this started out a 4 star, but i'm deciding on a 3! a good 3. i really enjoyed osric's and aurienne's banter (when it happened) and the premise was there. they just spent so much time in their head hating each other. i also found the king chapters sooo hard to get through. they were so long, with no pay off as most chapters didn't end in a cliff hanger. the pacing could use some work but a decent foundation to build upon! i'm really enjoying this world and can't wait to see more of it. thank you netgalley for the arc!

It takes a special talent to not only write a fantasy book, but have it be laugh out loud funny AND full of so much pining and tension. Without a doubt, @brigitteknightley nailed this. This book comes out in July but I couldn’t wait to read when @berkleyromance granted me this early copy…and, yes, it’s absolutely everything.

More to come closer to release day but if this isn’t already on your radar, you need to preorder because this book has everything:

- Bantering with your enemy…god forbid a girl has hobbies
- Osric “down bad, crying at the gym” Mordaunt
- Aurienne “if a man talks sh!t then I owe him nothing” Fairhrim
- Everyone is bi!
- She’s a Phenomenon healer, he’s got the skin of a k!ller
- “Will they or won’t they” and it’s SLOW BURNING
- He’s so vain. But so is she.
- A lot of talk about nipples, most of it hilarious
- She goes from “stop unaliving people” to “if you must” real quick
- Chemistry so thick it’s practically a science classroom
- PhD in Yearnalism

Be prepared to be sick of me talking about this book. Sorry not sorry.

First things first, I loved this authors fan fiction work. Since this book is going to be part of a duology, I feel as though the world building was severely lacking. There could have been less witty banter (most of which was amusing but some of which was tedious and a bit immature) and more explanation of the world and magic systems. Additionally, even though this is going to be a duology, the ending of this book was a bit baffling. It was barely the end of a paragraph let alone the ending of a book, I turned the page expecting to find more book and was confused when there wasn't any more. The slow burn romance is a bit promising but could have been a tad bit faster in my opinion. Unfortunately, I do not think I will read the sequel as this falls a bit flat to me but I still have all the love for the author and I am proud of her for being traditionally published. I also thank Netgalley for the ARC!

The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy is a captivating read that, while originally rooted in fan fiction, has transformed into a unique and engaging novel in its own right. I thoroughly enjoyed it, though I’ll admit it took me a bit of time to separate the story from its fan fiction origins and appreciate it as something new. Aurienne and Osric have undeniable chemistry, and their witty, sharp banter is a major highlight of the book. The tension between them is electric, making every interaction feel charged with emotion and humor. While some of the world-building was a bit harder to follow at times, the intrigue and character dynamics kept me turning the pages. The author’s voice shines through, creating a story that feels both familiar and fresh. This novel has absolutely left me wanting more, and I can’t wait to see what comes next in this world.

I really wanted to love this one but it just didn't work for me. The world, magic system, and characters felt flat and undeveloped. I think the book could use additional revisions.

I know the concept originated from a fanfiction and it left me wondering if this book suffered because of that. Taking two fully developed characters and trying to place them in a new world, as new characters, while stripping away the background information doesn't really work.

In my opinion, it could use additional revisions.
I think there is potential if these new independent characters and world are developed more. I'm it's current state, I had no reason to be invested in them or the issues they were facing.

The writing style felt clunky. The humor felt forced and out of place rather than being fun banter. I like silly humor but this felt immature rather than actually being funny. I cannot read one more joke about a penis. 🙄

While this didn't work for me, I think the book will still find its audience.

Thank you Netgalley and Berkley for the advanced copy.

I'd like to start out saying that by about one third of the way into The Irresistible Urge I knew it was unequivocally a five star read for me! This book was incredibly engaging, had me laughing, had me squealing, and had me somehow rooting for the "villain".

Speaking of the villain, let's talk about our MCs.

Aurienne Fairhrim is a BAMF Haelan healer who's damn good at what she does and isn't afraid to say it. She's strong - even in the face of mortal peril - and I don't think I could love her any more. Her dry humor and sarcastic attitude only added to her untamable charisma. Did I mention I love her? I want to be her friend, I want her to be the big sister I never had. There is nothing I love more than a strong FMC, and Knightley delivered,

Osric Mordaunt is our stabby, scarred, cleft chinned MMC. I love him. I... love... him. He is able to shadow walk and do so whilst looking devilishly handsome. He is just as sarcastic as Aurienne, only much more whingey and prat-ish and murdery.

I did see some reviews talking about the lack of world building and confusing magic system, so I went into TIUTFFYE with a little trepidation, but was pleasantly surprised. While yes, I can agree the world building is very minimum, I had no troubles diving right in. No part of it was so confusing that I couldn't understand. I'm not sure if that is just because I am an avid reader of fantasy or not, but I felt like it was completely fine!

TIUTFFYE is really for the Dramione girlies! If you read fanfiction at all I can promise you, you'll be obsessed. While this book is very different from Knightley's fic, there are several nods to it and I found it so fun to pluck out those little gems.

If there is one thing Knightley excels at, it's banter. Gods, did I laugh! I laughed the entire way through. The pining was intense, the story was rich with magic and mystery, the characters were so well developed. Overall... this book was a bloody good time! I cannot wait to get my hands of one of my (three) physical copies and one day read book 2!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for allowing me to read this as an ARC - what a fun experience it was!

I loved this book- it has so much depth and the world is very well-realized. I didn't realize it was going to be a duology, but it does make sense with how the plot moves. I do feel like this pretty evenly split as a fantasy/steampunk book and romanc-y, though there isn't a HEA in this bo0k. I was really impressed with the author's ability to add so much charge to a pretty chaste book. The pacing and tension are really great, I might have breathed an actual sigh of relief when we find out the deterioration has slowed. Really gripping, and I cannot wait to get the next one.

4/5

Osric Mordaunt belongs to an order of assassins and his magic is running out, an illness that will spell his demise. The only person who could potentially cure him is Aurienne Fairhrim, a renowned healer—belonging to their enemy faction, the Haelan Order, who would never be called upon to aid him. Luckily, he’s not above a little bribery through program funding to get her to help him cheat death. The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy is an enemies to lovers tale with unforeseen levels of loathing, longing, and the slowest of slow burns. In an alternate England of magical orders and competing factions, Knightley brings together two people who in all likelihood are poised to eventually kill each other, but instead follow the clues to curing a magical illness while fighting their growing connection. The main dynamic is certainly the strongest part of The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy, lending this novel's snarky humor and baffling romance. Aurienne is my favorite of the two, determined in her call as a healer, more than a little arrogant, and committed to her academic endeavors. Osric provided that pathetic brooding killer for hire perspective whose morals are firmly in the grey area but in facing down death in his degenerative illness and the loss of his magic sees his worldview utterly shaken. I went into this with not expecting the first in a series, but Knightley paces this novel to perfection, in both the external plot and the romance, and where we land will inarguably bridge to a brilliant finale.

Thank you for the free eARC, Berkley Romance and Ace Books!

In the first book of this duology, Osric is a deadly assassin who is stricken by a disease that will ultimately be fatal. He seeks out Aurienne, a healer, who he believes might be able to help heal him in an untraditional way. However, she requires a lot of convincing because she believes Osric has no morals and isn’t worth saving.

I haven’t read this author’s beloved fan fiction, so I don’t have any comparison. However, I found this book fun and enjoyable, mostly because of the humor. The characters don’t get along and the banter and insults fly for most of the book, and several parts actually made me laugh out loud. The romance is truly filled with pining and the slowest slow burn I’ve read in a long time. I would guess that the second book might have more romance, but I really did love the second half of this book with several great scenes stealing the show. In addition, the deofols (animal sidekicks that manifest in a person’s childhood, unique to each individual and represent their personality) were a fun addition. I kept imagining this book as a movie and thinking how much fun it would be!

What to expect from this book:
- Enemies to lovers
- He falls first and harder
- Opposites attract
- Sloooow burn
- Quippy, witty banter
- Fantasy, minimal world building, cute animal sidekicks
- Healer x assassin shadow walker

I absolutely fell in love with Brigitte Knightley when I read her Dramione fanfic Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love. Truly it's one of my favorite stories of all time. I enjoyed this excellent book just as much, and I can't express how thrilled I am that this is hopefully just the beginning of a beautiful friendship between myself and Knightley's books. I almost didn't request this on Netgalley because I wanted to perhaps wait until it came out on my birthday week as a gift to myself. But, I'm glad I went ahead and requested it because now I can pick it up for my birthday and read it again! Knightley has a real gift for balancing romance and a very intriguing plotline, and her character development is fantastic. Also, I adore her writing style - I found myself laughing out loud on multiple occasions. Furthermore, I deeply appreciate that she didn't end the book on a giant cliffhanger - I appreciate series that give each book a satisfying conclusion. I think authors sometimes feel that they need cliffhangers so you'll come back for the next one, but Knightley proves that's not necessary - I'm still very, very much looking forward to the next book.

Aurienne is a healer with the desperate need for medical funding to curb the spread of a deadly pox disease, and Osric is a wealthy assassin in need of healing for rapid deterioration of his magic system. They both need each other as a means to an end despite their orders being at odds with each other.

I love the representation of queer relationships between side characters (and mentions of past relationships for the main characters) in this book. This book is definitely a slow burn, as promised, with the romance portion finally sparking around the 60-70% mark.

It did fall flat in a few ways. First, the wording was very flowery with lots of French terms that I had to look up. On one hand it encouraged me to widen my vocabulary but on the other, I was having to use the look up feature on my kindle constantly. I can see this being frustrating for readers who have the physical copy. Second, the plot was a little slow moving at first but it did get better.

The world building was fine in my opinion. I appreciate the glossary of terms in the back and the attention to detail. If you love the game Hogwarts Mystery then you will find humor in the different waystones, their pubs, and funnily named hamlets scattered throughout the book.

Overall, I do think I will continue this series. Thank you to Berkeley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Not for me, but can see why people will love it! Fell flat compared to her fanfiction, which I absolutely adore. Will still continue to read what this author puts out in the future!

I loved this so much! I read the original fan fiction, and knew that I had to read this immediately. The characters were memorable, and the romance was swoonworthy. I loved how strong Aurienne was, and the humor and banter between these two was to die for. A classic enemies to lovers story right here!

I can honestly say that this was like nothing I’ve ever read before! I’ve never read any Dramione fanfic, which is where I’ve been told this originated, but I do love a good enemies to lovers story and this was 98% enemies and maybe 2% lovers. To be honest I didn’t realize it was book one of a series, so I expected more actual lovers and was a tad bit disappointed.

I enjoy my romances with a dash of humor and this delivered on that front, albeit a lot of crude and sexual humor (maybe more talk of anuses then I expected?!) Osric and Aurienne’s give and take was lively and truly filled with loathing. I loved the deofols and that method of communication, and the magic system throughout, although it took me awhile to be able to understand what that system was.

Overall, I really liked this one and will eagerly await the next in the series - even though unfortunately I’m sure I’ll be waiting awhile!

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the early copy of this book!

I loved the humor and banter in this book! I literally laughed out loud a few times. I loved the academic FMC and morally grey MMC. And the slow burn was definitely slow, but I personally love a good drawn out slow burn.

That said, it did take me a while to get into. I found the world building and wording a bit confusing at times, which made it harder to stay fully immersed. Ultimately that confusion brought my overall rating down.

Thank you NetGalley for the early copy of this book.

I went into this blind… I just knew it was a big release and it sounded so interesting!

I then found out it was basically a fanfic and please don’t crucify me, but I really didn’t read Harry Potter so… it means nothing to me. I found myself often confused.

The first thing that threw me for a loop was the prose… the verbiage was over the top, in my opinion. This isn’t the 1900’s. (Some people loved this.. it just wasn’t for me.)

I did laugh out loud a few times, but it was NOT enough to keep me interested.

I found myself just wanting this to be over.

Overall, I was very disappointed and I just don’t think this is the type of book for me.

3.5/4ish

This had a lot of great elements like enemies to lovers (which we always love 🤌🏼), morally grey love interest, women in STEM, and forced to work together. What it'll probably best be known for is the banter. My favorite parts were the dialogue back and forth between them. It's funny and quippy!

When it said slow burn, it meant it. It wasn't until the very end where we started seeing the build up come together. Even then, I do feel like there's so much we haven't seen yet.

I do wish there was more world building, it took me a bit to figure out some of the elements and put my own pieces together. I also feel like the ending was a bit rushed. Overall it's a good time and I'll definitely read the next in the series!

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I wanted to love this one SO MUCH but it ultimately just fell completely short.

I've heard this is an adapted fanfic and the lack of world building makes that quite evident. I could completely see this working with the context of a full fandom behind it, but as a brand new world, it was severely lacking as in... there was no world building. You were plopped in the world with a glossary of words and have to piece it all together yourself.

I did finally start to get interested in this book at the 60% mark but the juvenile humor (I mean, there is a place called The Bunghole with poop jokes) and the wordiness of it all had me skimming so I could hurry up and finish.

If you read this author's fanfic, I'm sure you're going to eat this up. But as someone who hasn't, it fell extremely flat for me.

While I enjoyed the premise of the book, it just didn't draw me in like I had hoped. I'll recommend it to others but for me it didn't quite hit the mark.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free eARC of the book!

What a fool I was to assume this was an interconnected standalone duology…

But alas, that was a me thing and not this book’s fault.

Overall, this was a really cool world with a magic system that, for me, was really unique. Having the seith system be like a second nervous system in the body was fascinating, and as a writer myself, I’m kinda mad I didn’t think of it.

I love Osric. Can I have an IRL version, please? (Minus the murder, obviously)

His banter with Aurienne was *chef’s kiss* and I was heartbroken at the ending.

The biggest hurdle(s) for me was probably the writing style. It took me about 10-20% of the book before I really fell into the swing of it, but after that it was pretty consistent and smooth sailing. Adjacent to that is the diction. At the risk of sounding dumb, there were a lot of ‘big words’ that I didn’t know. Most of them were scientific/medical terms, and given that Aurienne is a healer/doctor that makes sense. There were the handful of times where there were just big words that when I looked them up were more complex synonyms for words I did know, but I digress.

Like I said, overall a pretty great read, and I’ll be eagerly awaiting the sequel.