This book was a blast of pure fun and I had such a great time. It is very, very funny and extremely gentle and silly and soothing, which is maybe a weird thing to say about a book that is ostensibly about assassins and poxs and many, many murders, but here we are. The pace is slow, the romance (which is excellent) is the slooowest burn and I thought it was all delicious. I went into this thinking it was a stand alone so I got a bit stressed around the 90% mark when there were so many loose ends still loosening about, but I am already really looking forward to book 2. If you’re looking for a bit of escapism and rich world building then this one is for you.

I haven't giggled this much while reading a book in a long time (if ever). The BANTER, the character dynamics, and the perfectly timed sarcasm just gets the reaction out of you no matter the scene. I think that even if you're not familiar with Dramione or the original text, you'll still love this book—there’s not a deep character arc, but that doesn’t stop you from falling for Aurienne & Osric’s dynamic. Plus, the world-building and exposition are really well done! This is a true slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance, and I’m already excited for the second book in the duology.
Thenk you NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group for the opportunity to read and review this book!

Thank you to Little, Brown Book Group UK and Orbit for the ARC copy of this book.

I was ecstatic to have been selected to ARC read "The Irresistable Urge to Fall For Your Enemy," having already being a huge fan of Knightley's fanfic, "Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Idea of Being In Love."

Fans of the enemies to lovers and slow burn tropes will fall in love with Aurienne and Osric, two highly skilled and highly competent members of their opposing Orders, who must work together to prevent a deadly virus from sweeping through historic Britain—if they can stop hating each other first!

This book was incredibly witty with great characterisation, excellent dialogue, and memorable quotes.

Like other reviewers have previously stated, I would also have liked some more world building, and found it difficult to remember the various terminology (which was rectified by the glossary provided at the end of this ARC.

The Irresistable Urge to Fall For Your Enemy is very quickly ramping up to be book of the year for me, and I am very much looking forward to reading the next installment in the series.

This was a super fun, unique story that was an absolute joy to read!

Aurienne is a delightfully rigid character with a cutting sense of humour. She is smart and a rule follower but is forced to bend the rules to assist Osric with his declining health issues after he strikes a deal with Aurienne's superior. Osric is her opposite - a contract killer who she despises as she is a healer and her creed is "Harm to None". The ensuing interactions are hilarious - filled with banter, occasional innuendo and a terrific back and forth that just gets better the further you read into the novel.

The last 25% was unputdownable! The action, the reveals, and the yearning between the characters was so, so good that I ignored my entire family until I finished the novel. I had hoped that the slow burn would start earlier as it barely started as the book ended and I felt that it fell short in that regard.

Thank you Orbit and Netgalley for the early review copy.

unfortunately i really didn’t enjoy this which breaks my heart as it was a highly anticipated read! i really wanted to love it after loving previous fan fiction form the author but i just couldn’t gel. i found the world really complicated and the characters unbearable

I was so estatic to receive this ARC after absolutely devouring the original fan fic.

What to expect:
Hyper competent idiots
The slowest of slow burn
Enemies to Lovers
Animal 'sidekicks'
Wit & Banters

The first thing I think about when reading this book is just how hilarious it is. The humor is just so bloody witty and dry. I loved it. I was highlighting so many sentences on my kindle and I spent the majority of this time chuckling away at the book.

The plot was multi layered and didn't feel formulaic. There was multiple things happening at any one point, and I loved the mystery element to the story. The love story aspect was the slowest of slow burn, this made the enemies to lovers aspect feel more real too.

The MCs didn't feel quite as likeable as Draco and Hermione but I still enjoyed their characters none the less especially as their story went on. If you've come from reading the fan fic you won't find much the similar here.

My only negative is I would have loved some more worldbuilding, I felt like I couldn't picture the world quite as clearly. The glossary at the back is definitely a huge help so a physical copy would potentially be more helpful. I hope we get a map too!
This book is going to make an excellent audio book, and I can't wait to be able to listen to the banter all over again.

Highly recommend for any fans of the fan fic or if you're looking for something a little different fantasy wise. I can't wait to see how this series develops - yes it is a series, and I didn't not know this. But it does make sense when you thing about the length of the fan fic.

Thank you so much to the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Alas this book was personally not for me.

I like more plot in my romance, and with a good third of this book, if not more, dedicated purely to banter and the two hating each other, the plot took a back seat. When the plot did emerge, it was a very good one, one I wanted to know so much more about. The two of them begrudgingly working together as they tried to uncover a plot while slowly feeling more for each other meant that the last third of the book was a delight to read.

I struggled to take the MMC seriously as a deadly assassin at first. With the MFC utterly unafraid and his behaviour hardly the broody danger of other books, I couldn't understand why I was supposed to take him or his order seriously. As time went on, his threat level certainly raised and I know its a comedy book but still. An assassin asking someone to climb inside a bag for their own kidnapping is not scary.

The side characters were all entertaining, well rounded ones and I felt their motivations clearly. The world was an interesting one, although I would have liked a little more clarity on what was actually the setting. But I loved the idea of the sickness and all the pieces slowly being moved as we learnt more and more.

~Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review~

4.5 ⭐️

THIS👏IS👏HOW👏YOU👏DO👏ENEMIES👏TO👏LOVERS.

I can’t remember the last time I’ve had this fun with a fantasy but this was just great! This pacing and the humour were top tier (I literally laughed so hard at one point that I had tears streaming down my face) and the characters were great.

I’ll admit I’ve never read any dramoine fanfics and I knew going into this that the author was popular in that community but I have to say this was its OWN thing!

The story was fresh, unique and didn’t feel formulaic in the romantasy sense. There was real turmoil going on which is a necessity when it comes to enemies to lovers that never ever gets highlighted in most books but that I can appreciate in this one.

The slowburn (which is exactly what you need when you’re writing two characters who hate each other fyi) is just fab, I feel like authors who had a past with writing fanfic just GET that aspect of a story and they understand that the payoff will be worth it.

The only reason this wasn’t a 5 star was that it felt kinda contained, I’d have liked to have seen more explored regarding the world around them, and maybe a little more lingering in the moment they weren’t together but other than that it was fantastic and I can’t wait for the second book.

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for sending me the arc!

This was another fun fanfic-y romance (kinda) for this year. I have read my fair share of fanfic over the years and I loved wondering which pieces of this were from the original and what had been changed and developed!
I loved the magic system in this: fascinating blend of magic and science, but somehow also still having a heavy reliance on British folklore (my fave omg). We even had a load of old english etymology which was a wonderful detail to accompany the historical differences (no Norman conquest in 1066 would have prevented the loss of anglo-saxon). Speaking of language there was also some very sophisticated vocabulary in here - loved it!
It's also so refreshing to find characters in an enemies-to-lovers who actually hate each other (you wouldn't think it would be so hard). Osric and Aurienne have literal opposite moral compasses and I liked that this wasn't just thrown away to further a romance plotline - they inherently disagree with other ALL THE TIME. And the insults they levelled at each other were honestly impressive.
The only minor qualm I have with this story is the pacing felt a bit strange - I thoroughly enjoyed each chapter and the drama that unfolded, but when we reached the end of the book I felt a little like I'd been cheated out of a dramatic culmination of plot - you know the kind of thing: a battle or a suddenly revealed secret etc.
Was so excited to have an ARC for this and will be eagerly anticipating book 2.

R E V I E W

The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley

☆☆☆.5

Advanced Reader Copy graciously provided by Little Brown Book Group UK | Orbit via Netgalley

After seeing this title floating about Bookstagram with its tropes on display and regular comparisons to Ali Hazelwood, I was desperate to get my hands on it. So much so that when I received this advanced copy, I bumped it up to the top of my TBR list. Sadly, having now read it, I will say that I found this story a little unusual, a little childish in the writing at times, and a little underwhelming overall. I kept waiting for that to change as I got further into the narrative, only to realise that the slow burn would continue to burn glacially right up until the final sentence and that no plot points would be resolved in this first instalment of the duology.

The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy is heralded as an amalgamation of Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeria and The Love Hypothesis. When I read this, I wondered how both could be true when the former uses complex, formal vocabulary to delve into forgotten lore, and the latter utilises more relaxed and modern narration styles to showcase the inner monologues of hyper-competent individuals. In fact, TIUTFFYE does do both, providing a STEM-based fantasy whereby an assassin bribes a healer and scientist to try and cure his mysterious illness, seeking answers in the old ways and leading them on a series of begrudging adventures across an alternate United Kingdom. In addition to Heather Fawcett and Ali Hazelwood, I would also liken this to Hannah Maehrer's Assistant to the Villain series with its light-hearted approach to on-page evil such as murder, dismemberment and general villainy.

The problems for me with this story are as follows; first, there was little world-building, and we are instead dropped right into this confusing world with little explanation as to why the country is split into small kingdoms which work alongside magical guilds. We see technology, fueled by magic, alongside victorian characteristics and dress, giving us gas-lit fantasy vibes and leaving the reader a little befuddled until they get further into the story and are able to slowly piece together a greater understanding of this world. There is a useful glossary to help unpick all of this, but it does come at the end once the reader has done all the hard work for themselves.

Next, I found the writing very peculiar. Told in dual POV chapters, TIUTFFYE switches between Aurienne's overly educated and rigid inner monologuing packed full of exessively complex vocabulary and STEM regerences to Osric's capricious and, at times immature oration. The dichotomy is quite jarring and leads to childish interactions instead of the witty banter that was promised and far too many references to bodily functions and faeces. I, for one, do not need repeated mentions of jizz, poo, wanking and balls to believe a book is an adult narrative. It's a shame because on the two short occasions that the characters engage in independent acts of pleasure, the writing is far more tasteful and mature, showing the writer can provide adult content without infantacising the prose.

Finally, the romance portion of this book makes up very little of the story, and as my percentage into the book increased, I became desperate for these characters to give in to their thawing regard for one another and give us something. I'm all for slow burn, but the pace here was glacial and, consequently, a little dissatisfying. I know we are dealing with true enemies to lovers, whose orders are diametrically opposed and more than just a hurdle for any romance, but they were already flouting so many rules by working together to heal Osric and investigate the conspiracy surrounding the pox, what harm would a little kiss or two be?

I will read the second instalment of this one, purely to get some answers, but I remain uncertain as to whether I really enjoyed this read or not.

This book was one of my most anticipated read of 2025 and let me tell you... It was worth the waiting <3

This is a real enemies to lovers in which the characters do hate each other for way more than a few chapters.
The banter is the best (I couldn't stop laughing) and the chemistry between the two mcs was immaculate.

This is directly going to my "Favorite of 2025" list.

One of my most anticipated reads of the year and it was amazing!

The tension between the two MCs was just swoon worthy and the writing is just amazing

The story just flows and has you hooked from the first page!

I was given and ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
So I wanted so hard to love this book. I loved the author’s fanfiction so much and had really high hopes for her first novel. Sadly it was not true love.
Let’s start with what I loved: I loved Osric. He was an arrogant assassin that had a wicked sense of humor.
I enjoyed the banter between the two main characters.
I also enjoyed the Dramione vibes. The enemies to lovers, you are from this clan so I hate you vibes.
What I disliked:
The world building. The world building was barely there and I didn’t even know what the other orders were until I got to the end page where it described the orders/kingdoms/etc.
I did not like Audrienne. She was hateful and mean. She wished death on Osric for the majority of the book until she at a single moment was like okay I sort of like him. She’s a healer who wished death on someone just because of their order where her order was do no harm, doesn’t seem legit. This even after he saved her multiple times. It was like just die so you don’t keep killing people.
The need for old English. Some people may like it, I wasn’t a fan.
The last thing was nothing happened. The book was really slow and nothing moved forward other than the tepid romance. We don’t get any real character development until the last 15% of the book. I had hoped there would be some great confrontation at the end to give us a great cliffhanger but literally nothing happens.
I’m really sad that this book didn’t hit my expectations. I am hoping that book two gets into the meat of things and gets moving forward. I will definitely read book 2, hopefully we just get a little more.
Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown for the ARC.

An utter delight to read!

The character-driven story centers around the two incredibly endearing main characters, both with a sharp, sarcastic edge and a wicked sense of dry humor that had me laughing out loud. The writing is also hilarious - the critique crickets were a stand out for me and genuinely made me giggle 😂

The romance unfolds as a slow burn, with the tension building steadily throughout the book. Despite the fact that the couple only shares one kiss, the anticipation and connection between them kept me completely hooked. It’s a perfect example of how much can be conveyed without rushing into anything.

I’m so ready for the next one!

Book Review: The Irresistible Urge to Fall in Love
⭐⭐⭐⭐4/5

I was lucky enough to receive an advanced reader’s copy of The Irresistible Urge to Fall in Love, and I’m still reeling from how incredible it was. This fantasy enemies-to-lovers romance had everything I could want—razor-sharp banter, high-stakes tension, and a slow-burn romance that had me holding my breath.

One of the book’s greatest strengths is its world-building. Bridgette Knightley crafts a rich, immersive world filled with magic, political intrigue, and breathtaking detail. The plot is fast-paced, with twists that kept me on edge, and the emotional depth of the characters made every betrayal and revelation hit even harder.

And the romance? Perfection. The slow build, the stolen glances, the way their hatred turns to something far more dangerous—it was everything I love about this trope. They have such a fiery, complex relationship that I couldn’t put the book down.

Do you ever read a book that makes you fall back in love with reading? This book did that for me.

I wanted to consume this as quickly as possible but I also wanted to savour every word because I knew that I could only this for the first time once.

I started this knowing that it’s a Dramione fic and I haven’t actually read a fic to book before so I didn’t know if it would be obvious or not. From the first chapter it was clear that a lot of work went into making these characters their own and the setting was so unique, that I completely forgot after awhile about its origins.

Since Aurienne is a Haelan (a healer) and Oscric is a Fyren (assassin for hire), there is a lot of interesting terminology used throughout. I found myself highlighting loads of words that either I hadn’t heard before or wasn’t sure of the definition. After about three chapters, it’s quite easier to get over this aspect and you can see how it adds to the charm of the story.

At times, the banter between characters and the descriptions of their own thoughts reminded me of the humour in The Princess Bride. It’s that outrageously silly way that characters say what they mean and how they see the world for what it is. I enjoyed this because I find that I don’t come across that kind of writing often enough.

I would recommend this for anyone that is looking for a really good enemies to lovers where the characters are actually enemies. This is for you if you’re looking for great world building, descriptive writing, witty banter, and intriguing characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and LittleBrownBooks for sending me an advanced reader copy.

4.5 ⭐️
Thank you Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group for my ARC copy of this book.

I really loved this book, the banter and dry humour from them both from the start was amazing. To see them slowly build a friendship and more was so sweet. I hope there is a second book as I need to see where all of this ends. You can see that it is 100% Dramione coded but unique enough with its own magic system to make it, it's own book. Would 100% recommend this to anyone who needs a little dramione fix.

The Irresistible Urge to Fall for your Enemy

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review


🥀Enemies to Lovers
🗡️Razor sharp wit and humour
💀He falls first
🔥Slowest of slow burns
🩶Morally Grey MMC
🫶 Forced Proximity/ Partnership


Did I have high hopes after reading the dramione version of this…. Yes
Was this one of my most anticipated read this year….. Yes
Did it love up to the dream….. ABSOLUTELY!

As always please read the trigger warning before starting - your mental health comes first 🫶

He’s an assassin, she’s a healer. She’s the only one who can help him, she doesn’t want to but he makes an offer she really can’t refuse 🔥


If you’re expecting this to be exactly like its ao3 counterpart, please don’t, I didn’t think it was possible, but it’s better. The banter, the humour, the slowww burn 🤌

I devoured this book as soon as I was able, cackling like a mad woman, kicking my feet and falling in love with the characters so beautifully brought to life.

The world building and magic system felt a little confusing at times, there is a glossary but I had no idea it was there until the end 😂 I think it may just be the digital version but definitely keep an eye out for this as it helped a lot and I wish I had known at the start 🙈

Osric and Aurienne have now taken permanent residence in my brain

I am so excited for the sequel and I will absolutely be ordering every SE copy I can when it’s published 🖤

Thanks so much to the publisher, author and NetGalley for the eARC, all opinions expressed are my own.

I don’t think this book is for me. I’m not familiar with the fanfic, but the worldbuilding was pretty much nonexistent at the beginning, at times the dialogue felt like I was reading a script rather than prose and really struggled to immerse myself in this world.

Now THIS is how you do slow-burn! I am so excited to see how the story develops in the next book. I loved reading from the perspectives of the two main characters as they tried to begrudgingly help each other.

The plot was great, with different threads being woven throughout that kept things interesting. I enjoyed the premise and thought the magic system was well thought out. When I wasn't reading the book, I kept wanting to know what happened next. I can't believe I have to wait ages for the next one... My favourite thing was the humour, which was totally my style. It was dry, witty, and made me laugh out loud a few times. I loved the banter between the main characters because they genuinely hated each other at the start (true enemies-to-lovers!!!).

I did struggle to get into the story at first because the world-building was very light. There weren't many explanations for what things were or how things worked. It wasn't until I found the glossary after reading the whole book that some of my questions were answered. Even so, this story didn't do any handholding when it came to setting up the world, so some people may find this a bit difficult. However, I would absolutely recommend this book for anyone wanting to read a witty, slow-burn enemies-to-lovers story because it did all of these things so well.