All the stars! This fresh take on romantasy creates a world unique to anything I’ve read before that only adds to the story. I loved the wit and banter in this book, and found myself having to google words (thank you for expanding my vocabulary!). The main characters were flawed but lovable. I can’t wait to see where the story goes next.

This book made me LAUGH OUT LOUD so many times. Thank you so much Brigitte for allowing me digital access to this ARC via NetGalley. This was masterful, amazing. I had such a LOVELY time reading this arc! As someone who read the original fanfic, this had brand new life, plot and narratives breathed into it- I fell in love with the characters and the world! So excited for book 2 already!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Loved it
🩷 - General Romance
🔥🔥 - Yearning, banter, emotional build and possible execution/climax.
🌶️ - A little secret self touching

This was super super fun! I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would actually, as a certified romance hater.

I think I just need romances with a little bit extra to them and this definitely had that. It was fantasy, and dark, and humorous, and with a little mystery along with it too. I cannot just do plain boring romance, so if readers want something with a little bit extra to it, this definitely does.

The romance was really great too! The banter between these two characters was oh so good and kept me actually laughing for the entire book. I also am a huge fan of slow burn and this 100% is suuuuper slow. Not a single kiss the whole book, so if you need spicy instant gratification romance, this isn't for you. But, I understand that this is a series, so if you keep going, I feel a strong payoff coming in the next book. I'm not sure how many books are slated for this series, but I would be interested in at least reading one more.

The plot itself, besides the romance was pretty good too. The magic system could have done with better explanation, since I feel as though I'm still confused on how all that worked; But, even with limited understanding, it didn't hinder my comprehension or enjoyment of the rest of the plot. It still was predictable, but I don't fault books for that, and can find myself finding even more enjoyment when I discover I was right.

This was super entertaining and I love the rise of the Dramionie fanfics this year.

You definitely do not need to like Harry Potter or anything of that sort to understand and enjoy this. I am glad the author is getting the recognition they deserve because this was FUN!

Unfortunately, I am reviewing this a while after reading it and I truly have no memory of it. It just didn't stick out to me so I can't comment on any plot or characters, just that it's not in my brain anymore...

Recap:
So, Osric Mordaunt's got himself a little problem—he’s dying from a fatal disease (as one does). The only person who can save him is Aurienne Fairhrim, a preeminent scientist and member of an opposing order. These two despise each other. I mean, they REALLY cannot stand to even be in the same room as one another. However, there’s a twist: she is in desperate need of his help as well.

Osric is a wealthy assassin from the Fyren order (very much the “stab first, ask questions later” type), and Aurienne is a Haelen healer-scholar dedicated to her practice. She’s incredibly busy with saving children from a Pox outbreak when Osric makes her an offer she can’t refuse... Cue ominous villain laugh.

Writing Style:
The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy, which I'll affectionately refer to as TIUTFFYE, is written in third-person omniscient POV. Basically, it’s like eavesdropping on the two main characters. It reads like a rom-com that gets hit by a semi-truck of true-crime vibes and then gets lovingly shoved into a gaslamp fantasy setting. It’s a wild ride—funny, dangerous, magical, eerie, and just the right amount of sweet. Brigitte masterfully delivers the same sharp attention to detail and tongue-in-cheek humor we loved in DMATMOOBIL, while showcasing new tricks that will keep you hooked

Review (spoiler-free; all of this is in the blurb):
Okay, I have a confession to make—I am ridiculously obsessed with Osric. Seriously, how does he manage to be both unbearably pompous and irresistibly charming at the same time? He was crafted to be the human embodiment of a guilty pleasure, and you'll be eating it up with a spoon.

Then there’s Aurienne, our fierce and brilliant FMC. She’s intelligent, strong, and morally uncompromising in ways that I know I would NOT be if Osric walked into my life. This woman has all of my respect. Witnessing her wrestle with the moral dilemma of having to work with Osric? Chef's kiss. Let’s not forget, Osric is an assassin. You know, a guy who TAKES LIVES for a living. Healing HIM wasn't what Aurienne had in mind when she sought out to heal the sick. Yet, when you see Osric desperately cling to the hope that maybe, just maybe, he could be saved, it’s impossible not to root for him. I was practically begging for a cure by the end.

Brigitte warned us: this is a slow burn. I mean, a sloth would beat this romance in a race, but the angst... the YEARNING... the tension between them is delicious. The dry humor and dark jokes are so good, creating the perfect will-they-or-won’t-they dynamic that will keep you turning pages until you realize you’ve read 100 pages in one sitting. TIUTFFYE delivers the ultimate slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers rollercoaster, and I’m already dying for more. You will be, too.

Let’s be real, though. This is the first book in a duology, which means... it ends on a cliffhanger. But before you throw your Kindle out the window—It’s not one of those soul-crushing cliffhangers. You’ll close the book with a sense of hope, not despair. Thank you, Brigitte.

Full disclosure: I struggled a bit at the beginning. There were times when I found myself rereading the same pages over and over like I was stuck in a literary Groundhog Day. I felt like I’d been dropped in the middle of the action with no map to guide me. But once I figured things out, I was ALL in.

If you’re looking for a book that combines sarcastic humor, adventures (and misadventures), and enough plot twists to make your head spin—this one’s for you.


Kudos, Brigitte. Kudos. ♡


A massive shoutout to Berkley for giving me the chance to review a free advanced copy of this book! I am genuinely honored and ridiculously excited to have my hands on this ARC. It feels like I've been presented with a golden ticket… but with more stabbing and magical healing involved.

I am O B S E S S E D with The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy...literally obsessed. This Dramione inspired romantasy has everything I love in a book:
-witty banter
-slow burn
-he falls first
-so funny
-STEM (she's a healer)
-morally gray mmc (he verges in the darker shades of gray)

Osric Mordaunt has a bit of a problem - he's kind of dying - whoops! And there's only one person who can try to heal him...Aurienne Fairhrim. You see Osric and Aurienne are kind of enemies. Osric is an assasain and Aurienne is a healer...therefore these two shouldn't really be spending any time together. But Osric finagles his way into her life by offering her something she can't refuse - enough money to help with funding for the sick children Aurienne's order is helping heal.

Soon these two are on unique missions to help solve Osric's illness. The more time they spend together the less...they want to stab one another. Over time they seem to rely more and more on one another. Even though they're growing closer to solving Osric's illness and helping one another when other dire situations arise - how could they possibly even be together when he's an assasain and she's a healer?

Gah! I just finished this book and I literally don't know what to do with myself. I loved everything about The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy. The humor, the wit, the way these two were so obviously drawn to one another but tried to fight it so hard.

The last 1/3 of the book went by way too quickly for me. I wasn't ready for the book to end. Osric and Aurienne are my new fave couple and I cannot wait to read the next book! If you're considering this book I hihgly recommend you add it to your tbr. July can't come fast enough so I can add a physical copy of The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy to my shelves!

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy!

This was a highly anticipated 2025 release for me, and I'm heartbroken to report that I am DNFing.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘐𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘜𝘳𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘍𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘌𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘺 is for the Hermione girlies - it's great representation for ladies in STEM. Unfortunately, it's like reading a thesaurus, and that's not a compliment.

The world building is overwhelming, and the glossary will be your friend; however, I'm not a big fan of books that rely on references to provide context as it breaks the immersion and feels lazy.

I was surprised that it didn't feel overly reminiscent of a Dramione fanfic, other than the basic character archetypes, and it had a vibe and character of its own. I wasn't feeling a connection to the characters, and it's so slooooooow.

HOLY MOTHER OF PEARL. I have been craving a unique read for so long and this has surpassed my expectations. The writing style, the humor, the character chemistry?!? AMAZING. I truly haven’t read anything like this and I loved every moment of it. The slow burn was SLOW BURNING!! As a lover of slow burn, oooo this did it for me 🤭 so excited for this to come out. I had an absolutely good time. I need the next book in my hands 😭

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an early copy for me to review!

As a big time Dramione fan, I could not be more excited that a big time fan-fic author is getting traditionally published. I came into this one with huge expectations and was not disappointed in the least.

TIUtFfYE can only be described in two words: utterly delightful. I wondered if it’d be a reworking of the original fan fiction but it is entirely its own thing. Knightley killed it! The reader is dropped into this immersive fantasy world that was freshly original, fun, and fascinating. I thought the magic system was clever, I loved how magic has a cost unique to each user, and I loved how magic wielded are divided into different types of guilds/orders. The enemy to lovers romance was a bit light but I loved the tantalizing slow burn. And the banter was excellent! I smiled over so many lines and little moments. Despite there being death, illness, and murder on page, the tone is very lighthearted.

Overall, absolutely recommend for anyone looking to get lost in a unique new romantasy! And huge plus for the dramione fans.

I am a HUGE fan of DMATMOOBIL (if you know, you know), so needless to say I dove into this arc immediately, and was not disappointed!! Brigitte Knightley has such a way with words, from the humour to the slow burn romance to the magic, it was a delight from start to finish. While this is an original work and not a fanfic adaptation, the dramione archetypes were definitely there and strong - which I’m certainly not complaining about! This is a true enemies to lovers and I enjoyed how glacially slow burn it was. The payout will definitely be worth it! I enjoyed Aurienne in particular and her obstinate commitment to finding the truth no matter the cost. Osric was just as delightfully sassy as I’d hoped and I’m intrigue to see how his character, especially in relation to his occupation. I will say that I would’ve liked more worldbuilding overall as even by the end I still wasn’t entirely sure about some aspects of the magic system in particular, which can be a common issue with authors shifting from fanfic to original work. But overall I really enjoyed this and can’t wait until the next!!

Thank you to Berkley Romance for the review copy!

The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy is probably the funniest book I’ve ever read. Along with the laugh out loud moments, it had the vibe of the 2005 Pride and Prejudice Darcy hand flex, you know what I mean? Like the TENSION was so good that it felt swoony when they BREATHED in each other’s direction.

The beginning was a little slow for me, a lot of the world building is in the opening glossary, so you really get dropped into a built out world and have to just figure it out. Aurienne and Osric are TRUE enemies to lovers, which I know a lot of readers are hungry for, but I at first didn’t love that they started off as strangers. I like a rivals to lovers because the hatred is so intimate, you know? But the slow burn paid off SO well - so maybe I’m a convert to slow burns after reading this one? Both the romance and plot really took off and was un-put-downable for the second half, which made me appreciate the beginning more. It felt a little bit like SJM plotting - starts a little slow, and maybe the characters are not super likeable at first, but by the end you love them SO much.

Dramione lovers may be wondering - how close is this to fanfiction the author wrote? I haven't read it, but several people in my group chat did, and my understanding is that they vibes are the same, but the plot is pretty different. The world is very different than I would expect from HP fanfiction.

If you like dry wit, true enemies to lovers, women in STEM, magic, and fairytales, this one is for you!

The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy is out July 8, 2025, so you have time to get your pre-orders in. You’ll want to read this right away! (I do slightly regret reading this so early because I am DESPERATE for book 2.)

I have never highlighted more passages in a book in my entire life. On multiple occasions I thought to myself, "This is getting ridiculous. You've highlighted the entire book." To which I responded to myself, "That's fair, accurate, and yet I should probably highlight some more."

If you're here because you love DMATMOOBIL, you already know Brigitte Knightley (isthisselfcare) may not have invented witty-banter, puns, or dad jokes, but she did perfect them.

The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy is exactly as the title implies. It's a enemies to lovers adventure about two idiots (who are actually incredibly smart but also very, very dumb) falling unwittingly but unequivocally in love while searching for a cure to an incurable disease. "Who wouldn't want to heal this?"

Aurienne is the Best and Osric is the Finest Specimen. That's really all you need to know. Oh and that I loved this with my entire fucking being. And I will continue to be insufferable until Dearly Beloathed #2 is available to annoy the shit out of Berkley until I get an advanced copy. But if you want to know more these are my favorite tropes as defined by the author (mostly):

- unlikeable FMC they said and it’s just a woman with a spine
- both of them think they are the main character
- why kiss when you can bicker
- it's about the Yearning™ (I personally think it's more about the simping)
- forced collaboration
- they are down bad crying at the gym
- crime as a bonding activity
- orgies of self-sacrifice
- Acts of Warranted Brutality and other Diverse Felonies
- I'm caring for you, not about you. (lies)
- She even snuck in broom thighs

The humor in this book is so to my taste.
"Osric called her a Self-Righteous Plague. She called him a Foppish Crouton."
"Aurienne, sick with convulsions of guilt, wished
she could be as lackadaisical, but no-- she was highly daisical."
"They named the kitten Acts of Warranted Brutality."
“—but I am, nevertheless, choosing to put my trust in you.” “Don’t. I don’t know where it’s been.”

The slow burn is for real.
"He looked at her as one who wished to worship, and one who wished to defile."
"Her touch was an aching, fragile beauty."

I wish Aurienne (the Hermione character) was more likable. She's a bit too much like Osric (the Draco character). In the original story I loved Hermione's character so much, and I don't remember her being so arrogant. That is a small thing though. The story is a fun time.

Absolutely 5 stars! I think this is the funniest book i've ever read. I was laughing out loud at almost every other page and have recommended it to everyone i know.

This book is beautifully written in its humor and wit, in the subtle romantic interest that grows slowly between the healer and the assassin, in the tragic plot of disease and illness and in the interesting setting and magic system that graces these pages.

When faced with an incurabley fatal disease, Osric the assassin has one hope... Aurienne the healer who absolutely refuses to heal him due to his profession. But when their interests collide, so does the banter, wit and sparks of forbidden attraction between the two. Together they uncover a plot that is enormus in its undertaking and their association may be even more deadly then originally thought.

Brigitte Knightley’s The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy delivers a compelling enemies-to-lovers romance wrapped in a high-stakes fantasy setting. Osric, an assassin, and Aurienne, a healer, are sworn enemies forced into an uneasy alliance to combat a deadly disease. As they clash over their loyalties and methods, their undeniable chemistry adds to the tension, making for an addictive slow-burn romance.

Knightley crafts a richly detailed world filled with political intrigue, moral dilemmas, and sharp banter. Fans of The Serpent & the Wings of Night and From Blood and Ash will love this gripping mix of fantasy, romance, and reluctant partnership.

Enemies to Lovers Romantasy!! YES! Very slow burn, hilarious banter. I'm obsessed with it. I'm obsessed that the author of Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal has gone traditional and written this amazing story. Can't wait till the next one.

I am quite literally obsessed with Brigitte's writing style and ability to write banter. This was such an enjoyable read in terms of getting to know these characters. I'd say it was equally plot and character driven, and I'm actually hoping she writes more?? Like the end was kind of open and I would be obsessed with reading more about these two and this entire world she has built. Also, I've added so many words to my vocabulary because of this book!!

- enemies to lovers (ish)
- slow burn

This is definitely a romance book, but the romance is very subtle, builds over time, and the ending might be a little different than what you are used to with romance books in the genre right now.

This was a highly anticipated read for me as a Dramione lover, but it definitely fell flat for me. I wanted to DNF this book several times throughout. The character names are absolutely atrocious and take away from the story. I understand that names of people, places and things had to be changed but this was overkill. She even changed the name for magic. Magic did not need to be changed. The names of things were so overwhelming and complicated that it made the story unlikable and confusing. The world building was also lacking for me as well. You were essentially thrown into this world with a very very short glossary and had to just figure the rest out for yourself. The FMC was terrible. She was so uptight and not a likable character at all. The MMC was ok. Nothing really made me like him or dislike him. I love a good slow burn, but this was way too slow. It’s so slow I’m not even sure I would categorize this as a romance.The ending of the book was also very abrupt. It was as if you were reading along and then it just ran out of words. Is the story and plot line good yes! Absolutely love the plot. This has the potential to be an amazing book. But it definitely needs better world building, a smaller vocabulary (had to look up multiple words for their meaning), pull the stick from the FMC’s bumhole, different noun names, and the slow burn needs to be sped up.

Fanfic turned published book! Ahh this is SO exciting! I loved the fanfic of this story and it was so cool to see the differences and how this story came to life! Loved it.

This book was so good! I fear I am going to be inconsolable until the second book comes out. I NEED to know what happens next.