First and foremost, for anyone worried if they should read this because the original work was a fanfic of Harry Potter, I just want to say something: NOTHING even hints at the Harry Potter universe in this story. Anyone who doesn't know the origin of it would never realise what this started as (and that alone points out to such an incredible creative work from the author). So please, support the author, support the book and let's get into the review proper.

I am honestly shocked with this. I mean, where is the second book IMMEDIATELY?! If you like slow burn enemies-to-lovers oh you are in for a treat, my friend. This is some of the best I have ever read.

The originality is fenomenal, I must say, though at times I was slightly lost in the fantasy and world-building, especially in the beginning. It felt like in a five word sentence, I understood two words. It got better but that was a bit of a heavy start.

I must say, the story was amazing. It was intriguing, fun and I loved devouring this book. Though, if there is one other thing I have to point out that I didn't love, it would have to be the amount of sexual/genitalia moments. Explaining a bit better: at first, it's funny. After a while, it's exhausting. Talking about female and male genitalia, sometimes not even in situations that would make it funny, became a bit of an eye roll "Oh great, another mention of balls or breasts yay :/". It quickly lost any appeal to me. I really can't mention much without going into spoilers.

Now, apart from those two things, I really really loved this. It brought enemies-to-lovers to a scale I hadn't experienced before. In a lot of cases about 50% into the story the MC's would already be in some sort of romantic relationship, and in this...oh wow. When he kissed her hand I released the fireworks, Christmas had come early.

It's not just romance, it is a mystery, a story of pride and prejudice (he he) about learning to see the world through the eyes of another and coming to terms with something we can't quite understand.

I love it, I'm amazed, I want more. Thank you so much Little, Brown Book Group UK | Orbit for this ARC.

(Free Advanced Reader Copy from NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK | Orbit that I chose to review after reading - Cross-posted on Goodreads on July 11th, 2025)

The premise of The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy sounded great, but after reading a couple of pages, I got bored, unfortunately.

But despite it all, I would rate the story as 2.8.

Thank you so much NetGalley, I really appreciate it.

I've read the rave reviews and on paper this should have been a book I loved, but I read 35% and it's just not for me. I struggled with the language, not understanding what was going on half the time. It also felt like we were thrown in halfway through a story with no world building.
I'm sorry to say I'm not a fan, but thank you for the e-ARC, I'm still very appreciative.

I devoured this book and then immediately peer pressured all my friends into reading it. If you love a slow burn with enemies to lovers and the BEST witty banter, then The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy is the book for you. Aurienne and Osric were hilarious together and the juxtaposition between their personalities added so much fun to the story. Please do yourself a favor and add it to your TBR immediately <3

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒅:

♡ forced proximity
♡ enemies to lovers
♡ unique magic
♡ dual POV
♡ the best banter

The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy is the wonderful debut from Brigitte Knightley. I absolutely loved this one, but my goodness am I now desperate for book 2, with the way this one ended it can’t come quick enough!

The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy is a slow burn romantacy. This is enemies to lovers in the truest sense of the trope, our MCs Aurienne and Osric aren’t simply enemies they are each others absolute opposites, she is from a light order whilst he walks the dusken paths. They loath they very idea of one another and yet… and yet…

Our MC Osric is an incredibly morally grey assassin who happens to be in dire need of a healer, the issue however that the healer he so requires comes from his enemy Order in the shape of morally upright Aurienne. Her Order, however, is in desperate need of money to vaccinate against a terrible pox and so Aurienne finds herself in a position of having to try to heal Osric, a man whom she despises everything about. As they explore ways to heal him, and investigate the mysterious pox resurgence the pair find themselves going from hate, to toleration, to care and maybe even the hope of more in these impossible circumstances.

I feel like this book will be the book I compare all other enemies to lovers too, it was just so good. This is a hate fuelled slow burn that is full of acerbic wit, and my goodness was it a treat to see how the MCs interacted with one another and how that gradually shifted throughout the book. I was so gone for them when we finally got that first kiss!

I loved the world and magic system Knightley has created and I’m both excited and terrified to see what happens next. Something big is coming and I have no doubt we’ll be in for as many brilliant twists and turns as we’ve been gifted in this debut

Rating - 3⭐️

I AM CONFLICTED…

I loved the world, the futuristic vibes, the magic system, the banter, the dry humour, the TRUE ENEMIES TO LOVERS, our FMC and MMC..

BUT

Something about the pacing felt off…the chapters were really long and the book ended so abruptly with absolutely no resolution to anything that happened within the plot. This make me super super sad because I was loving the uniqueness but I just felt like I was missing the last 100 pages😭

It deffo had me laughing and giggling, the dark dry humour was hilarious but what was the ending..

A fun fantasy romcom had me giggling the whole way through. Not to be taken too seriously but super fun and quick read

Did not finish book. Stopped at 25%.
I really wanted to like this… I love the dust jacket. However, I just couldn’t carry on to the end. There was such a big beautiful world established, maps, factions, powers etc and nothing done with it. Random words were capitalised and some phrases repeated and this threw me everytime. I may come back to it 🤷🏾‍♀️

3.5 ⭐️

There has been so much hype around this book! If you are a fan of natural, witty banter, good side characters, a well built fantasy world and a slow, <i>slow</i> burn then this is for you.

The stand out feature of this book is the dialogue. It bounces off the page and each character feels truly distinct (side characters included). It did make me smile and laugh a lot. Its quite a familiar writing style if you've read a lot of fanfic.

I really enjoyed the world, it did feel unique, but with lots of references to old magical UK. I loved the meshing of fantasy names with real names and places, and the multiple monarchies. Similarly loved the merging of magical healing and medicine as we know it.

Aurienne and Osric are both likable in their own ways (black cat x mangy street dog??) but i would have liked a little more development on their backgrounds and weaknesses.

What stopped this from being 5 stars? Literally nothing is resolved, I was only left with questions at the end. I will be reading the next one to find out what happens though.

Thank you to Netgalley and Little Brown book group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A true enemies-to-lovers slow burn. An assassin and a healer team up to fulfill a deal and end up forming an unlikely bond. The duo's banter is funny and witty. Part of the book is a bit slow, but the last 30% introduces an interesting new dynamic. I'm curious to see what happens next!

I loved this book!.

I'm aware it was originally a Dramoine fanfic, but that's not a world I delved into. So, for me it was a fresh story and fantastic debut. I had such a fun time reading this story. The banter, bickering and tension was superb. I really enjoyed the writing style - gorgeous prose to poetic to downright comedy gold. The foundations set and seeds planted have me very excited for the next book to see how the story progresses, especially the romance because I was definitely let craving more. It was a slooooow burn but I ate up the tension and chemistry between Osric and Aurienne.

I did have some little grievances with some elements of the story, but not enough to take away from my overall enjoyment and reading experience.

*Thank you to Orbit Books UK for the ARC 💖

3.5 stars

Headlines:
Fierce enemies
Slow burn
Left wanting

The good news on this one is that it felt totally separate to the fanfic origins, I didn’t think of the origin at all.

This was a ‘like’ experience that increased a little towards the end. The enemies to more was truly strong in this story with dialogue focused on barbs and bickering. The underlying blackmail reasoning had Osric vulnerable for the first time in his life. From here, uncovering more about Osric behind the assassin’s mark was my reading quest but I didn’t find out as much as I wanted to. I really liked his foe, Fairhrim. Her sass and caring side seemed unlikely but endearing.

There was buckets of banter in this book but sometimes the humour felt forced. The dialogue was break-neck speed and sometimes I wanted their exchanges to slow down. I did like the plot lines and directions and I’m left wanting the next book.

I felt rather unfulfilled with the romance side of things, I think we could have been given a bit more.

Overall, enjoyable reading and I was happy that this book felt like its own entity.

Thank you Orbit for the review copy.

This is undoubtledly my favorite book of the year so far and I sincerely don't see any other book surpassing it. It was so good from the very beginning and kept getting better and better in every aspect.

The Irresistible Urge is such a uniquely written rom-com set in a fantasy world with well rounded characters, intricate and well thought out magic system and worldbuilding. I loved the humour and how natural the switches from serious to hilarious were.

If you're looking for a real ememies to lovers story with characters who absolutely loathe each other in the beginning, THIS is the story for you. Slow burn was slowly burning so exquisitely and still has room to burn some more in the sequel. Not to mention the yearning. 🤌🏻
I feel like my man Osric especially is gonna be going through it in the future.

Also, it has such a well rounded story arc and it refreshingly doesn't end on a cliffhanger, but still leaves you wanting more. My brain has been itching for more ever since I finished it and will definitely need a reread or two until the next book.

Osric and Aurienne both have their PoVs and I don't know which one I loved more. Both are amazingly developed characters and have very distinct and unique voices and (polar opposite) moral systems. It was a delight to read about their shenanigans and watch as they warm up to each other through the course of more or less (un)fortunate events.

I'm not a religious person, but reading the scene at the lighthouse (you'll know when you read it/if you've read it) was probably the closest I got to an epiphany. It was such a cinematic, intimate, breathtaking scene that's been living rent free ever since I finished it.

It's so hard talking about something you love because I'd rather just be screaming at you all to read this masterpiece than be politely explaining unexplainable feelings I have about a story and characters BUT OH WELL.

Thank you very much Little Brown UK and Netgalley for an e-ARC!

I absolutely loved this book!

I know that this book is marketed as a sort of draimone fan fiction but to me this book completely stands out as its own.

I absolutely devoured this book in two days. The world building was so well thought out and interesting to read about. I loved their little sort of familiars that are called "deofols". Both Aurienne and Osric's were so snarky and cute.

The slow burn in this book was absolutely incredible. Definitely my type of slow burn. The author definitely knows how to the perfect sizzling type of yearning. The dynamic between the two main characters was so well written. I loved how serious, sort of perfectionist and smart Aurienne was in contrast to Osric who was a man who liked to get his hands dirty and had a funny sense of humor. Also the fact that they went to each other for help when they had no one else to turn to absolutely made my heart melt! I loved it! I absolutely cannot wait to read the next book!

Another thing I liked about this book is how well it set everything up for the next book. I’m eager to see how Aurienne and Osric’s relationship deepens and how the main plot continues.

The only thing I didn't like was the amount of genitalia jokes.🙈

Thank you so much to the author, Little, Brown Book Group UK and Netgalley for giving me an e-arc of this lovely book!

This book was such a fun ride. The banter, the tension, the slow burn? Chef’s kiss. I didn’t expect to laugh this much while reading it, but the humor and snarky back-and-forth totally won me over. Aurienne and Osric have such a great dynamic, and the worldbuilding (plus the deofols!) added so much charm.

I really wanted to start this with a message about where I stand. I am a supporter of trans rights and freedoms. It is my understanding that the author of this book also supports the trans community and has fundraised for a trans rights organization in the UK. That being said, I applied for this ARC with the mindset that fanfiction does not benefit the author of the source material. Since then, I have come to realize that it keeps that author in the conversation. She benefits directly from this. As such, I will not be posting about this book on my social media.

This one is about Osric, and he’s got a problem. He’s got an incurable disease that’s depleting his magic, and the only person that can help him is Aurienne. The biggest part of the problem? He’s from an order of assassins, and she’s from an order of healers. They’re sworn enemies! Osric proceeds to offer Aurienne a deal: he’ll help her cure orphans of a pox if she’ll find him a cure for his ailment. The catch? They absolutely positively decidedly cannot fall in love.

Well, I liked this book a lot. It caught me from the get-go and I was grabbed by a physical read (that’s coming from an audiobook girlie). I really loved the writing style. I think it would absolutely appeal to other language arts nerds like myself that appreciate an extensive vocabulary and an assortment of bon mots exchanged between witty characters who loathe each other. Osric is a delightful character because he’s aristocratic and snobby which makes him so unfailingly polite, until he meets Aurienne. It’s almost a Pride & Prejudice situation where he is a snob, and she calls him out on it… but she’s equally a snob, just in a different manner.

This book is so utterly and refreshingly unique, the relationship between the main characters is one filled with witty banter, dark humour and loathing that slowly shifts into something that feels a lot like the opposite, this book is unlike anything I have read before. Perfectly capturing the fantasy rom-com genre this book is guaranteed to have you laughing out loud, with an FMC that is too serious for her own good, an MMC that is pure chaos and name calling galore. I absolutely devoured this book that balances the character development, world building and a mystery surrounding the sinister actions of a few and the political actions of the many. Brigitte has perfectly set this story up for book two and I cannot wait to see what happens next, we have come so far but there is something much more to come.

We begin this story with gentlemen assassin, Osric Mordaunt, and we find him in desperate need of a healing miracle, especially being a member of the Fyren Order of assassins where weakness means an inevitable demise. However, in a cruel and comical twist of fate his healing miracle is most likely to be found in none other than a member of an enemy order, scholarly healthier Aurienne Fairhrim. Aurienne would not in a million years agree to heal and Fyren, those she considers to have the blackest of souls, however, desperate times call for desperate measures and when Osric offers up the money to help create a vaccine for the sick she accepts even if she detests doing so. As these two are forced to work together to try and solve the impossible and save Osric’s life. However, Osric’s heal isn’t the only mystery these two end up trying to solve, with other factors at play including the deadly pox they find themselves growing closer and closer despite how irritating they find one another.

Osric and Aurienne are both such amazing characters, with Osric leaving morally grey chaos in his wake wherever he goes, violence is very much his love language and Aurienne is his moral compass with violence being her absolute last resort. Osric takes absolutely nothing serious at any time, if there is a joke to be had or a witty come back to throw he is having at it. Aurienne is so prim and proper, especially at the start of the book, but as the book progresses you begin to peel back the layers of her controlled and detached personality to reach the person underneath. At the beginning of the book you think that Aurienne is unflappable but of course Osric is the one person that can get under her skin. You can tell that Aurienne’s work as a professor is a core part of her personality and not far from her mind from the language being used throughout. The preconceived dislike these two have for one another and their intense distaste for each other makes for some of the most hilarious banter I have come across in books, oh and did I mention the comical name calling? I love so much how their contrasting personalities and moral code should not work together in the slightly, but eventually you begin to realise they have more in common than you think. As these book progresses they grow to care about one another and it is such a beautiful friendship that could so easily grow into something more.

Brigitte including fantastical use of language within this book, it is so different from the classical use of language and fully immerses you in this world. Speaking of worlds, the world building within this book was fabulous, there are so many little quirks and aspects we uncover as the book goes on. Using the pubs as points of portal travel is such a unique part of the story, and the mystery regarding Osric’s illness allows us to explore this world but still leaves us craving more. The distinct individuality of this book comes across in other aspects, such as the critique crickets and the defo with their unique personalities and comments that definitely did not come through a filter. I am definitely ready to explore more of this world and find out what happens next between Osric and Aurienne, especially when the snakes are so high.

3.75/5
I enjoyed this book, but after a while, it started to feel like there was more banter than plot—great banter, to be fair—but I kept wondering where the story was heading. Around the 40% mark, I switched to the audiobook because the pacing felt a bit slow.

Xanthe and Leofric were great side characters—very funny moments with them!

Overall, the book felt like a long introduction. I’m hoping book two picks up the momentum. I’ll definitely continue the series to see what happens with Osric’s seith and his newfound affection for Aurienne.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

This book completely exceeded my expectations—in the best possible way.

While the plot unfolded much as the synopsis suggested, what truly brought the story to life for me was the sharp, witty humour of the main characters. Their banter had me laughing out loud more than once. Despite their contrasting personalities and perspectives, I found myself connecting with aspects of both, which made their dynamic all the more engaging. Watching them slowly move from reluctant collaborators to finding real common ground was a highlight.

I also appreciated that the romance developed at a gradual, believable pace. It didn’t overshadow the main narrative, which felt realistic and well-balanced.

An unexpected bonus was the mystery element, which added a compelling layer of intrigue throughout the story. It was subtly woven into the plot and gave the book an added depth I hadn’t anticipated. I'm genuinely excited to see where the next instalment takes this.

Thank you to Orbit and Netgalley for this eARC to review.

4.5 stars

Sadly this one was not for me.

I was excited when I got the ARC because this one had the potential to be something I would really enjoy but it just didn't meet my expectations.
My issue started from the very beginning since you open the book and are met with an extensive glossary which is not a bad thing per se but it truly felt like the glossary is there to do the heavy lifting since reading this world felt clunky. It really needed some fleshing out BEFORE the reader is just dumped in the middle of it, there is zero effort to try and make it organic. That was a huge down for me.

That really just took me out of the whole story and reading was more a chore than a pleasure.