Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

Before I start with my review, I just want to state that I wasn’t entirely sure this book was up my alley… but I decided to request to give it a try. It says for fans of Emily Wilde… as someone who literally thinks of this trilogy every day - this wasn’t a good marketing move 😅 I really don’t see the resemblance.

First and foremost - the writing is what bugged me the most. It’s unserious but not funny? I didn’t chuckle or found anything funny. It was just extremely juvenile humour.

I like my characters with layers. Sadly - those characters were cardboard boxes. The world building? Non-existent. The magic system? Unexplained.

The banter was fun at first but wore out quickly and I couldn’t feel their chemistry because - as stated above, the characters had no personality.

I think this will appeal to many readers but I sadly wasn’t one of them!

dnf at 58%

I hateeee to put this one down because it’s one of my most anticipated releases of 2025 but it’s simply not giving and I’m devastated :(

I definitely appreciated the humor woven in between the characters and I had a few laugh out loud moments but this and the bi rep were pretty much the only parts that I enjoyed while reading this.

The world building felt implied and not at all described. there’s a glossary at the beginning of the book that defines some terminology but as far as descriptions and writing that gives details to the characters and the environment they’re in, it wasn’t there and I have a difficult time reading books that make me feel like I’m standing in a white room with a far off tv in the distance.

While I approached this book with intentions of not comparing to its original roots, I still came in expecting the imfamous slowwwww burn that to this day is still one of THE slowest burns I’ve ever experienced (and loved!) but at nearly 60% and to still not be able to feel *any* chemistry between the leads, I lost so much motivation to continue reading.

I’m so grateful for the opportunity to read this ahead of time as a Berkley romance influencer and have confidence that other readers will be able to resonate with this book more than I will.

The humor in this was probably my favouite part of this book!! So many times I had to set it down and just laugh! The banter between the two and the bickering was amazing!
While there is a small plot going on in the background I still felt connected to it even with the little we got, plus the magic system felt real and fully fleshed out and I would love to see more even without the romance!
This is part of a series so it ends kind of in a weird spot. I feel it could have either been standalone or just had a better place to end it felt very abrupt. But I am so excited for when the next one comes out and will excitedly find out what happens to our enemies!!

I am a circulation librarian in Virginia, always on the lookout for the next best read for patrons. I also have Goodreads and Storygraph accounts where I share my views with followers, which right now only entails of 6 followers. My reach in influence largely stems from in person conversations at the circulation desk, where I spend most of my time.

now to the good part:
the scream I SCRUMPT when I was approved for this arc caused many of my coworkers to turn their heads, confused. when I told them I was approved for one of my most anticipated reads of the year, they cheered for me with many ooos and aaas, such is the way of Libraryland. and this book...
the most chaotic romantasy I've read to date --- witty banter, entirely opposing mcs, the most ridiculous (in the best way) happenstances whilst the universe tries to unite our love birds (they're fighting it the entire way through)
the vibe of this book is very much romcom but in a fantasy setting. I think fantasy purists might turn up their nose at the Unseriousness of it all, but many contemporary romance readers might find themselves dipping their toes into the fantasy genre and Not Hating It. a trade off, sure, but those of us (myself included) who have no such standards for their fantasy will enjoy this with the love I share with a lot of other romantasy titles.
BK killed her debut, and I truly am in agony as I await the second half of this duology to be brought to life.

Where do I EVEN begin?! Brigitte Knightley, I bow down to you. A masterclass in wit and banter!

As someone who tends to lean towards romantasy books that feature heavy angst and darker tones, this was a VERY refreshing read. Knightley's distinct writing style features a mix of quirkiness, humor, and intelligence that shines through the page. It was effortlessly mixed in and I found myself smiling and giggling countless times as I read.

In regards to the world-building, I absolutely loved it. This may not be the case for everyone, but I prefer being thrown in right from the start. The world-building was immersive, rich and easy to understand. The glossary at the front was extremely helpful, and I did not find myself needing to flip back and forth in order to reference it. The distinct vocabulary and language used throughout the book added to the world-building and really immersed the reader into this new world and magic system.

The yearning? The absolutely DELICIOUSLY slow burn? Yearning is BACK, baby (and I am wholeheartedly here for it)! I do not have the proper vocabulary to describe the absolute giddy feeling I felt every time Aurienne and Osric interacted. ESPECIALLY, when things (slowly) started heating up. I was outright squealing. This featured SO many of my favorite tropes (enemies-to-lovers, idiots in love, he falls first), that I am almost upset I got the chance to read this early, because it means waiting even longer to reconnect with them in Book 2. The witty one-liners, the tit-for-tat remarks was everythinggg. I could yap about these two all day, but I will end it with (one of many) my favorite quote. "On her face a smile dawned, but did not break."

Will be updating this review with links to reviews on socials, closer to pub date. Thank you NetGalley, and Berkley for the ARC!

Witty, flirtatious banter gave to moments of good humor but also fell flat in their attempts in other moments in my opinion. The world building was just blah. The magic system being explained felt like reading a textbook when explained but mostly non existent. I prefer my fantasy’s to be epic with a hit of romance and this one seemed more like a romantic comedy with a hint of fantasy. I also had no idea this was fan fiction going in or I probably would have avoided it all together.

I am a huge fan of the fanfic this book is based on so I had extremely high hopes (and expectations) going into this... perhaps to the detriment of this book.

You are dropped into the world without much explanation, which can be fine in many fantasy novels that don't rely in a ton of world building or explain things as the world develops but that wasn't really the case here. The world of the four Orders and the magical systems is fairly complex yet I simultaneously feel like I don't know anything about the backstory of the Orders, why its bifurcated into the "bright" and the "dusken" or how people are recruited to those Orders. The magical system is a driving plot point, as our love interest Osric is dying of "seith rot" but it's not clear to me why particular people have certain powers over others. Fanfic often doesn't have to do this sort of world building because you're relying on a world that the audience is familiar with already and that felt like a driving issue here.

I was also sort of stunned at the writing. The original fic has so much charm and wit, the characters were funny and incisive, and the banter was truly top notch. The writing in this book felt like the author took the characteristics she had assigned to various characters and then dialed it up to 100, turning them into caricatures at times. Their characterization is so extreme it makes the enemies to lovers plotline make no sense -- I truly don't understand why they (esp. Fairhrim) like each other given how diametrically opposed their value systems are.

The first half is fairly slow and quite repetitive -- the back half does pick up some steam as they (inexplicably) warm to each other. But then the ending is WILDLY abrupt! It just ends in the middle of everything with no warning. I understand it's a duology but it's not even that it ended on a cliffhanger -- it just sort of ends!

This review is fairly critical and I do fear this book suffered from overly high expectations. I will read the next one because it did hook me enough to be interested to see where it goes next but... overall it was deeply mid.

As very many of us have, I have already read Brigitte Knightley. I am a huge fan of her work and her writing style. While this story is inspired by her fandom writing it is very much it own world and characters.
The magic system is incredibly unique and seeing how each mc navigates their world and their use of magic was fascinating to read.
Since it is the first of a duology it is definitely missing some resolution to bug plot points but I was okay with it because I enjoyed the journey and will definitely be on the edge of my seat for the sequel.

Brigitte Knightly absolutely delivers with The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy! This book had me laughing out loud, swooning at the slow-burn tension, and completely captivated by its fresh, original magic system. The humor is sharp and clever, with just the right amount of heart to balance out the banter and magical chaos.

The enemies-to-lovers dynamic is perfectly paced—every glance and sarcastic comment builds until the emotional payoff feels so, so worth it. And the magic? Totally unique and imaginative, adding depth to both the world and the characters in a way that felt effortless and enchanting.

This story is witty, magical, and wildly fun—a romantic fantasy that hits all the right notes. I already want to reread it.

The writing style of this book was very confusing. The characters lacked emotions, depth and lines were all said out of pocket/deadpan. There was a lack of world building and nothing would get explained so it left me having no clue about this world or the magic systems. Adding a glossary should only be a reference it should not be where we look for things to be explained. The MANY sexual jokes felt very immature and unnecessary. I was given no reason to care about these characters and felt no connection between anyone at all. The pacing was uneventful and fairly boring throughout the entire book. Coming from a fanfiction to a book there needs to be a strong world to stand on its own and this did not do it.

This was a fun, angsty read. I really enjoyed the fun of it. Give me a bucking couple any day of the week; it just makes me so happy! Give me a fun, creepy time with romance and mystery, it's the best.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it did NOT disappoint!!! It probably helps that I read DMATMOOBIL (the dramione fic that inspired this work) a few years ago and don’t remember many of the specifics. I was able to completely set aside my knowledge of that story and enjoy this book for what it was—a cheeky, verbose enemies-to-lovers romantasy with characters delightfully inspired by Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy.

The banter?? Absolutely delicious. The slow-burn?? Sloooooow burning. The TENSION?? Oh god, the tension!!! The ending left us in such a cliff-hanger and I’m already foaming at the mouth for the next book.

I was belly-laughing through several pages and couldn’t breathe through several more. Definitely a well-deserved 4 star read for me. The only reason I’m not rating it 5 stars is because there were times when the story meandered a bit too much. I felt like the plot could’ve used some more tightening. Other than that, I had a fabulous time. So excited for the next installment!

*Thanks so much to Berkley publishing and NetGalley for the free e-arc in exchange for a fair and impartial review!*

this was amazing!!!!!!!!

i actaully have no words to accuratley describe how GOOD this book is !! like it deserves every bit of the hype it's getting !! every single bit!! the humor in this book is so funnnyyyy & unique. i was chuckling almost THE WHOLE TIME. also this book feels like a truuuueee enemies to lovers. these two hate each other so so much & are very reluctant to even work together [cue deep sighs & lots of grumbling] but boy oh boy to see how their admiration, desire and love each other begins to burnnnnnnn ITS SO GOOD!!! the slow burn of all slow burns !!!!

the yearning !!! the tension !!! the banter !!! I AM OBSESSED !!!!

i love osric and aurienne both so so much!! i want to be them when i grow up. god this book is amazing & it's actually criminal that we have to wait so long for book 2. highly HIGHLY recommend !!

thank you Berkley Pub, Ace Pub, & Berkley Romance for sending me an arc! this is my honest review.

Thank you so much to Berkley for the arc because this was sensational. Grateful to be a #berkleypartner for this masterpiece.

This was so clever, witty, and romantasy (with a SLOOOOW burn and subplot of romance) done so right!!! I’m gnawing at my enclosure for book 2.

Osric who is a shadow walker is injured which is impacting his magic and desperately needs a healer. He hears of one Aurienne and finds her in her ivory tower and gets her to agree to try to heal him.

The two of them are opposites in every way and had the absolute BEST banter. I was not expecting anything that happened in this book and I was cackling so hard. They truly had such a journey trying to heal Osric and I was loving it.

Both characters were developed so extremely well and I love so much your honor. Osric’s cocky persona vs Aurienne’s unmovable-ness was so fun to read and seeing hints of them starting to cross the hate to not hate line was amazing. Bridgitte really did that!!! Her writing is truly incredible.

As for the magic system, at first I was like girl, HUH??? But I have to say the glossary and the order definitions really helped and the way it was intertwined in the book made it easy to digest!

Ya girl also learned a whole slew of SAT words too #education

So this did take me a minute to get used to the writing style, but once I did, I was all in. The tension building throughout was excellent - the slowestttt slow burn, but done very well. I was giggling throughout this whole thing because of the banter. I didn't realize it was the start of a series, but I'm definitely looking forward to more!

I liked it well enough! The story was good and the characters were fun but the writting felt a bit clunky at times.

Brigitte Knightley’s The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy arrives with a glowing promise: a slow-burn romantasy packed with morally gray tension, academic brilliance, and irresistible banter between a healer and an assassin bound together by necessity. For fans of Dramione-esque dynamics and witty back-and-forth, this book delivers in spades — but for readers looking for tight pacing, immersive worldbuilding, and romantic payoff, it may fall short of expectations.

What works:

Aurienne and Osric, the central duo, shine when they're trading quips and insults. The chemistry is rooted in the classic enemies-to-lovers formula, with a STEM-girl-meets-dark-mysterious-assassin twist. Fans of clever banter and emotionally slow-burning relationships will find a lot to love in their dynamic.

The humor, particularly in the first half, is sharp and unexpected — laugh-out-loud moments that feel rare in romantasy. For those who enjoy offbeat, quirky, sometimes absurd comedy, this tone may hit the sweet spot.

The vibes are cozy and character-centric, with slice-of-life pacing and more focus on emotional undercurrents than on dramatic action or world-altering stakes. Think: soft romantic tension, daily rituals, and a growing trust layered under irritation.

What doesn’t work:

The writing style, while aiming for cleverness and originality, often stumbles. The overly ornate language and heavy-handed terminology make the reading experience feel more like decoding than immersing, and the pacing suffers as a result.

Worldbuilding is a major missed opportunity. While hints of interesting elements — tācns, orders, deofols — are dropped, they're not meaningfully explored, leaving the world feeling thin and more like a backdrop than an integral part of the story.

Plot and stakes lack urgency. The central illness that binds the characters feels like a passive obstacle rather than an escalating threat, and while there is a mystery thread, it never fully grips or pays off.

The romance is extremely slow burn — almost glacial. While some readers may enjoy the slow crawl from enemies to uneasy allies to something more, others may feel that the lack of romantic development or consequences leaves the story feeling underpowered for a duology opener.

Final Thoughts:

This is a book that feels written for a very specific reader — likely someone who loved the original Dramione fanfic (DMATMOOBIL), thrives on banter, and doesn’t mind if the fantasy trappings or romance progression take a back seat to vibe. As a debut, it's uneven but bursting with personality and potential. For those willing to push through a rocky first half, the second offers glimmers of emotional payoff and sets the stage for a sequel that might deliver what this one teases.

If you're here for witty chaos, adorable annoyance-turned-friendship, and a Dramione-shaped hole in your heart, give this one a try. But if you're after high-stakes fantasy or deeply grounded romantic arcs, you might walk away feeling unsatisfied.

IMMEDIATE FIVE STARS. Actually obsessed. The perfect blend of a fantasy and romance, a true romantasy if you will. This story drops you right into the thick of things world-building wise and it does take a bit to understand everything but it’s SO worth it. A healer who is bribed to take care of an assassin?? Inject it straight into my veins. Knightley does an incredible job with the slow burn romance, the intricate details, and plot. The characters are hilarious, and the writing is incredibly witty. I cannot wait for the second book in this duology!

This genuinely PAINS me because this was one of my most anticipated reads, but I had to DNF around 50%. The pacing felt so slow to me and I honestly was just so bored? Where was the tension and banter??? And I also just felt dumb?? Brigitte Knightley is oh so talented and they way she structures sentences it truly beautiful but I'm not even being depreciating when I say I'm not smart enough to comprehend like a normal person.

The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy is a bold and unconventional romcom that blends sharp wit, quirky settings, and a distinctively British sense of humor. Brigitte Knightley’s writing is full of personality, with moments that feel like a playful nod to classic British comedies - unexpected, cheeky, and entirely unique.

The FMC’s medical background is front and center, with a heavy use of scientific language that establishes her expertise and adds a clinical, intellectual tone to her voice. Readers who enjoy STEM-forward heroines and layered, jargon-rich dialogue may find that especially appealing.

The setting feels deliberately fluid, which adds an interesting quality to the narrative - part modern, part whimsical - which leaves room for interpretation and imagination. For readers looking for something offbeat, clever, and tonally distinct, this book definitely offers something different.