Now this, THIS, is what I mean when I say I love enemies to lovers romance! The tension! The banter! Give me book two ASAP!
(Side note: If anything happens to my sweet baby Elodie, I will absolutely riot).

“𝓎𝑜𝓊’𝓇𝑒 𝒶 𝓈𝒽𝒶𝒹𝑜𝓌-𝓌𝒶𝓁𝓀𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒸𝑜𝓌𝒶𝓇𝒹-𝒻𝑜𝓇-𝒽𝒾𝓇𝑒,” 𝓈𝒶𝒾𝒹 𝒶𝓊𝓇𝒾𝑒𝓃𝓃𝑒. “𝓎𝑒𝓈.” “𝓋𝒾𝓁𝑒,” 𝓈𝒶𝒾𝒹 𝒶𝓊𝓇𝒾𝑒𝓃𝓃𝑒.

thank you to netgalley & the author for the e-arc!

having heard only vague, yet favorable, assessments of this book, i was exceedingly thrilled to stab right into it. nearly from the first page, i had a romping good time.

the banter was 𝓈𝒾𝓏𝓏𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑔. the enemies-to-lovers was enemying. the plot was unique, fascinating, & held me with baited breath to see exactly what was coming next. i roared with laughter, constantly. osric is unspeakably repugnant, yet i’m delighted and devoted. aurienne is stiff & strict but i felt her layers peeling back like an onion (iykyk👀).

“𝓎𝑒𝓈. 𝓈𝒽𝑒’𝓈 𝓅𝓁𝑒𝒶𝓈𝑒𝒹, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒽𝑜𝓅𝑒𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝓂𝒶𝓃𝒶𝑔𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝒿𝓊𝓈𝓉𝒾𝒻𝓎 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝑒𝓍𝒾𝓈𝓉𝑒𝓃𝒸𝑒 𝒷𝓎 𝒷𝑒𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝑜𝒻 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒 𝓊𝓈𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓌𝑜𝓇𝓁𝒹.” “𝑜𝓅𝓉𝒾𝓂𝒾𝓈𝓉𝒾𝒸.”

i will say that while this book was hilarious, i did struggle to deeply connect to the characters due to the transcriptorial prose. at first, it was light and charming, truly witty and diverting. but i was constantly waiting for the frivolous nature of the script to transition to something more meaningful, and that never came (though i continued chortling throughout the entire thing). additionally, the magic system is only ever implied, and even though we witness one of their ceremonies, things go mostly unexplained. and lastly, while i thoroughly enjoyed the growth of aurienne, i found very little depth in osric (while partly intentional, i was left wondering if he is going to continue to be morally desolate or will this change in book 2😮‍💨), and overall the character arches were so clinically presented they felt sterile and observational more than emotional. my last thought was that the book ended prematurely. it sort of left me with an unfinished feeling, and while i’m aware this is a duology, typically 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 is wrapped up before the cliffhanger is dug out before you🤣

still, despite my complaints, this book earned 5 stars imo by nature of how frequently i laughed, the fact that i devoured it, and i am excited to read book two just to see what kind of foolery this pair will get up to next🤭

“𝒷𝑒𝓈𝒾𝒹𝑒𝓈, 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓉𝑒𝓃𝑒𝒹 𝓉𝑜 𝓀𝒾𝒹𝓃𝒶𝓅 𝓎𝑜𝓊.” “𝒶𝓃𝒹? 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝒽𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓉𝑒𝓃𝑒𝒹 𝓉𝑜 𝓀𝒾𝒹𝓃𝒶𝓅 𝓂𝑒.” “𝑒𝓍𝒶𝒸𝓉𝓁𝓎: 𝑜𝓃𝓁𝓎 𝒾 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝒹𝑜 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉.”

Osric Mordaunt, member of the Fyren Order of assassins, magic is failing. He needs a healer, but their order is dedicated to light and don't sully themselves with Fyren. He plots seduction, kidnapping and even bribes. Aurienne Fairhrim, preeminent scientist, doesn't notice his seduction attempt, points out the problems with kidnapping and even turns down his bribe. But her boss, desperate for funding to research and stop the pox accepts on her behalf. Aurienne knows that there is no hope, that his condition will only end in death, but Osric demands that she honor their bargain.

Why I started this book: Requested the ARC because of the title, and I was half way through it before I realized that the author also wrote Dramione fanfic that several of my book podcasts recommended.

Why I finished it: Delighful. I loved how Knightley played with language, both in her characters witty banter and in the whole book. I even learned new vocabulary words. It felt a lot like [author:India Holton|20761613] and I've spent a couple of days looking for some more read alikes.
This is a slow burn, and I also spent time looking for any information about when the second book will come, since this book cresendos to a point... and I hate waiting for resolution.

Although it's not explicitly stated, The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy stems from a Draco x Hermione Harry Potter fanfiction. I really don't think there's anything wrong with that. Although many people are bothered by the growing popularity of fanfiction being rewritten and traditionally published, I can't say it bothers me when it's done well.

However.

I don't know that I would say that this one was done well. Don't get me wrong; I enjoyed reading it. I laughed a lot. But the world itself was not nearly original enough. It was incredibly obvious that every single part of this story, from the characters themselves to the magic, was pulled from Harry Potter.

Aurienne and Osric are very obviously Hermione and Draco, from their appearances to the mannerisms to their backgrounds. The travel system in the book is extremely similar to the Floo network. The characters have special animal-like companions that can deliver messages, exactly like the Patronus in Harry Potter. It's just...extremely, extremely obvious.

On top of that, the story seemed to absolutely drag on and on and on. In the book's defense, I did not realize that this book was set up to be a duology. But in my defense, the ending was absolutely not suitable even for a duology. I genuinely thought my digital copy was messed up (and I'm still not convinced it wasn't), because how is that the ending? How?

It felt as though random events were just happening with absolutely no progression toward either the main plot event of the story or the romance subplot. I absolutely cannot fathom how or why this book ended the way it did, with no resolution whatsoever. It can't even be called a cliffhanger, because just nothing happened, and then it was over.

Okay, I know you're wondering now, why on earth did she rate it two stars if she disliked it so much? Well. It was extremely funny. Like, laugh out loud in the middle of the night funny. There were multiple points that had me laughing out loud, and that really doesn't happen for me often with books. It was so, so funny, but unfortunately, that wasn't enough to carry the rest of the book.

This book is the definition of enemies to lovers. It also suprisingly was filled with hilarious banter. I loved that the romance was slowburn instead of insta love. I loved the writing style and the characters. I can't wait to continue this story in book two.

5⭐️ 1.5 🌶️

🖤Romantasy
🖤Enemies to lovers
🖤Bad Boy/Good Girl
🖤Slow-burn
🖤the BANTER 10/10
🖤Unique Magic System
🖤Opposites Attract
🖤Strong Badass FMC
🖤Equally strong in his own way MMC

I am utterly obsessed with the main characters of this story. The author maintained a TRUE enemies-to-lovers, slow-burn, it was nearly PAINFUL in the BEST WAY getting through the story. Every TOUCH between them was a little TREAT to my eyes. 😆 This is my most favorite BANTER from a book to date. The banter was done BEAUTIFULLY, was extremely cheeky, and had me giggling and kicking my feet. I took my sweet time reading this book because the author’s writing was a delicacy. It was so intricate but LIGHT and it was a PLEASURE to read and enjoy from beginning to end. I also very much enjoyed the political intrigue in this story. I HIGHLY recommend this book to lovers of Romantasy, with a love of enemies to lovers, slow-burn and HEAVY on the banter. 🖤 Enjoy!

Thank you to the author, Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the gifted ARC.

This one fell flat for me— but it will appeal to many others!

The book is solidly written and well-done! And you can thank Brigitte Knightley for being a love fanfic author prior to her publishing deal for that!
For me this one just didn’t hit my expectations. And the promo by the publisher as a whole”dramione” style romantasy just put me off in 2025.
A solid book, but 3 stars from me due to personal preference.

The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy 🗡️🦢🩺🩷
5🌟
2🌶️

Thank you SO MUCH to Berkley and Ace for the gifted advanced copy! #berkley #berkleypartner #acepartner

WOW! This book has been one of my most anticipated reads of the year. When I got the widget in my inbox? I screamed. When I got a physical advanced copy? I screamed. When I got a finished copy? I also screamed. This book has literally become my entire personality!

The Irresistible Urge is a perfect blend of humor, banter, and slow-burn tension. I loved the “will-they-won’t-they” dynamic between Aurienne and Osric, and I was constantly giggling over their back-and-forth banter.

This book is VERY heavy on the world and story building. It’s set in an alternate London, and it has a very unique magic system. It was a little bit difficult to grasp at first, and I got a little lost at times, but once you’re in and have an understanding, it’s impossible to put down.

Since this is one of the most achingly slow-burn adult romances that I’ve ever read, this book has very limited spice, which I appreciated. You can really feel a palpable attraction between the two main characters, and I enjoyed that it’s being dragged out rather than underdeveloped. This book IS heavy on innuendos and sexy/potty humor, which I thought was incredibly funny.

I’m afraid that “Gracie and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love (with TIUTFFYE)” is going to be my permanent calling card, but honestly? I’m not mad about it! This book is a must-read for fantasy lovers and it did not disappoint! P.S. I need book two ASAP and I will be its biggest fan forever and ever 🤭

Enemies to lovers to enemies.

This reads like Mr & Mrs Smith fanfiction, that maybe is in love with romantasy.

(I've recently been informed this is an entirely different form of fanfic. Still unimpressed.)

Sigh.

4.5 stars I had the absolute pleasure to buddy read this with friends and it made the overall experience a 10/10. For the actual story, I don't think I've ever laughed, snorted or squealed so much while reading a book. I genuinely thought so many moments were hilarious, the banter was absolutely top notch, each characters' inner monologue was biting and ridiculous and endearing.

The only "problem" I had with this book is that while there is a decent plot that's intriguing; the majority of the story is introducing us to the characters and the world and it's like nothing and a lot happened at the same time. All that said, none of this truly bothered me. There weren't any moments that were boring, I didn't feel like the pacing was ever off, and I truly loved spending time with the characters.

I think if you go into this story and truly take to heart the author's note, you will have a great time with this story. Know that it's a mega slow burn and the first in a series and I think you'll have an excellent time. I can't wait to read more!

Thank you to Penguin Random House for the ARC - all opinions are my own!

this was honestly a really fun read for the first 70% or so for me! i absolutely loved the main characters banter and found myself laughing out loud multiple times while reading this. i was pretty interested in the story and really wanted to know more about the pox outbreak. i feel like after the first 70% this story kind of just went no where. this was a slow burn romance wise and i feel like the last 30% we kind of forgot about the plot and let it fall to the side and primarily focused on the relationship forming between the two main characters. this shift kind of pulled me out of the story and had me feeling bored. i did really like their romance and there were a lot of quotes that i highlighted. overall, i feel like this writing was memorable and very fun. i’ll definitely read book 2 but really hope it’s more like the beginning of this book for me.

4.5 stars (rounded up)

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I have to preface this review by sharing my biases: I am a diehard Dramione fan. I cannot get enough of them as a couple, and the fanfiction written by Brigitte that inspired Irresistible Urge is one of my all-time favorites. I had a hard time believing I would feel anything but adoration for this book.

That said, I did go into reading this book being very intentional to treat it as its own work. Thankfully, I found that to be incredibly easy. In my opinion, this work stands entirely on its own, and I was right - I do adore it. I could not get enough of it, and I ate up every bit (pun intended). This was a masterclass of both quippy banter and toilet humor. I laughed so many times at the names of different pubs, as well as spur-of-the-moment aliases Osric gave himself. I couldn't remember if this was a standalone or duology, and because of that the slow burn felt slooooooow. Excruciatingly so, but honestly I loved that too.

One thing that kind of stuck out to me was the incorporation of modern city names in this world (like London and Paris). I assumed it was a bit of an alternate timeline for Earth, but that was never clearly explained. Because of that, I had a hard time orienting myself in time and space, and honestly felt more comfortable just imagining it was its own world. I didn't really feel the references to cities was necessary and at times it did take me out of the story a bit. But it didn't happen often enough for me to enjoy the book any less.

All in all, I am SO thankful I got a chance to read this early. I'd assumed I wouldn't get it and dropped everything the second I found out I'd been approved. I am now chomping at the bit for book 2!

This book was so fun! It was a bit more of a fantasy romcom than I typical romantasy but I personally love that sub genre. There were multiple moments that had me laughing out loud.

This book follows the two main characters, Aurienne, a healer, and Osric, an assassin, who enter into a mutually beneficial relationship despite hating each other and being on two different sides of the moral scale. It’s written in dual pov (which I love) and involves a slow burn romance with a bit of mystery solving as well.

The book kind of throws you straight into the world without any explanation but it was really easy to pick up on how things worked early on. I really liked the unique magic system and the healer/patient dynamic between the two main characters. Their banter was extremely entertaining and I appreciate that they felt like true enemies as well as reading about their inner struggle of trying not to like each other. I also liked the bit of backstory from each of the characters but would like to have had more to feel more emotionally connected to them. I’m hoping we get more of that in the next book.

The author answered a few questions by the end but left enough loose threads to keep me invested. I will definitely be picking up book two!

This book is too smart for me. It is full of witty dry humor that is honestly refreshing in a work of overt jokes and comedy. The magic system in this book is complex and nuanced, it took me a while to figure it out, but once I did, I was INVESTED. Osric is an assassin, sure but he is also deep and easy to feel for. Aurienne is almost too good for everyone, but despite her being distant, she was still likeable. There were a few moments where both Osric and Aurienne made me so mad that I had to walk away. They were both so compelling and engaging and while it was the slowest of slow burns, I was so glad to be along for the ride

I'm devastated to do this but I'm DNF'ing at 20%. I was so excited by this book but the writing is too wordy and I can't stand all of the Random Capitalization. I get that its supposed to be a comedy but the humor felt amateur at best (way too many dick and butt jokes). I also didn't understand the world at all despite the glossary included.

I know many others have loved this one so it may just be a me problem.

It must be said that this is not a complete novel.

Much has been made of the marketing of this book, and I gotta agree with the streets with this one. To go so far out of their way to make all of these Dramione explainer graphics this felt nothing like I was reading a Dramione dynamic at all. Knightley does very little to even have the world feel anything reminiscent of whatever Harry Potter roots the marketing would make you believe this had. Now I'm not an investigator, I've only paid marginal attention to the hype this book has been receiving and almost all of it second hand. But this doesn't read like fanfic with the serial number filed off, in fact this is probably one of my favorite romantasy's that I've read this year, and definitely one of the better traditionally published romantasy's. In fact for so much of this book I was really ready to be first in line at Books-A-Million to snag a finished copy. And I still might eventually.

Osric and Aurienne have a uneasy dynamic. Aurienne is a healer in this world and Osric is an assassin, their respective orders don't get along. I really appreciated how quickly we set up what was happening; Osric has a condition that is fatal 100% of the time and when he gets word that Aurienne had some theories about maybe treating this fatal condition he sets out to get her help, irregardless of the fact their Orders don't get along. What follows is some delightful banter as these unlikely allies work together for their own reasons.

Around the halfway point you could start to see what I associate with fanfiction, namely that every character in the story had some quippy comeback. It wasn't just flirty banter with our leads, but any character that popped up was just as voicey. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but it was a little distracting.

Slowly the larger world started to also take shape. What I had expected to be a minor plot at the beginning that served to allow Aurienne and Osric to work together seemingly started to get more intricate as the narrative went along. This wasn't just a situation where enemies had been forced to work together, that was really just a tease of something that was clearly a larger poliitical situation that was slowly unfolding and I loved that.

So really the reason why this never felt like a complete narrative to me is because the book just sort of ends. It feels as though there are missing pages and chapters. It feels more like the ending of a movie than a novel; even a novel that is serving as the first part of a duology. And maybe the series potential has been part of the marketing that I was simply unaware of until I went to add this book to my currently reading. But this is part of a series in a there's no resolution kind of way and not a this is a romance so book two might be other characters kind of way...

Maybe it's still a little fresh for me, but I'm still annoyed with this ending. I can appreciate that none of the plot threads felt rushed and that we are taking their time with them, but it definitely reads like a story that will be the most satisfying in one 600+ page book than how it has been split here.

Ultimately I know I will pick up the second part of this story because I do love these characters and I have to see it through, but I also do really appreciate what Knightley has been able to do so if they doo continue to write I will continue to read from them.

I liked this book, but tone carried a lot of the work. The plot didn't come in until pretty late, but I did feel like I started to buy into the attraction between Osric and Aurienne. I'll probably read the sequel.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
🌶️🌶️

Talk about a slow burn! The tension and banter in this book is 🔥

So many enemies to lovers books skimp on the enemies part and jump too quick into the lovers part, which is not the case here! My favorite thing in any enemies to lovers story is watching the slow thaw and eventual realization that they actually like each other— and this was no exception. I have a feeling it’s only going to ramp up in book 2.

I also have to applaud the magic system and world building. It was so unique and bears little resemblance to the series that must not be named, for anyone that might be concerned.

Read if you like:
- Slow Burn
- Enemies to Lovers
- Banter
- Morally Grey MMC
- Unique Magic Systems

Thanks to Berkley Romance/Ace for eARC & finished copy!

THIS is enemies to lovers.
The slow burn is agonizing and I absolutely loved it!!! The banter had me giggling and kicking my feet!

I’m a Dramione girl and this was chefs kiss.

I can't say thank you enough to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group | Ace for blessing me with this ARC.

2.5 stars

This book definitely felt like a romcom in a fantasy setting. The tone is light and very unserious in a way that’s pretty charming. That said, I struggled to feel fully invested. It definitely dragged for me, and I kept waiting for the plot or romance to really grab me.

The world building and magic system also felt underdeveloped, which made it hard for me to enjoy the setting and atmosphere. It is compared to Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries. I kind of get it because the FMC is an academic, and there’s a bit of that cozy fantasy vibe bc it’s all unserious. This was an anticipated read for me, so it makes me so sad I wasn’t obsessed :(