By Allison Saft
Star rating: ★★★★★
Blurb
In this romantic fantasy of manners from New York Times bestselling author Allison Saft, a magical dressmaker commissioned for a royal wedding finds herself embroiled in scandal when a gossip columnist draws attention to her undeniable chemistry with the groom.
Niamh Ó Conchobhair has never let herself long for more. The magic in her blood that lets her stitch emotions and memories into fabric is the same magic that will eventually kill her. Determined to spend the little time she has left guaranteeing a better life for her family, Niamh jumps at the chance to design the wardrobe for a royal wedding in the neighboring kingdom of Avaland.
But Avaland is far from the fairytale that she imagined. While young nobles attend candlelit balls and elegant garden parties, unrest brews amid the working class. The groom himself, Kit Carmine, is prickly, abrasive, and begrudgingly being dragged to the altar as a political pawn. But when Niamh and Kit grow closer, an unlikely friendship blossoms into something more—until an anonymous columnist starts buzzing about their chemistry, promising to leave them alone only if Niamh helps to uncover the royal family’s secrets. The rot at the heart of Avaland runs deep, but exposing it could risk a future she never let herself dream of, and a love she never thought possible.
Transporting readers to a Regency England-inspired fantasy world, A Fragile Enchantment is a sweeping romance threaded with intrigue, unforgettable characters, and a love story for the ages.
Genre: Historical Romantasy
Read if you Like:
🧵 Regency romantasy
🧵Royalty romance
🧵 Political romance
🧵 Forbidden romance
🧵Grumpy prince
My Thoughts:
What an incredibly beautiful story! I was blown away by the quality of the writing. Allison Saft has a real talent for description in particular visual imagery.
I was immediately drawn into Jack and Niamh's story. They understood and supported each other in a way that I adored. I liked that Niamh was always honest with Jack, including calling him out for being entitled at the beginning of the story.
I also loved reading about the magic in this book. Niamh's gowns and other sewed creations were so fun to read about! I also really like Jack's magic and how it sometimes reflected his moods. I would love to see the movie version of this because some of the scenes described were truly cinematic!
I have seen this book compared to Bridgerton with magic and there are definitely similarities. I was reminded of the beautiful decorations for the events in the tv show as well as the importance of the gossip column. I was also reminded of Olivia Atwater's Half a Soul with the quality of magic and the alternative regency setting. There is also a similarity in the heroes and their disdain for society and desire to change it.
I cannot recommend this book highly enough! I think fans of all types of romance will love this one as well as fans of YA fantasy. I would also encourage fans of historical romance to give this one a try. It may not be a traditional historical, but you will recognize familiar elements. For example, that scene where something happens to the heroine and the hero paces in the hall even though it could cause a scandal. The one group I might not actually recommend this book to is younger YA readers. These characters are adults dealing with adult problems and while the content is not inappropriate, I do think it was written with an older audience in mind.
🌶️ - This is a YA book so it is pretty much closed door. However, there is slightly more than kissing going on (though it is not described in any detail). It may go over the heads of younger readers but older readers will be aware of what is going on.
Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday books for providing me with an ARC of this title. All opinions are my own.
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