I struggle to find anything at all that I enjoyed about this book. The prose was overwrought and pretentious, the worldbuilding thin to non existent, the characters were cardboard cut outs, the plot was barely there and the humor mostly consisted of "Aren't genitals funny???" Unfortunately for this author, I am not five. I think this needed an editor who needed to take a scalpel to it because there were some interesting ideas underneath the absolute mess that was this book, such a shame it never bothered to explore them.

The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy was one of my most anticipated releases of the year and i’m so sad to say it did not land for me. The fairytale/folk lore writing style along with the ‘coziness’ of the story left me feeling bored and uninterested. It was only after I reached 60/70% that I got somewhat interested and by that time I had debated dnfing the book multiple times. This is all to say for me personally this book did not work, however I can truly see how most people would absolutely love this book and I fear I am in the minority.

NF
Thank you to net galley and little brown for sending me the eARC in exchange for my honest review

I might have gone in with too high expectations, i loved the fanfic and obviously knew the storyline and the characters would be different but really struggled to keep picking this up. There was so much over complicated vocabulary which made it really overwhelming and took away being able to enjoy the story.

I reached over 40% in and still don’t feel any type of way for either of the main characters and still don’t really know where we are or what’s going on

Too many dick related jokes either which weren’t all that funny

So because of all of the above I cannot force myself to keep reading because life is too short to keep reading books you don’t enjoy!!

Okay, let’s talk about The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley—because WOW. This book had me giggling, kicking my feet, and screaming into my pillow like a total fangirl. If you’re into enemies-to-lovers with a side of slow-burn torture (the good kind), this one’s an absolute must-read.

Imagine this: A brilliant, morally upright healer (Aurienne) is forced to work with a smug, lethally charming assassin (Osric) who also happens to be her sworn enemy. The catch? He’s dying, and she’s the only one who can save him. Cue the tension, the banter, and the oh-my-god-just-kiss-already energy.

Aurienne is my new favorite heroine—sharp, stubborn, and unapologetically smart. She’s the kind of woman who’d rather dissect a disease than admit she might (maybe, possibly) find her nemesis attractive. And Osric? Oh boy. Picture a morally grey disaster with a PhD in killing and the ego to match. Their dynamic is pure gold: snarky insults, reluctant teamwork, and a slow-burn romance so delicious it hurts.

The side characters are just as fun—Xanthe (a chaotic 200-year-old icon), Leofric (unhinged but hilarious), and Parson (Osric’s long-suffering handler) add so much life to the story.

This is peak enemies-to-lovers. The banter? Flawless. The tension? Palpable. The moment Osric starts simping while still pretending he hates her? Chef’s kiss. Knightley nails the slow burn, making every glance, every accidental touch feel like a lightning strike. And when they finally—finally—start to crack? SWOON.

The magic system is fresh and intriguing, blending science and fantasy in a way that feels unique. The alternate-history UK setting—where the Norman Conquest never happened—adds a cool twist, though I’ll admit I spent half the book imagining Osric as Draco Malfoy with a murderous streak (no regrets).

This book is funny. Like, laugh-out-loud-in-public funny. Knightley’s wit is razor-sharp, whether it’s Osric’s dramatic inner monologues or Aurienne’s deadpan comebacks. The humor never feels forced—just effortlessly clever and perfectly timed.

The first half is heavy on banter and setup, but once the mystery kicks in (a deadly pox, political intrigue, and some very questionable choices), it’s impossible to put down. That cliffhanger? CRUEL. I need book two yesterday.

“I hate you (but actually I’d die for you)” energy
—then this book is your new obsession.

‘The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy’ HAD ME SWOONING and is one of my favorite reads this year! If you love slow burns and enemies-to-lovers, this book is PURE GOLD! The chemistry between Osric and Aurienne is ELECTRIC and had me giggling at every moment.

Osric is a gentleman assassin with a dark side (and oh, does he make my heart race), and Aurienne is this brilliant, morally good healer who, despite her disdain for him, can’t deny the *intense pull* between them. Their forced collaboration? Hshshsjsksk had my jaw on the floor I loved it🤩 They’re both so smart and competent but stubborn to a fault, which leads to adorable and hilarious moments moments of tension and humor.

The plot is *packed* with intrigue, mystery, and heart-racing moments, and I loved every second of it. The way their relationship evolves, from pure hatred to something so much deeper, is CEHFS KISS. It’s a perfect blend of fantasy, romance, and hilarious banter, and I am OBSESSED with it.

If you’re into enemies-to-lovers, high-stakes adventures, and that slow-burn you NEED to read this book! Especially if your a Dramonie fan you will devour this. It’s a mastepriece and I can’t wait FOR BOOK 2 NOWWWW

This book was witty, funny and charming. I was giggling and kicking my feet one minute to laughing my head off the next. This story just made me so HAPPY. I was grinning from ear-to-ear, and I deliberately took my time to read this as I didn’t want it to end.

It’s a great blend of some of my favourite tropes and genres: romantasy, enemies-to-lovers, rom-com and forced proximity.

I loved the way this book was written - the dry and witty humour is constant, and it is soooo refreshing in comparison with other romantasy books!

I’m really looking forward to find out what happens next.

Thank you so much to NetGalley - Bridget and the wonderful publishers for a free ARC in return for an honest review!

3.7 stars I think!

This was one of my MOST anticipated reads of 2025 - I will start by saying there were times in this I laughed really hard, the story was easy to follow and by the end I was gripped by where the plot was going

I’m glad this is part of a series and I’m going to be chomping at the bit for book 2! That cliffhanger!

Positives:
Such funny writing
Interesting plot and characters are okay!
Great length for a book like this
Tension is delightful
Apparently I am slutty for the niche microtrope of ‘admits attraction when medicated and fatally ill’

Negatives:
The first couple of pages ASSULT you with new words and it was so so so difficult (for me) to get through the first couple of chapters without having to look at the glossary which took me out of the story
I wasn’t overly invested in either character - there wasn’t much behind them
The attraction towards the end became very tell don’t show - I wanted to know what is causing the change in feeling? We need more depth and thoughts behind it from suddenly going to ‘she had a nice ankle’ then ‘oh my heart isn’t mine anymore’

Overall this was an enjoyable read! I’m looking forward to book 2 already

So disappointed to DNF this at 47%. I've spent so much time going back and forth for a few months with this book but I'm just not enjoying it. I did at first but then it just became confusing.

There's zero world building, you're expected to know what everything is and what's going on from the get go. Unsure if half the words are made up for the book or real but it played havoc with my dyslexia. The random capitals on basic words was confusing.

Some of the humour worked, other times it felt like I was reading a bunch of five year olds throwing insults at each other or in their own heads. Like I say, confusing.

I didn't make it to any romance, only the bickering but there just wasn't any connection between the two main characters for me to even see any romance forming.

I really wanted to enjoy this but sadly not for me :(

I will say the cover is absolutely gorgeous though!

4.5⭐️
Thank you little brown books UK and NetGalley for this DRC in exchange for an honest review💞

I'm calling this book a "cosy-crude high stakes romantasy". I know so many people are gonna EAT this one up!!

This is the most fun l've had with a book in a while. The banter was BANTERING. The hate was palpable. And the world building was so immersive I really forgot I was reading.

Brigitte is so witty! The plethora of quirks and quips in this book had me audibly giggling and made the characters that much more charming. (The pub names are hilarious!)

There's so much to love about this book. The dynamic between Aurienne and Osric was so perfect and the pacing (despite the time skips) was really well done! This is also a true enemies to lovers which is so rare nowadays and the slow burn is utter perfection❤️‍🔥

I will admit I was a little confused for the first third of the book cause there's a LOT of terminology to retain and most times I just used context clues cause I couldn't get to the glossary very easily on the e-book. But I think this is one of those books where you just jump in the deep end and eventually you start to understand. The ending is also very abrupt, but I think a next book has been sent up really well.

Even though parts were confusing, the vibes were SO good that I didn't even mind. The writing is also unlike anything l've read which was REFRESHING. WE LOVE UNIQUE ROMANTASY👏🏼

I WILL be needing the second one ASAP cause this one set it up so perfectly.

4.5 stars rounded up. Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest review.
The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy took me completely by surprise. It’s one of the few romantasy books I’ve genuinely enjoyed in the past year. The premise is strong—even though I haven’t read the Dramione fanfiction it was originally based on, this novel stands well on its own.
At the heart of the story are the protagonists, who are beautifully developed. Their banter is fantastic—engaging, natural, and never cringeworthy—which made it easy to get immersed in their dynamic. I also really enjoyed the humor. Additionally, I loved the thoughtful detail of naming all the scientific machines after female scientists.
The only thing that lowered my rating was the repetition—after a while, the characters started falling into the same patterns, repeating similar actions and dialogues over and over again, especially in the first 50% of the book. Perhaps the "cures" could have been handled with more variation, though I’m not sure what would have worked better. The second half of the book, instead, was more dynamic and had a mystery at its core.
I’ve seen some reviews criticizing the lack of worldbuilding, and I think that’s a fair point. However, I didn’t find it to be a major issue that hindered the plot in any significant way (since there is hardly any). The fantasy world is somewhat vague, and certain details can only be inferred from the glossary at the beginning. But if you take the time to read that, you’ll be well-prepared for an immersive experience.
This is by no means a perfect book, but overall, I was pleasantly surprised—perhaps romantasy hasn’t completely lost its charm after all.

Osric Mordaunt, member of the Fyren Order of assassins, is in dire need of healing. Naturally – such is the grim comedy of fate – the only healer who can help is Aurienne Fairhrim, preeminent scientist, bastion of moral good, and member of an enemy Order.
Aurienne is desperate for funding to heal the sick - so desperate that, when Osric bribes her to help him, she accepts, even if she detests him and everything he stands for. A forced collaboration ensues: the brilliant Woman in STEM is coerced into working with the PhD in Murders, much to Aurienne's disgust. As Osric and Aurienne work together to heal his illness and investigate the mysterious reoccurrence of a deadly pox, they find themselves ardently denying their attraction, which only fuels the heat between them.

The Irresistable Urge to Fall For Your Enemy is everything I expected... AND MORE. This book was so good, perfect, irresistable. I couldn't put it down because of the perfect combination of slow burn and enemies to lovers. Oh and healer x assassin? That's the cherry on top! These tropes work perfectly together in The Irresistable Urge to Fall For Your Enemy. The tension between Aurienne and Osric is phenomenal. The fact that they you FEEL they don't like each other from the beginning and it bursts in to some spicy romance? I AM HERE FOR IT!

This book was one of my high anticiptated reads of 2025 and it did not disappoint. It not only made me laugh out loud, but this book had me on the edge on my seat and I can't wait for the second book in this duology. I read it right now, especially after that brutal ending which leaves the reader desperate for the sequel (when?). I need like a hundred different special editions of this book for in my shelves!

You'll love The Irresistable Urge to Fall For Your Enemy if you love:
Enemies to lovers
Slow burn
He falls first and harder
Fantasy

Huge thanks to NetGalley for sharing The Irresistable Urge to Fall For Your Enemy digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Thank you to Little, Brown Book Group and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

If you have a penchant for assassins, magic, and sizzling slow burns, this one’s for you.

From the very first chapter, I was hooked by the banter—witty, sharp, and consistently fun throughout the book. Osric is delightfully pompous and arrogant in that “I-know-I-shouldn’t-like-you-but-I-do” way, and Aurienne? The kind of brilliant, morally grounded heroine you want to root for and fear a little (okay, a lot, she's amazingly terrifying). The alternating points of view were such a strength—I loved being able to peek into both of their heads and watch the tension build from every angle.
The romance is the slowest of slow burns... but it’s delicious. Every interaction crackles, and the emotional development between them felt natural, layered, and completely worth the wait. Add to that a genuinely interesting magical illness, political tensions between rival Orders, and a rich fantasy world—it’s a recipe that worked incredibly well for me.

I absolutely cannot wait for the next book—this one ends with the perfect balance of resolution and promise. Highly recommended for fans of enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, and that extra satisfying ugh-I-hate-you-wait-do-I? tension.

Thank you Little Brown Book Group|Orbit and NetGalley for this ARC!

To all the Dramione fans out there, we are in for a TREAT this year. Having read Knightly's fanfic multiple times, I can truly say that this is a whole NEW story, with a unique magic system and different character personalities that ABSOLUTELY DELIVERS. It has been SO LONG since I've had that feeling of wanting to put everything down just to read. I have over 80 annotations made on my kindle. I was SQUEALING, LAUGHING AND KICKING MY FEET throughout the entire read. It's packed full of back-and-forth banter that leaves you wanting more. This book is the epitome of *chef's kiss*

I ABSOLUTELY LOVED reading all of Aurienne and Osric's interactions. We have Osric Mordaunt with his dark sense of humour and the highest level of arrogance known to mankind. And Aurienne Fairhrim, our highly competent and self-assured heroine, who is not at all afraid of knocking down Osric's super inflated ego when it came close to bursting (like purulent abscess might I say LMAO). Their banter was comedic without it being overbearing. The dynamic and chemistry between the two is perfect; they loathed each other's existence and dragged their feet's when the time came to work together. That is UNTIL they start working collaboratively and they being to develop mutual admiration for each other's skills.
The romance we get is slow and filled with beautiful yearning; the slow burn was truly BURNING when just the mere touch of the arms had me spiraling out of control at 2am. Don't even get me STARTED on the 'Mr. Darcy' references.

As someone who works in the Emergency Department and tries to avoid books where medicine is REMOTELY involved (because I cringe and get secondhand embarrassment), I found myself enjoying the medical/science aspect of the book and genuinely LAUGHING at the puns and all the crude jokes. The medical jargon might probably be a bit overwhelming to those not used to it, but a simple google search of the terms should be good enough.

Although this is the first book to this duology, it was EASILY a 5/5 star read for me. Knightly did an exceptional job with this book. Cannot wait for the sequel to come out, because that cliffhanger left me HANGING by a thread.
Thoughts and Prayers to everyone who will read this book once it gets published, because YOU WILL be clutching your pearls by the end of book and wanting much more.

Thank you to Brigitte Knightley, Little, Brown Book Group UK | Orbit, and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This had so much promise and the cover art is adorable. However, the writing style is grating and I couldn’t care less about either of the characters 20% in. Draco’s dying? Fine by me.

The heavy glossary at the beginning should really go at the end as a reference point, should the reader need it. It shouldn’t be required reading before you begin as a crutch for loose world-building.

I think this needed further editing to take it from Wattpad-level to publishable-level.

My most anticipated read of the year!

Brigitte’s writing style is just bloody fantastic. It’s unique, delicious, hilarious, witty and refreshing. I was giggling to myself constantly and getting very weird looks from my husband constantly 😆 and the amount of individual words that I highlighted on my kindle was immense - I have never learned so many new words whilst reading one book!!

The magic system and world building was quite detailed at the beginning, but not overbearingly so. There’s so much I could add here, but I really don’t want to add any spoilers! But suffice to say, the new world and the magical elements were very enjoyable ✨ loved the deofals!

And finally, the romance. Again, I don’t want to say too much, but if you love slow, slow burn 🔥 this one is for you… with a handsome MMC with absolutely no morals whatsoever (who knows he is dashing and beautiful), and a FMC who is strong, competent and downright awesome (and who also knows it). This makes for some tasty arguments and goings on between the two… but saying that, the spice level in this one is relatively low.

A story that doesn’t take itself too seriously, with a wonderful cast of characters and a unique writing style, makes for a fun, engaging and addictive read 🩷

4.5 ⭐️

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I loved EVERYTHING about this book. Absolutely no notes, I would read this all over again right now if I had the time!

Woman in STEM meets PhD of murders is completely accurate and I loved how at odds Aurienne and Osric are. The yearning hit a little different in this one. Giggling and kicking my feet is an understatement - I was screeching.

I don’t know why but I didn’t expect this book to be funny. I was cackling through most of this book. It was somehow so serious yet so lighthearted at the same time and it just made it so easy to read.

The wait for book 2 will be criminal, especially because this book isn’t even out until July!!

The Irresistble Urge to Fall For Your Enemy is a slow burn, enemies-to-lovers romantasy featuring a scholarly healer and a gentleman assassin, set in an exquisite fantasy world!

I enjoyed this read more and more the longer it went on, but a few of the criticisms I heard before reading this ARC were confirmed after finishing it myself: people without a background in Dramione fanfiction or basic Harry Potter lore will be utterly lost.

Don’t get me wrong - I loved this. It was a breezy, fun read that felt like fic in the best way, but it isn’t a fully fleshed-out story. The world-building is practically nonexistent. We get a glossary at the beginning that explains the fundamentals of this setting and its people, but the story fails to fully paint a picture of how this world works and to dive deeper in the mechanisms of it.

It’s painfully clear that this world is a Harry Potter pastiche - which is fine, because the author clearly used aspects of her HP fics as a foundation - but a reader still needs to feel like the world is a living, breathing place.

Furthermore, we don’t learn enough about Aurienne and Osric at the beginning. Yes, this is remedied as the story progresses, as it should be, but for 40% of the book, I kept thinking that someone unfamiliar with Dramione fics, who doesn’t instinctively recognize these two as Hermione and Draco stand-ins, wouldn’t be having a good time. This was written as if every reader has that context, and as a standalone, soon-to-be-published novel, it shouldn’t be that way.

Also, I don’t have a problem with penis jokes or sex jokes. Or pee and poop jokes. Or any sort of crude humor - hell, I make them myself and can be childish about them. They can be funny. I’m not on some high horse about them. But I found the sheer number of them staggering. Maybe that’s just me, but the gross-out jokes were almost excessive. Sometimes, they even pulled me out of the romance, which is a shame because the pining was masterfully done.

That, I can say: the romance was slow, filled with yearning, and the perfect amount of patheticness from Osric’s side. I loved it. And oblivious, cold, competent heroines like Aurienne are my bread and butter, so I relished the build-up and the slow unfurling of their attraction. So much so that I was mournful when the book ended. I wanted more.

In that regard, this novel took the best aspects of fanfiction: the deep, slow-burn tension that fanfic writers, including Knightley, excel at, and played them masterfully.

Still, it wasn’t a perfect book. The world-building was too thin, the characters felt a little too shallow, and it’ll surely be confusing for anyone unfamiliar with Dramione fanfiction or the Harry Potter world.

Luckily, I’m into both, so those flaws didn’t ruin my reading experience. For anyone else, I’d really caution against going into this blind without at least some context of it.



Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit UK for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really wanted to love this book, the relationship dynamics reminded me a lot of the Emily Wilde series and I think that readers of that series will also enjoy this. However I found the writing to at times to be overly complicated with a lot of medical references and also rather juvenile with the amount of ball jokes. I did like the hate to wait do I like this person relationship between the two main characters and I’m interested in continuing on with the story.

This was such a fun and unique book.
Our healer FMC and the morally grey assassin-for-hire MMC are both hyper competent, sharp-tongued and confident. This was a great combination with dry humor, hilarious banter and a mystery element that kept me guessing.
They absolutely cannot stand each other at the beginning and to watch this slow burn unfold was highly entertaining. Also, both have some kind of animal companion and those were hilarious as well.

By the end of the book, I was rooting so hard for them 🫶🏼 Can’t wait to see where the second book of this duology takes us.

✨Thank you so much to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the gifted eARC✨

4.5⭐

Firstly the banter between the FMC & MMC was some of the best I've ever read, it was so funny right in at the first chapter.

Osric and Aurienne are in completely different Orders, he is a contract killer/assassin and she is a healer, but they strike a mutually beneficial deal where he needs her help to heal his ruined seith and she needs funding for help with the pox outbreak. Which means these enemies need to work together and this leads to actions and decisions that both would never normally make until they met each other.

The overall world building was really easy to understand and the different kings and queens added a great bigger plot which made the ending of the book make me want to read the next one straight away!

Enemies to lovers, forced proximity, forbidden association, slow burn its all there and a personal highlight is Osric's internal thoughts were so funny in his chapters.

Thank you NetGalley & Little Brown Book for this ARC.