“Hate could feel strangely like something else.”

Wow! What a STUNNING, debut!!

For the amount of time it took me to adjust to the world building and magic system, I was abundantly rewarded with the absolute delight of these characters. True enemies to their cores, bickering and bantering their way through a reluctant friendship that neither of them are willing to admit turns into something more.

I’m trying not to think too hard about how long I’ll have to wait for the follow up in this duet because my GOD! That ending?! Talk about the slowest of slow burns, the secret denial and pining. When I tell you if you enjoy a slow burn enemies to lovers sent in a fantastical setting, you will DEVOUR THIS!!

Brigitte’s writing is magnificent, and her ability to add humor and whit within some of the more tougher darker scenes was incredible. I’m so beyond looking forward to the conclusion of this duology, I feel as though I have been left hanging in the best way possible. Brigitte offers us taste after taste of the true delicacy that will be Osric and Aurienne’s love.

REAL ENEMIES TO LOVERS ARE SO BACK!!

Let me start by saying I absolutely LOVED Mortifying Ordeal. Now, the pipeline of fic to trad published book is an interesting one and something a few of us are paying attention to. Does a 1:1 repackage of a popular fic (Manacled to Alchemised) work best, or does a brand new book with beloved familiar tropes (Mortifying Ordeal to Irresistible Urge) do better?

I really thought this was going to be a slam dunk. But then...

This needed HARD edits. Every line was about 6 words too long. Every paragraph had at least one sentence that was run through AI or a thesaurus and it needed to chillllll out. The amount of unnecessary words in this book was equivalent to how many unnecessary words I put in my goodreads reviews. The only issue is that, this is a stream of conscience rant, and the other is a....professionally published book...that has EDITORS.

Let's get into it a bit deeper. All anyone wants in a romance story is some good banter. Especially when it's enemies to lovers but this book had the audacity of....giving us an overview of the banter? It wasn't even written out for us to read?????!

25% of the way into this book we get told: "Aurienne and Mordaunt were able to give vent to their feelings." And you're like, fantastic; can't wait to hear them tear each other apart. But no. We get this: "Mordaunt said that what Aurienne really wanted was a more Elastic Spirit; she was an unbearable combination of high handed and small minded. Aurienne said thank you; she would consult him next time she needed advice...."

So we don't even get the fun banter dialogue???

And it keeps going. "Mordaunt, vexed, said how dare she, when her bun looked like a perfect onion? Aurienne informed him, by the by, that she would never again offer a second healing at the full moon, and that he would be lucky if she showed up at all."

BOOOOOO.

Here's the thing. You can do this later. LATER in the story. At the start we need that banter to pull us in. We need to get excited about the enemies being petty and snarky. But you cannot spend the first 5 chapters info dumping world building to me and then give me THAT in place of banter.

The problem here is that the first 40% of this book is info dumping. It's like Knightley wrote it as HP fan fic, then went back through and changed up all the names. Which...okay...fine. Except there are 7 books and 8 movies of HP to explain things in that world, and we aren't trying to cram it all into the first 40% of a book. And EVERYTHING has a new name. Magic has it's own name. When you're setting up a world we need SOME things to be easy. We don't need a new name for "magic." You're busy trying to explain what a patronus is without using the word patronus. Just call magic magic. There's too much for people to understand and remember as you go. And yes, the average HP fan will be able to understand what these things are, but is that the only audience we're aiming for? Surely we want MORE readers to enjoy this fun book with delightful banter (which does come later). If I have to be familiar with an entire series of other books in order to read yours, then I don't want it. Also, maybe I missed it, but I was assuming this book was set in a New World, not OUR world with a secret magic world underneath it a la Harry Potter. I thought this was just a brand new setting, which is why we needed the 700 new names for everything. But NO. Apparently it's here, on God's green earth, because there are mentions of Romans and Norse and freaking Lord Byron.

Knightley can actually write, that's what makes this so frustrating. The banter (when she writes it), the jokey sentences, and FUN she has a knack for are absolutely fantastic when she isn't bogging her sentences down with unnecessary adjectives and made up words. It feels like she got a little lost trying to be witty and fun and it ends up coming across as really convoluted and irritating. She made the patronuses (deofols) the most RANDOM animals in the world. Genuinely, I googled one of them because I thought it was another made up creature but no! It's real! But it's soooo niche. And then I made a comment about this to a friend and she joked oh is there an axolotl? And I was like, there is! in fact! an axolotl! And that's not even the niche animal!

After the first 40% you really get into the story and you start to see the character development and the relationship come through and it gets FUN. You see the banter, something in Knightley's writing loosens up, you finally understand the 17000 new terms you have to know. And it's a joy. I flip flopped back and forth with this rating so much because I read the first chapter and said, 5 stars. Then I kept reading and that went to 3 stars, then to 2, and at one point I thought this was going to be a 1 star read. I thought I was going to dnf it. But I kept going and it bounced back up and I was settling on 3 stars, but this is going to be a duology and the problem is...this book just....ends. It does not end in a nice spot. It doesn't end on a cliff hanger, not really, but it also doesn't really end in a natural ending point. It feels like it ends mid-page. And that was really rough after finally making it to the end. At least give me something exciting for book 2. Make me want to pick that next one up because I have to see where this goes. I'm so disappointed with the whole thing.

This books needs edits. Hard plot edits. Because once you get past the initial info dumping, it has that same fun charm that MO has, but you have to slog through way too much to get there and I worry people aren't going to be able to enjoy Knightley's writing further in because they will give up early on.

Please, I want this book to do well. So this is less a rant and more of a plea. Please, tighten up that first half, I beg of you.

4.25 stars!

I ate this up UGH, I'm so not ready to have to wait for the next book. It was so so much fun.

Osric is a badass, bloodthirsty assassin...with a little problem. His source of power is rotting, and if he loses his magic his Order will kill him. Aurienne, a no-nonsense healer with a specialty in his condition, is his only hope. Unfortunately, their Orders are rivals and she is particularly not fond of him, but when they're forced to work together who knows what could happen? (We all know exactly what could happen!) I'm not going to belabor the "this is published fanfic" point because I think everyone else will do it for me but I will say that I'm glad some fanfic conventions (fun chapter titles, endless banter, getting to the point, etc) are being brought to the world of traditional publishing. This book was just a joy to read, the dynamic was awesome and I was really pleasantly surprised by the world-building. It's not crazy complex but it's interesting and atmospheric and doesn't have any of the tropes that annoy me ('deadly trials' this is about you). Keep in mind this is slooow burn, we're almost certainly only getting crumbs until the latter half of the second book. Having said that, I can't wait!

Romantasy and non-romantasy fans, keep your eye out for this! It has something for everyone.

Thank you to Brigitte Knightley and Ace for this ARC in exchange for my full, honest review!

Happy reading!

I had no idea that "The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy" was originally a fanfic when I requested it, and to be honest, if I had known I would likely have skipped it. A few chapters in and I realized that tweaked fanfic was exactly what it was - albeit fanfic written by someone with talent and a decent coat of paint slapped over the familiar vague worldbuilding. It's that worldbuilding that's the biggest issue here - there's just not a lot to it. The characters, likewise, are extremely two-dimensional, with a sense of humor that feels more like it should belong to teenagers than twenty-somethings.

So yeah, this was a miss for me. I read plenty of fanfic and don't have a problem with it, but when I reach for a novel, I don't expect to be able to *tell* it was originally a fanfic within the first few chapters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f fantasy romance
-enemies/rivals to lovers
-an agreement
-slow burn
-I hate how attractive I find you
-who hurt you

I had a lot of fun with this one. The banter, the back and forth, the slow burn.

Loved this book! So much fun and such an awesome magic system. I really hope this continues to be a series because the ending and characters left me wanting more.

Okay, so The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy? If slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers, assassins & healers is your jam (and honestly, whose isn’t?), then YOU NEED TO READ THIS. Imagine if you were forced to team up with the person you literally cannot stand, but oh wait, there's some MAJOR chemistry and neither of you can admit it. Chef's kiss. 🤌

Osric, our brooding assassin, is literally on the brink of death (but also, like, super hot?) and needs the help of Aurienne, a healer from an enemy faction. Obviously, she’s not thrilled about it, because, um, he’s a literal assassin and they’re literally enemies. But when there’s a super creepy, deadly disease going around and a massive lack of funds for a cure, they kinda have to call a truce. Cue tension. And I mean TENSION. Every page is like, "Ugh, I hate you, but also, okay maybe you're kinda hot?" The classic “will they, won’t they” vibes are so strong.

Honestly, it’s the perfect blend of action, romance, and “wait, how did this go from literally wanting to kill each other to... you know?” I couldn’t put it down and am now convinced I, too, am a sucker for enemies-to-lovers tropes (who knew?).

If you’re looking for a spicy read that keeps you guessing (and rooting for the most dysfunctional yet cute couple ever), grab this book. You won’t regret it… but you might get a little frustrated in the best way possible. I’m obsessed with this book in every way possible. LIKE I NEED BOOK 2 now. PLEASE.

Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. I cannot believe I got this ARC?!!! As a long-time Dramione girl (and I mean LONG), I have been heavily monitoring the Dramione fanfiction to the traditionally-published pipeline surgence that sparked in 2024. Wow, I am ESCTATIC. THANK YOU SO SO SO MUCH! This made my ENTIRE year and I'm incredibly honored AHHHH!!! I dropped EVERYTHING to read this. I am beyond grateful.

Now time for my actual review (LOL). This book made me laugh so so much and I ADORE our characters. The setting? Delivered. The banter? DELIVERED? I have zero critiques truly. The writing style, the chapter titles, and plot was absolutely amazing and iconic! That ending!!!! I needed the next book yesterday. I seriously cannot even articulate how excited I am for it. Brigitte Knightley, you have outdone yourself. This was without a doubt a five star read. THANK YOU SO MUCH AGAIN! Time to go weep in my room about how lucky I am to have recieved this opportunity.

Fantastic give me 14 of them right now!!!!!

First of all the banter and humor in this book was truly—TRULY some of the best I’ve read in my 33 years on this earth!!! I giggled out loud on so many occasions it’s borderline embarrassing. Kicked my feet like a little girl over here. I had the time of my life reading this!!!

Osric!!!! The man that you are. I love you. I LOVE YOU.
Aurriene is the definition of unfazed baddie queen!!

I never wanted this book to end. I want to re-read it immediately. The world building was confusing at first with all the terminology but you catch on quickly and it’s just SO GOOD!! From the different orders to the sassy deofols, this book was an absolute delight from start to finish!

The burn is SLOOOOOOOOOOW but so, so good. The tension is JUST right—this is true “enemies” to lovers so I appreciate that they are not immediately smitten with eachother and that the build was so slow and subtle!! UGH I love them so much!!!!

“You and your brains. You and all your pretty edges. You’re doing it.” EXXXXCUUUUSE MEEEE???

“I’d rather you hate me than not think of me at all.” GAH!

Anyway this book was perfect thank you so much to Netgalley and Berkley for this e-ARC!!

Enemies to lovers is one of my favorite tropes, and this book delivers in spades. We follow Osric Mordaunt, an assaissin searching for a particular healer to save his life. Unfortunately, the only healer with the skills he's looking for belongs to an enemy clan who is too busy trying to save the children from a pox outbreak. Will they be able to work together to save each other?

This story was breathtaking. I loved the long glances, the dialogue, just brilliantly described angst, distrust, lust, and longing. I couldn't put this story down.

This may be my most disappointing read of the year.

I was genuinely shocked by how much I hated The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy, especially given how much I've enjoyed Knightley’s other works. Unfortunately, this one had numerous issues, some of which stem from the writing itself, while others are just personal pet peeves.

Let’s start with the plot. The central question that kept lingering in my mind was: why should I care about any of this? I understand that the novel draws influence from Knightley’s fanfiction, but I barely know Osric and Aurienne, and never felt any real investment in their story. The characters came across as one-dimensional and, frankly, irritating.

This leads to my second major critique: none of the conflicts felt serious. Aurienne is supposedly morally opposed to murder and disgusted by Osric—but she seems entirely unfazed when, not only does Osric kill people, but she herself does the same. She expresses moral outrage, but her actions don’t align with her supposed beliefs, which makes it hard to take her internal conflict about helping him serious.

Then, there’s the world-building—or lack thereof. The setting feels muddled, somewhere between Victorian, modern, and vaguely British fantasy. I shouldn’t need a glossary just to make sense of the world in a book I’m reading. The lack of context and development left me feeling disoriented.

Now, onto the smaller details that bothered me, which may just be personal quirks. First, why does every sign in this world have missing letters, as if to make some kind of forced pun? Second, can we please stop with the constant references to "clutching pearls"? Third, why does everything seem to be capitalized like a proper noun? And lastly—what made this my least-favorite read of the year (so far, at least)—why, oh why, is there so much focus on bodily functions and feces?

That said, I did like the cover. But sadly, that’s where my praise ends. One star.

I had fun reading this, but I was disappointed when I found out it's going to be a duology. A lot of parts of this book dragged for me, so I think it could easily have been shortened into a standalone.

Aurienne, a healer, and Osric, an assassin, team up to benefit each other despite their immediate mutual hatred. This is an extremely slow burn romance, but it's kind of refreshing when compared to all of the insta-love romances that I've been reading lately. I enjoyed their banter, but it did get old and repetitive after a while.

I would recommend this to anyone looking for a slow burn romance with a lot of humor.

Brigitte Knightley is a brilliant, incorrigible wordsmith. This story is full of the most absurdly delightful turns of phrase, the wittiest banter, and the funniest frolic through a compendium of insults that I have ever read.

After a great deal of foot-kicking, giggling, and entirely too much laughing out loud in public places I have finished The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy and I simply wish it weren't over.

It's unconscionably bright and buoyant for a book about a killer-for-hire and the doctor he's bribed to save him. I loved every second.

My one and only gripe with this book is that there's so many dazzling one liners that it does slow the plot pacing a bit to make room for them. It's not a loss I'll miss much, but I do think that the balance of substance to dialogue could have been improved *slightly*. I do stand by what I said in my live updates though- the Butcher and Blackbird readers who loved that irreverence and wit will devour this book.

4.5 stars rounded up. Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy is going to be a tough act to follow - fully expecting this to be a top read for 2025 despite barely being a month into the year. As I was lucky enough to read an ARC and so must remain spoiler free, I will have to be a little vague when I say there is a chapter in this book that might be the most romantic thing I’ve read…ever. The language. The emotions. The way everything before builds into it so seamlessly. I think I highlighted half of the chapter.

Brigitte Knightley weaves a masterclass of laughs, magic, and intrigue over the course of the novel. I can't remember the last time I laughed so much reading! My favorite humor is a little dark, a lot of snark, and has an edge (this was recently dubbed "northeast humor" by my agent and she's not wrong). It's a tough line to walk to have an assassin cracking jokes and still make him a sympathetic character, but it's perfectly balanced.

Osric is a delight from his first moment on the page. He preens constantly, not that Aurienne is willing to pay him any mind, much to his dismay. He’s the most charming bastard I’ve read in who knows how long (and I suspect he’d take that precisely how I mean it - a grand compliment).

Aurienne is brilliantly competent, with sparking wit and a clever ability to twist words bestowed on her by the author that made her dialogue pop off the page. I loved the slow pulling back of layers with her, and how over the course of the novel, BK reveals that despite their opposite roles of healer and assassin for hire, Aurienne and Osric have more sharp edges in common than not.

What a delightfully perfect blend of magic, world building, and romance! It was just what my heart needed this week--and lucky for all of you, the pre-order is currently 25% off at Barnes and Noble through today (Feb 6th).

I...have so many feelings. SO MANY FEELINGS.

AND QUESTIONS. HOW DARE YOU TOY WITH MY EMOTIONS LIKE THIS, MS. KNIGHTLEY??? (she knows what she did, and when you read this book, you'll know too)

This book is a slowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww burn. The slowest of slow. A crock pot might as well be an instant pot at this point. But the (unadulterated) loathing moving to grudging respect to "i mean, i guess you're not the absolute worst" to "oh f*** I think I'm in love but they must NEVER KNOW" is SO DELICIOUS I CAN'T STAND ITTTTTTTTT

GIVE ME THE NEXT INSTALLMENT, OR ELSE (I will sit here crying in the rain)

Brigitte Knightly delivers a captivating blend of humor, tension, and slow-burn romance in The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy. This romantasy adventure follows Ostric, a sharp-witted assassin, and Aurienne, a principled healer, as their uneasy alliance forces them into a tangled web of secrets, magic, and undeniable chemistry.

The worldbuilding takes a moment to settle into, but once the stakes become clear—the search for a cure, the hidden dangers of magic, and the long-standing rivalry between their factions—the story becomes impossible to put down. Knightly’s dialogue sparkles with wit, and the push-and-pull dynamic between Ostric and Aurienne makes for an irresistibly fun and tension-filled journey.

Fans of enemies-to-lovers stories will appreciate the slow burn, the moments of reluctant trust, and the way their relationship evolves against a backdrop of high stakes and intrigue. Knightly’s fresh voice makes this a standout in the romantasy genre, and I, for one, can’t wait for the second book in the duology.

i am simply not okay

thank you berkley for the arc #berkleypartner

This was FANTASTIC omg. I simply do not have words to describe how good this was. I will admit and say the beginning is very slow and it took me a LONG time to get hooked. This book thrusts you in the middle of their world without any preamble and it's like I was reading a foreign language. But because it thrusts you right into the action—with such ridiculousness—you can't help but be sucked in. This is a fantasy book first. The romance is definitely 5% of the book. While I was expecting more, I am not disappointed at all because the tension between the two was so palpable that I didn't even need more tbh. And by the end... Well. Y'all will see !!!!!

The cast of characters in this book are truly hilarious. They all have senses of humor that are just so ridiculous but I was obsessed with it. Osric is not a good hero but he is so hard to hate because he has the dryest, darkest, self-depricating yet arrogant sense of humor that I personally love. Aurienne is equally as dry and funny and their personalities—while they claim being "opposites"—are so similar that they just work. They clash at every turn but it's like the same poles of a magnet repelling despite them finding frequent commonalities (and wishing they weren't). like hello this is the best recipe ever for my favorite kind of book!!!!!

The whole reason for Osric and Aurienne cross paths is so Aurienne can heal Osric of his degenerative seith rot. This, of course, is irreversible and incurable, but they try anyway. The several adventures (and miadventures) that they go through for each other was addicting!!! Both Osric and Aurienne are from opposing dichotomies of the Order. Osric is a Fyren, Aurienne a Haelen. One kills and the other heals. Yet over the course of the novel, both of their personalities begin to rub off on the other in the best way. It was done so gradually that you barely even noticed when they started working together and not against the other. And I just really loved how Aurienne would not deal with Osric's arrogance. She is by far one of my favorite fmc's. "She could do a kegel and snap your cock off" is by far the craziest way to describe her but also yes it's true. And I know we all love a villain mmc who hates everybody but her... The gradual way he would start to call her "his" haelen had me squealing like a pig.

Osric is dying; this is not a spoiler, it's why he goes to Aurienne in the first place. I loved how even though he was supposed to be the "bad guy", he is humanized so much throughout their interactions. The glimmers of hope that he gets when they try something new to hopefully reverse his condition just made my heart hurt for him so badly. I loved the moral dilemma that healing him brought Aurienne. It made for such an interesting dynamic, a constant tug and pull!

I loved the magic system. I loved the deofol's, the language, the Orders, etc. Each character had their own deofol and they embodied the character's personality perfectly. They, too, were a funny cast of characters. The writing in this book was superb but not over the top. It was glittery when it needed to be and succinct in appropriate areas. It was so well written. The pacing was absolutely PERFECT. The way it ended (I sob) leaves so much for the next book to answer. And the way it ended... UGH. It's not even a cliffhanger. It's the PERFECT ending.

they are so perfect i love them so much!!! I NEED BOOK TWO RIGHT NOWWWW

Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for providing a DRC of this title.

Its fan fiction roots are definitely still visible— and I personally could have used a bit more plot to give structure to the narrative— but I think lovers of the Dramione ship and slow burns will love this inventive romantasy. For sure feels like it could be a next big thing. Will be interested to see where Knightley goes next with this story!

I really enjoyed this. I think it kept with the spirit of the original story but was able to pivot into something else. I wish that there had been a little more development into the world. I was really confused about where they were and what time period it was. I think a little more establishment of how the world worked would have been really helpful. Overall though, it was a wonderful read and I will be purchasing and recommending.

Knightley is a bright new voice in the romantasy space. Her language is whimsical and clever and her characters feel fresh, and very, very funny. Irresistible Urge draws a lot of attention from the authors history with a certain fandom, but this story is new and exciting and will leave new and old readers wanting more.

The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy is a hilarious enemies-to-lovers romp about two dastardly assassin and plays-by-the-rules healer who come together to try and cure an incurable disease. Their adventures in discovering the clue lead to a myriad of...compromising positions, and ultimately point them to an undeniable truth: something much stronger than hatred is brewing between them.