Irresistible Bastard Meets Immovable Bitch (aka as Chapter one).
Hermione and Draco fanfiction repackaged into a new world, new terms, and slightly different characters.

Aurienne is desperate for funding to heal the sick. Osric needs someone to heal a seith degenerate disease (magic rot). He bribes her to help him and she haltingly accepts. Haelan and Fyren shadow-walking assassin - their Orders hate each other, they detest each other. They both need each other.

This was exceedingly slow burn. Like the romance is literally non-existent until the last 5%. Extremely enemies-to-lovers with quips, digs, constant argument. Fork-induced thoracic trauma shenanigans.

<b>’You - you killed someone while they were eating yoghurt?' asked Aurienne.
'Yes. It was good yoghurt, too!'
‘You ate the yoghurt?'
'After he was dead, yes. He'd hardly touched it. What? What's the matter?’
</b>
Aurienne is not arrogant she is The Best. Orin is not evil, he just has no morals and likes money.

This was fun, but it truly did read like I was reading fanfiction.
Capitalising things don’t always make them automatically funny. There was a lot of d jokes.

Outside the bantering and the wit exchange - which gave definite dramonie vibes, they felt so one-dimensional and there was little development or depth.

There was little side character development with the focus on the tension between the two. Similarly, the world building is promising with different orders and types of magic (seith) and seith users, however this mostly relies on the glossary and diagrams provided at the start of the book.

Physical arc (and fork lol) gifted by Orbit.

I really wanted to like this, but unfortunately, it just wasn’t for me. Despite the enemies-to-lovers premise, I struggled to connect with the story. Osric, the main male character, was hard for me to picture as the tall, handsome figure on the cover. I kept imagining him as a small, round man, which he couldn't be further from.

The slow-burn romance and banter didn’t work for me either—The world-building was great, though, and I can see how others might enjoy the setting and detailed lore. But overall, I just wasn't able to get into the story.


Thanks Netgalley and the author for the ARC👊🏽🔥💫

I would like to thank NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group for allowing me to read the e-ARC of this book. So thankful!

Let me just start with saying that romantasy isn't always a genre I turn to because I always find the books lacking something: it's either the yearning or the worldbuilding or the chemistry between love interests. Never fully hits.
UNTIL I read this book! My God, when I tell you that I couldn't put it down. Everything about it is 5⭐

It starts with introducing us to Osric, our murderously (literally) dashing and sarcastic MMC and his crucial dilemma that he needs help with. Enter our FMC, Aurienne, a rule-abiding, morally good healer, who also finds herself in a difficult situation.
By the rules of this world, the Orders they belong to don't usually associate with one another, but alas, here we are: they struck a deal to help each other with their predicament.

Thus we embark on a unique journey to uncommon places, getting a taste of the lore of the world and full of the funniest banter I've ever read. We even get drawn in to a mystery that we will know more about in the sequel (which cannot come soon enough!)
Along the way, we get to meet side characters that are equally as funny, and that add so much to the plot.

Overall, I have nothing but admiration for this book:
- the writing style is amazing, the way it smoothly switches from the humorous interactions to the more somber development of the plot
- the magic system - the deofols (they way they embodied their wielder's personality), each character's very specific power
- the YEARNING left me smitten: how they slowly start getting attracted to each other without the implications of lust, but rather having a glimpse at the person underneath the harsh exterior. Reading their monologues when thinking about each other left me infatuated
- the ending was perfectly done: not too blunt, but rather perfectly wrapped up, leaving you looking forward to what comes next.

I fell absolutely head over heels for this book!

The prose was artful and playful. I loved the use of language and the puns. I laughed out loud at least every chapter, a real rarity for me. The way British culture, folklore, naming traditions and humor are woven into the story is a real love letter to the setting and a joy to read. While British readers will perhaps appreciate these aspects on a deeper level, they certainly shouldn’t dampen the enjoyment of any readers unfamiliar with these aspects of British culture.

The characters were compelling, flawed enough to be immensely likable and felt like real, three dimensional people. The magic system was unique and interesting, it was put to good use throughout the story and has enough limitations to prevent it destroying any conflict within the narrative. Like many fantasy worlds, it takes a chapter or two to grasp the mechanics of the system, but the explanatory pages at the start of the book are immensely helpful in this respect.

The plot was well thought out and left plenty of intrigue for the second volume of this duology. I thought the pacing was good and the tension was sustained throughout, whilst still leaving enough breathing space for readers to learn about the characters in different situations and become invested in them.

The characters were lovable, intelligent and the romance made me swoon.

I’ve pre ordered my copy and will be gifting this to friends who enjoy romantasy and comedy.

Okay, but can we just take a moment?? Because The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy was everything I wanted and more. Like, real slow burn enemies to lovers, none of that “I hate him but he’s hot” by chapter two nonsense. No, these two genuinely hate each other and make it their whole personality—until, well… you know. 👀

I still can’t believe I got an ARC of this book. I’m double-locking my doors because this is a treasure. The banter?? Hilarious. I was legit laughing out loud at their constant snark. And the slowest burn ever—these two don’t just fall into each other’s arms. It’s painful in the best way watching them fight their feelings. Their chemistry is insane, and I kept wanting to shake them, but also? Never wanted them to stop arguing because it was that good.

Now, this is definitely a fantasy book first, romance second. The romance is maybe 5% of the story, but the tension? 1000%. And the world-building? Chef’s kiss. It throws you right in with no hand-holding, and yeah, it took me a bit to catch on, but once I did? I was hooked. There’s mystery, adventure, and so much depth to the magic system, and it all just works.

Osric is a disaster, but he’s so funny I couldn’t hate him. Aurienne? An icon. A queen. She takes zero of his nonsense, and the way they constantly challenge each other?? Perfection. They’re supposedly opposites—he’s an assassin, she’s a healer—but they’re actually so similar that their clashes are even more intense. And watching them gradually rub off on each other? Ugh, so satisfying.

AND THAT ENDING. Brutal. Perfect. I need book two immediately.

If you love: Actual enemies-to-lovers, not just vibes\ Witty, sharp prose\ Fantasy that doesn’t take a backseat to romance\ Characters who are hot, competent, and dumb about their feelings

Then read this book immediately. Seriously. I’ll be screaming about it until Dearly Beloathed #2 is in my hands.

Massive thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC—I feel truly blessed to have gotten my hands on it!

I had SO MUCH FUN reading this book and I’m so so excited to see where it goes
The banter was fantastic without flipping into cringey

I loved that they are actual enemies and they don’t just slightly dislike each other from a stupid misunderstanding and there’s actual real reasons for the hatred

I adore Xanthe and her letter writing skills

My only slight complaint is that I think more things should have been in the glossary or if not, more explanations throughout the text but I think I got it all on vibes alone

“On the verge and only ever on the verge. An almost. He was what he was; she was what she was.”

This was SO good!! It had so much tension throughout. I loved the specific contrast of Haelen versus Fyren, healer versus assassin. It is written in such a unique style, and a lot of the language was really flowery and pretty which I enjoyed. Definitely recommend reading this as soon as it’s out if this genre is one you enjoy! As a side-note, this also had very good side characters that I would love to see more of.

🦢I received an ARC of this book and am leaving an honest review voluntarily🦢

I think this may get be my favourite read of the year so far!
The extremely slow burn romance is filled with so much sarcasm and wit.
It is definitely slow not just on the romantic side but also on the story development, the whole reason our two main characters are working together and the uncovering of a mystery is maybe a little frustrating in how little is achieved but my god I cannot wait for book 2 because whilst I can’t deny it is slow it didn’t drag and didn’t feel like words for the sake of page filler, everything was entertaining enjoyable and elicit!

I received this book as an ARC and provide an honest review

Someone snatch this book up and turn it into a film, because this is the sort of book you need to share with your girlfriends while eating popcorn and giggling till 2am. Light, funny, it captured the magic of a romcom whilst still delivering with the fantasy elements. ✨✨

Thank you to NetGalley & Little Brown Book Group for approving me for this ARC !

Things I LOVED
- both FMC and MMC are HILARIOUS.
It was a bit of an adjustment for me but once I got a few pages in and became familiar with the writing style, I adored it. Example of humour “A foot. An ankle. Put it away. You’ll stir my loins” hehehe.
-ENEMIES to potential lovers ?
The hate is real and strong. Not that wishywashy stuff we normally get in Romantasys (not that I’m complaining). Be prepared to question if they’ll ever love eachother, in the most delicious way
- TENSION
Like I said, real real slow burn

Things I didn’t love so much
-Use of old English
This book had me questioning my intelligence a lot. Kindle dictionary is a life saver but also it took me out of the story having to search the meaning of so many words
-Glossary
I tend to find when books have glossaries, they don’t do a good enough job explaining in book the various terms. I don’t want to have to keep flicking back to find out what they’re talking about. Still confused what a dreor is.
-Repetitive
This is the main reason for the 4 stars. While everyone is hilarious, it can feel like their humor merges them all into one person. Scenes are repetitive.

Overall, LOVED. Now I shall try and fill the void while we patiently wait for the second book 😭

This book was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and let me tell you, IT DELIVERED!!! Words can't describe how much I love this book. The vibes, the vibes were perfect. I want to read it again..

Osric, a member of the Order of assassins who's slowly dying and Aurienne, a healer who hates his kind, but is forced to help him because his offer to give a donation that would fund the vaccine for a disease that's running rampant among children is too good to pass up. This was truly an enemies to lovers, the way they hated each other, the banter, the insults, it was everything. I laughed so much.
Trying to find a cure for his illness and investigating the strange occurrences happening around Aurienne's Order, they may discover there is more than hatred between them.
I don't usually like slow burns because they're rarely done right, but the author has done it amazingly. I loved the magic system and the writing. I can't wait for book two..

I HIGHLY recommend it !!!

The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy follows Osric Mordaunt and Aurienne Fairhrim. Osric needs Aurienne to heal him, Osric is a member of the order of assassins and Aurienne belongs to an enemy order. Osric bribes Aurienne to heal him and she has to get along with someone she despises. Aurienne is a brilliant healer and Osric a killer but there is tension between them and they need to work together.

I can see many people loving this and I just know this is going to be a huge hit. It felt a bit like fanfic which I’m sure many people will enjoy. This had enemies to lovers, banter and an intriguing magic system. That said, this wasn’t really for me, I personally didn’t see the romantic connection between Osric and Aurienne. Plus as the reader you just get thrown into the story and it wasn’t the easiest to follow. It was a fine read, not a new favourite for me but this will be a favourite for many others.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this amazing book. I am a huge fan of Brigitte's work in the fan fiction world and this book did not disappoint.

A true enemies to lovers with a fabulous magical world to discover. I enjoyed the depiction of orders to keep the world functioning in their own way, be that light or dark.

The setting of the book enabled a dystopian world based in Britain with some familiar names with some humorous additions.

Although not much from a smut perspective this book is highly inappropriate for YA readers and only suitable for 18+ due to language, sexual references and discussion of gore and death.

The banter is phenomenal! I literally laughed out loud a number of times. love the magical world Brigitte has created and especially love their messaging system via animals (Deofol) They bring their own giggles!

I can't wait to continue their adventure in the next book!

Hilarious!! This was anything like I’ve ever read before! The write threw me off at the beginning, cause like I said, I haven’t read anything like this. There wasn’t much or else really, descriptive details in they’re emotions ou thoughts like other books. It was mainly banter (which it was hilarious I laught all book) even with themselves it wasn’t as detailed so it was like you were going in a bit blind. But it still was surprising and worked really well with the slow burn and chemistry. This book is also written in a sarcastic way. All the book really, The characters are sarcastic from beginning to end, and it’s kinda refreshing and light reading a book like this. Different and difficult at the beginning but once u catch the drift, you go with the flow and enjoy. The chemestry and banter were amazing, made the whole book the the slow burn was exquisite. The transition from enemies to…(who knows. No spoilers) was so smooth and well done. The plot wasn’t giving much at the beginning, and only started to pick up about halfway of the book, but it’s a nice plot and we get to follow it to the second book. I also can’t wait for the second book and where they go from here. Also, the personality’s of the characters were amazing!! I loved aurienne! Loved her backbone, confidence.. what a woman!!!!!

[ARC provided by NetGalley and Orbit. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy.]

Rating: 4.5/5

Enemies to lovers is soooo back! This is the kind of book I had to drop literally everything for. Current read? Gone. TBR? Who is she? And although I didn’t know much going into this (I’d heard of the fanfic but had never read it), I was still pretty confident I’d love it. And I absolutely did! This is opposites attract, slow burn, banter filled goodness and the only negative that weighs this review down is that the wait for book two will be brutal.

When Osric Mordaunt, a member of the Fyren Order of Assassins, faces a potentially fatal injury, he must turn to the only healer capable of saving him. Aurienne Fairhrim, an exceptionally talented scientist and a paragon of moral virtue, belongs to an enemy order, making any attempt by Osric to win her over seemingly impossible. However, Osric possesses something Aurienne's Order desperately needs, and offers it in exchange for her healing expertise. As they navigate the challenges of his recovery, resisting the growing attraction between them will prove to be even more difficult.

I can’t stress enough, this is a very slow burn romance, so keep that in mind if you’re expecting something that will move along quicker. But don’t worry, this is, specifically, a high interaction slow burn, so we get to see this bickering duo exchange verbal blows for most of the book. The dialogue between Osric and Aurienne is truly hilarious and had me laughing and giggling constantly. Overflowing with wit and an impressive number of creative retorts, you will quickly fall in love with this disaster pairing as they navigate their forbidden feelings.

In addition to characters that you will love, there’s also an interesting magic system and in-depth worldbuilding that will ground you in the story. Set in an alternative version of the British Isles, there’s some points of familiarity throughout the narrative such as location names and Old English vocabulary. There’s also a very compelling mystery that slowly builds in the background and I enjoyed seeing all of the puzzle pieces slowly come together at the end of the book, although I’ve got a lot of questions and I’m excited to see how certain elements will develop in the next instalment.

If you love the enemies to lovers trope and don’t mind a slow burn, then you’re going to fall in love with this scholarly healer and gentleman assassin pairing. I’m so grateful to have been able to read an early copy of the book and can’t wait to see everyone raving about it when it releases this summer.

Ok. Ok.
LISTEN. 🙏

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

I adore this book.
I adore Brigitte Knightley’s writing style.
I adore Draco Malfoy and The Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love.

I might be biased, I admit, but this was an absolute delight to read, and I’m disappointed at how short it was.

This book is for you if:
😺you want a book whose primary focus is the relationship of the main characters and the enemies-to-lovers dynamic;
😺you don’t want complicated plot, magic system and worldbuilding;
😺 you enjoy ridiculous puns and love a good phallus joke (and are not scared of taking faeces jokes for a spin or googling words you don’t know);
😺you want to read something that combines fun, dynamic banter and whimsical and soppy descriptions of scenery and romantic scenes; and
😺you want a quick and entertaining read that will help you relax and might make you laugh out loud a few times (warning: you must be a pun enjoyer).

It is not for you if:
🐍 you want world and story depth, or
🐍 you want dark romance or spice.

Me, being an annoying nit-picker:
❌I hate it when you start a book, and you’re slapped in the face by a glossary (put that thing in the back, ffs).

I must also point out that as this book is written by a much-beloved author in the Dramione fanfic community, it does follow certain tropes and clichés the author knows the Dramione fans will gobble up with pleasure. Brigitte Knightley has an established fanbase she apparently knows how to please quite well. Keep this in mind if you have:
a) not read Draco Malfoy and The Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love, as you might not connect to the book the same way a lot of people have, and you might expect it to have a fantasy world and plot that stand out (which it doesn’t);
b) read DMATMOOBIL and expect either a retelling of the story or a completely new story because it floats somewhere in the middle, and it might leave you disappointed.

With all that said, I think the right way to categorise this book is not as romantasy but as a ✨rom-com✨ set in a fantasy world. And I have no complaints.

I can’t wait to buy a physical copy and for the second book to come out!

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC.

A slow burn enemies to lovers inspired by the Dramione fic DMATMOOBIL? Yes, please and thank you. One of my most highly anticipated reads of 2025 and it did not disappoint.

What to expect:
Slow burn
Enemies to lovers
Forbidden love
Who is prettier?
He falls first
Acts of warranted brutality
Morally grey MMC
Sharp wit and dry banter
Forced proximity

Osric, our morally grey MMC, is an assassin (Fyren Order). He’s arrogant, with a penchant for violence. Aurienne, our stubborn, razor-sharp-witted FMC, is a healer (Haelen Order)—and, unsurprisingly, they absolutely cannot stand each other.

Osric has a problem: he’s dying, and the only person who can heal him is, of course, Aurienne. Naturally, she refuses—until he makes her an offer she can’t resist: funding to inoculate against the pox.

The banter between these two had me laughing out loud. They’re both so arrogant, with equal disdain for each other, which really fuels the tension and slow burn. The way they slooooowly begin working with each other instead of against each other during their misadventures was perfection. I devoured the buildup of tension and loved seeing the loathing transform into hate-yearning.

We’re immediately thrown into the action, and I won’t lie—I was a little confused at first by the Seith and Orders, especially with some words in Old English. But as the book went on, I grew to love it, and I think Brigitte did a wonderful job creating something unique. The deofols were intriguing, and I loved how they reflected their characters' personalities.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this. If you like enemies-to-lovers stories where they are truly enemies, witty characters, beautiful imagery, and unique magic systems, you’ll love this.
The ending left me desperate for the sequel!

Thank you NetGalley, Little, Brown Book Group UK and Brigitte Knightley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Little Brown Book Group and NetGalley for the e-ARC.

The Irresistible Urge... follows Osric, an assassin with the fearsome Fyren Order, who is in dire need of healing. He comes to a precarious agreement with Aurienne, who reluctantly employs her skills as a Haelen to try to reverse his damage.

I was so excited to read this and honestly it surpassed my expectations. Brigitte Knightley has such a brilliant writing style full of dry wit, intertwined with lyrical prose in some of the more tender moments.

As someone who enjoys a good enemies to lovers romance, some of the stories I've read recently feel incredibly samey and the banter just falls flat. The Irresistible Urge... is the perfect example of the trope, and the dialogue between Aurienne and Osric is just stellar. I literally highlighted so many passages that made me laugh or were unexpectedly moving.

The worldbuilding was another pleasant surprise. There is plenty to love in what Brigitte has created, from the warring kingdoms, magical Orders and vibrant folklore. One of my favourite things was the draefor—a sort of spirit creature used for communication. Aurienne's is so sassy and a character all on her own.

I can't think of anything bad to say about this book, if I'm honest. It did come as a surprise that it isn't a standalone and does end on somewhat of a cliffhanger. It's worth mentioning that the book is very dialogue heavy (which usually wouldn't appeal to me as I adore intense scene setting, but as mentioned earlier there are some beautiful passages where no words are exchanged at all). Also if you're not keen on extensive references to bodily secretions and genitalia (with both scientific and hilarious intent), this might not be for you.

Overall, I absolutely adored this book and ate it up so quickly. I need more of Osric and Aurienne already!

This is a such a whimsical delight of a novel! A TRUE enemies to lovers with a goofy scoundrel of a hero and a brainy, no-nonsense heroine. Tragically, I did not realize that it was but the first in a series and when I saw what percentage I had left, I was heartbroken!! The magic system and world building here is fantastic, and I feel like we've only just dipped our toes into how this will expand further. No spoilers but....Brigitte Knightly is the master of the slow burn, and she's gonna make us wait for it - but the payoff should be worth every minute!

Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown for approving me for this ARC. I was in shock when I received the email and then actually screamed in happiness. This is one of my MOST anticipated reads of 2025. The others being Alchemised and Rose in Chains, all re-writes of Dramione fan fiction. Irresistible is by the writer of Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love (which I haven’t yet read) and are two different novels instead of a re-write but I think they are slight similarities in premise (don’t quote me on this).

Knightley is an exceptional writer in witty humour. The first few pages of Irresistible had me chuckling away and I had chuckled a great many more times by the end of the first chapter. This doesn’t happen often. In fact, I can’t even remember the last time I read such a funny book. Her banter between the two main characters, Aurienne and Osric, is spot on: the jabs, the snide comments, the looks. They really are not fans of one other.

The world building is more akin to a cosy fantasy where it’s gentle and low stakes. The book is almost whimsical in a sense. It is a STEM-based romance and I can see why. Aurienne is essentially a healer/researcher (like a magical surgeon) and very highly skilled at her job and she speaks in a technical way to explain her findings. Kudos to the author for making it not hard to grasp the concepts too, considering this is a fantasy.

There are a lot more mentions of sex than I expected, including a slightly descriptive visit to a brothel. I’m personally not a smut fan and don’t feel they add anything necessary to a story. The use of it here was more for humour.

A few thoughts on the book itself. There is an outbreak of Pox that the healers are trying to manage. It gave me flashbacks of COIVD times. Not a great deal happens for the first half of the book as it is them researching and making attempts at experiments. There us a glossary at the start of the book and it does need to be referred to from time to time (difficult on the ARC copy on my kindle) as I couldn’t remember who some of the other orders were and what they did.

I enjoyed the book, even though I felt at times, not much happened and it was a bit repetitive, I finished it surprisingly quickly. The most enjoyable thing was reading the banter between Aurienne and Osric, such fun! It states it is a slow-burn and it really is but it was great, the characters showed depth and development over time, none of this insta-love. Will I read the next book? Yes. Will I go and read Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love? Also yes.

I rate this 4 out of 5 stars. Enjoyable, good, yes. Exceptional, no, and sadly forgettable.

SHE DID IT LADIES & GENTLE PEOPLE! She brought back yearning and now my heart will never be the same.

This is the perfect fantasy Rom-com! The magical elements add that fun and exciting background while Ostric, assassin & Aurienne, healer work together very reluctantly but they both have something the other needs.
The forced proximity when they both DETESTED each other… something else. The pace of the story is EXCELLENT, I didn’t want it to end, I kept making cups of tea to slow it down before diving back in.
BOOK 2 can not come fast enough. Such a unique and quirky book but I adored with my whole heart.