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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This was a fun and easy read.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Anyway.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Wow. I loved Brigitte’s writing throughout this book. I know it will take a unique group of readers but I absolutely loved the dry humor.

Mordaunt and Aurienne are probably one of my most favorite enemies to lovers to date. I loved the world building throughout this book and I absolutely cannot wait to get my hands on book two.

Thank you so much for the eARC of this book I will absolutely be telling all of my friends to preorder this one!

I really enjoyed elements of this book:
- the characterisation of main characters
- initially the dialogue
- the magic system
- guild system

I thought the magic system was novel and interesting and actually felt it would be fun to hear more about it.

Initially, I enjoyed the dialogue between the main characters - it was fun and there was a bit of banter, but I did feel that the longer this went on the more it began to grate on me. Whilst their characters developed, the way they spoke to each other didn't really mirror that development which was a bit of a shame.

I felt the plot was a little lacking; the main plot didn't really come into play until about 75% in and up until then I was sort of left wondering if much was going to actually happen. It would have felt a little better weaved in earlier.

However, despite my criticisms, I did enjoy the book. It was a fun and easy read.

Sometimes, a book delivers exactly what its title promises – and The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy does just that. This novel masterfully blends romance, tension, and emotional depth into a compelling enemies-to-lovers story that keeps you hooked from start to finish.

One of the novel’s biggest strengths is its chemistry between the main characters. The tension is palpable, the kind that keeps you flipping pages late into the night. Both leads are beautifully written—layered, flawed, and constantly evolving, making their emotional journey all the more satisfying. The writing itself is witty and engaging, with natural dialogue that enhances both the rivalry and the romance.

While the slow burn is absolutely worth it, there are moments where the pacing drags slightly. Additionally, some side characters could have been developed more to add depth to the story. However, these minor critiques do little to take away from the overall enjoyment of the book.

the mc is so petty, i had way too much fun reading it. i really recommend it

I NEED THE NEXT ONE RIGHT NOW !!

I wanted to love this one so much more than I did.

I think what makes fanfic writers so amazing is their ability to expand on a world we're already intimately familiar with and they don't have to focus on the world building, and in the case of fantasy books, if we're reading fanfiction, we know the magic system.

I think where fanfic writers publishing their own versions of their fanfiction struggle, is having to establish all of this themselves. There was next to no world-building in this book. The magic system was barely explained and what was explained just served to confuse me even more than I already was. It all just felt very lightly touched on.

The actual plot was very stretched out. We got much of the same for most of the book - the two main characters meeting up, exchanging scathing words, trying something with no result, exchanging more scathing words and then storming off. I lost count of how many times this happened. You could have swapped out the scenes with each other and not noticed a difference. The plot developed too late and by then, I'd lost all of my ability to connect with it and the characters.

I do think this definitely has potential. The world building needs some serious developing, as does the magic system and the pacing.

Very funny and enjoyable! I really liked the characters banter, their humour and ability to bounce off each other was delightfully funny to read.

I also enjoyed the world building, while it's not the focus of the book I like the idea of an alternative world where William the Conqueror lost at Hastings and it was believable and interesting.

However NOTHING is concluded at all by the end of the book, which leaves it feeling as though it's half the story. I don't want to have to wait and buy a second book to get one whole story, so I had to mark it down from a four star for that.

❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥Oh my bloody GOODNESS THIS BOOK !!!!!❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

I can confidently say that ‘The Irresistible Urge To Fall For My Enemy’ has been one of my favourite reads of 2025 so far - the banter ?! Brigitte’s writing style?! It truly is the epitome of a slowburn-witty-enemies-to-(somewhat 👀 )lovers. Absolute chefs kiss.

I 👏🏻 COULD 👏🏻 NOT 👏🏻 PUT 👏🏻 IT 👏🏻 DOWN 👏🏻 like genuine laugh-out-loud moments and I NEED TO DEBRIEF WITH SOMEONE BECAUSE HONESTLY THIS BOOK HAS ME IN ALL THE FEEEEEEELS AND GIDDINESS AND JUST 🤯 !!!

Themes covered in this book;
🥼 Smart, badass, self-assured FMC Aurienne who is a Haelen (Order of healer-scholars)
⚔️ Witty, literally-an-assassin, self-assured MMC Osric, who is a Fyren (Order of Assassins and also may happen to be Good Looking)
🥼 Different Orders
⚔️ SLOW BURNNNNN DONE BEAUTIFULLY (we are talking high interaction AND slow burn - 10/10 execution - take the assassin puns as you will 😉 )
🥼 Laugh-out-loud-and-maybe-even-some-snorting moments
⚔️ Enemies-to-lovers but like we are talking proper enemies 👀🫶🏻

I am anticipating the release of book 2 as though my life depends on it. THANK YOU so much to the team at Hachette Australia & New Zealand and Little Brown Book UK for access to an ARC of this absolute GEM and Brigitte - wowee I cannot WAIT for the book community to experience ‘The Irresistible Urge To Fall For Your Enemy’ - I know they will fall in love just as obsessively as I have 🥹🥹🥹

Being from different Orders (Aurienne-Haelan and Osric-Fyren) will lead them to disagree many times throughout this adventure. Aurienne and Osric, who by a strange agreement must work together, gradually grow closer, even with their awkwardly funny and witty banter occasionally. This is a really slow-burn romance from start to end between these enemies to lovers. However, I did have a hard time with the world-building and magic system like I wish it was better explained. There were chapters that were overworded with info or made-up words, and it wasn't until I read the glossary that some things fit but in the same way, I hope they will be better developed in the sequel (I'm not sure if there will be one but with that ending, it seems so). Moreover, it was difficult to connect with the characters, I sense that they were explored only on a surface-level. Overall, it was a good book that I wish I had enjoyed and connected with more

4 ⭐️

Laughed out loud, giggled and kicked my feet. This was SUCH a fun read and the humour had me absolutely cackling!

The slowest of slow burns (for a duology), hilarious banter, and delicious tension is what you get with TIUTFFYE and I absolutely ate it up!

Osric had already suspected that he didn’t like Fairhrim. That was now confirmed.
His patience with the negotiation ran out.
‘Kidnap it is,’ said Osric. He rose, poured the onions onto the floor, and flapped the empty sack at Fairhrim. ‘Get in.’

I think it’s important to note this is primarily a romcom, so if you’re in the mood for a super unserious book with jokes about dicks, pubes and murder delivered in a fantastical package, this absolutely delivers.

I am so excited for book two!!

I was about to read “Mortifying” when I heard the news the author was picked up by a traditional publisher (and I thought it would be a reworking), so I held off just in case.

Then I was gifted the e-ARC of TIUTFFYE, but Dramione-coded loving fans will not be disappointed by this one. It’s a fab unique story that stands on its own in a different kind of world with enough references to appreciate other literary worlds.

The writing and banter are a fresh break from other heavier fantasies out there right now. And the characters are just fun (without spoiling it, I love the deofols and what Osric keeps at his house). I’ve been in a reading slump lately, so the story felt cozy, familiar, but low stakes. It was a quick, paced read that I thoroughly enjoyed!

The biggest disappointment? Finding out it’s a duology and having to wait forever for the next one!

The Pspsps dedication page made up for it though.

Thanks so much to Little Brown Book Group via NetGalley for sending me this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5⭐️ Wow! I read DMATMOOFIL last year and loved it so was super excited when I heard Brigitte was publishing her work and this did not disappoint!! My main thing from this book is the delicious banter between Aurienne and Osric, they are both so sarcastic and quick witted I was literally laughing out loud throughout the entire book! I loved the magic system of this world, it was super interesting to read about. It certainly was a slow burn but I love that and it hit the spot with little sprinkles off slow realisation that they both are falling for one another. I did not know that this was a series situation and I would be left on a little bit of a cliffhanger so I am both devastated and excited! Devastated because I need book 2 now and excited because I will be able to read about Aurienne and Osric again!!! Absolutely incredible, I cannot wait for this release because I need my trophy book!!