The Irresistible urge to fall for your enemy is a smart, snarky, and surprisingly heartfelt romantic fantasy that had me hooked from the very first page. Set in an alternate England where magic and science coexist uneasily, the story follows the reluctant alliance between Osric Mordaunt, a deadly assassin from the Fyren Order, and Aurienne Fairhrim, a brilliant healer-scientist from a rival faction.

Their relationship starts off as hate, Aurienne despises everything Osric stands for but as they’re forced to work together to cure a magical illness and stop a dangerous outbreak, sparks inevitably fly. What unfolds is a deliciously slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance filled with razor-sharp banter, morally grey dilemmas, and the kind of tension that makes your heart race.

Knightley’s writing is clever and vivid, blending humor, angst, and emotional depth in a way that makes the world feel alive. While some readers might find the pacing slow at times or the humor a bit unconventional, I personally loved the bold tone and the fresh take on fantasy romance tropes.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review💜

The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy Review

“Hate could feel strangely like something else.”

🗡️ True Enemies to Lovers
🧪 The Slowest Most Brutal of Glorious Slow Burns
🗡️ Assassin x Healer
🧪 Reluctant Attraction
🗡️ Hypercompetent Idiots
🧪 He Fall First (and harder)
🗡️ Utterly Savage Banter (as a Love Language)
🧪 Is it really Flirting without a Knife to the Throat?

“If we haven’t aggravated each other to the verge of flying at one another’s throats, the day is wasted.”

I fear it may be official. This slowest of torturous slow burns has well and truly stolen my heart. I don’t think I have ever made more highlights in a book before. This book was just full of Moments that needed marking. Everything about this story was genuinely just so enjoyable, it was whimsical and cosy but also so full of adventure and twists.

The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy follows Osric, a ridiculously charming assassin who has by all accounts an incurable illness and Aurienna, an exceptionally skilled Healer who has been tasked with saving his life. After he attempts (and fails) to kidnap her of course. Isn’t that how all great love stories start? It is definitely the start of a great adventure, one where they are not only on the hunt for the mythical cure for Osric but also to uncover the strange going’s on in the kingdoms.

The magic system was interesting and easy to understand and it entwined seamlessly into the alternative (failed Norman Conquest) UK setting. You will be completely absorbed in this world with its hints of political intrigue, its whimsical landscapes and its hilarious characters.

Seriously if you need a laugh, have a little look at the map for this book. The pub names brought me far too much joy. Seriously, The Randy Unicorn? Amazing.

“What did having one’s hand kissed by a Fyren feel like? Reckless. Heady. Like life being lived. Like an impending disaster.”

If you enjoy characters who are both highly competent but also utter idiots for each other, this is the book for you. A slow burn is definitely my weakness and Brigitte Knightley may just been the queen of excruciating, tension filled, slowest of gloriously slow burn romances. If you live for those little moments of ‘will they, or won’t they’ where they are mid argument and suddenly they find themselves staring at the others lips or the brush of a signet ring against a wrist (I know, I know. Just trust me, it was indecent) this book is full of them.

The dynamic between these two was everything. The wit, the ‘I may hate you but I fear I’ve met my match in you’ banter. Aurienne is a FMC with a backbone. She does not budge on her morals and her wit is as sharp as one of Osric’s blades. I just adored her. And naturally so does our MMC Osric. This man, with his sarcastic inner dialogues. He is so insufferably arrogant but also such a lovable rogue. You just know these two are going to be swoon worthy, right from their first interaction.

“Fairhrim pressed fingers to her temples. ‘Mordaunt.’ (She said his name like it was a swear word and he rather liked it.)”

Another weakness, animal companions. Each magic user has their very own Deofol. An extension of their magic they can use to communicate with others. These Deofol have their own personalities and they really know how to win the readers over. I loved them and I can’t wait for more of their shenanigans.

“The deofol was now attempting puppy-dog eyes, but, given that it was a creature of soul-corroding darkness, the endeavour was more perturbing than anything else.“

It’s safe to say that this book may become my entire personalty for the foreseeable future and I have no regrets. I will be sat here looking longingly out the window, very similarly to how Osric looks at Aurienne, until book 2 arrives. I can’t wait. Till then I will leave you with this absolute gem.

“‘Besides, isn’t forgetting you preferable to continuing to hate you?’ 
‘I’d rather you hate me than not think of me at all.’”

I swoon!

Thank you Netgalley and Little Brown UK for the e-ARC!

This book ended up being entirely too cozy and cute for its own good. It started off a bit slow, but the banter and hatred picks up speed throughout the book and made it a super quick read.

What I liked:
- The Banter
- Somehow both darkly comedic and cozy at the same time
- By the end the mystery to carry this series forward really came to light
- the writing was fun and the sense of humor was dry and British

What I didn't like:
- The main premise of their relationship kind of gets forgotten (or so it feels) for the last 20% of the book for a larger plot point
- The glossary at the beginning of the book is relied on too heavily as a worldbuilding tool and was a bit disappointing
- The lack of compelling side characters. They are all a bit flat and I think you probably need a bit more entourage in the next book and I don't have a lot of feelings about any of them yet

This book is great if you're a Dramione fan to begin with and if you are very new the romantasy genre. This reads like a contemporary rom com with fantasy elements so if that is something that appeals to you this book will tick all of the boxes. For me, I would have loved to see more world building and fantasy elements underpinning the story as you probably could have removed all of the fantasy and still had a compelling story.

Thank you to the author and publisher for an e-ARC of this via NetGalley! This has not influenced my review and all opinions are my own.

I requested this book after I saw a wave of positive feedback about it. And when I tell you, this book had me CACKLING…

Let me first start with the humour. I was laughing through the majority of this book, and I don’t mean little cutesy giggles, I mean I HOWLED with laughter. To the point that my partner asked me what was funny, and I physically could not tell him because I was laughing so hard. The banter, angst, passive aggressive nature and the slow burn is absolutely on point. I think this may have been one of the funniest books I’ve ever read, and I must have highlighted about 70% of it on my Kindle.

The premise of enemies to lovers was impeccable. Here are two characters who actually have good reasons to despise each other! The hatred is present for pretty much all of the book, and I found it refreshing. It’s very easy for a book to advertise ‘enemies to lovers’ who just happen to fall in love 40% of the way in - and this book is not like those! I really enjoyed the depth in the relationship with the main characters. It made their relationship progression feel genuine. I can’t help but love a morally grey MMC, and as you’re reading you can feel your own inner conflict about whether you should like him or not.

The way this was written just completely drags you into the story. Every time I had to put this book down I was thinking about it and wanting to get back to it as soon as I could. And I’m actually sad I’ve finished it now. I will be anxiously awaiting a sequel, for which I am willing to give my heart, soul, and/or firstborn child.

This is a book that is a *strong* 5 star rating.

Rating 5/5 stars (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

This one...is a bit tricky to review and even trickier to rate.

Not because there would be a grand problem with the novel itself - I actually consider it quite a clever and intriguing idea, which is so much Harry Potter and yet not, standing completely on its own and rooted in its own world and magic system. Still, in this regard, I would mention that it would benefit from more showing of the worldbuilding, or rather, incorporating it in more detail in the plot than just giving a list, an overview at the very beginning of the book. It felt more like a summary of what is to come all the while the setting and Order system, and magic were rather taken astride as something that we take at face value and isn't much explained.

Aurienne and Osric, though, I am willing to overlook any further involvments of the elements of the worldbuilding in favour of their delicious banter. The way they could bounce insults off each other and poke at one another was refreshing, done mastefully well and made me snort with laughter on more than one occasion. I'm not entirely sure how convincing their falling in love was, for me at least, but the 'enemies' part was done really well.

The writing style... I'll be honest here; I've been reading in English for more than 10 years now so I'd consider myself pretty skilled. Though, it still took me aback when I got into this novel and the writing style was so - don't even know how to describe it! - dignified and high-level that it reminded me of some centuries-old classic. It's not a negative thing, mind you, I rather enjoyed the different air but it did take me off guard.

This was an enjoyable read, though I wouldn't call it remarkable. In terms of plot itself, I found myself craving more - more than just those two fools pining after one another insultingly and throwing jabs and glares so much they turned affectionate, Much-Ado-About-Nothing way. As a fanfcition, I can totally picture myself being glued to this and having a blast. As a novel, though, it is still a good way to pass a time and certainly a worthwhile read, yet I desired a bit more from it.

BRILLIANT!!! This book was amazing, I had so much fun reading it! I cannot wait for the next book to be released please!!!

Thankyou for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first ARC and I was extremely surprised and excited when I was accepted for it as I had heard so much hype around this title.

Unfortunately, I don't think I am the target audience for it. I spent so much time confused by the quite significant lack of world building and found myself constantly referring back to the glossary at the start to try and understand the new world and magic system. To be honest, it didn't help greatly.

The enemies to lovers trope was done well and the slow burn pacing worked well for their characters. But again, due to the lack of world and character building I only got a very vague feel at why they disliked eachother so much.

The humour and banter I actually really enjoyed to begin with and I had a few moments that made me chuckle out loud, however, as the book progressed it started to grate a little and felt a little teenage boy toilet humour.

I also had no idea this was a fanfic before jumping in, maybe those who read that would have more understanding as to the world and all the magical/medical terms introduced that I struggled to fully understand. I was also thrown a little by the random capital letters at the start of some words.

I can see it being a fun read for others though and I'm sure many will find it more enjoyable than I did. Maybe it just wasn't for me.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

where the hell was the world building??? i know this is fanfiction to trad but it needed another 50 pages at the beginning because damn i got whiplash from the constant naming things i was supposed to know. personally i did not like anything about this.

3.25 - 3.5 ⭐

thanks to netgalley for providing me an early release of this in exchange for a honest opinion!

𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩
: ̗̀➛enemies to lovers
: ̗̀➛assassin x healer
: ̗̀➛slowwww burn
: ̗̀➛acts of service? kinda.

The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy was a pretty fun read overall. I really liked the writing style, dry British humour without feeling overdone, and I enjoyed the witty banter between the characters. Their conversations were always super engaging. The romance itself was a true slow burn (they don’t kiss until around 95%), but I thought the pacing actually worked well for their dynamic. They're also pretty solid enemies, as they have very opposing moral beliefs.

I did enjoy their relationship, but I wasn’t always sure why the characters were doing what they were doing. Some of their motivations felt unclear, which made it harder to fully connect with them. Also, there were a lot of dick and toilet jokes. Like… a lot. Not necessarily bad, but it got repetitive after a while.

The world-building also felt a bit vague & I didn’t totally get the setting or how things worked outside of the romance. Anyways, I still had a good time reading it. I liked the vibe, the humour landed for me, and I’d probably check out the second book!

4⭐️
A very huge thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK | Orbit for gifting me a E-ARC in exchange of an honest review.
I kept seeing so many people reading this book for the past few month so the moment it hit my inbox I had to start it and honestly I had such a good time!
This book is an enemies-to-lovers romantasy between a healer and an assassin, Aurienne and Osric, who absolutely cannot stand each other, and with reason. Yet we follow them as they have to work together for their mutual benefit while blurring the line of their animosity.
I am not lying when I say that I actually laughed out loud while reading, the puns, the comebacks, honestly the author’s sense of humor and writing style was just really fun to read and quite refreshing. This book reminded me a little to butcher and blackbird, as it doesn't take it self serious, but for me at least this was a bit better.
So that all to say that I really recommend this book, it was fun, quick paced and easy to read, and just what I needed to be honest.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK and Orbit for the arc!

All the stars!!

I had seen several of my friends (and a lot of people I don't know) loving this so when I saw that this was available to request on NetGalley and having read the description I just knew I had to request it and I was so happy when I got it that I did a happy dance, haha.

This book was so damn good. I have no words to describe how much I loved it.
I loved the banter and bickering between Aurienne and Osric and their deofols, the humor, the world, the characters. Everything. I loved it all so much! And I can't wait for the rest of the world to experience it!

This very quickly turned into a favorite!

Thank you again to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK and Orbit fort the arc!

The comedic writing in this book scratched an itch in my brain I didn’t know I had. There’s not loads of action and I do see where some of the more negative reviews are coming from, but this is a character led story over and plot and I would read about these characters watching paint dry for 400 pages, if they were snarking at each other the whole time.

There was still enough story for me and the build up of tension was spectacular. It is truly the slowest of slow burns and semi enemies to lovers, but the dark humour and perfectly executed dialogue take this book to a completely different realm to standard Romantasy fare. The enemies also at times seem more antagonistic colleagues rather than out and out enemies trying to tear each other apart, so don’t go in expecting extreme enemy behaviour and I think you’ll love it.

**3.5 stars** This book is heavily romance focused and character driven. The world building heavily relies on a glossary at the start, and honestly has quite a few holes. Exactly how far does the Tiendom span? Why do the Orders just let people like the Fyrens kill people? What about those without a Tacn who don’t belong to an order, are they just okay with random murders happening or people getting possessed? It’s definitely not the most thoroughly described or explained world or magic system, and with writing that kept feeling juvenile and still WattPad esque, I shouldn’t have enjoyed it this much. But I did… I loved Aurienne and Oric’s banter and the stupid sexual humor. It’s a perfect summer read for fun vibes, silly humor and an absolutely adorable end to the first installment.

Okay!! One of my most anticipated reads of 2025! It wasn’t what I was expecting but I’m on the less it was a very fun read with low stakes, enemies to lovers slow burn and amazing banter! It was throughly enjoyable! It was like reading a rom-com & fantasy in one! Magical healer and assassin who needs to cure his illness very STEM vibes book! The pronunciation guide was top tier! And yes it took me a while! The map and concept was rally refreshing. It was fun! I think Brigitte has a very unique way of writing that won’t be for everyone but it was a good time! Not your traditional Romantasy more a mix of romance & romcom. I enjoy it was a good binge read.

This book unfortunately did not appeal to me. I read the first 25% and didn’t feel attached to the characters or intrigued by the story. I’m sure this will appeal to a different audience but this one was not for me, I won’t share links for this as I do not like to leave negative public reviews on authors hard work

I loved the fanfic and I continue to love it on its own merit as a novel, this felt like enemies to lovers wrapped in a warm hug

Billed as a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romantasy, with talk of dark comedy, had me expecting a book I would really enjoy. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.
From the outset it was hard to work out why the two characters would ever find anything appealing about each other. They are forced to work together under duress, and even when they start to show signs of interest there’s no real attempt to help us understand their shift in attitude.
I gleaned little understanding of the world of the book, and the over-reliance on penis jokes and toilet humour was boring.
If it weren’t for the fact that this fulfilled a reading challenge this would have been a rare DNF for me. I’m sure this book will have its fans, but I’m not one of them.

This was an entertaining read, if one that suffers from the author's background in fanfic - and let me be clear, there is AMAZING writing in a lot of fanfic and I would never use it as an insult. This book is not exactly a reworking of the author's famous Dramione fanfic, but it is grown from the bones of it, and that shows in ways that make this book feel a little underbaked and gappy.

What I'm mostly talking about here is that there is a real lack of characterisation in the MCs of this book, and it's most likely because when one is writing fanfiction, they're drawing from a shared understanding with the reader of who these characters are and what they're like BEFORE you even begin to tell your story. If you're writing Dramione, the reader already knows the basics of the characters and fills in the blanks for themself. But if you're writing Dramione-with-the-serial-numbers-filed-off, as the author is doing here, then it is not possible to rely on the pre-existing characterisation of canon or fanon, and yet, The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy does exactly that, so the blanks just hang around blankly. We don't learn enough about Aurienne or Osric to care for them as themselves, rather than as ciphers of Hermione and Draco. They aren't well-rounded. They're fun, for sure, but they don't feel like full people. The same is true of the world-building, but this I will say is at least dipped into more deeply than the character-building.

There is also a very "online" quality to the humour, for want of a better word - lots of Humorous Capitalisation and dick jokes - that works in context but may take some adjusting for readers expecting a slightly more serious way of writing.

Overall, this book won't be for everyone, and I think coming to it cold, I would have been really put off by it. Reading it with the understanding that it's a Dramione AU, it was entertaining enough, and I did enjoy the banter and the development of the relationship. I will read the sequel!

3.5 ⭐
I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.
While the title promised a spicy enemies-to-lovers romance, the execution was a bit of a slow burn—very slow.
The chemistry between the main characters simmers for the majority of the book, but the “enemy” dynamic started to feel repetitive. The banter, while entertaining at first, dragged on to the point where I found myself getting a little tired of it. Things didn’t really start to shift until around the 70% mark, which made the pacing feel unbalanced.
That said, the last 20% completely hooked me. The emotional payoff and unexpected cliffhanger ending definitely made the wait worthwhile. I appreciated how the story finally leaned into the tension it had been building all along, and that final stretch left me intrigued enough to want to pick up Book 2 when it’s released.

A solid read for fans of ultra-slow burns and sharp-edged romance—just go in knowing you’ll need a bit of patience.

THIS BOOK!!! I haven't fallen so in love with a book in ages!!

Firstly I looooove this combination of science and magic so much it's just perfect for me!

Secondly the banter!!! Oh sweet heavens I was well fed with this banter. I was laughing out loud through this entire book!

The tension and build up was immaculate. The slow burn was BURNING!!

I just wish it hadn't ended!!! I need more rn!