The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy
Paperback Published on: 02/06/2026
Price: £10.99
Bookseller Reviews
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Hilarious!
This was a lot more humorous and light-hearted than I was expecting! Aurienne is such a great character. I adored her love for her craft and her strong wi... READ MORE
No right to be *this* entertaining!
The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy is exactly what it says on the tin: a glorious mess of tension, banter, mutual hatred that slowly turns into s... READ MORE
Falling for the villain is just so much more fun...
After reading reviews on this one I must admit I went in very hesitantly - but I honestly fell in love with this book.
There is quite a lot of vulgarity... READ MORE
Truly Irresistible
If Discworld and Harry Potter had a romcom baby, it would be this book.
In a year that felt like it was dominated by rewritten fanfic and romantasy titl... READ MORE
Hilarious enemies to lovers fantasy!
Rich with imagination and utterly saturated in filthy humour, this is fantastical enemies to lovers at its best. An absolute delight that had me cackling a... READ MORE
An exquisite slowburn romantasy and an absolute delight to read!
The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy is slowburn enemies to lovers perfection with the book following Osric, a member of an order of assassins as h... READ MORE
The enemies to lovers we all deserve!
Osric Mordaunt, a member of the Fyren Order of assassins, finds himself afflicted by a mysterious illness. Desperate for a cure, he turns to Aurienne Fairh... READ MORE
A hilarious and entertaining debut
The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy is a hilarious and entertaining debut that blends humour, rich worldbuilding, and compelling characters into a... READ MORE
The fantasy romcom of my dreams
The way I dropped my tbr plans the moment this book was in my hands, I’ve been eagerly waiting to read this and it didn’t disappoint. I feel like this book... READ MORE
3.5
I urge anyone who’s thinking of picking this book up to go into it as blind as possible. Only info I’ll give is that it’s more rom com in a fantasy setting... READ MORE
Wickedly funny fantasy rom-com
Delightfully charming and witty, The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy, is perfect for readers looking for a romantic comedy set in a fantasy world.... READ MORE
The Slowest of Slow Burns!
Oh my God what a book!
This is the slowest burn I've ever read, and I NEED the next book now! Osric and Aurienne were so good together, we got so much ... READ MORE
Tell your cat I said pspspsps.
Thank you so much to Orbit for the ARC - The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy is an absolute treat. Actual enemies to lovers? YES PLEASE. Add in a... READ MORE
Enemies to Lovers but hilarious!
I was so excited for this book and it did not disappoint in any way. The plot is well thought out and there is amazing world building but is also fast pace... READ MORE
Absolutely Brilliant
This was undeniably one of the best romantasy books I have read all year, it has even become quite possibly one of my favourite books period that I have re... READ MORE
Synopsis
A slow burn, enemies-to-lovers romantasy featuring a scholarly healer and a gentleman assassin, set in an exquisite fantasy world, perfect for fans of The Love Hypothesis and Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries.
Osric Mordaunt, member of the Fyren Order of assassins, is in dire need of healing. Naturally - such is the grim comedy of fate - the only healer who can help is Aurienne Fairhrim, preeminent scientist, bastion of moral good, and member of an enemy Order.
Aurienne is desperate for funding to heal the sick - so desperate that, when Osric bribes her to help him, she accepts, even if she detests him and everything he stands for.
A forced collaboration ensues: the brilliant Woman in STEM is coerced into working with the PhD in Murders, much to Aurienne's disgust. As Osric and Aurienne work together to heal his illness and investigate the mysterious reoccurrence of a deadly pox, they find themselves ardently denying their attraction, which only fuels the heat between them.
Tropes include:
Enemies-to-lovers
High interaction slow burn
Hypercompetent idiots
He falls first and harder
Slaughter as a love language
Publisher information
- Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
- ISBN: 9780356524757
- Number of pages: 384
- Dimensions: 196 x 126 x 30 mm
- Weight: 260g
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
View allWhat an incredible talent Brigitte Knightley is.
4.5 STARS
This book was an absolute delight and I will be thinking about it incessantly for the next year.
I don't think I have ever laughed as much... READ MORE
A romping good read of a fantasy novel
A romping good read of a novel that I absolutely adored. From the very beginning it was clear that the world was well thought out, the magic system was fab... READ MORE
Amazing!
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me an early copy of this book.
The Irresistible Urge to Fall for your Enemy is a novel that... READ MORE
Fantastic slow burn that makes you kick your feet in delight
This was DELIGHTFUL. I always say that it's incredibly difficult to write enemies to lovers in a convincing way because it requires the slowest of slow bur... READ MORE
Witty and fun
So this was a witty little treat of a book, the humour and tension were off the scale between Osric and Aurienne.
I will say this was a very slow start ... READ MORE
A fun lighthearted magic and science slow burn
The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley (eARC)
witty banter
Couldn't get enough of the banter, lively wit and tension oozing from this book. Could not put it down and read well into the night! I was snorting out lou... READ MORE
This was everything I hoped it would be!
“Hate could feel strangely like something else.”
• True Enemies to Lovers
• The Slowest Most Brutal of Glorious Slow Burns
• Assassin x Healer
• Re... READ MORE
This book shattered my skyhigh expectations and left me absolutely FERAL for more
I want to start by saying that I read this as an ARC reader, but I was determined not to let that (and my love of Brigette’s previous work) influence my re... READ MORE
Osric Mordaunt, you are my favourite microbe turned bullet point.
What do you get if you place two head strong people together to solve a medical condition in 'the Old Ways'. Lots and lots of Banter.
Osric Mordaunt ne... READ MORE
A good premise
Rating: 3.75⭐️
Ngl the first 20% at the beginning did not have me AT. ALL. The info dumping was too much for me and then jumping into the story with all... READ MORE
Review
I loved this book! The snark, the banter, the humour - it was perfect! I won’t rehash the synopsis here as you can read that in the book description but I ... READ MORE
Enemies-to-lovers, laugh-out-loud, perfection.
4.5 stars
Absolutely phenomenal!!
Phenomenal. Undoubtedly my favourite read of the year so far.
This made me wheeze with laughter, giggle at the adorable parts, you could not catch me wi... READ MORE
Roll on book two, I want more
It took a while to get into the style of writing of the book, along with the storyline, but once that took hold, I thoroughly enjoyed the book.
It has be... READ MORE
Absolutely Irresistible!
What a captivating, memorable and hilarious start to an epic adventure. I was hooked from the start, i was snorting unattractively with laughter almost imm... READ MORE
Great Book
I had so much fun with this book. The humour had me giggling out loud in all kinds of inappropriate situations (most notably a kids soft play party) and I ... READ MORE
funny
3.5 ⭐️
There has been so much hype around this book! If you are a fan of natural, witty banter, good side characters, a well built fantasy world and a s... READ MORE
Regency Romantasy romp will have you rolling with laughter!
The Irresistible Urge to Fall in Love with your Enemy is a glorious bit of fun. Criminally mislabeled as Dramione fanfic, Ms. Knightly’s debut novel is, in... READ MORE
The slowest of slow burns that will leave you desperate for more
Every single moment of this book was absolutely delightful to read. Brigette Knightley has given us a true enemies to lovers romantasy with the enemies asp... READ MORE
Hilarious!
Perfect for fans of Assistant to the Villain!
I absolutely loved this book! It’s witty and hilarious, I laughed out loud so many times! The banter was i... READ MORE
You're in for a fun time!
** ARC Review**
Brigitte Knightley has written an absolute gem! Aurienne, a dedicated healer, and Osric, a morally grey assassin, had me grinning, laugh... READ MORE
A true enemies to lovers …
4.25⭐️
Wow! What a story - this has been one of my most anticipated reads of the year (the ao3 girlies get it) and it didn’t disappoint.
A true enemi... READ MORE
A hilarious enemies to lovers romcom with a side of magical science and folklore.
This book was such a good time! A confident, no-nonsense healer, and a cocky, ever-optimistic assassin reluctantly team up for the most ridiculous quest - ... READ MORE
The slowest of slow burn... in the best way
Thank you to Little, Brown Book Group and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
If you have a pen... READ MORE
Slowburn with potential
The Irresistible Urge to fall For Your Enemy is a slowburn enemies to lovers romance set in a unique fantasy world. A magical version of the UK split into ... READ MORE
Great read
I enjoyed reading this book, I thought the characters and their interactions were great. He’s an assassin with a messed up magical system and she’s the onl... READ MORE
Interesting premise, not fully realised
Many thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The tropes consist of:
Magic system
Enemies ... READ MORE
I am chuckling, yearning, CHOMPING at the bit!
Holy moly, I think this is my fave of the year so far!?!
Thank you to NetGalley, Brigitte Knightley and the publishers for this ARC, (my first NetGalley A... READ MORE
Lot's of banter & laughs
This book was fun and had me laughing out loud whenever Osric and Aurienne interacted. The things they came out with were so random. They were opposites of... READ MORE
The most fun read of this year
Thank you to Little Brown Book Group and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.
The Irresistible Urge... follows Osric, an assassin with the fearsome F... READ MORE
Unique magic system with lovable characters
This is my review after reading n arc copy of this book
I have read my fair share of a certain type of fan fiction so was more than excited to get stuck... READ MORE
Full of banter that had me laughing out loud- a joy and delight to read!
Cleverly plotted, witty banter, and the YEARNING!!!
4.5⭐️
I laughed, I smiled, I giggled and kicked my feet!
The storyline was so cleverly plotted, the banter was incredible and the characters were per... READ MORE
PSPSPSPS
I’ve been in a huge reading slump bc two weeks ago, I read my fav book of the year so far & I haven’t stopped thinking about it since. I lost count of how ... READ MORE
A 6 Star Read - Amazing!
Onion Boy will forever and always be my new favourite nickname
Hilarious banter filled slow burn enemies to lovers
The Irresistible Urge To Fall For Your Enemy was a fun & lighthearted read that follows two pov characters. Aurienne, a healer, and Osric, an assassin. The... READ MORE
A STUNNING debut from Bridgitte Knightley!
*I was lucky enough to be granted a free ARC of this book from NetGalley, in return for an honest review.*
What a stunning debut from Bridgitte Knightle... READ MORE
Amazing
Thank you to Little, Brown Book group UK for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley all opinions are my own.
Osric Mordaunt is a mem... READ MORE
Hooked
First of all, thank you so much to the publisher, little brown book group UK, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.
I thoroughly ... READ MORE
An immediate lifetime favourite!
When I saw the announcement for this book I was beyond excited, and it did not disappoint. The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy was everything I wa... READ MORE
The funnest slow burn of the year!
I knew I would be obsessed and I'm obSESSED.
Our main characters Aurienne and Osric hate eachother. But they need eachother, so they strike a deal. I was... READ MORE
Osric and Aurienne are amazing.
This book is hilarious and heart-warming at the same time. I am besotted with the characters and what they are going though both separately and together.
... READ MORE
Refreshingly Unique Story Filled with Enemies to Lovers and Smart Witty Banter
This book is so utterly and refreshingly unique, the relationship between the main characters is one filled with witty banter, dark humour and loathing tha... READ MORE
The funniest book I have read in a long time - Brigitte Knightley is a GENIUS
Thank you NetGalley and Orbit UK for this eARC copy!
This was the easiest 5⭐️ from me!
This book is like Ten Things I Hate About You except I am sure... READ MORE
3 Stars
I picked this one up because it kept appearing on romantasy recommendation lists, and while it certainly fits the genre in some ways, I wish I’d had a clea... READ MORE
The vibes were everything, a must read!!
This book was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and let me tell you, IT DELIVERED!!! Words can't describe how much I love this book. The vibes..... READ MORE
Loved it
I devoured this book so quickly. I loved the lively pace, the quick witty banter between the main characters and the world that was laid before me.
I a... READ MORE
Enemies-to-lovers, laugh-out-loud perfection!
4.5 stars
I loved this so much more than I anticipated!
At first, honestly, I thought I was going to hate it... It took me a little while to warm into... READ MORE
Excellent
Absolutely adored this! The characters, world-building, and engaging, funny, often hilarious, writing were excellent. The slow-burn romance between Fairhri... READ MORE
Unexpected but satisfying
This book was NOTHING like I expected. Since it was marketed as a romantasy, I thought I’d get a solid mix of fantasy and romance, but this turned out to b... READ MORE
One for the yearners who love good banter!
"I'd rather you hate me than not think of me at all."
I INHALED this book. I had read a little of the author’s previous fanfiction but I’m very glad I did... READ MORE
Very witty love-hate romantasy
The best romantasy comedy out there right now. This book made me laugh so much! I loved both FMC and MMC. In fact every character is interesting. It’s abou... READ MORE
Brilliant snarky wit, can't wait for the next one
Osric Mordaunt is an assassin, a member of the Fyren Order. A lifetime of blows has damaged his seith (a magical ability which is enhanced through study an... READ MORE
Delightfully Unhinged
A laugh-out-loud hilarious fantasy featuring an uptight healer and a flamboyant assassin caught in a slow-burn, enemies-to-reluctant-allies dynamic. Expect... READ MORE
Infinity stars for this!!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I’ve been in a huge reading slump bc two weeks ago, I read my fav book of the year so far & I haven’t stopped thinking about it since. I lost count of how ... READ MORE
A lighthearted, fun and quirky read!
Having read the author’s previous work, this book was among my most anticipated releases this year and I wasn’t disappointed!
It absolutely flew by, it ... READ MORE
Humorous enemies to lovers
I was given an arc from NetGalley and the publisher and would like to thank them. This is my honest review.
I enjoyed reading this book, I thought the c... READ MORE
Immaculate vibes
So good I’ve read it twice already.
Snarky banter, enemies, mystery, magic. I had so much fun reading this. I was laughing, I was on the edge of my sea... READ MORE
Easy 5 star rating
I requested this book after I saw a wave of positive feedback about it. And when I tell you, this book had me CACKLING…
Let me first start with the humo... READ MORE
Incredibly slow slow burn
I’m conflicted by this book which is why it gets a 3 star. I did enjoy some aspects but also found myself getting bored and wanting to skip to the end. I s... READ MORE
Romantasy at it's finest!
You know how sometimes you hear the first 10 seconds of a song and just know you’re going to love it? That’s exactly how I felt reading the first few pages... READ MORE
A laugh-out-loud hilarious fantasy rom-com
Featuring an uptight healer and a flamboyant assassin caught in a slow-burn, enemies-to-reluctant-allies dynamic. Expect an abundance of witty banter, adve... READ MORE
A fantastic new enemies-to-lovers
This book completely exceeded my expectations—in the best possible way.
While the plot unfolded much as the synopsis suggested, what truly brought the s... READ MORE
Delicioussss
3.5 stars!!
Okay okay okay, I see the vision. About the story: Aurienne is a Healer and Osric an Assassin whose magic is threatened by a disease. Aurienne... READ MORE
Witty, Sharp, and Deliciously Tense
Knightley serves up a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance with razor-sharp banter and hyper-competent characters you’ll love to hate (and eventually love).... READ MORE
amazing
love the funny and witty banter!
Verified Purchase
A charming and hilarious story!
“ She regarded Osric with a gaze full of wonder. (Such witchery, such witchery in a pair of bright eyes.) “
Rating: 5⭐️
The Irresistable Urge To F... READ MORE
5 stars! I couldn't put this down
This book was insanely good. One of the easiest five star ratings I have ever given!! A true enemies to lovers.
It follows Osric Mourdant, a member of ... READ MORE
Might be my favourite book of the year!
In short, I loved this book! It is such a good example of how enemies to lovers should be done. The relationship between the main characters felt believabl... READ MORE
Irresistible
This book is the ultimate enemies-to-lovers, slowburn romance with the most hilarious banter. Osric is morally gray and Aurienne is the total opposite and ... READ MORE
A fantastic and hilarious read!
This was so freaking good; I don't even know how I'm supposed to function now that it's over. I want and need book two immediately.
I am a huge Dramione... READ MORE
Confused, but still kinda liked it..I think
3.5
I’m not quite sure what to think of this book and feel kinda torn.
The first 20% and the last 10% were great! Everything in between is a bigger “?” for... READ MORE
WOW!
I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this but I am honestly blown away by it. It was funny and camp and had some incredibly beautifully written passages... READ MORE
Dearly Beloathed part one is a fun, witty and slightly crude romantasy.
We have a healer and assassin from different orders that are natural enemies. They come together simply because they have things the other one needs. I enj... READ MORE
A lot of fun
Osric is in reluctant need of a healer. Aurienne is in equally reluctant need of funds for her Order to develop a vaccine. The extremely reluctant alliance... READ MORE
Enemies to …
The Irresistible Urge to Fall for your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley
Thank you to Brigitte Knightley, Little Brown Book Group UK and Net Galley for allow... READ MORE
Brilliantly written
I really enjoyed Knightley’s writing style, very witty and had me laughing out loud.
Our FMC, Aurienne, is clever and she knows it, but I like the way ... READ MORE
A really entertaining read
This book was such an entertaining read! The world-building was done well, and although there were a lot of different terms to keep track of the glossary a... READ MORE
I read this entire book in a day...
By the end of the first chapter, I new this was going to be a 5 star read. Y'all need to read this ASAP.
I'm not totally interested in Dramione fanfic... READ MORE
I want to live in this world with these characters forever.
I am devastated that I've finished this book. I want to live in this world with these characters forever. It's going to be one of those books that I wish I... READ MORE
Lackluster
1.5⭐️
Thank you to Net Galley and Little Brown Book Group for the opportunity to read and review this book. All views are my own.
Just as a precursor t... READ MORE
One of the most anticipated books of this year!
The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy is definitely not a book for everyone, and I think it’s important to go in prepared and with an open mind. It ... READ MORE
A banter filled enemies to...unwilling allies (?) fantasy
What? No! WHERE IS THE REST?!?!
What a place to end....a realisation of love and then, nothing. No more pages!
A fantastically funny book, this. The... READ MORE
Fun, Sassy, and Seriously Slow Burn — A Delightful Surprise!
4.5⭐ rounded up to 5⭐
Well this was a nice surprise!!
I got the ARC and immidiately decided to start it and... oh boy, did I enjoy it!
The start ... READ MORE
witty and page turning!
My what a book!I started off unsure - another enemies to lovers romantasy - but honestly this book had me kicking my heels and giggling to myself.The bante... READ MORE
The best book! ??
WHY did no one warn me I would fall for that book this hard?! ? The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy completely took over my life. I went in expect... READ MORE
A fun read :)
The book is overall fairly entertaining and filled with a lot of banter between the two enemies and it is fun to watch how both of them start to fall for e... READ MORE
The irresistible urge to read the sequel right now.
The irresistible urge to read the sequel right now.
But I’ll have to resist since it’s not out yet.
*What I loved*
This book did so many things righ... READ MORE
I wasn't sure what to expect going into this, but it had me cackling out loud!
In this book we have:
✨️Magic
✨️Touch her and die
✨️Slow burn
✨️Forced Proximity
For our main characters, we have Aurienne, who is a member of the... READ MORE
Just fantastic
I barely had a clue what the book was about before reading. I committed the cardinal sin and judged a book by its cover. God am I glad I did.
Osric and Ar... READ MORE
This was so funny, I’m still laughing.
4,5 stars
This was so funny, I’m still laughing.
The first impression was not great; I don’t like having to learn a bunch of new words just to understan... READ MORE
This isn’t a rewrite. This is a rom-com gem that stands on its own.
Let me get this straight — this book is AN ORIGINAL WORK AND NOT A FANFICTION RETELLING. It maddens me how the marketing for this book is giving a wrong im... READ MORE
Brilliant debut novel
After seeing this Fantasy romance novel all over social media and reading some reviews, I knew that I had to read it and I'm so glad I did. For a debut nov... READ MORE
An absolute delight of a read
When I say I want slow burn I mean this kind of slow burn. This book is delightfully witty, humorous, a dash pretentious, and a little ribald. Suffice to s... READ MORE
Hilariously entertaining!
This is a wonderfully hilarious novel of two experts in completely polar fields (assassin and healer) needing to work together to achieve their goals (not ... READ MORE
Fantastic banter
I loved it! Their banter had me properly laughing, the slowburn was slow, but perfect. Can't wait for the next book!
o m g
I went in expecting enemies-to-lovers and came out emotionally ruined in the most enjoyable way possible.This book fully commits to the chaos of two people... READ MORE
Fun and Full of British Sarcasm
The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy is such an addictive read, and Osric’s sassiness absolutely steals the spotlight, just as he would want it to ... READ MORE
Move the banter aside. I’m here for the jabs!!
The whole experience was sheer vexation between two reluctant allies. I haven’t laughed this hard in ages.Osric is self-absorbed. I expected a cold-hearted... READ MORE
Such a fun read that had me laughing the whole way through!
This book has actually been on my TBR for agesss and I'm so glad I finally got to read it. I also decided to pair it with the audiobook for a proper immers... READ MORE
witty, charming and so much fun
Couldn't get enough of the banter, lively wit and tension oozing from this book. Could not put it down and read well into the night! I was snorting out lou... READ MORE
An unexpectedly delightful romp into a funny little brewing romance.
ARC provided via NetGalley. All thanks to the publisher for the review copy!
I found this book an unexpectedly delightful romp into a funny little brewi... READ MORE
So unserious and so so good
✨ARC review of the trad pub version✨
This is one of the easiest 5 stars I've given this year, i never knew how unserious this would be!!
When I tell yo... READ MORE
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