This was a weird read for me. While I enjoyed it as I was reading, I found myself lacking the usual pull to pick it back up the next day. It wasn’t until around the 80% mark that I finally felt somewhat invested, which made for a frustrating reading experience.

One of the biggest struggles for me was the language and word choice. The author went all out with the writing style, and while I understand the intent, it just didn’t work for me. Instead of coming across as smart or witty, it often felt clunky, and I had to reread sections to fully grasp what was being said.

The world-building also felt underdeveloped. There was an extensive glossary at the beginning, but it was difficult to retain all the information while reading. As an ebook, especially, flipping back and forth to check details became a challenge, which left me feeling a bit lost at times.

That said, I did enjoy the banter and witty conversations throughout the book. They were fun and engaging, though at times they overshadowed the plot rather than enhancing it.

Overall, this was a decent read, but it didn’t fully click for me. The writing style, world-building issues, and pacing prevented me from getting truly immersed, so I can’t rate it higher than 3 stars.

4,5 stars

This was so funny, I’m still laughing.

The first impression was not great; I don’t like having to learn a bunch of new words just to understand a book, but I quickly got over it. The magic system was not that complicated, and the glossary at the beginning made it very easy to follow.

Aurienne is a healer, and “harm to none” is her life motto. Osric is an assassin, proudly enjoying a conscience-free existence. As it turns out, Osric desperately needs a healer, and Aurienne is his only hope.

This was a brilliant enemies-to-lovers story. I absolutely adored the author’s sense of humor and writing style. The dynamic between Aurienne and Osric was delightful; the haughty puns, the dry comebacks, and the extraordinary eloquence and intelligence shining through their banter. I couldn’t get enough of them.

I loved how their relationship slowly evolved from animosity to curiosity and then to a very inconvenient attraction. I can’t wait for the next book to see where this story takes us next.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy delivers exactly what its title promises—a deliciously slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romance filled with snark, yearning, and two characters who absolutely should not fall for each other… and yet.

Osric, the deadly-yet-charming assassin, and Aurienne, the no-nonsense scholarly healer, are on opposite sides of a deep ideological divide. Their interactions are electric, with razor-sharp dialogue, subtle (and not-so-subtle) tension, and enough repressed feelings to fuel an entire library of academic rivals-to-lovers fanfiction. If you love Dramione-coded dynamics, this will be right up your alley.

The book is definitely a true slow burn—so much so that it might test the patience of readers who like their romance with a bit more action. While the witty banter and constant push-and-pull were a joy, the plot itself felt like it took a backseat until the final chapters. The worldbuilding is intriguing but a bit dense for a duology, and at times, I found myself wanting a bit more movement beyond just smoldering glances and intellectual combat.

That said, the writing is sharp, the humor is spot-on, and the tension is top-tier. If you’re in the mood for a fun, trope-filled romantasy where the yearning is borderline unbearable (in the best way), this is a fantastic pick. Just be prepared to wait for that payoff! And yes—more fork-related murder in book two, please.

I’m one of the people going into this that did not read the fan fic.
Unfortunately this just didn’t work for me, I felt the world was overly complicated and it took away from the actual story.
I just couldn’t connect to this book at all

4.5 ⭐️. I had an absolute blast reading this book. The writing, banter and wit was chef’s kiss. Trope wise, it’s the truest of slow burns and true enemies to (what I hope in the future is) lovers (and yes read that as they have a legitimate, almost star crossed reason to hate each other initially). Here’s a taste of some of the many, many lines I highlighted while reading…

“'Not everything can be said with words,' said Osric. 'That's why we invented longing looks.”

“Osric found himself almost looking forward to their inevitable skirmish.” (Reviewers note: me too, Osric)

“He spent too much time that afternoon continuing their discussion in his head, resulting in an imaginary argument in which he featured prominently with sharp and witty rebuttals. He considered sending his deofol to Fairhrim with a script, so that she knew what he was capable of.”

“Osric swept a hand through his hair. She ignored him. He flexed his abs. No reaction. He bit his lip. Disregarded. He made a deep guttural sound when she wiped cold hlutoform against him. She told him to act like a grown man. She was the Worst.”

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book!

my expectations may have been abit too high for this one which is entirely my fault but i enjoyed it nevertheless.
The premise of this book was there, the assassin and a healer complete enemies who very clearly despised eachother but that seemed all there was too it.

It is a VERY big slow burn which is very dramione coded and what we love but this was slower, however it had lots of humour and witty charm that did make me laugh out loud which is something i don’t usually do when reading. I loved the back and forth jokes between the two of them, both arrogant in their own ways but with a lot of banter in their sense of humours.

The world building was fun, it seems like a very interesting world but also very complex for a duology i honestly only remembered both of the main characters orders and the witches.

The plot was interesting but i didn’t feel there was much too it nothing really happened until literally the last few chapters of the book!

I think for someone who loves slow burn romance this is great but i personally love slow burn with lots of plot! The cover is ABSOLUTELY beautiful though!

Thank you very much to Little Brown Book Group UK for the ARC as this was an anticipated read for me❤️

4.3⭐️

I haven’t read this author’s fanfic (although it is on my never ending TBR), so I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started this, but this chaotic story was so much fun, and the writing style made me laugh even during some gory scenes.

You are dumped straight into the world without much world building at the start, but things are explained along the way. Audience and Osric’s relationship is a joy to watch, and I loved their banter.

The cliffhanger at the end was perfectly painful, and I can’t wait for the next book to see how things pan out!

(Oh and thank you as always to Little, Brown Book Group and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.)

3.5 rounded up for goodreads and netgalley.
Overall, I had a good time reading this book. The first hundred of pages were quite funny for me (hilarious even), I was not expecting the humor. The rest of the book’s bits of humor fell flat for me though. But it gave the book a cosy feeling, as if I was reading a cosy romantasy. I did like that.
However, I did not like the over-presence of sex in the book, it was so random at times it really thew me off. The main female character is okay, but I’m not a fan of the male main character — I did like the fact that he was being ridiculed throughout the book, that was a nice and refreshing touch. The plot is easy to follow and thickens as the story progresses. I can totally see myself reading the sequel.

Thank you to Netgalley for an e-ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Osric, an assassin, needs healing and turns to Aurienne, a scientist from a rival Order. She agrees to help in exchange for funding to fight a deadly pox. Forced to work together, their animosity turns into unexpected attraction.

This was fun and irreverent. I don’t think the humor and tone will be for everyone, but I enjoyed it. You definitely have to lean into the silliness. It felt like what Villains & Virtues was trying to do, but more successfully in my opinion. The enemies-to-lovers dynamic was built up really well, and I loved the bickering, quips and back-and-forth between the main characters. A great example of how to do slow burn well. The side characters were also quirky, no bland characters to be found in this book. I thought the seith magic system was cool and unique. I was invested in the plot and am eager for the second book in the duology.

The only thing that I felt could be improved was that if the author wanted to move into the political intrigue, the world-building could have used more depth. It felt like it needed to be fleshed out a bit.

As a die hard Dramione fan, this book didn’t disappoint and has become one of my best reads of 2025.

This is a real slow burn enemies to lovers: the growth of their relationship is perfectly intertwined with the plot of the story and neither aspect loses importance compared to the other. The banter is really fun and never corny, as well as the characterization of the main characters with their strengths and weaknesses.

Fully delving into the world building is still a bit difficult, but since it is a duology it is justified as we will surely only learn certain things during the course of the story.

The only thing I found difficult to manage was the use of archaic English, but this could also be my limitation as I am not a native English speaker.

Thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown UK for this ARC.

𝙄’𝙙 𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙡

I’m not entirely sure what I’m meant to do with myself now that I’ve finished this book? I need more!!!!

I really really loved this book. It was so funny and irresistible in so many different ways. Both Osric and Aurienne are very likeable characters and I was giggling all throughout the book at their wittiness and clever comebacks.

It’s definitely a slow burn and I was FUMING that it ended on such a romantic cliffhanger but I can’t wait to read the next book as soon as it’s out (which may be a while since this one isn’t even out until July, cry)

If you enjoy a romantasy with enemies to lovers, grumpy x grumpy and irreverent humour, you will EAT this book up!!! 5 stars across the board.

Thank you to Little Brown Book Group UK & NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!!

✨ A charming assassin with a sharp blade (and sharper wit), slaughter: his love language.
✨ A grumpy healer who definitely doesn’t have time for his nonsense.
✨ Forced proximity, enemies-to lovers, with the slowest burn & heaps of yearning that had me screaming, “JUST KISS ALREADY.”
✨ Banter so good I want to frame it.

Also… Did we already know that Brigitte writes the best banter? That we were in for the most fun rom-com of 2025? * DELIVERED IT IN SPADES *

To what matters:

Osric and Aurienne are the definition of I hate you, but also, why are you so hot? Their chemistry? 🔥 Their bickering? Top-tier. So if you’re on for strong, independent FMC and golden retriever snarky MMC, going on an journey, people running into forks 20 times, tension so thick you could slice it with a dagger… this one’s for you!

A brilliant read. Characters to love and also ones you love to hate. A nice slow burn with an intriguing plot running through.
The world building was gentle , with the use of places and stories that were familiar (being from the UK), which was lovely as I am used to heavier fantasies with super complex worlds.
The only issue I had was the ending. I wanted more. I wouldn't say it was unsatisfying, but there is so much room for a sequel, and I would have loved this to be a nice standalone.

Thank you Netgalley and Little Brown for providing me with this ARC.

This book left me flabbergasted, speechless and I was indeed too stunned to speak. I cannot believe what I’ve just read.
I went into this book expecting the most fun, bantery and unserious enemies to lovers healer x warrior kind of romantasy and I think this is exactly what this book was supposed to be giving. Unfortunately it did not give what it was supposed to gave…
With reading the fanficition and absolutely loving it I thought I was well prepared getting into this story but I was mistaken. Without the broad idea of what the story was supposed to be about, this book what have lost me at the introduction of the orders and the whole glossary.
I feel like the book tried to establish a far too wide realm for what it was able to reciprocate through the story. Countless names, functions and systems were introduced that were completely overpowering. And sadly, every aspect that made the fanfiction so enticing was lost. The premise was completely changed and tbh I have no fucking clue if the conflict that set the book up was resolved in the end.
I’m absolutely gutted to rate this book one star because I was more than ready to leave this story with a new highlight of the month under my wing. Unfortunately, quite the contrary is the case.

I received an advanced readers copy of this books. All thought and opinions are my own.

THIS BOOK HAS GAVE ME THE WORST BOOK HUNGOVER EVER 😭. It’s charming, witty, funny, has incredible world-building, and delivers the best banter and slow burn between two enemies that I’ve read in a long time. I’ve been searching for fanart non-stop because I can’t get over the fact that the story is over… except it isn’t. I had no idea this would be a series, and now I’ve been left HANGING. The second book isn’t even out yet, and I’m spiraling because I need more now 🙃.

When I saw this book on NetGalley, I requested it immediately. I thought I’d been rejected, but one day I opened my email, and there it was, the approval and as I started reading, I immediately knew this would be one of my favorite reads of 2025.

Osric Mordaunt is a morally gray assassin from the Fyren Order, and he’s in dire need of healing. Naturally, the only person who can help him is Aurienne Fairhrim — a brilliant, morally upstanding scientist from an enemy Order. She’s desperate for funding to save lives. He’s desperate to not die. So when Osric bribes her to work with him, a tense and fiery collaboration begins.

Aurienne is disgusted. Osric is intrigued.
And I was living for every second of it 😍.

Together, they unravel a medical mystery while absolutely failing at ignoring their very obvious chemistry. This slow burn is painfully delicious, full of tension, bite, and that “I hate you” while secretly “I’m falling for you” energy that makes enemies-to-lovers my favorite flavor of pain.

I love morally gray men with depth — the kind that maul your enemies without hesitation but secretly melt when the right person sees through their armor. Osric is exactly that. And yes, he falls hard and first. My kind of man 🖤🖤🖤.

Brigitte, you wrote my favorite drug: enemies to lovers with the quirkiest banter and characters I’m completely obsessed with. I’m already desperate for the next one.

🖤 Enemies to lovers perfection
🧪 Woman in STEM x Assassin with a PhD in Murders
🔥 Slow burn that ruined me
💀 Evisceration as a love language

Huge thanks to Brigitte Austen, Little, Brown Book Group UK, and NetGalley for the chance to read this book early. Now, please — I need news on a special edition with sprayed edges because this book deserves a place on my shelf. Like Osric, I like pretty things to collect. 😏📚✨

This was a fun and quirky book that was a delight to read. The world felt fully realized and complex, and the characters were interesting. I loved the way that the characters reflected the world around them and as you got to know them you also got to know their world. I can’t wait to see what comes next!

This book was definitely different to what I have previously read. The world building and setting of the story was not one I had come across which I was intrigued about and did encourage me to continue reading. However some of the ‘medical’ terms I did find confusing which did make the story hard to understand and follow at times.Saying that, this may be due to science not really being my favourite subject 😅. Likeable characters. Slow pace but enjoyed the ending!

Thank you for letting me ARC read this book!

osric, is running out of time. he needs healing, and fate has a cruel sense of humour - the only person who can help him is aurienne fairhrim, a brilliant scientist, unwavering in her morals, and a member of an enemy order

aurienne is desperate for funding to continue her work saving lives, so when osric offers her a deal, she reluctantly accepts, even though she despises everything he stands for. forced into an uneasy alliance, the sharp-tongued scientist and the brooding assassin must work together - not only to cure osric’s illness but to uncover the resurgence of a deadly pox

as tension crackles between them, aurienne and osric fight their growing attraction, but denying it only makes the fire burn hotter. with danger closing in and their beliefs tested, will their reluctant partnership turn into something more?

the irresistible urge to fall for your enemy had an intriguing premise, but it didn’t fully deliver for me. i love enemies-to-lovers, and aurienne and osric had some great tension, but there were a few things that kept me from fully loving it

my biggest issue was the minimal character and world-building. the story is set in london, but the time period was unclear, and i wished we got more depth in both the setting and the characters. the pacing also felt off at times - some chapters jumped forward by a month, which made it hard to stay connected

another struggle for me was the writing style. the structure and format weren’t what i’m used to, so it took a while to settle into the story. the banter between aurienne and osric started off fun but eventually became repetitive

overall, it was a decent read with an interesting concept, but it didn’t quite hit the mark. if you enjoy morally gray characters and forced proximity, you might still like this one

A hilarious enemies to lovers romcom with a side of magical science and folklore.

This book was such a good time! A confident, no-nonsense healer, and a cocky, ever-optimistic assassin reluctantly team up for the most ridiculous quest - hunting for an impossible cure for a deadly magical nerve injury using nothing but folklore and "thin places" that may or may not actually work.

The whole thing is chaotic in the best way, packed with wit, snark, and banter that had me constantly grinning and laughing out loud. Aurienne’s cool, collected attitude is such a breath of fresh air, and Osric’s relentless charm makes him the most loveable murderous rogue I've ever had the pleasure of reading about.

The world was just as enjoyable, set in a magical-and-not-quite-modern-day version of the British Isles, with enough familiar names to get a sense of place without needing a map. I especially loved watching the characters wrestle with the clash between evidence-based, scientific magic and the wild unpredictability of folklore magic.

It's very slow burn, and so worth it - watching Aurienne and Osric go from squabbling and screaming insults at each other every chance they get to somewhat trusting (and maybe even needing) each other was utterly heartwarming, and exactly what I needed. I don't know how I'm going to survive waiting for book two!

I absolutely adored this book! It was the perfect rewrite of one of my favourite fan fictions and I couldn’t have asked for more! Brigitte truly understands how to write a slow burn romance with the perfect amount of yearning and longing, not to mention the absolute top tier banter!