high. but it wasn’t amazing either and i did struggle to understand what was going on half the time with the words i couldn’t even pronounce and didn’t realise were in the English Language

The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy is an enemies to lovers rom-com book. The story follows Aurienne, a talented healer from the Haelen Order, who's on a mission to create a vaccine for a deadly pox affecting children, and Osric, a brooding assassin from the Fyren Order who hires her to save him from losing his powers.

Aurienne and Osric’s relationship progression is incredibly slow burn. Their bickering and sarcastic exchanges are both hilarious and endearing, making the slow progression from enemies to something more feel natural.

I can see where others might criticise this story, since it leans heavily into its comedic elements, however I thoroughly enjoyed reading. If you are looking for a book that doesn’t take itself seriously, and in all honesty is a bit silly, I recommend this to you. I found it very refreshing to read compared to some of the darker fantasy books I have read.

I am familiar with the author’s previous work in the Dramione universe and she has a clearly developed writing style that was evident in this book. If you enjoyed Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love, I would assume you will also enjoy this book.

I didn’t realise there was a glossary at the back of book until I finished and I was still able to pick up on the terminology used, however I would recommend readers take a look at this beforehand to fully immerse yourself in the story.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for this ARC. I absolutely will recommend this book to others, and I am eagerly awaiting the second book in the series to find out what’s next for these characters.

This is my second attempt at reading a Dramione coded book. And I admit it's hard not to judge it based on the fact that the author came from HP fanfiction. Which is totally fine and not at all bad, it's just always at the back of my mind.

This one is witty and banter-y and definitely on the lighter side.
Sometimes in my opinion it's trying too hard to be witty though, and there's many p*nis jokes and the like baked in. They might make a teen giggle but it was too ridiculous for me at times.

The worldbuilding is sufficient to present us with a new world, but there's not a lot of depth.

The romance...well it's what you expect when you go into this book informed. Definitely slow burn though.

I think if you vibe with the characters and their interactions, you will have a lot of fun reading this.

For me it's 3/5 stars.

Thank you @netgalley and @LittleBrownBookGroup_UK for the eARC!

#TheIrresistibleUrgeToFallForYourEnemy #Netgalley #Bookstagram

Knightley's debut was my first dip into the romcom books, and my God am I now HOOKED.

Three words to describe? Witty, page-turning, fast-paced.
Perfect place to be read? On a beach, under the sun, wearing pink heart-shaped sunglasses.

TIUTFFYM's main characters Aurienne and Osric are complicated, colourful, and most importantly, at each other's throats in this slow-burn enemies-to-lovers plot. On that note, EtL is delivered fantastically; they don't just dislike each other, they hate each other's guts with palpable vehemence, making that eventual 'to lovers' all the more satisfying. The vibrance of the characters makes the dual narrative all the more fun (nothing worse than a POV from a boring character) and as such, there's a continually witty narrative dripping with some of the best insults I have encountered (I may have to steal some to direct at people I don't like!).

This is absolutely an accessible read - knowing that TIUTFFYM came about from a highly commended Dramione fic on AO3, this is definitely its own story, with its own fantastic world-building (an alternate UK where 1066 didn't happen!) and compelling plotline!

All in all, high praise for Knightley's debut - I look forward to buying a hard copy to reread!

I encountered some spelling and grammatical mistakes, however I believe the provided copy may be an uncorrected ARC, so this isn't an issue.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing the e-ARC.