I absolutely devoured this book! A true enemies to lovers entwined with an interesting plot. This book checked off everything; loathing, banter, longing - I need the next book immediately! My favourite read of the year thus far, easy 5 stars!

I am so glad I got a chance to read this book.

I love the world that has been created, an alternative Britain if the Norman conquest hadn’t been successful, where magic and technology go hand in hand. The characters are really well rounded out and the the imagery fantastic. The plot is great, all the trademarks of a rom com, but with high level stakes for the main characters ensuring that the relationship develops from enemies to lovers in a satisfying way. There were sections that made me giggle out loud in a way a book hasn’t made me do in a while, that didn’t feel gratuitous and really fleshed out the characters in my mind.

I understand that this is meant to be in two parts but the ending, however, left me a bit unsatisfied. It hasn’t deterred me from wanting more though.

If you are looking for a slow burn, enemies to lovers, high stakes adventure, this is your story. I can’t wait for the next part!

Before getting into the content of this book, a warning: it isn't a complete story. It's an alleged duology that is clearly actually one story cut in two - there are no resolved arcs in this book, it simply stops. Because of this, the pacing is very odd and there's no complete structure.

That said, it is also quite fun. The world-building is done with a light touch but makes for a satisfying setting, in a magical Britain (although the story focuses on England) which did not fall to the Norman Conquest. Magic users are mostly members of different orders, some focusing on doing good and others on killing for money. The titular enemies are a healer and an assassin, forced to work together when the assassin is struck with a seemingly incurable affliction. In return for healing he becomes involved in investigating the spread of a mysterious disease, being forced to spend more and more time with the healer as the intrigue ramps up. As the title makes clear, sexual tension starts to become a factor as they are compelled to get to know each other.

It turns out that this author is a well-known fanfiction author. Fanfic tropes - like everyone being bi/pansexual and continual snarky banter - are present, and although this is apparently not a reworking of an existing piece it does make sense that Knightley wrote a high profile Draco/Hermione story. However, this novel should appeal to a wider romantasy audience that isn't immersed in fandom. Some incongruously modern language does creep in but in a AU story with a vague timeline it's hard to be too strict.

I enjoyed it while i was reading it and would have given it a cheerful four stars if it had any kind of resolution. Unfortunately the non-finish and consequent structural failures lose a star for me. I came away from the book feeling somewhat cheated.

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I haven't read any of the author's fanfics, but I do like Dramione, so I thought I would enjoy the dynamic in The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy.

Sadly, it really didn't work for me. I generally don't enjoy exaggerated and unrealistic humour, and this was no exception.

It reminded me of Throne in the Dark by A K Caggiano, and I have a feeling that Assistant to the Villain is similar, so I would definitely recommend this for readers who enjoyed those.

I terms of the story, not a lot happened to advance the plot (at least, not a lot for 400+ pages) - I would say that the blurb pretty much sums it all up.

I love a good enemies to lovers dynamic, but sadly I didn't find Osric redeemable at all, so I can't see what would make Aurienne stop disliking him, never mind love him.

Overall, while it really wasn't for me, I can definitely see how it would appeal to other readers.

.Enemies to lovers
.Forced proximity
.Hate to love
.He falls first
.Slow burn
.Outrageous banter
.Dual POV

I still can’t believe this author hasn’t been published before. She has a very distinctive voice, with rich vocabulary, sharp wit, outrageous in the best way, and somehow still manages to have depth. I have no doubt she’s going to be a hit when this book hits the shelves.

A quick preface: I’m a huge Dramione reader, and I read the original fanfic this book is based on. It wasn’t my favorite at the time. Not because it wasn’t good, but because I either like my Dramiones really dark or extremely cozy and sweet. No middle ground for me. That said, this book does its own thing, and I love how it carves out a unique world.

The setting is a mix of old and new. Rooted in historical England with names inspired by Old English, but also featuring electricity and modern medicine. It’s immersive but easy to get into, with no steep learning curve, and the story kicks off right away.

Now, the main characters. They are obnoxiously conceited, stubborn as mules, but somehow still incredibly endearing. Their inner monologues carry the book, though I could’ve done with fewer dick jokes. They started feeling a bit much after a while.

Aurienne is as rigid as they come, absolutely refuses to budge, and could use a bit more softness. Which, thankfully, starts to show towards the end and will see more of in the best book. (Oh yeah, this is the first in a series. I didn’t know that going in, and I’m still not sure how I feel about it.)

Osric is amazing. Pure chaotic energy, a morally gray killing machine with a soft spot for animals. Basically my ideal kind of hero. He and Aurienne truly hate each other, and they feel like actual enemies, which makes for a great dynamic in a romantasy.

But if you’re picking this up expecting lots of romance, you might be disappointed. There are a few romantic moments (barely any), but that’s not the book’s main focus.

The pacing could have been a bit tighter, it dragged in places, and the ending felt abrupt. But overall, I had a great time reading it. I know people are going to love this one.

I had seen lots of hype online for the release of this book and recognise the love for original fanfic by this author so I really wanted to love this one. Unfortunately I think I have come to realise that cosy fantasies are not necessarily for me so I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would. I'm sure if you loved books like Emily Wilde then you will appreciate this book more that I did!
With that said I'm glad I read it and the plot and characters have intrigued me enough that I do want to pick up the sequel. I had for some reason thought this was a standalone so I was getting confused as I approached the end of the book and wasn't sure how it was going to wrap up! To me it felt as if the ending was therefore a bit sudden but I'm sure it will all play out in the next book.

Overall this is an entertaining and interesting book with fun characters which many readers will absolutely love. I do look forward to reading the next book and following these characters again.

DNF 4%

Immediately, I couldn’t tell this wouldn’t be for me, The first few pages left me confused, in a bad way. I have not a clue what Orsin looks like, or where we are, or when, and then suddenly we’re meeting the fmc? And already their conversations are so witty, but a dull witty? I couldn’t see any stakes, because I don’t know what’s so magic about Orsin, or any idea why he’s important. Most of what I read was dialogue after dialogue and exposition via dialogue instead of having the narrator speak or do anything. I couldn’t keep up honestly and thought i was missing punctuation- but everything happens through conversations.

Reading other reviews, there’s a lot of inappropriate sexual content going on that has no warnings- mmc masturbating over her while she’s asleep, fingering a corpse’s ass, and talk of scissors in foreplay. This is what I would expect from a dark romance, not a romantic comedy. I don’t believe I missed any trigger warnings at the start for this. I haven’t read much fanfic (1) and didn’t know the author was a fanfic writer, but it makes sense now and would have been nice to know a little context beforehand. I can get being unhinged characters, but I need something to attach to and ground me first.

Clever and very funny I enjoyed this enemies to not quite so antaganoistic with a heavy dose of lust fantasy as healer Aurienne is forced to try and secretly heal assassin Osric and finds herself pulled into a world of dastardly conspiracies, chaos and dark deeds, and concede that not only is life not quite as black and white and ordered as she would like but that she is having fun... It is laugh out loud amusing at times, but as other reviewers have said slow to start (so slow that if it hadn't been a Netgalley read I might not have persevered) and ends really abruptly. But overall a lot of fun. Recommended

Every single moment of this book was absolutely delightful to read. Brigette Knightley has given us a true enemies to lovers romantasy with the enemies aspect so integral that I was really questioning how the lovers part could develop but oh it did, so believably well. For those who have read Brigette’s other work you’ll know exactly the feeling reading this, for those who aren’t Dramione readers think the embedded societal rivalry of Romeo and Juliet but with a love story you leave feeling desperate for!

I really loved the dual pov’s in this story as the characters kept themselves so guarded that it allowed us to see both sides letting their walls down and appreciate the flaws and vulnerabilities of both Osric and Aurienne before there was any hint of it to the other character. Osric became my favourite villain I’ve ever read so quickly, he’s an absolute delight.

The love story also doesn’t distract from the rest of the plot, simply interweaves beautifully. All of their adventures each full moon and the mystery/detective work they get drawn into is completely enticing on its own - of course helped by the genius levels of banter and quick wit which Brigette is hailed for.

I found I quickly understood and became immersed in the fantasy world that this story is set in which is often not the case with romatasy stories so that was a lovely relief. The glossary at the start of the book to help understand some of the terminology and different orders was definitely really helpful with this.

Some highlights for me include The Fork (iconic), The Yogurt, “You can’t just ask people why they haven’t got nipples” (anyone else read it in the voice of Gretchen Weiners?) and the appearance of some pink heart shaped sunglasses.
I will be recommending this book to so many people when it is released later this year and am already desperate for the sequel to come out to see how the story continues from that ending!

Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

💕🍴🐈‍⬛

Everything about this was superb - from the writing and banter, right down to the chapter titles. And the slow burn… no one does slow burn quite like fanfic writers!! This was true enemies to lovers - with characters that had legitimate reasons to hate each other. I’m dropping a star as I found the start to be a little bit slow, but other than that I loved it! Laugh out loud funny.

Thanks NetGalley and Little Brown UK for the arc.

Thank you NetGalley and Little Brown Book for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a slow burn, enemies to lovers, healer x murder romance.

To me this was verrrryyy slow, I didn't get into it until about 40%. It also ended very abruptly, just when we were getting to the action and something would happen.

I did really love the banter and laughed out loud several times to the one liners. While I found this a little slow and boring, I think the next book will have a very satisfying slow burn payoff, and some action that I'm very excited for.

First, I'd like to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in advance. Since I first read Brigitte words, I've been a fan and I cannot believe how lucky I was to be among the few who got this early copy.

My rating: 4.75 shimmering stars
Read if you like:
- Loathe to love
- Forced collaboration
- Exquisite banter
- Hilariously dry humor
- Arrogant assassin MMC with golden retriever energy
- Hypercompetent healer FMC with black cat energy
- Slow burn
- Original magic system

My thoughts:
"He hadn't paid attention. He had been stupid - gods, so stupid. He no longer owned his heart."

To no one's surprise, Brigitte created magic.
From the moment I saw that my favorite fic ever, DMATMOOBIL, was getting a trad. published version, I knew it was going to be spectacular. I knew I was going to be cackling with delight at their banter and holding my breath with every stolen glance and accidental touch.
I knew I was going to fall in love with the hilariously arrogant assassin and positively adore the annoyingly capable healer.

Add an original magic system, a quest against the clock of the inevitable, a reluctant alliance and Brigitte's trademark sense of humor and impeccable use of language and there you have it: a masterpiece and my unending love.

There were of course a couple of minor things that I would've loved more of to add even more tension and depth to the story, but all in all, I have nothing but praise for the author. I wish I could live inside her head. Sounds like a fun place to be.

Just like Osric's, my heart is no longer my own: it's Brigitte's until the second book is in my hands.

Love love, love this one! I’ve been waiting patiently for this book, so I feel so honored to have been able to read this early. It did not disappoint, I can’t wait for it to be released in the world.

Now I was very excited to get this early copy, as a big dramione fan and was highly anticipated.

𝙸𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚊 𝚜𝚕𝚘𝚠 𝚋𝚞𝚛𝚗 , 𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚜𝚢 𝚍𝚞𝚘𝚕𝚘𝚐𝚢. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚏𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎𝚜 𝙰𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚗𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚒𝚜 𝚊 𝚜𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚢 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙾𝚜𝚛𝚒𝚌 𝚊 𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚎𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚗.

It did take me a while to get through this. I’m not sure what it was, but something was missing for me which stopped me fully connecting with the book and the characters.

the slow burn was slow burning let me tell you. enjoyed seeing the friendship/relationship between osric and aurienne develop. the banter and one liners from osric had me giggling. 🤭

The ending ended a little abruptly, which confused me cause it was just getting good and I could tell, things was about to go down.

This was a fun and easy read.

I really enjoyed the slow burn, enemies to lovers elements of this book. The fact that the main characters start of detesting each other but have to put up with one another for mutual benefit, as well as mutually assured destruction made the tension and banter between the characters very entertaining. However, at times i felt that the pacing was a little off and there weas a shift when the whole reason that they are working together seems to have been forgotten, especially with the ending, it felt as though that plot point had gotten lost.

Overall, I enjoyed the plot and the idea that was being explored, however I wish there had been more world building and the relationships between other characters could have been explored a little more. the magic system seems interesting but I don't really feel like I understand it or howe it works, but the tie in of the magic with medical care was very intriguing and well established. I did enjoy the dynamic between the two protagonists and loved the duel pov so that we can see inside the minds of both characters, seeing their struggles, conflicts and feelings, and the slow burn between them is truly delicious. Parts of the story were really sharp, witty, poetic and well written, giving the story a good balance. I am looking forward to reading the second book, however the ending didn't grab me and I feel like this could have been made one book overall.

I know that this version is just a proof copy, but I would say that it does need a thorough proof read and edit as there were several things I noticed while reading that impacted the flow. Additionally, one of my main criticisms would be that some of the chapters, especially at the start, are very long and make it hard to really get into the story.

This is one of my favourite books of the year so far! Absolutely loved this so much, the romance was great, the writing was amazing. I don’t wanna say too much because I don’t want to spoil anyone but I had such an amazing time reading this. I’ll defo be buying myself a copy once it’s released! It was truly such a fun ride! Gave me apprentice to the villain vibes!

Thank you so very much to NetGalley, the publisher and author for accepting my request to read an early copy of this book for a review 🩷

Let me just say, this book was in my top 5 most anticipated reads for the WHOLE YEAR. When I got accepted on NetGalley I actually squeeled and then proceeded to tell everyone and anyone how excited j was.

I knew this book was a published dramione fic (or atleast, the author wrote it with dramione in mind) which is a fictional pairing I’ve never personally had much interest in, not because I hate enemies to lovers (quite the opposite) but simply becuase I don’t think they come across as being compatible or having chemistry.

Anyway.

I wasn’t intersted in this book for that aspect, I genuinely just thought the sounded right up my alley.

And while I think this book will work for a lot of people, it just so sadly did not work for me.

It was evident this was a fan fiction in its first form because the book has zero world building. Zero. I had no idea if it was a fantasy/real world with muggles/or what era it was. There were mentions of electricity. It felt like the author originally wouldn’t have required world building when it was in its fan fiction form as everyone knows the wizarding world, but didn’t think to add it in when it was changed to a trad pub.

Additionally, it felt like we were already supposed to be familair with the characters and their personalities and their lives. Which, again, as a fan fiction, you would be. But it left me feeling like I didn’t know the world, the rules, the whose and why’s and where’s, and then we have very flat one dimensional characters added in.

My next complaint is that the writing was super unnecessarily complicated and difficult to read. It didn’t flow. The author chose to add in random French (took me the entire book to realise it’s because they ARE French - that wasn’t even made clear) and complicated word choices seemingly only for the sake of sounding fancy.

Next, I felt like the elaborate name changes for things like magic, and wands it existing, and port-keys and all these other things straight from Harry Potter were super unnecessarily. The name changes for simple things like Magic and Healer made the book even harder to follow.

I also felt like, while the characters did have some good banter and genuinely funny dialogue, there was zero chemistry. Some spice was thrown in at the end seemingly out of nowhere, and that’s that. It would have probably been a better book had they just become good friends at the end.

Lastly, I felt like the book struggled with a plot. And I struggled to follow it at times. It had some slower points that dragged. I felt like we didn’t even get even a semblance of a tied end of the book either, since it has a sequel, and not one aspect of the book felt concluded by the end of this one. It honestly could have just been one giant book in my opinion.

Overall, I really was super disappointed by this book. I think it needs a hard edit and some big changes personally, so that it can be read easier and so the reader can deeply enjoy it and actually feel connected to the characters.

2.75/3 Star Review of The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley

The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy is a witty, sharp, and refreshingly unique fantasy romance that offers plenty of clever writing and a slow-burn dynamic that truly earns its tension. While there’s a lot to admire here, it didn’t quite hit the mark for me in the way I’d hoped.

First off, the writing itself is undeniably impressive. Brigitte Knightley’s prose is razor-sharp, filled with clever turns of phrase and a vocabulary that often felt richer and more intricate than your typical fantasy romance. For readers who love a more literary style, this will absolutely stand out. However, at times, this precision made the storytelling feel a bit distant—I found myself more impressed by the writing than emotionally connected to the characters or plot.

The romance itself is a true slow burn, with a deliberate pacing that builds tension steadily over time. If you're a fan of romance that takes its time, this aspect was well-executed. However, while the relationship had its moments, I didn’t feel fully invested in the characters' emotional journeys. The dynamic had a fun, witty edge but lacked some of the deeper chemistry I was hoping for.

The world-building, however, deserves high praise. The magic system is inventive and memorable, adding layers of intrigue to the plot. While the story had a good foundation, the pacing dipped in places, particularly in the middle, which made it harder to stay consistently engaged.

Overall, The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy is a solid read with moments of brilliance—especially in its world-building and sharp writing. While it didn’t completely win me over, it’s a book I’d still recommend to fans of slow-burn romance, unique magic systems, and clever dialogue. For those who loved Assistant to the Villain or enjoy a more intellectual, word-play-filled writing style, this could be a great fit.

I read the original fanfiction, and I was SO excited to read this! I have read a fair amount of trad-pub fanfiction, and this is by far the most original adaptation I've encountered. Knightly was able to keep the tone and soul of the fanfic while writing an original storyline that kept me on my toes. The writing style was so funny that it was actually almost distracting at times (in a good way), and the characters stayed true to their original selves. My only complaint was with pacing, though I suspect that once the duology is complete, the complete story will read better. I highly recommend this to people looking for a lighthearted, easy fantasy!!

Getting an email from NetGalley that I was approved to read this book in advance is definitely one of the highlights of this year. Since this was one of my most anticipated reads!

This story had everything it needed to be a perfect fantasy, and yet sometimes I felt like it lacked something. The world-building is simple enough, everything is pretty much explained in the glossary that the book provides. So no troubles there, but I would have been glad to read more about the countries themselves and their politics, since we know that some of them are on the brink of war, and yet we do not know why. I liked the Orders and the idea behind them, but aside from our main characters, we only meet one other person from another order, whom we meet only in passing. So why create them at all if we are never going to meet them?

What I loved were deofols, which are companions that each person has in this universe! They have a character of their own and not just a smaller copy of their owners, which was fun to read about.

The whole book is littered with ‘big’ words that, in some places, perhaps would have been appropriate, but I doubt they are in a simple enemies-to-lovers fantasy. I had to consult a dictionary on almost every page, which really took me out of the story and most times was distracting (thank God for Kindle’s vocabulary builder). If English is not your first language, I think you will find it difficult to get through the whole book without constantly looking up words.

That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy Briggitte’s writing style at all. The story was fast-paced, though a tad repetitive. What I mean by that is majority of the book is just the two main characters meeting up every full moon and doing the same thing but in different places. Good thing I did not mind it, since they were fun to read about.

The book is definitely an adult fantasy, it was filled with dirty jokes that, after a while, stopped being funny. Perhaps I’m just not made for that type of humour (at least not that often). How many times can you make a dick joke till you get tired of it?

The characters were my favourite part, I loved them dearly. The burn was definitely slow, but a burn nonetheless. That was deeply appreciated.

At the start of the book, it is established that Osric has 3 or 4 months before his abilities begin to dwindle significantly, and yet we don’t see it throughout the book?? He’s fine with just trying something once every full moon? How much time does he really have? I think it would have been interesting to see the consequences of his injury more. I do hope it is something that will be further explored in the second book.

And speaking about the second book, in my opinion, there was no need to make it a duology. I liked the ending of this one, but it did feel that if this book had several more chapters, the story would have reached its natural conclusion easily. But nevertheless, I am excited for the sequel. Brigitte Knightley did a fantastical job of getting me absolutely hooked on these characters. It was a brilliant debut novel.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!!!