I am in love, sooo refreshing and the banter is to die for and talk about a slowburn because it was sooooo slow, I was yearning behalf of them!! Absolutely cannot wait until the book is out and to get my copy in my hands and Brigitte you are off to a killer start!

Slow burn, enemies to lovers romantasy where she is a healer, with a focus on research (STEM vibes are strong) forced to with an assassin to cure his illness.

What’s to love…
- slow burn
- enemies to lovers
- morally gray (really dark gray, almost black) MMC
- smart academic FMC (a STEM girlie for sure)
- a ton of banter**
- slower, cozy style plot with slice of life scenes
- mystery plot
- forced proximity

What not to love…
- The author really goes all out with word choice and language in this one and while I can understand where she was going with this I think it missed the mark. Instead of feeling smart and witty it was clunky and awkward.
- the world & magic is underdeveloped.
- there is a ton of **banter and back and forth, almost too much - the quips got a little overwhelming and detracted from the story for me at times.
- the humor wasn't to my taste. Quite a lot of crud jokes that just didn't work for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

Absolute Perfection

Aurienne is a healer. Osric is an assassin. They are diametrically opposed but working together to heal Osric’s degenerating magic. What happens when feelings other than loathing start to creep in?

I can’t say enough how much I adore this book. I’m still basking in the afterglow of the story. The characters are on point. The humor is amazing (pretty sure I never stopped grinning and laughing through the whole book). The side characters are great! The pacing is perfect. I don’t know what else there is to say except I am so ready for the next book!

While I'm absolutely certain this book will find an eager audience, I am decidedly not part of that target audience. It was so cutesy and over-the-top *delightful* that it felt a bit saccharine at times. With the combination of random capitalizations, British slang, academic language, and Millenial/Gen Z speak, the voice felt like a hodgepodge of things that didn't necessarily gel. I love a slow burn, enemies-to-lovers romance, but I need a bit more motivation to stick with the story.

This book, while well-written and with potential for a dedicated fanbase, didn’t quite hit the mark for me personally. The pacing felt slow, and I struggled to stay engaged as I read. The story begins in the middle of an ongoing situation, which left me feeling a bit lost and confused initially.

While I can see how many readers might enjoy the depth and complexity of the characters and world-building, I found it difficult to connect with the narrative. It’s clear that the author has a strong voice and an interesting story to tell, but it just didn’t resonate with me.

That said, I think there are many people who will find this book captivating, especially if they appreciate slower, more intricate plots. While it wasn’t a fit for me, I’m sure it will find its audience and be a hit for many others.

Osric and Aurienne were great MCs!

This is a VERY slow burn, which I enjoyed! I liked the magic system and detail that went into the world building. I enjoyed a true enemies-to-more story arc. There was real conflict and animosity they need to work through to be able to even have a conversation!

I’m not loving how many loose ends the book ended with. Give me a cliff hanger, keep me wondering, but give me some resolution to hold me over for the next book.

Overall, enjoyable read! Looking forward to book 2 and thankful to have been able to read the ARC.

While I think this would work better as a standalone, I still enjoyed reading this book! I think it was successful in rewriting the original story enough to differentiate this story from the fanfiction. Some parts were less successful and recalled too much of the source material.

Osric and Aurienne had incredible banter and his interior thoughts were very humorous and entertaining. Sometimes it felt like this took away from the seriousness of him being an assassin, and it undercut the seriousness of his profession and his order. We're meant to believe him as this uncaring, murderous thief and fence, but his other qualities and blase attitude made it hard to truly *buy* into that. It made the stakes seem less serious.

Since this is a duology, not much happens in terms of romantic development between the two characters, and even though its slow, I still don't buy their change in feelings toward one another. In this world and their relationship to one another, the story has yet to convince me that these two people will eventually fall in love. That could change in the second book, but here, I don't see it yet.

That said, it was very well written in terms of the actual language and writing. I found the internal monologue of Osric very entertaining. Aurienne fell a little more flat to me.

Hats off, Brigitte Knightley, who, in my humble opinion, has delivered the greatest romance of the year. THE IRRESISTIBLE URGE TO FALL FOR YOUR ENEMY has all the best tropes, the best characters, and the best plot. I absolutely need a book two, and STAT. This will be a beloved reread and go-to recommendation for me. Truly, don’t miss out on this exhilarating and enchanting book.

THIS PAINS ME OKAY????

I was sure I’d love this one and clearly…I did not. It was slow, there was no tension, the banter never really hit, there were faaaarrrr too many penis related jokes and THE ENDING??? idk.

there were plot points that were not fleshed out—to the degree where I all but convinced myself my arc was missing chapters at the end. It didn’t even really end? Right when the plot ramped up….it ended?

I have so many other complaints that involve spoilers but this was a HUUUUGGEE swing and a miss for me 😢

Thank you endlessly to the publisher for the advanced copy!

This was SUCH a delightfully cheeky, slow-burn, magical romance. I see the Dramione influence, but it's a completely satisfying story on its own—I adored these characters, their chemistry, and most of all, the VOICE. P.G. Wodehouse is exactly right—arch, tongue-in-cheek, and hysterically restrained. Wow, what a treat—I need book two desperately!!

What to say about this book….
There’s a lot to be said and a lot that was unsaid within it. Let me preface by saying I wanted to love it. Dramione is a favorite of mine and stories with characters that reflect that kind of relationship are a soft spot for me.

While this book is NOT a rewrite of the authors previous fanfiction (very important to note) it does feel as though certain character traits and parts of their relationship relied on previous reader knowledge and reading between the lines (and not in a good way). The characters and their relationship fell flat for me and seemed more like caricatures a healer with strong morals and a dark, broody assassin. There was little nuance or depth to them and the author told us quite a bit and yet I still know nothing.

The world itself was… interesting. Terms were tossed around and frankly I can’t remember if any were truly explained. The world wasn’t built more so hazardously tossed together with terminology that I’m sure means something to someone but I couldn’t tell you anything about it. I’m still extremely unsure on how the world works and how the different orders truly interact once again most things were not truly described or explained.

Technically I would recommend another editor looked at this book. I have no ill intentions when I say that but there were many moments where I questioned if this was truly the version that would be sent to readers. There were many words throughout that were capitalized, no problem I like a good capitalization, however it seemed at random. Very early on the word, best, was capitalized for multiple paragraphs. I paused, reread, paused again and sat confused about the importance of this word and if it was a term used in the world or simply the author emphasizing it. This happened throughout the book though leaving me confused about just what was happening to make these words so important.

All in all I’m sure this is a book for someone, but it was not for me. If you want an easy romantasy I’d look somewhere else as this is a slow burn that never really catches fire. I know my review is not exactly positive but that’s not to say this book doesn’t have the potential to be good however I would prefer to see it go through multiple more rounds of reviews before I picked it up again, that’s to say I will not be reading the sequel.

If the title alone didn’t sell you, let me make it even clearer: this book is enemies-to-lovers perfection wrapped in a sharp, banter-filled, slow-burn fantasy romance that will leave you feral. Imagine The Princess Bride met Bridgerton, but with a touch of The Witcher thrown in for spice.

We’ve got a no-nonsense, steel-spined heroine who would rather hex her enemy than hold his hand, and a brooding, morally ambiguous hero who definitely spends too much time smirking in the shadows. Add a magical kingdom, high-stakes political tension, and just enough pining to make you want to scream into a pillow, and you’ve got a book you won’t be able to put down.

If you love enemies-to-lovers with actual tension (not just two people bickering over who gets the last croissant at the market), slow-burns that burn, and the kind of witty, delicious prose that makes you want to highlight every other sentence, this is your next read. Just prepare for the book hangover.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2025! I am so grateful to have gotten access to this title! I am excited to see what else Brigitte Knightly has coming next.

The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy had me giggling, kicking my feet, and screaming into my pillow!! First of all, Osric is the definition of “grumpy assassin with a secret soft side,” and Aurienne is a ✨boss✨ who takes zero of his nonsense. Their banter? Top-tier. The way they go from wanting to stab each other to maybe wanting to kiss? I was eating it UP.

Also, the slow burn is PAINFUL in the best way—like, "if you don’t kiss in the next five pages, I will combust" levels of pain. Every stolen glance, every accidental touch, every “we shouldn’t but we might” moment?? Inject it into my veins.

Beyond the romance, the stakes were actually high. A deadly disease? Political sabotage? Secret betrayals? Yes, please! The plot had me hooked, and the twists actually surprised me.

I love me a Dramione-coded book!

-witty banter
-slow burn
-he falls first
-so funny
-STEM
-morally gray mmc

Get your dictionary ready! Brigitte Knightley delivers a poetic plot, intricately woven with beautifully dignified vocabulary that adds spicy personality and sharp whit.

Classic literature meets mortal enemies to lovers in this unique story about learning to love a person, not despite their flaws, but because of them.

🩷 magical energy animal companions
🩷magical hand energy
🩷alternative use of eating utensils
🩷a signet ring (iykyk)
🩷shadow-daddy
🩷pink heart shaped sunglasses
🩷concusion-induced confessions
🩷touch her and d1e vibes
🩷unique magic system
🩷hurt-help trope
🩷mortal enemies
🩷the slowest burn

I have so much to say. SO MUCH TO SAY!

Let me start off by saying that I am noticing that a lot of the negative reviews focus on the "lack of world building" or the vocabulary and the 3rd person perspective. This isn't for every reader, to be honest. I'm obsessed with this book-feral, even. The dialogue and narrator's perspective was top tier dry scholarly humor. I teach literature and even I found myself using my Kindle dictionary more than typical. I can understand the perspective of readers who found the flowery language frustrating at times, but this really wouldn't be the same story without it. Both the dialogue and vocabulary of the narrator play a huge role in character development and plot progression. As the two enemies turn into friends, the sarcasm becomes less sharp and turns more playful. It takes a very talented writer to make this happen seamlessly and Brigitte Knightley delivered!

Aurienne Fairhrim is a Healer and tasked with healing a mortal enemy to her Order, a Fryen, an assassin named Osric Mordaunt. They hate each other to their core, but in the face of adversity, they latch on to each other (begrudgingly) and try to survive.

The Irresistable Urge to Fall For Your Enemy is high fantasy that leaves you hanging at every chapter. You'll probably finish reading having more questions than when you started. Personally, I am frothing at the mouth to learn more about this world, the Orders, and the different sects of the magical communities. The language is advanced, the wit is dry, and the romance burns slow. The Irresistable Urge to Fall For Your Enemy is the kind of book that you savor. 🤌🤌
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🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷Continue scrolling for my favorite quotes/phrases, which may include minor spoilers.
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Favorite Phrases
🖤"Obstinacy and hope...what a foolish combination." "I prefer strong-willed."
🖤"Is it a place or is it a kink?"
🖤"discombobulating"
🖤"Thre's a lighthouse there. The way stone is at the Woolf."
🖤"We really must punish them for that tea...I'll just kill them a little."
🖤"a vaginal desiccant."
🖤"...uptight, though. She could do a Kagel and snap your cock off."
🖤"There's fuckery underway"
🖤"...the terra incognita of collaboration"
🖤"We exist in a perpetual state of falling out. Others needn't know the sordent truth."
🖤"That," said Mordaunt, "was a bad idea."
🖤"No...I've got a monster."


Thank you to Berkley for providing an e-arc for me to read and review.

Fun story! Loved the banter, and love when he falls first! It seemed to get off to a slow start to me but picked up. I definitely can’t wait to see how their story ends! I think I went into this expecting it to be a bit more DMATMOOBIL, so i would encourage everyone to set that aside and enjoy it as a new story. We still get the deliciously bad male character and the smart and serious female character that we love, just set in a different world! As always, this author is the queen of the slow burn, with plenty of mentions of tempting ankles 🤣

After reading Brigitte Knightley’s Dramione fanfiction, I was beyond excited to dive into her first traditionally published novel. It did not disappoint!

This book absolutely delivers on the fun banter that made her fanfic so addictive, and while it definitely has Dramione vibes, it stands on its own as a fresh and engaging enemies-to-lovers romance.

The chemistry between the main characters is undeniable, and their interactions kept me hooked from start to finish. Knightley has a talent for tension-filled exchanges that make every scene between them feel charged. That said, I did feel like the world-building could have been a bit more fleshed out. It wasn’t bad by any means, but I wanted just a little more depth to fully immerse myself in the setting.

Overall, this was a fantastic read, and I can’t wait for book two! If you love witty banter, fiery rivals, and that irresistible push-and-pull dynamic, you’ll definitely want to pick this one up.

Skip it unless you LOVE STEM romancy and enemies to lovers. The diolgue was fun and snappy, but it was sometimes summaried as if you were hearing a story from a friend about an interaction they saw yesterday.
Personally I did not find that the dark fantasy elements worked at all. While the rogue was charming ifvarogant, I just found the healer obnoxious.

A fun slow burn romance between two people on the opposite ends of the good/evil spectrum. Osric Mordaunt is a famously skilled and dreaded magical assassin. Aurienne Fairhrim is a talented healer known for her ability to treat the deadly disease that Osric has just discovered he has. Although Aurienne feels this is an outcome devoutly to be wished, she is desperate for funds to find a cure for a disease ravaging the children of her city, and so reluctantly allows herself to be bribed to help Osric. Osric is arrogant, ruthless, and conscience free. Aurienne is contemptuous and rigidly righteous. The barbs and witticisms fly as the two struggle to solve their respective problems. I loved this book and look forward to the next one. I gave it 4 stars (should be 4 1/2) because of the cliffhanger ending. By the way, this is one of my favorite titles, as is the name of the duology--Dearly Beloathed. Thank you to Ace and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am obsessed with the banter, it’s so good! The characters are witty, funny, and intelligent. Their dynamic is so well done. The book was actually really funny, I was laughing out loud throughout.

Osric and Aurienne are each members of enemy orders. Aurienne is the only person who can heal Osric from a degenerative disease. so, the two have to work together.

The slow burn burned SLOW, but i absolutely devoured it. these characters are (obviously) extremely dramione coded & there’s something so special about enemies finally being soft and vulnerable with each other.

I really enjoyed the author’s writing style. It’s beautiful and full of interesting phrasing.

Overall I liked this book immensely and can’t wait to continue the series!