I really wanted to love this book and discover a new favorite. I truly did, especially since the story seemed interesting. Unfortunately, I just couldn’t get into it. The writing style isn’t bad, but I didn’t particularly enjoy it, and I couldn’t connect with the story the way I had hoped to.

The characters seemed fairly interesting, but I didn’t feel much for them — I just couldn’t grow attached to them the way you hope to with well-written characters

I am not familiar of fanfiction so Brigitte was a new author to me but when I saw this cute cover, I couldn't resist! The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy is an amazing enemies to lovers story with magical creatures set in a fantastical world. 

Auriette is a healer, her life' s purpose to save people from sickness. When a strange illness befalls on poor children , she will do anything to cure them, even if that means working with her worst enemy.

Osric is rich, a talented killer but his body is failing him. He needs the best healer and that's Auriette, the austere woman who prefers smoldering him than saving him. 

These two though need each other so they have to put their animosity aside. 

I have to say in the beginning I was a little lost. The author built a world with strange creatures, she used unfamiliar words so that got me confused. When though I got the hang of it, I really enjoyed the story. 

Auriette is an intelligent, capable scientist which I loved and Osric is witty , charming and deadly in fun way. These two are truly enemies and there are reasons for their animosity.  When they work together though, the water gets muddied and there is no good/bad guy. 

This book won me over for its humor. It's quirky, fun and entertaining. The characters do banter well even in inner dialogue.

I had no idea that this book would end with a cliffhanger but the fact I tapped the last page for more says something! I really enjoyed this story and I can't wait for its final book which hopefully comes soon!

4.5 stars rounded up.

This book is 75% banter, it's savage and I'm here for it. This is true enemies to lovers and I loved every second of it.

The main storyline is Aurienne (a healer) trying to stop a disease slowly killing Osric (the literal opposite of a healer). This was great, but the subplot with the pox really ramped up towards the end of the book, and I am invested. This is the reason I wish I didn't read ARCs - the agonising wait now between books!

If you like very slow burns, enemies to lovers, and hilarious banter, read this book!

I did enjoy the book, there was some parts I wasn’t sure on or followed, I think I got a little confused on some of the characters. But overall I did enjoy it

This isn’t your typical fantasy romance. It’s clever, character-driven, and packed with sarcasm and snark. If you enjoy morally grey characters, intelligent world-building, and enemies-to-lovers written with intention, this is one to pick up. Just… be emotionally prepared when you realise it’s a duology.

Witty, clever, full of delightful puns, this story is a little tour de force of comedic personality clashes and inevitable falling into romance.
The world building and magical system within the story has a solid internal logic and while the story riffs off many other stories in the genre, Brigitte Knightley’s writing style, with her tongue firmly in her cheek, keeps it all feeling fresh.
Such great fun and very much looking forward to the second volume.

As one who has read Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Falling In Love, I should have prepared myself to laugh my ass off. I spent the whole time cackling. The writing was so witty and different from what I usually read.

This is not, however, a trad published version of the fanfiction. The plot is different. The characters, although slightly Dramione coded (Good brown-haired smart female and Bad white haired cocky male, enemies), do differ in backstory and personality. The magical system is not in any way related or similar to HP's. If you go into this book expecting wands, potions and spells, you'll probably be disappointed.

I did feel that the characters could have been better developed. They are perfect archetypes of what one would expect of good and evil. Especially Aurienne, she only had her smarts and arrogance going for her. Orsic did feel a bit more fleshed out but I would love to see more sides of him. I wish we'd also have more moments between the MCs and the side characters.

Their relationship had a slow development, as I had hoped. It started off with them hating each other's gutts, forced to work together and then somewhat respecting the other's role in their arrangement, to finally starting to care and develop feelings. However, the third person writing is not conductive to passionate romance, hopefully in the sequel it translates better.

The start of the plot was slow but full of information about the world. I enjoyed the world building inspired by old British lore. The different Orders were not deeply explored, we learn more about the Fyrean and Haelen orders than the rest, but I'm hoping the rest will have a bigger role in the sequel, especially with the recent discovery by the MCs by the end.

This is a good debut, imo. I do love Knightley's writing and sense of humor so I might be bias here. Can't wait for the sequel.

DNF @ 6%. I skimmed a bit forward and I know I won’t be able to get into the end of the first chapter. I am so angry, it was the worst published writing I’ve ever read in my life. I wanted to say it feels like it’s written for toddlers but that will be an insult to toddlers. I was losing brain cells by the sentence and I wanted to claw my eyes out. It’s not even funny. What are we even doing here.

eARC provided by NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK

Unfortunately I could not finish this book.

I really liked the premise but the banter between the two main characters really irked me and I just didn’t have the desire to continue reading when I couldn’t connect with either main character.

Thank you for giving me an ARC copy to review!

*2.5 stars*

I really wanted to love this book, especially after hearing so many good things, but sadly, it just missed the mark for me.

Going in blind (I hadn’t read the original fanfiction it’s based on), I struggled with the first 25–30% of the book. and I really had to push myself to keep going. The beginning felt clunky, weighed down by ambiguous world-building and overly complex language. Even with the glossary at the start, it often felt like I was reading in another language, which made it hard to follow the story.

That said, I was really intrigued by the fantasy elements, especially the concept of seith and the mystery on how to stop Ostric’s rot. I liked that this wasn’t rushed or wrapped up too conveniently.

Aurienne and Ostric had their moments, and their banter had me giggling a few times. Their witty and creative retorts were a delightful addition. But their chemistry didn’t fully click for me until the final chapters. I think the romance would’ve felt more satisfying if their connection had been more clearly developed throughout the book.

The ending left me torn, I was finally getting into the flow of the story, only for it to abruptly end. I wasn’t ready for it to end (in both a good and frustrating way), and despite my issues with the pacing, I am curious to see where book two goes.

Thank you to Little, Brown Book Group UK for the ARC.

This book was such a fun surprise! The unique magic system really stood out and gave the story a fresh twist. It’s also genuinely funny — the banter had me laughing out loud more than once.

Be warned: it’s an extreme slow burn, but the tension is worth it. The chemistry builds so naturally that by the end, you're fully invested. It ends on a serious cliffhanger, so I’m definitely picking up the second one ASAP!

If you're into enemies-to-lovers with magic, humour, and a painfully slow romance — this one's for you.

If you're into the enemies-to-lovers trope, this one definitely has some fun moments. Knightley's writing is pretty sharp and witty, especially when it comes to the banter. Those early exchanges were a highlight, and I was genuinely invested in seeing how their dynamic would play out.
The character development was interesting to watch unfold; the slow burn was there, and you do see them shift from enemies. However, for me, some parts of their journey felt a little drawn out, and I didn't quite connect with them as deeply as I'd hoped. There are also some cool underlying ideas about society and morality, which added a nice layer to the story.
Overall, it's a solid read with some really strong points, particularly the dialogue, but it didn't completely blow me away. Still, if you're looking for a new take on the trope, it's worth checking out!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy, I liked Aurienne and Osric as characters and the slow-burn romance, however, sometime after the halfway mark the banter lost some of it's appeal. I would say that toning it down a little bit could have prevented the "banter burnout". I also would have liked a little more time spent on the world building and plot, At the end of the day though this was a funny quick read that romantasy fans will certainly enjoy.

This book surprised me. The writing style is different from what I normally read — but once I got used to it , it completely won me over. The humour, the banter, the tension? Give me 10 of this book. What started off as curiosity quickly turned into me staying up way too late or reading at work begging them to kiss already

At its core, this is a clever and original take on the enemies-to-lovers trope. Aurienne is a determined, morally upright healer, and Osric? He’s an absolute menace!! Sarcastic, emotionally unavailable, and dramatic in the best way. I adored how unapologetically himself he is. Our sassy king!

Their dynamic is sharp and filled with layered tension which is not just romantic, but moral and ideological too. The slow burn is exactly that very very slow. But it’s intentional, and it works. Every interaction between them is a tug-of-war between disdain and reluctant fascination, and I couldn’t get enough.

The chapter titles deserve their own paragraph. They’re witty, chaotic, and perfectly matched to the tone of each chapter. I found myself giggling at the start of every one.

Also worth mentioning is the magic system which was thoughtful, physical, and high-stakes. This world doesn’t allow for easy power; every magical act has a cost, and that adds such weight to the decisions made by both characters. I saw a lot of complaints about the (lack) of romance however being a duology I do think it’s intentional. Often in series the enemies are quick to be lovers half way through book 1 and the rest of books can feel like a chore. So I’m really not mad about the pacing.

It’s giving enemies to lovers, forced proximity, morally grey MMC, dry wit, moral conflict, scientific fantasy with emotionally repressed chaos

Final thoughts: This isn’t your typical fantasy romance. It’s clever, character-driven, and packed with sarcasm and snark. If you enjoy morally grey characters, intelligent world-building, and enemies-to-lovers written with intention, this is one to pick up. Just… be emotionally prepared when you realise it’s a duology.

The banter in this is most certainly unmatched. The writing style gave me the biggest Assistant to the Villain vibes in the best way. I was constantly laughing out loud. I also thoroughly enjoy a good old enemies to lovers where they truly despise each other throughout the majority of the book and this hit the bullseye.

If I could sum up this book in one word it would be FUN! I went into this book completely blind and was pleasantly surprised by how refreshing this book was.

Throw in the best banter between the mc and fmc I’ve seen that will have you laughing throughout, TRUE enemies to lovers and a wicked slow burn that has you squealing with the way they go from disgust and insults to dancing in the rain and holding hands, The Irresistible Urge to Fall for your Enemy is a read that I recommend to all.

Huge thanks to Little Brown Group UK and netgalley for this arc!

A witty and enjoyable enemies to lovers Romantasy!

Aurienne is a Healan, an order sworn to do no wrong, a talented healer.
Orsric is a Fyren, a hired assassin. And he just so happens to be in need of some healing.

This book did take a while to get to the point, as I say, but once it got there I really enjoyed it.
At first when I saw the long list that could rival Tolkien's world building glassary at the start of "The Hobbit", I was scared, I'm not going to lie.
However, it soon became apparent the world was fairly easy to grasp which will make this an enjoyable read for new Romantasy readers too.

My main issue was although we had a whole book of Osric and Aurienne, there wasn't much chance for us to get to know them other than a few hints here and there that alluded to a tragic past or previous lover. We really didn't learn much about either of them on a deeper level and instead what we got was very surface level "she's the stern and serious bookworm type" "he's the sarcastic rich boy type".
And considering I've just read the whole first book in a duology, we should really be further developed than that.

Having said that, I enjoyed the romantic tension (especially toward the end of the book) and the book was delightfully witty, at times having me laughing out loud or smiling at my kindle like an idiot.
These moments of banter between the two main characters really was the highlight of the book and the reason I will be picking up book 2 once it releases.

"The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy" was a story with great characters, good world building and an interesting plot, but the writing was not completely for me and I felt very distanced from the characters most of the book, because Aurienne and Osric both take their time to open up to each other and with that, to the reader. Both are very focused on what they need to accomplish and it take a lot of time until there are hints for a romance.
I really enjoyed the snarky conversations between the characters and also the Slowburn aspect of the romance. The plot also really got more interesting in the last quarter and I see the potential.
All in all the vibe was very YA - which made the spicy parts to the end cringy and they felt unnecessary to me personally.
But I'm open continue the story and see where Brigitte Knightley leads us here.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group UK for the opportunity to review this book. I was beyond excited to be approved for it. 

I was first familiarized with Bridgette's impeccable writing when I read her fanfiction that ultimately resulted in this book, and have since longed for more as it scratches an itch in my brain. The characters are complex, the dialogue is skillfully written and the banter is top-notch! 

The worldbuilding felt original and fairly easy to follow. I was glad of having it explained throughout the duration of the book instead of having it all dumped in the first couple of chapters. 

I will look forward to book 2!

Thank you to Little, Brown Book group UK for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley all opinions are my own.

Unfortunately I Did not manage to finish this book. I found the writing style difficult to get on with, but that's probably just me with what I'm used to and usually read. I found the world building a struggle and a bit of a info dump from the start (which I'm not usually used to)
I loved the cover and that is what initially drew me to it and the hype surrounding this book. So I jumped at the chance to read it. As I'm obsessed with enemies to lovers but this just isn't my sort of thing. I was slightly confused with names and terms/details about Orders etc. maybe if it was a physical book it would have been easier to flip back and fourth to read the front explanations again but harder to do with a E-copy, but yet again probably just my preference.
I think it has a good potential but just not my sort of read and I do think it will be very successful for the right reader.
I think I may even try it again when I have a physical copy and maybe another time. I feel it could be worth the revisit.