Unfortunately I couldn’t really get into this one. I might have to come back to it when the sequel is out so I can judge the full scope of Aurienne and Osric’s relationship. The writing style is very distinct and it doesn’t work for me. It feels lofty and clunky at times and the arrogance of both characters is off-putting from the start. Their banter was fun at times but they never made me feel fully invested.

This book was so much fun to read! I laughed basically the whole time. The banter! The writing style! The place names! This book was just so clever and whimsical and funny. I could not put it down!

The tldr is that Osric Mordaunt, member of of the Order of Fyren, needs a healer on the DL for a sensitive health and seith (magic) related issue. He (totally legitimately and above board) acquires the help of Aurienne Fairhim, member of the Order of Haelan. Aurienne hates his Order with a fiery burning passion and would rather eat tinfoil than help him. But help him she must and the two become rather strange partners as they search for a cure. Along the way is copious amounts of bickering, bantering and befuddlement with plenty of awkward situations!

This book was an excellent example of a slow burn done well! The pair spend most of the book at odds with each other. Aurienne and Osric are both witty and sarcastic individuals. This leads to lots of great bickering moments that are legitimately just so funny to read.

The writing in this book was so refreshing. The prose was witty and clever and whimsical and just so fun. The author has a pretty unique style to their writing and it made this book so engaging. The plot was interesting with the overarching ‘heal Osric’ story melding perfectly into the other side quest subplots. The cliffhanger is illegal, though!!! I’m dying to know what happens next!

If you want a fresh enemies to friends to maybe lovers type book and enjoy a quickly, banter-filled writing style then this book is 110% for you!

Thank you SO MUCH to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

I am giving it a four star, but I honestly could not stop thinking about the original fanfiction as I was reading this. That is completely my problem that I am unable to separate the two in my head. Knightley's writing style is so distinct and fun!

I admit, I read this book because of the author's dramonie fanfic. I enjoyed it. There is a lot of humor and the banter between the characters is great. I laughed out loud on multiple occasions. I did struggle with Osric being an assassin. Yes, he saves pets, but that isn't enough to redeem him. My main complaint is that this novel isn't a complete story; it's the first half of one. Generally with an enemies to lovers trope, they start softening toward each other at the 50% mark, so I kept waiting for that to happen, and it didn't until the end. Which is 50% of the duology. The ending is more of an intermission, not a conclusion, and that bothers me.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

This one surprised me. I didn't really know what to expect going into it, other than being told it was originally a fanfiction.

I don't really read fanfiction, not that I wouldn't I just don't tend to seek them out. But if it was, enough was changed or just totally rewritten that it felt like an original story (setting/characters/etc.) If I hadn't be told its first form was a fanfiction- I wouldn't have even picked up on the inspiration.

I would have liked to see a bit more on the world building. I was very confused about what kind of time period this took place in (and part of that was because I was told it was a fanfiction and thus I assumed it was the same time period as what it was based of off- so that's probably my fault).

The language was sometimes too much. I know both characters were meant to be smart. But either the author has a beautiful vocabulary or they sat with a thesaurus open next to them. That being said, besides some unnecessarily fancy words, the writing was great. It was easy to read and it had a lot of dialogue, which I am personally a big fan of.

I'm disappointed that it's two books. This would have been a good part one, rather than book one. At the same time, the story and the characters were memorable enough that I don't think I'll need to reread it when the next one comes out. But if there is going to be an audiobook, I wouldn't mind listening to that. I think with the right readers, it would be a wonderful audiobook.

"Am I detecting concern?" asked Osric, delighted.
"You're in my care. And you put yourself at great risk."


✨THINGS AND STUFF✨
-dual pov
-loathe to love
-a bribe & negotiations (with a side of kidnapping)
-healer x assassin
-immersive world building
-sharp and witty banter (utterly unhinged)
-star crossed
-oh no! you’re wounded (him)
-rigor mortis, the dog
-#IsThisAKissingBook open door

thank you ace books and berkley romance for the advanced copy.

Thank you Berkley, Bridgette Knightley, and Netgalley for the chance to read and review The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy ahead of its publication, in exchange for an honest review!

This was my most anticipated read of 2025 and while I didn’t love it as much as I’d hoped, it was still a thoroughly enjoyable read. Knightley’s charming writing, including her witty dialogue, was my favorite part of the story. I also greatly appreciated how this is a TRUE slow burn and that Aurrienne and Osric’s relationship really does evolve slowly throughout the novel. I loved seeing their two unique personalities interact and ultimately grow endeared go one another. It was a joy to read!

Unfortunately, I just wanted to feel more angst and yearning from this. The first 70% of the novel was entertaining but I didn’t feel the stakes were high enough until the last part of the story when more is revealed. There were a few moments that had me swooning feet but not as many as I would have hoped. I know this is a slow burn over two novels, but I wish this one had felt more complete. A huge part of the plot feels all but forgotten in the last part of the story.

Even though I was left wanting more, I will still be reading the next one because I really do enjoy the characters and their dynamic!

I am besotted. Thrown was I into the arms of this book, & I *screams into loudspeaker* DON’T! WANT! TO! BE! RETURNED! This story is a unicorn among romantasy: the utterly cheeky voice of the writing, the unique new fantasy world & magic system, & the slowburn that truly slowburns?? I COULD NOT ASK FOR MORE.

Our main characters are a match made in a hellish heaven, or possibly a heavenish hell (depending which of them you’d ask), & had me GIGGLING, CRYING & ROLLING ON THE FLOOR. Osric & Aurienne’s misadventures on the hunt for a mystical & unheard of cure will have you falling head over heels for them in the blink of an eye. I will be allowing them permanent residence in my brain, letting them banter on about full moons & which of them is the most annoying, & I would have it no other way.

This was a fantastic piece of work by Brigitte Knightly, & I cannot WAIT for more to come from this world & these two sweet idiots (said with the most love in my heart). Thank you SO MUCH to NetGalley & to Berkley for the eARC, it meant the literal world to me!

At first I felt like it didn’t have quite the same magic as the author’s Dramione fic, because you aren’t walking into a built in backstory.

But after a bit the Old English / steampunk vibes grew on me, and Knightley does sarcastic pining better than anyone else.

So I was loving it, only to have it end with a massive cliffhanger?‽ !! And then I realized it’s book 1 of a duology. Dang it.

This was so much fun!!! It was nearly 400 pages but I could've read even longer. Slow burn, humorous and so. much. fun! Thanks to Berkley (who is quickly becoming one of my favorite publishers) and to the author!

Ohhhhh it burns!! The ending?? How am I to go on?? The tag “slow burn” really gets thrown around a lot, to the point where I’m hesitant to believe it anymore. This book gave me my faith back! I’ll probably go back and reread it shortly just to try and squeeze every last bit of the tension out!

I know that many may be familiar with Brigitte Knightley’s writing in the fanfic circles, but this was my first book, and I was really pleased. I will admit I had a hard time initially separating the characters from the fanfic work that this draws some inspiration from. They author has explicitly said that this is not a rewrite of their previous work, and that it is an entirely new story, so that helps set the record straight. Still, it took me a little while to not immediately picture a certain character in place of Aurienne. The writing style is unique, dry, and smart. It took me a little bit to get used to it but it ended up making me chuckle quite a bit!

Osric is such a charming himbo, truly I adore him. I really appreciated Aurienne’s character, it felt like a believable journey for her and her motivations felt authentic. Enemies-to-lovers is another overused tag, too quickly do characters set aside their “differences” in the face of love (lust). What makes this such a great slow burn is how it stays true to their character. It’s not so easy to entirely change your perspective on someone, and I really enjoyed the journey each character took individually.

I’m quite unwell with the thought of waiting for the next book, so I’m off to reread!

Full Review will be posted on Goodreads on 7/1/25

I really loved this story! While it’s a 384-page book, it felt a bit short to me—I think that’s just because I wanted more! The characters have great depth, and the relationship between the two main characters develops at a slow, steady pace. The world-building is fantastic and very original, adding so much charm to the story. The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy perfectly balances tension and chemistry, making the slow-burn romance even more satisfying. I can’t wait to see what other stories might unfold in this incredible world. The next book promises even more, and I’m excited to dive in! I hope that we see more, and more, and more of Brigitte Knightley. I love the banter, the writing style - ugh, everything!

This was so fun and funny, and overall a very well-written fantasy novel that does a pretty good job world-building. However - I think the glossary explaining the different Orders should be at the FRONT of the book, not at the back. I kept thinking I wanted one to refer to but obviously didn't know it was waiting for me at the end. I also think a bit more background on the characters would be nice, since you're very much thrown into a well-established world. I'm assuming more history will come in the next one, which I'm looking forward to!

I wish that the entire story of these characters had been one volume because I don't like cliffhangers like this book ended on, but otherwise lots of fun. The world building could be somewhat confusing, but the main characters' relationship is just lovely.

Uhhhh this book should be a standalone, not a duology. (Or maybe it could be a cute little trilogy moment)

Hella and I mean HELLA time wasted on running in circles and using 5-star Scrabble words to insult each other.

However, I also lol’ed multiple times. So idk you win some you lose some.

Be warned: BRUTAL ending that will have you begging for the next book ASAP.

Second warning: People are lauding this book for being “Dramione-coded.” Personally, I adored how NOT-fanfiction it felt. So be prepared to not see Harry Potter vibes whatsoever while you’re here.

Honestly this is more a fantasy adventure and less a romantasy but I’m kind of into it because of the aforementioned plethora of 5-star Scrabble words.

Thank you to Berkley (you have my heart) and NetGalley for an ARC!

I cannot express to you how much I enjoyed and cherished this reading experience. Knightley does a beautiful job balancing the witty banter, the hopeless characters who are so in love with each other it's not even funny, and making me feel so deeply for this story. I don't want to wait for book two, I want to read it right now! I need more Acts of Warranted Brutality.

This book is everything I want romantasy to be. It's everything I want from a book, all wrapped into one. It's got a really interesting magical world, sharp-witted characters, a slow burn enemies-to-lovers plot where they are ACTUALLY ENEMIES and it's ACTUALLY SLOWBURN. There's equal focus on the larger plots and the emotional journey for the characters, instead of the genre's tendency to focus on one over the other.

It's also so funny! The dialogue, the narration, everything is sharp and tongue-in-cheek in a way that is so entertaining to read, and it makes the book stick out. The writing style is going to stick with me for a very long time, and I think it will do the same to everyone else who reads this.

I can't recommend this highly enough. I will absolutely be pushing this book on just about anybody I can.

I LOVED this book. When I say I want enemies to lovers this is what I mean.

Oscra and Aurienne are in opposing orders and forced to work together. Knowing this is based off a dramione ff you can see those components while also feeling like you’re in a completely different world. Their story was so fun. It had me giggling and laughing out loud.

The magic system took me a little to understand. But this world, and being able to read on my kindle where I had access to a dictionary filter was helpful just due to a lot of words I had never seen before.

My biggest complain is that I now have to wait for book 2 but I willllll be rereading in the meantime

So so funny. This book is fantastic, romantic, hilarious and genuinely thrilling. I was so engrossed into this world and wanted more. This author has become an auto buy for me with this one. I cannot wait for the next book!!!

What a rollercoaster! This was one of my MOST anticipated books for the year, and I still cant believe I was approved to read it.

For starters I am a huge dramione fan, I think I started reading fanfic when I was 11 or 12 (yes, probably too young but back then I don't think it was quite as explicit - or maybe I just didnt find those stories) anyways, dramione is an OG ship for me, because we are talking back to about 2007. You can imagine then that when I found out that one of the best and most popular fic authors was being picked up, it was monumental news. And this book is soooo dramione coded. Even though Brigitte has written a different plot.

So onto this book. There are so many elements I loved, the slow slow burn between our two leads, the dual POV, the built in enemies-to-lovers dynamics. It all became very addicting. That being said, Brigitte has the most insane vocabulary. I have never really doubted mine, but this is the first time I have had to use the dictionary function on my kindle 😂😂 This is not for the faint of heart, and I think an audibook would be absolute gobbledygook for me because I cant imagine those words I was reading sound anything like their proper pronunciation. This may also be due to the medical language involved - I am an english lit grad, there was no bio classes past grade 12.

I can't wait for book two - because there will be a book two after that ending, and I hope that since the world and foundations are now set, that we can move on to the romance and mysteries that have been revealed.