This is story is definitely gonna work for some people, but unfortunately it was not for me. The world building is non existent, the characters are underdeveloped, and some of the scenes were honestly just weird? The book heavily relies on vibes, tropes, and Dramione, even though it’s technically not a fanfic, it does almost no changes so you might as well have just read the original fanfic on AO3 for free. Regardless I finished it because yes some parts were entertaining but that does not take away from the fact that most of the effort was put into a somewhat lacklustre romance rather than creating a separate world from Harry Potter, and maybe making some good characters.

I adored this book. From the characters, to the world building, to the romance, I loved it all. TIUTFFYE had be laughing almost constantly, Knightley is just so good at adding comedy to her writing and banter.

The magic system is complex, but well thought out. It really made the story feel real and shows just how great Knightley is at crafting a world with a unique magic system.

The romance is amazing and a true slow burn. Like if you googled definition of slow burn it would be this book. it was full of little glances and longing and tension. I ate it up.

I really loved the way Osric and Aurienne interacted with each other. The hatred Aurienne showed in the beginning was so good and the banter was top tier. Watching the hatred slowly morph into something else was so satisfying.

I am now desperate for the sequel.

I’ve been waiting for this book! And was a million percent worth it. If you love Dramione, here is your traditional published fan fic. I am in LOVE

Delightful, delightful, delightful. I laughed out loud so many times I lost count. Delicious tension, wonderful characters and a fresh but familiar world. Highly recommend!

Unfortunately I will not be reviewing this one due to the current climate surrounding this particular book and the marketing ties to a problematic author and franchise.

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy by Bridgette Knightley
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Romantasy
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: July 8, 2025
📖 383 pages

Enemies to Lovers
Reluctant Allies
Slow Burn
Assassin x Healer
Unique World Building
Witty Banter
Rival Order

⭐️ 4.5/5

Review: When Osric faces the potential loss of his magical abilities, he finds himself with no other choice than getting help from a healer who belongs to a rival order. Aurienne, whose hospital is flooded by sick children, must attempt to heal the enemy assassin in exchange for enough money to fund the necessary research to develop an immunization and save the children.

This one is so cute and cozy! I adored the witty banter between Osric and Aurienne. The FMC is a healer but she's written like a real life nurse, which was a fun addition.

I was NOT expecting to laugh out loud, but I snorted so many times! There is some vulgar humor, beginning with their entrance to the Randy Unicorn, but it was so good. I particularly enjoyed the "critique crickets." This reads similarly to a contemporary romance, but with humor as if it were written by Matt Dinniman 😂🙌

I'm not sure how to categorize the romance, as our beautiful MCs aren't truly lovers but more like reluctant allies with a growing attraction towards eachother as they spend more time together. The witty banter was top tier and I enjoyed the vulnerabilities they showed eachother as the story progressed.

If you're looking for a cheeky, slow-burn, enemies-to-reluctant-allies-to-(?) romantasy, you need to add The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy to your TBR!

Thank you so much Ace Publishing and NetGalley for the digital review copy!

M: ⚠️ adult content/vulgar innuendos, violence, gore

This was just fine for me. I think the world building lacked throughout and a lot of the politics and magic system wasn't fleshed out very well. It felt like a bunch of nonsense words thrown out and they never really meant anything to the context of the plot or the world. I think the banter was fun and flirty but still just very surface level for these characters. I'm not quite convinced I know Osric or Aurienne yet. Despite it's weaknesses, it was still an enjoyable read and I am very much looking forward to the next installment.

A reader who likes a playful, medium-burn fantasy romance where sharp-witted adversaries are thrown together on a shared quest that slowly melts their hostility into reluctant chemistry will be delighted.

Well, what can I say? I had a great time reading this! Not all cozy romantasy books work for me, but this one definitely did. While very light on the world building, the imagery and overall tone were spot on for the cozy romcom romantasy vibe. Some of the cruder humor didn’t always work for me, but most of it really did and actually had me laughing out loud!

The Irresistible Urge To Fall For Your Enemy shines most in the witty banter between the two main characters. Osric is an assassin with a deadly illness, while Aurienne is a healer. Their orders don’t align in any way and these two are natural enemies. The dynamic between them is conflicted and funny, with no shortage of tension! It’s extremely slow burn, and I think it’s worth knowing that going in.

If you enjoy a romance that takes quite a while to get there, and you have a healthy sense of humour, I think this is for you!

**Thank you to ACE books, Berkley Romance, and Netgalley for providing me an advanced copy! All opinions are my own.**

I was soooo excited about this book. Although I liked it and will definitely be reading the next book, I wasn't in LOVE.

There were specifically two reasons why I wasn't in love:

1. The author THREW us into the plot....
2. The book world was haphazardly introduced.

I love the characters, the banter, and the book world, I just wish the author would have gave me training wheels before I was forced to ride through this book without breaking something.

I'm looking forward to the next book that I hope will have more understanding of the book world.

Perhaps the only slowburn to ever receive a 5-star rating from me - especially impressive for a Dramione fic. This was so devastingly romantic and emotionally intense, I'd absolutely recommend to readers who like having their heart broken. It's also funny and so clever. So incredible I immediately wanted to reread it!

Hilarious banter, but the need to use a dictionary to look up words because I don’t recognize them. And also wonder if they are actual words was obsessive. It made it really difficult to get though what could have been a great book.

this book has truly opened me up to a new level of wit and banter!! the writing is so beautiful and ornate and with the FMC being a healer, it felt reminiscent of ali hazel woods writing (who i LOVE!!!) this book took me a bit to get into and it was one of those reads where you have to just roll with the punches and absorb all the info thrown at you - definitely more fantasy heavy in this sense.

overall a fun time, I truly have never read a book with this much wit and humor baked in!! i can’t wait for book 2!!

thank you berkley/ace for the e-arc!!

🖤enemies to lovers
⚔️ healer x assassin
❤️‍🔥 slow burn
🪄 dramione coded

Editor’s note: Will publish in newspapers in Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, NC July 24 and weekend editions

July book roundup: Strange towns, dangerous allies, unlikely magic and … a new Reacher short story

By Tom Mayer, Tmayer@RN-T.com

This month’s fiction lineup offers something for every kind of summer reader — from high-octane thrillers and mystical fantasy to genre-defying romance and cozy speculative tales. Whether you’re chasing outlaws, getting lost in magical archives, checking into a supernatural inn or catching up with Reacher in between novels, these titles deliver imagination, suspense and emotional punch in equal measure.

But first, a bit of a cheat. Robert Dugoni’s recent Tracy Crosswhite dropped in late spring, but a final copy of the book took some time to make it to my desk. With the incredible output and range Dugoni has offered his readers in the past year (“A Killing on the Hill,” “Beyond Reasonable Doubt,” “Hold Strong” and “A Dead Draw”), and at least two more in the works for 2026 — Tracy Crosswhite and Keera Duggan series continuations — I’m going to dig a bit deeper into the author’s most recent novel before we get to the monthly list.

Dugoni’s latest and most sensitive offering, “A Dead Draw” (Thomas & Mercer), not only captures echoes of the 10 Tracy Crosswhite novels that have come before, but brings to a boil a storyline that has been percolating since the debut of “My Sister’s Grave” in 2014.

It’s also his most personal storyline to date, making the launch of this 11th full-length story featuring the high school chemistry teacher turned Seattle, Washington-homicide detective both a perfect launching pad for those new to the series, and a satisfying continuation of the narrative for long-time readers.

But it’s not Tracy that brings it home in this novel. That honor goes to a new character, Lydia “Lightning Strike” Johnson, an autistic sharpshooter who becomes the detective’s touchstone. Lydia is on the spectrum, but she’s got the potential to be self-sufficient. She’s also a double for Tracy’s younger sister, Sarah, whose disappearance and murder in that first release not only highjacked the trajectory of Tracy’s life, but continues to be a specter in her current role capturing killers.

And like Sarah, Lydia is a character over which Dugoni labored.

“I hope I captured her accurately,” the author writes in the novel’s acknowledgements. “I did a ton of research to get it right, then had two epiphanies when I met two individuals, one from my childhood and one I met fortuitously, who were clearly on the spectrum and told me so. It was fascinating to hear them tell me what they understood without any embarrassment or self-consciousness. I’ve tried to conduct by own life similarly, talking openly about my stroke (in 2016) and the anxiety that resulted from it. … I have a brother with Down syndrome and have a heightened awareness of characters in books who are different. My intent was to portray Lydia as an accomplished, high-functioning human being but one who must deal with something over which she has no control.”

Capturing that awareness in Lydia sharpens the storyline about a warrant gone bad that frees a man who is a suspect in at least two murders — a man who became a prison-disciple of Sarah’s killer, the murderer who Tracy actually helped free in the series’ debut.

Now, as that killer’s protégé, Erik Schmidt is fixated on revenging his mentor by recreating an elaborate showdown that will lure Tracy to her hometown of Cedar Grove, Washington — the place of Sarah’s murder and now the full-circle space where Tracy’s daughter, husband and friends are in fatal danger.

That’s an oversimplification, of course — as is the portrait here of Lydia — because the hazard of any Crosswhite review is overstepping the author’s intricate plotting and plundering into a spoiler or two. But also of course, the only way to absorb the full complexity of a Dugoni thriller is to begin with page 1, and “A Dead Draw” is a fine place to start.

Now, here’s a look at some of the most notable new releases on the shelves in July:

"Infinite Archive (The Midsolar Murders Book 3)" (Ace Trade Original) by Mur Lafferty: Amateur sleuth Mallory Viridian has earned her space sea legs aboard Station Eternity — but now a living, working version of Earth’s entire Internet is on its way, and there’s going to be a party, with Mallory as the guest speaker. As the massive data ship Metis docks for a murder mystery convention, Mallory’s agent is killed and now it’s up to her to untangle the whodunit amid alien etiquette and sentient tech. Ideal for fans of speculative fiction with a bit of a literary twist, this novel will captivate readers who enjoy flowing series relationship arcs (be sure to read the first two in the series).

"Tricks of Fortune (A Play the Fool Mysteries Book 2)" (Bantam Trade Paperback Original) by Lina Chern: Tarot card reader extraordinaire Katie True gets embroiled in another local murder when her best friend becomes the prime suspect. When a beloved veteran police officer is found dead, Katie discovers tangled relationships and hidden truths that her cards and instincts must decipher. Perfect for readers of contemporary mysteries featuring fun, smart female leads — especially those who like their crime with a touch of cultural nuance and spry wit.

"Welcome to Cottonmouth" (Blackstone) by Jay S. Bell: What does the US government do with expired spies and special operators? It ships them to a small East Texas town where everything runs, sort of, peacefully — until a pair of women on the run from a ruthless criminal shatters the uneasy serenity. But doing the right thing for the pair might shatter the secrecy vital to Cottonmouth, Texas, and de facto mayor Devlin Mahoney has to make the choice. For fans of Slow Horses with an American twist.

"Soulgazer (The Magpie and the Wolf Duology Book 1)" (Ace Trade) by Maggie Rapier: Aboard a mythical isle quest, “Soulgazer” is rendered in prose readers will want to highlight line by line. Born with a penchant for volatile magic, Saoirse wants nothing more than to be without the curse that has plagued her since childhood. Facing an unwanted and forced marriage proposal, Saoirse seeks out a pirate who can help her get rid of the magic … but first she’ll have to use it for his own purposes. A quest, and an unlikely proposal of its own, ensues. Rapier is a debut author from Alabama and her first literary foray is tailored for those who crave both magic and romance, and high concept fantasy grounded in a human connection.

"The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy (The Dearly Beloathed Duology Book 1)" (Ace) by Brigitte Knightley: In this slow burn enemies to lovers fantasy romantasy, an assassin’s sickness forces him to rely on a healer from an enemy faction — and loyalties, plus affections, are tested. Their forced cooperation soon leads to mutual dependence, unexpected attraction and an uneasy truce with far-reaching consequences. Ideal for romance readers who love brainy protagonists, simmering tension, and meta literary hijinks. Not suitable for readers concerned with graphic violence and medical content including fictional, life-threatening diseases affecting adults and children.

"American Mythology" (Doubleday) by Giano Cromley: A bizarre group consisting of a pseudo-scientist, a filmmaker and the two, total, membership of the Basic Bigfoot Society embarks on a quest to find the creature, confronting nature’s mysteries and the human heart in equal measure. Along the journey, myth and reality weave together as secrets and the lure of the unknown collide in the wilderness. For those who want a character driven drama with friendship and a love for nature at its core.

"Bat Out of Hell" (Blackstone) edited by Don Bruns: A book of thriller stories inspired by Meat Loaf’s debut album, this anthology features a brand new Jack Reacher story and thrilling mysteries from top authors, including Andrew Child, Rick Bleiweiss, Heather Graham, Don Bruns, John Gilstrap, Dave Bruns, C.J. Kudlacz and Charles Todd — in a nonstop, engrossing mystery seesaw. At the top of that list is Child’s offering: When Reacher stops in a dying desert town, he’s drawn into a fight against entrenched criminal elements with no safe escape. This anthology is the fourth in Bruns’ Music and Murder Mystery Series. A must read for thriller devotees and long time fans of the Reacher series — especially those craving tight plots and righteous action.

"A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping" (Berkley Trade) by Sangu Mandanna: A whimsical, heartwarming tale follows a witch with no powers who is helping to run a peculiar inn for quirky beings. Enter a magical historian giving her a second chance at power, community and purpose. As Sera juggles enchanted guests and hidden pasts, she discovers that true magic lies in the bonds, and family, she rebuilds. Perfect for readers who want low stakes fantasy with heart, humor and a magical touch.

"Love You to Death" (Random House) by Christina Dotson: Kayla and Zorie have made a habit of slipping into weddings they weren’t invited to — usually to make off with the cash and gifts. But when the only two Black women show up at an antebellum-themed ceremony in the Deep South, the odds are stacked against them from the start. What was supposed to be their final, low-risk score quickly spirals into chaos, and they’re soon caught in a media frenzy as the infamous “Wedding Crasher Killers.” For Kayla — stuck in a dead-end housekeeping job and still picking up the pieces after a reckless teenage mistake — this runaway road trip becomes a reckoning with her past, her future and her friendship with Zorie, whose secrets run deeper than Kayla ever imagined. A fierce, fast-paced thriller for readers drawn to dark friendship tales and twisted crime capers.

https://admin-newyork1.bloxcms.com/northwestgeorgianews.com/tncms/admin/action/main/preview/site/rome/opinion/columns/july-book-roundup-strange-towns-dangerous-allies-unlikely-magic-and-a-new-reacher-short-story/article_d8543c69-3457-4396-83f9-5a5a992741da.html

Aurienne Fairhrim, a brilliant healer, and Osric Mordaunt, a sassy assassin-for-hire, are as different as two people can be. However, they find themselves desperate enough to form a reluctant alliance for selfless (Fairhrim) and selfish (Mordaunt) reasons.

I loved the slow shift in the dynamic between Aurienne and Osric throughout the story. I loved their quick and smart banter, and how despite their much denied mutual attraction and genuine dislike for one another they learned to trust and respect each other as they worked together.

The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy had a bit of a slow start for me, which is probably because initially the world building seemed to have taken place prior to Chapter One. However, once you were in it, it worked perfectly, and it was fantastic. This book was such a fun time and such a tease that left me desperate for book two.

I DNFed it at 50%. I just lost all interest. I really enjoyed it around chapter 3, but it went downhill fast. I was not invested in the plot and sudden dick jokes felt out of place. I feel it’s just was not for me and that’s ok. Thank you for the opportunity to read it!

Punchy and intriguing, though the humor was not exactly my cup of tea (how many times do we really need to hear that they think each other look like body parts and have the personality of a thumbnail?) I will be picking up the sequel, as the overall plot and chemistry was intriguing and zapped me in.

Listen - they can’t stand each other (SIGN ME UP). The bickering and the banter - top notch. A healer and an assassin forced to come together. If you love enemies to lovers / slow burn and characters that “hate each other” but really are crqzy about each other, this is for you! This is another banger romantasy that though it starts on the slower side, it hooks you in. You’ll laugh for sure!

Thank you Berkley and NetGalley for the arc!

This was okay. It’s a shame the writing is so weird because the way this author writes characters is sooo good. The pacing of the slow burn was top notch. The “I hate that I like you” 10/10. There were extremely funny moments and great lines, but 80% of it was very boring and hard to follow.

The nitty-gritty: An entertaining, cheeky fantasy with outstanding humorous banter, The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy is a solid series starter by a very promising writer.

Some readers love this book and others don’t, and after reading it for myself I can appreciate both opinions. The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy is an example of “Dramione fan fiction” (Draco and Hermione from Harry Potter as love interests), something I hadn’t heard of before I read it. Indeed, the cover art could represent those characters, and I’m sure that was the intention. This is Brigitte Knightley’s debut novel, and in some ways it’s very obvious that it’s her first crack at writing one. On the other hand, she’s an extremely talented writer, and folks, I could not put the book down. For me, the positives ended up outweighing the negatives, so I settled on a four star rating.

The story takes place in an alternate England where those with magical abilities are divided up into various “orders.” Aurienne Fairhrim is a talented healer and is part of the Haelen order. She bears a mark on her right palm called a tācn through which she can channel her seith (magic) in order to heal people. Osric Mordaunt is part of the Fyren order and is a deadly assassin for hire. When his own magic begins to fail, he’s diagnosed with a fatal condition called seith rot, for which there is no cure. Osric knows that if his higher ups catch wind of his condition, they’ll most likely kill him (yes, they are pretty brutal). His physician suggests that Osric’s only chance might be Aurienne Fairhrim, a Haelen who is at the top of her field and might be able to cure the rot.

There’s a catch, though: Haelen and Fyren are sworn enemies, and Osric knows the only way to convince Aurienne to help him is to bribe her with a large monetary donation. Lucky for him, Aurienne and her order are desperately trying to stop an outbreak of a disease that is targeting children, and they need the money to research and develop a cure. She reluctantly agrees to help, but both Osric and Aurienne know they’ll have to keep their agreement secret, and both are about to find out if helping each other is worth the risk.

First the positives. I loved the world building, which is very well thought out. Knightley includes not only a map but several indexes that help the reader understand what’s going on. Each of the eight orders is highlighted at the end of the book, including what they do and their individual mottos and emblems. In this book we only get to know the Haelen and Fyren orders, but I’m assuming the rest will be integrated into future books. There’s also a handy glossary of unfamiliar words and how to pronounce them. I always appreciate this level of detail in fantasy stories, so I have to give the author props. That being said, there’s still a lot about this world that we don’t know, as the author only focuses on specific elements. So despite the work she’s put into creating her world, at times it felt a little shallow. 

By far my favorite part of the story was the humor and Knightley’s excellent dialog. And you can’t talk about dialog without talking about the characters. Aurienne and Osric hate each other at first, and that hate translates into some very funny moments between the two. Both are smart and quick-witted, and because this is a romance, there’s an underlying sexual tension between them that propels the story forward. However, the two are very unlikable for the first half of the book. Both say horrible things to each other, and even though you know they’ll eventually come around, their interactions are almost painful and cringey in the beginning.

But the humor itself was extremely well done. This is a world where most of the characters appear to be pansexual or bi and they have absolutely no hang-ups about sex. So there’s quite a bit of bawdy humor, discussions of sexual body parts in crude ways, and that sort of thing, so do beware if that kind of talk doesn’t work for you. I thought it was hilarious and fit the tone of the story. I was surprised, though, that there is no sex at all in the story (aside from a couple of masturbation scenes that didn’t really work for me), so the characters are all talk and no action, which didn’t bother me in the least!

Other random elements I loved: each person with a tācn on their palm has a familiar called a deofol, a magical creature that can move from person to person and deliver messages (I never understood the mechanics of it, but I loved the idea). The deofols all have distinct personalities and I wanted more interactions with them! I also loved the waystones, which are portals that the characters use to travel from place to place. Each waystone is connected to a pub with suggestive names like The Randy Unicorn or The Moist Oyster (lol). And I loved that Osric, a brutal killer, has a soft spot for stray dogs, which he collects and brings home with him.

As for the story itself, here is where I had a few issues. The first half is really nothing more than Aurienne trying different ways to cure Osric, failing, and then later trying something else. This goes on for quite a long time, and I’ll admit it was a little boring at times. It isn’t until the halfway point that a few new side plots are introduced and things really become interesting. This is where the tension picks up too, as there are some thrilling scenes that put both Aurienne and Osric in danger. I also had problems with the ending, which doesn’t really answer any questions at all. As a reader, I want some kind of satisfaction at the end of the story, whether it be a major plot point being resolved or a relationship developing in a certain way, and neither one of those things happened, unfortunately. 

Still, I can’t deny I had a blast reading The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy. I didn’t talk much about the romance, which is of the delicious, slow burn variety, but you can bet I’ll be reading the sequel to find out how Aurienne’s and Osric’s relationship unfolds.

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.