4.5 ⭐️

God, this book is absolutely hilarious. You can tell the author wrote fanfiction previously. it's that kind of humourthat i love. I laughed out loud constantly. If they get the right voice actors, the audiobook is bound to be absolutely amazing.

I really liked both osric and aurienne. I wouldn't say it's enemies to lovers in the at war sense exactly, more she doesn't approve of his line of work, and he thinks she's stuck up. The banter is perfect from the start, and the dirty jokes as the book goes on fit really well. I can't believe I went into this thinking it was YA.

The romance is definitely slow burn. I was concerned at one point that it wasn't going to develop well, but by the end, I was happy with where it wound up. Having the full moons to remind you of the passage of time really helped, too. The magic system is brilliant too.

I do wish we had gotten to see a little more of osrics powers. There were certain moments where i maybe would have switched POV to show it. The chapters are quite long, so there was definitely an opportunity for this. Also a little more of Auriennes' research process for the healings. Sometimes, it felt like we were missing the plot in between the healings at the beginning.

I felt a little like the plot was missing at the start, especially knowing this is a duology. But once you hit the halfway point, things come together to produce that bigger storyline. Im very excited to see where both the plot and the relationship go. It rarely happens, but I'm already tempted to reread because the book kept me so entertained.

I received an advance review copy of this book, and this review represents my honest opinion. Thank you to netgalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy is the kind of book that grabs you from the first page and refuses to let go. And honestly it’s been so long since I’ve experienced this. Brigitte Knightley has delivered a wildly addictive page turner full of tension, wit, and slow-burning chemistry. If you love slow burn this is for you! (50% and they still loathed each other, the enemies-to-lovers was delivering) Not a fan of a slow burn? I urge you to give this a shot for the humour alone, I do think book 2 has been set up beautifully for a truly epic love story.

The world-building is so important I feel in the 1st book and this book is immersive without being overwhelming, the magic system was pretty easy to follow, I probably could have done with a little more explanation into a couple of things but I wouldn’t say it altered my reading experience. But it’s the characters that steal the show—Aurienne and Osric are total opposites with razor-sharp banter (I LOVED the banter between these two) and just the right amount of mutual loathing (and longing….. eventually). I loved these two! Osric chapters were some of the funniest I’ve read in months. Brigittes writing and characters remind me a little of Ali hazlewood so if she’s one of your favourite authors I really think you’ll enjoy Brigittes writing style, it’s smart, emotional, and often had me laughing out loud. Every moment, from the quiet ones to the heart-racing twists, is layered with intent. You can tell from early on this story isn’t going to be a straight forward read the undercurrent of something more happening constantly had me guessing at what was possibly going on, what was the bigger bigger picture, who was behind certain things. And JUST as we start to get answers and JUST as the romance was starting to kick off …. THE END. This is how you keep the reader gripped it’s been a while since I’ve felt that gut punch of a cliff hanger (no the cliff hanger isn’t a horrible one, but the story ends and you feel bereft it happens at just the moment where you want more)

I honestly can’t wait for the sequel!

Spice: 🌶️
Star rating :4.5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (I will score up to 5 as I feel 4 is to low)

A Big thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group UK for the ARC (ebook)

When I requested an e-ARC of this book I had no idea that it started out as a HP fanfiction - so this was a surprise to me.
What actually got me excited to about this book was the interesting premise.

Osric a member of an Order of the Dusken Paths is suffering from a serious health condition that might soon leave him dead. To avoid his fate, he seeks the help of Aurienne, a healer and the only one who has a chance of saving him. The catch? Their orders are less than friendly with each other, which makes them enemies by default. Special circumstances however leave them with no other choice but forming an uneasy alliance.

The irresistible urge to fall for your enemy is a low-stakes, slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers story with witty banter and a refreshing, light and engaging writing style.
The worldbuilding is intriguing, though I personally would have liked a bit more depth. The story leans heavily on dialogue and is very character-driven.

Overall I quite enjoyed this story, even if it wasn’t entirely my usual cup of tea.
I would recommend this to anyone who loves witty, funny, slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romances where the mmc falls first (and falls hard) with emotional tension simmering beneath the surface.

Thank to Netgally & Little, Brown Book Group UK for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for giving me an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to love this, however it really did not live up to the hype that I have seen across social media.

What I did like was both of the character’s humour. The banter was very much alive and went back and forth very easily as if it was a real life conversation and this is what really got me through reading the book the whole way through.

The plot I felt was very basic, I didn’t feel as if if was fast paced or that there was any type of urgency in the plot to move it forward much. It felt really slow and boring and could have been a lot better developed to match the banter between the characters.

The ending also leaves you on quite an open end which means there will be a sequel so your questions can be answered. I feel like this story should and could have been wrapped up within this book and doesn’t need a sequel.

Overall, sadly not my type of romantsy book but I can see why it appeals to the masses as an easy to read book.

I wanted to love this. I was so excited for this book. Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love is one of my absolute favourite Dramione fics, so when I found out it was being reworked and traditionally published, I couldn’t wait.

But honestly? I’m gutted. This just didn’t hit the way I hoped.

The biggest issue for me was the characters. Osric and Aurienne had potential, but they felt… flat. One-dimensional. I was waiting for that delicious tension, that sharp wit, the layered character work that made DMATMOOBIL so good—but it never quite got there. I didn’t feel invested in them the way I wanted to, and that was frustrating.

And then there’s the world-building. I love a well-built fantasy world, but this felt subpar—especially compared to what I’m used to. Maybe that’s because DMATMOOBIL already had an established world to lean on, and here, everything had to be built from scratch. Maybe it’s just me being picky. But either way, it didn’t feel as fleshed out as I like my fantasy settings to be.

Or… maybe my issue is just me. Maybe it’s that this isn’t Dramione anymore. It’s not the world I know and love. And if I’m being honest, my neurodivergent brain does not like change. I get attached to things the way they are, so maybe this book was doomed to fall flat for me no matter what.

That said, I know a lot of people are loving this one! I’ve seen plenty of reviews praising the sharp banter and slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance, and I totally get why this might work for others. I just wish I’d felt something more.

I’m sad about this one. I wanted it to be everything. Instead, it was just… fine.

Huge thank you to Little Brown and NetGalley for the opportunity to read my most highly anticipated book of the year in exchange for an honest review. I couldn’t believe my luck and really I’m feeling like god’s favourite right now.

I’m just going to start with I adore this author’s writing style, it’s witty, well paced and god does she know how to write a sloooooow burn with fantastic tension. I am slightly biased as I have read the fan fiction that this novel is inspired by (and it’s my favourite) but I genuinely think this story stands up on its own.

Brigitte has managed to create an entirely original world, using the Deofol and Waystones to create a similar set up to DMATMOOBIL but made it her own. She also made the characters her own. At first I did struggle to separate them from being just Draco/Hermione dropped into another world, but as it went on, they developed into entirely their own characters. While it’s clear where the inspiration came from, I like that Aurienne and Osric have their own feel and identity, separate from D/H. That being said I did really enjoy the few subtle hints to the original fan fiction. I screamed at the pink heart glasses reference which was a fun Easter egg for fans of the original work. But even had I never read anything by this author before, it ticks all the boxes for me and is exactly the type of novel I would gravitate towards. Plus the cover is gorgeous!

This is a slow burn TRUE enemies to lovers, they have real reason to hate and mistrust one another which isn’t always the case in this genre of book. Usually there is a bit of dislike for a few chapters then they kiss and fall into bed. What’s great here is the hatred is actually deeply founded in Order division and isn’t just a minor hurdle, but a huge obstacle that seems virtually impossible to overcome. It was interesting to explore characters that really couldn’t be from more different worlds, and the juxtaposing ideas of ‘do no harm’ and literally being paid to do harm, and how two very logical people contend with the impossibility of their situation. As a reader, this is a huge driving factor thinking ‘how on earth is this going to work out in the end?’ .The chemistry between the two main characters really takes centre stage and the stakes become higher as the plot goes along. The banter was of course my favourite element, and had me giggling and kicking my feet. This is exactly the vibe I was expecting so did not disappoint!

The initial world building was quite a lot to get my head around but eventually it started falling into place. I didn’t know it was the first in a duology until recently, so I am excited to explore the world further in the second book and see what’s next for the these characters. I would be interested to see more actual conversations between Aurienne and Osric, I love the banter but at points it did seem like that’s all there was, many of their conversations lacking any substance and were just opportunities to snipe at each other. I hope to see more vulnerability and opening up about their pasts, and maybe more explanation for how they both chose the paths they are on.

Overall this book gave the vibes of fanfiction that is so often lacking for me in anything traditionally published, in the best possible way. The plot and world is unique and interesting and the banter is delicious, I’d highly recommend to any romantasy readers out there whether you have read the original work or not!

This was absolutely incredible. I haven’t laughed and kicked my feet that much in a LONG time. I absolutely adore her writing, it’s so witty and clever. I need the next book yesterday, I must know what happens.

⭐ 4.5 stars ⭐

‘Don’t compliment me,’ said Aurienne.
‘Does it make you uncomfortable?’
‘Yes.’
‘Good. I like to see you suffer.’
This was accompanied by a wink. Odious.

○ Plot and pacing: 4/5
○ Characters: 5/5
○ Romance: 5/5
○ Writing: 4/5
○ Worldbuilding: 3/5

Osric Mordaunt, a Fyren assassin, suffers from seith rot, a disease with no known cure. In order to achieve the impossible, he must resort to ask Aurienne Fairhrim, a sanctimonious healer of an enemy Order, for her help. Their forced collaboration only serves to fuel their animosity… and the heat that starts to simmer between them.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it didn’t disappoint me! I had a great time and it really feels like a true enemies to lovers.

It started a bit slow and repetitive, but the dialogues and inner monologues made it worth it. The dialogues were witty and funny with a very distinct type of humour and, while the writing was fresh, unique and very different from the usual romantasy, I can see how some people might find it a touch convoluted. However, once I got used to the style, I enjoyed it a lot!

The relationship between the characters is, no doubts, the best part of the book. The author knows how to write a slow burn and that ending left me so excited to read the sequel. At first, it seemed very hard, if not impossible, to overcome that hatred that Aurienne and Osric feel for one another, but, little by little, they start breaching the gap and it feels so natural and, frankly, unavoidable.

What I found lacking was the worldbuilding. Some things are unnecessarily explained at length while more significant aspects (magic system, politics, etc.) are just brushed over, which left me a bit confused sometimes. I would have preferred to have the glossary explained during the story and not as an info dump at the beginning.

Overall, this book is great for those readers that prefer a romance centred story in a fantasy background and adore well done enemies to lovers and banter.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

DNF’ed, unfortunately I just did not get on with this book. To me there was a huge amount of lore but somehow a complete lack of world building. The characters had some wit but also felt really two dimensional, and I didn’t click with either of them.

Brigitte Knightley’s The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy is a wickedly clever, emotionally charged romantic fantasy that pairs knife-sharp banter with heart-wrenching slow burn. When Osric Mordaunt—brooding assassin and member of a morally dubious Order—blackmails idealistic healer-scientist Aurienne Fairhrim into curing him, what follows is a tense, twisty collaboration drenched in reluctant desire, wit, and unexpected tenderness.

The novel thrives on the chemistry between its leads: Osric, a morally complex killer with a soft spot he refuses to name, and Aurienne, a no-nonsense intellectual who really, really doesn’t have time for this man’s magnificent cheekbones. As they dig into a mysterious pox outbreak, Knightley masterfully builds a world rich in magical science, political tension, and emotional stakes.

Perfect for fans of enemies-to-lovers with high-stakes banter, slow-burn tension, and a generous dose of "slaughter as a love language," this is a story that crackles with heat and humor—an irresistible blend of fantasy and romance that will leave you yelling, "Just kiss already!" in the best way.

Rating: 5/5 — Come for the sharp tongues and deadly tension, stay for the aching hearts and brilliant minds.

DNF @ 10%

I didn't know this was a Dramione fanfic, otherwise I'd never have requested it. Sorry, but I honestly can't read something so dull.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and the author for the opportunity to read this book.

Let me start by saying that I’ve never read any fanfiction, including any of this author’s previous work—so I’m unsure if that had an impact on my reading experience.

The truth is… I probably should’ve DNFed this book. From the first two chapters, I had a strong feeling I wouldn’t love it if the writing continued in the same way. I’m clearly not the target audience for this one, and I won’t be continuing the series.

Please keep that in mind as you read this review.

The book is told in dual POV: Osric, an assassin from the Fyren Order, and Aurienne, a healer from his rival order. When Osric falls seriously ill, he needs the help of the best healer in the country. Aurienne initially refuses but agrees after he offers enough money to fund research and resources to treat the deadly pox spreading across the country.

If you asked me to explain the world-building or the magic system, I’d struggle. Even though there’s a glossary, I found it confusing, and the story itself offers very little expansion or explanation of the world. We know it’s set in London and that there are different orders, but that’s about it. The magic system had potential but felt underdeveloped and vague.

At first, I appreciated the banter between the two main characters, but it quickly became repetitive and exhausting—much like the plot itself. The main storyline, mainly focused on treating Osric, doesn’t evolve. It feels stagnant.

As for the characters: I simply couldn’t connect with them. They came across as arrogant, flat, and one-dimensional, with little to no development. Their chemistry was lacking, and I found myself frustrated with their interactions. Without the cover image, I honestly wouldn’t have been able to picture them at all. The lack of physical description, environmental details, or expressive mannerisms made it difficult to visualize the story. And that’s something I really appreciate in a book— immersive description.

I’m not a prude, but the constant sexual innuendo and toilet humour felt juvenile and excessive. What was meant to be funny came across as cringe-worthy rather than clever. The attempts at humour overall didn’t do it for me.

While I understand the author was going for a quirky, witty tone, the mix of made-up words, other languages, and overly complicated or “clever” dialogue just didn’t work for me.

Regarding the enemies-to-lovers and slow burn aspect—I can’t say much. I wasn’t invested enough in the characters or their relationship to be rooting for them. It is a slow burn, but is it “enemies” to lovers? Their animosity seemed more like general bias due to being from rival orders, not rooted in any real conflict or history between the 2 characters. There wasn’t a triggering event or meaningful backstory that justified their dislike of one another.

The secondary plot should’ve been introduced much earlier. In fact, this book could’ve easily been a standalone, with everything resolved in one book. I think that would’ve helped the pacing, character development, and plot delivery.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t much I enjoyed, but I can still appreciate the positive reviews from readers who are fans of the author and know her work.

Please don’t let my review deter you—this book might be the right fit for you.

0.5 ⭐️ —for the cover, which I really liked. ☺️

4.25 out of 5

thank you netgalley, publisher little brown orbit and author brigitte knightley for an arc in exchange for an honest review. all opinions are mine.

*screeches into pillow. AHHHHHHHHH. Oh, boy. This was gorgeous.

PLOT:
Osric Mordaunt is an assassin who is affected by body rot that will take his life soon. As a part of the Fyrens, his death is certain. When he is told that the only person who can help him is Aurienne Fairhrim, a healer from the Haelans, all hell breaks loose.
Fyrens and Haelans don't get along with each other. Assassins and healers. What did we expect?

Aurienne, rightfully, doesn't want to help him but Osric is desperate. When he finds out that Aurienne's order needs money for their cause, Osric provides the funding in exchange for treatment from her (secretly, because imagine if the Haelans knew of this)

On their little adventure trying to find the cure for Osric's dangerous condition which no one was able to cure before, they find something more in each other.

CHARACTERS:
LITERAL PERFECTION. ABSOLUTELY MINDBLOWING, THESE TWO.
Osric is an assassin of multitudes. I love him to bits. His demeanour, his hilarious remarks, his monologues, everything about him is literally *chef's kiss. The character development he goes through, the way he approaches his feelings towards Aurienne...ahh, I never thought I'd find a man this hilarious, even in a book.

Aurienne holds my heart for being the most caring person but also the most unbothered and snarky person when it comes to Osric. It's almost like that side's reserved for Osric (lucky boi) and there's just so many times in the book where I just choked on my coffee at the burns and the banter between these two.

THE LOST 0.75 STAR
It was a little slow to start off. I loved the SLOW burn, but slow starts kinda made it hard to keep keep going near the beginning. But once it picked up, it was totally worth it. The only issue I had is just the experience at the beginning where I felt like "ooh, when is it picking up?"

One liner: Miss Brigitte Ma'am, I'm waiting for part 2

I could not believe my luck when I received an ARC for this. Brigitte is a gifted writer and I loved every second of this. The witty, sarcastic banter had me laughing out loud so many times. I adore enemies to lovers and this was so well done.

I appreciated the glossary to understand some of the worldbuilding, but I did feel like there needed to be a bit more world building throughout the story. I was honestly distracted by the hilarity of the FMC and MMC, but reflecting back, I don't feel I know enough about the other Orders.

All that being said, I can't wait to listen to the audiobook. I look forward to returning to this world.

Thank you Little, Brown Book Group UK for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!The Irresistible Urge was definitely not what I expected. I really did like the mystery element and some of the banter.
Unfortunately much of the rest was not for me.
The worldbuilding was almost non existent, the magic is there and the characters only personality traits were that they sniped at each other at every given opportunity.
That’s essentially all there is; just pages and pages of them bantering back and forth. And I did have fun with it for a while but it lost my interest eventually.
Reading from the male MC’s point of view left me really confused that we were supposed to find him attractive as a love interest. He was awkward and sounded like he was 14 years old.
Everything and I mean everything has some overcomplicated name or description straight from the thesaurus or is a made up word with some extra vowels in it.
Overall this is a very unserious book despite all the murder and I think if it’s the kind of humour someone likes it will be a great hit! You will get so many pages of just that to enjoy with just enough flavouring to make a story. Just on this occasion it unfortunately did not work for me.

3.5/5★

I have mixed feelings about this one.

It was good but at the same time, I wasn’t overly invested in it. It may be the writing or the way it’s been told but I just didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would. It did start to pick up a bit, halfway through and did eventually become interning. I found it hard to like these characters, they didn’t feel grounded and the romance felt a little forced.

There were funny moments and the whole moment with how politics plays a huge role in how it governs the kingdom which relates to today's standards of how people are just trying to survive while people in higher power look down on others. I also felt the chapters went on a bit too long and could easily be two or even three chapters each. I did find Certain scenes were not needed, and that’s from someone who enjoys a bit (or quite a bit) of spice.

When it came to the world-building, I felt very lost as I couldn’t picture anything and it confused me, I just started picturing basic places to fit the characters somewhere that wasn’t the void. For most of this, I used the read also and I was in stitches.
But these are my opinions and others may enjoy it more.

I did find the critic crickets funny, with all their one-liners. I would also like to know these ways of killing someone with a potato.

ARC REVIEW:
💖 Thanks again to Little Brown Book UK and Brigitte Knightley for this incredible opportunity, I'm so grateful 💖

Where to start? I actually loved this book SO MUCH. It was so refreshing to read.
Between the two characters unceasing bickering, the mysteries, the quest for a desperate healing… Everything was on point. This is such an easy read, and I was so impressed. I’m not really into witty writing, but, well, I DEFINITELY FOUND MY THING 😭

I loved Aurienne and Osric’s relationship, and I couldn’t stop smiling at my screen. All of their interactions were so good. All of this is so beautifully written. I wish I could have more of it because I already miss them. 

This is a book for you if you like:
🔮 Magic system with multiple powers 
🔮 Enemies to allies 
🔮 Ultra-confident characters (when I say confident, they actually fought each other to know who’s the prettiest)
🔮 Healing mission 
🔮 Mysteries and secrets 
🔮 What’s good or bad?
🔮 Smart brains 
🔮 Fun interactions (and inner thoughts)
🔮 Sarcastic characters 

Osric is so boyfriend material and deserves the world, AND I WILL DIE ON THAT HILL. 👑🤍
(And as a French girlie, I should say that I felt like a badass. 👀)(I will definitely re-read this one when I’m feeling down…..)

Thank you to Orbit/Little Brown, Netgalley and Brigitte Knightley for this e-arc.

This has to be one of my favourite books in 2025, rating it five stars was just so easy! I was so excited and beyond happy to have been given an ARC, and this book did not disappoint. The world building, banter, characters and incredibly slow burn romance was just amazing, I was gripped and laughing throughout, then crying out that I have to wait for book 2.

There are a lot of new words that you have to follow due to the magic system of the story but I found it easy to follow. You can't take it too seriously especially with the names that are thrown around (my new favourite nickname is offcially Onion Boy), this is definitely a book to pick up if you want a light romantasy where the MMC and FMC throw plenty of snarky yet witty insults at each other whilst trying to accomplish the task they are begrudgingly trying to complete.

Aurienne is one of the brightest healers (Haelan), completely dedicated to her work, and the rules. Osric is an assassin (Fyren), ruthless without apology, and only cares about himself. When he is told only a Haelan healer, namely Aurienne, is his only chance of living he makes an offer she cannot decline (nor is allowed to), she knows it will help the epidemic that is breaking out across the childen across their lands. As she very reluctantly, with a lot of criticism and insults, starts to help Osric as they also uncover a underlying mystery that could effect them all.

I'm ready to read this again and cannot wait for book two to come out.

'Invalids? You're the most invalid of them all. I've never dealt with such congenitally weak intellect.'

- Enemies to lovers
- Forced proximity
- Bickering banter
- He falls first
- Slow burn
- Dual POV
= Shadow assassin MMC
- Ice queen healer FMC

First and foremost, the biggest of all thank yous to Orbit and Little Brown for granting me the ARC. I never thought I'd get lucky enough to get one of the holy three, but here I am and damn, if this wasn't exactly what I hoped for.

Meet Osric Mordaunt and Aurienne Fairhrim. Two characters who couldn't have more differences and yet are so similar, it's laughable they don't see it themselves right from the start. Aurienne is a healer, in desperate need to fund the healing and research of a new outbreak of the pox, infecting hundrets of children. It seems like a divine intervention (or her personal nightmare from hell if you were to ask Aurienne), that filthy-rich Osric just so happens to look exactly for her, in order to save him from his grim fate, something only she's able to do in his opinion. What ensues is a forced collaboration between two touch-starved, high functioning idiots who do their damn best to fight every ounce of feeling that manages to wield its way through their thick skulls.

I would go as far as saying, they forcefully try their hardest to misinterpret everything in the worst way possible from each other, just to justify their hate towards each other. But the line between love and hate is especially thin between these two and sooner or later (or in their case, the latest possible moment), they're forced to see it.

This book is peak lovers to enemies, and I'm not talking about them pretending to hate each other for three chapters, only to fall in bed. I'm talking about wanting to rip each other apart, not being able to be in the same room without jumping each other's throats and not confronting their feelings until the last possible moment.

The world-building? Rich and so interesting and unique, I haven't read much like it before. I'm saying this in the best way possible: This book gives exactly the fanfiction vibes, I usually miss in traditional publishing. I'm talking about, sitting down and devouring 300k word fics in two days kinda vibes.

As a big fanfiction fan I've known Brigitte's works on AO3 for a long time now and can confidently say, I love them so damn much. So of course, I wanted to read her book when I saw, she finally got the deal she so well deserved. She has this unique way of telling stories, to pack the hard stuff and darker plot into this package full of cute banter with a little bow on top.

Brigitte's writing, while full of wit and banter, gives her characters unique voices, which not only make them interesting but also make for a good foundation to let them grow and evolve. She has a style, you easily recognise as hers, which made me so happy, because it's exactly the kind of voice that made me fall for her works in the first place. Both her prose and her world-building aren't only unique but also immersive and pull you in immediately.

I can't wait to read the next book of this series and see what happens to these two idiots and their world. Can Aurienne truly help Osric? Can they stop the pox outbreak? What else will happen? Only time will tell.

This book is a must-read for everyone looking for something unique; for fantasy with a romance subplot and so much action and adventure, you don't know where to start. If you're searching for a real enemies-to-lovers, this book right here won't disappoint you at all.

Brigitte, I hope you know that you catapulted yourself on my auto-buy list now. Thank you for writing this.

Thank you NetGalley for this Advanced Readers Copy!
I read Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Falling in Love a few years ago and really adored both the story and writing style. Because of that, I was super interested in seeing how Bridgette Knightley would rewrite this story, and what would change in The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy (release date 8.7.2025!!)

The gorgeous writing and dry humor are exactly the same, and the banter between Aurienne and Osric is pure gold. I really enjoyed the plot, it has some great similarities to the original story, but the changes work really well and create an intriguing plot and world (when world building obviously wasn’t necessary in the fanfiction). This is going to be a duology, which is understandable with how long the story was originally, and I enjoyed how this first part ended. There was some great character growth and plot advancement, but there is still so much to solve and figure out in part 2.

I have 2 main complaints, and the first one is the names. In a fantasy world you obviously have to create the fantasy mythicism with words and terminology. In this book there is a multiple page glossary in the beginning, with explanations for the words and also background info on the different Orders etc. to avoid having to do a massive infodump in the story itself. For the first 20 pages, I was very much confused, but I quickly understood enough for the story to be enjoyable. My issue is that I feel like, when you use words like Haelan instead of Healer, the character names have to be more simple. Even small changes like Adrienne and Omar, with the same last names (Mordaunt and Fairhrim), would make the reading experience more enjoyable, because the character names shouldn’t be so complex and different that it stumps your reading every time you reach them. Especially with equally complex last names, in a book where they constantly refer to each other by their last name, and themselves in third person by their first name? That way, you make the text easier to read, without having to simplify the world and use more common terms.

My second comment is that I think this could have done with about 50% less sex jokes. I loved the dry humor, but I felt like the humor can be equally crude without this many sex jokes. I laughed out loud at the first one, but towards the end there are so many that they don’t stand out anymore, and just read as if everything is super sexual all the time, which then makes the love story seem more lusty, which I feel doesn’t align with the character growth these two have.

Here is an example of both the writing style I loved, and the dry humor I adored:

”A hirsute Chimera wound its way across the pub’s faded sign, which had lost several letters, and advised Aurienne thus:
SHAG
HIM
Aurienne received the instruction with hostility.”

All in all, this was very enjoyable. 7/10.