*Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

I was not expecting this book to be so exceptionally funny or quick witted. It was vulgar, it was bloody, and the longest of slow burns. Despite not getting a super deep look into the thoughts, or motivations of the main characters due to the third person omniscient POV, they are fleshed out enough to care about, to want them to succeed (even when it comes to the killing). We learn bits and pieces about them slowly throughout the story, and I found them both incredibly intriguing.
There's not a whole lot of plot until closer to the end. It's really just a bunch of scenes of the two characters having to spend time together. But that was okay because that's what I wanted.
I feel it necessary to mention I never read this when it was in its fanfic form. I have in fact never read a Dramione fanfiction (I was a Jily reader myself). It did not feel like a fanfiction to me. The world was well developed, though a bit overwhelming. There was a lot of info about the Orders, and the kingdoms within this gaslamp fantasy alternate timeline Britain. I feel it would be easier with a physical book to flip back to the map and info at the start of the book, than it was in the ebook.
Unfortunately, loses that star for the extremely abrupt ending. It wasn't just a cliffhanger. It genuinely felt like this was a bigger book that has just been ruthlessly chopped in half.
Will I be reading the sequel whenever it comes out? Hell yes.

TLDR: The easiest 5 ⭐ I've ever given 😌

This simply did not disappoint. For those of you who come to this book from Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love, you know what to expect. For those who didn't come via fandom, buckle up.

Brigitte's writing is one of my favourites. She manages to weave magic and humour into just about every sentence she writes. I don't think I've ever come across an author quite like her, it's unique and magical and I'll probably read everything Brigitte ever writes.

I was giggling and kicking my feet for most of this book, and for someone who only maybe highlights 1-2 things when reading, I made 17 highlights!

Aurienne and Osric loathe one another and it makes their eventual hate-yearning feel absolutely delicious. Their banter and tension was simply phenomenal.

"It was hard, being perfect in an imperfect world, but Aurienne managed." This basically sums up the book because it was utter perfection.

One of my most anticipated reads for 2025 and it did not disappoint in the slightest. I will now desperately await news of book two, despite this one being six months away from publication.

So grateful to Hachette Australia for letting me read an eARC of this!

A hilarious and entertaining magical adventure with plenty of banter! One of the few romantasy books I've enjoyed so far - the characters were fun, had conflicting values that weren't casually dismissed for shallow romance development and the magic system was easy to follow but interesting.

Thank you Hachette for the ARC!

Brigitte Knightley's writing is some of my favourite writing of all time

I was first introduced to her writing in Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in love and have remained obsessed since She's unlike any author I've read and this is going to be one of my favourite reads of 2025 I can just tell, and there's some absolute top tier books being released this year

Aurienne and Osric absolutely despise each other and I genuinely believed their disdain for one another, but the occasional glimpses of their flirty behaviour and the slow trust they built with each other was so much fun to witness

I did originally think this was going to be a standalone but realised at approximately 85% that there was no way it could be

I am in dire need of the next book pls Brigitte I am not above begging

This book took me completely by surprise, it was an anticipated read, but I loved it even more than I thought I was going to. I'm always a little wary of books that are inspired by or drawn from fanfiction because I tend to find they struggle to stand on their own when removed from the fanfiction context.

But this book is the perfect example of how something can be inspired by fanfiction and still develop it's own world and story. The world-building is incredibly complex and intricate. The dynamic between the main characters is SO good, with a classic dramoine vibe but subverted through the unique personalities of the characters and the circumstances of the story. And the romcom/ unserious elements only work to make the story even more endearing.