4! I was fully prepared for this book to wreck me, and A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft did not disappoint. This story had me feeling everything and has officially earned a spot as one of my all-time favorite romances.

The book follows Niamh, a seamstress with the rare ability to weave emotions into fabric, who is summoned to the capital to create garments for a royal wedding. There, she meets Kit—the sharp-tongued, reluctant prince being forced to the altar. And when I say Kit is prickly to everyone except sometimes her, I mean it. His character had me grinning and kicking my feet. Saft writes him in a way that feels so refreshing—he gets flustered, BLUSHES, and isn’t afraid to show how deeply he feels. The grumpy x sunshine dynamic (which isn’t always my favorite) worked perfectly here, and the slow-burn romance was painfully good, which is always my favorite.

It’s cozy, atmospheric, and completely swept me away. I also loved that there wasn’t a true villain—just flawed, complicated characters making frustrating choices that had me wanting to shake some sense into them. My only complaint? I wish there was more. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to Niamh, Kit, and Sinclair.

Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martin's Press for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting fantasy novel with an interesting magic system. I want to know more about the different magic the people have and how it manifests. There were definite Bridgerton vibes which was really fun and I loved all the gossip columns. I enjoyed the forbidden love that occurred and was swept away by it.

So so cute!!!!! The characters were well fleshed out and the writing style was very easy to get through. Allison Saft always writes the sweetest romances ever, I’m so happy I was able to read this

A solid, enjoyable read with a lot to like. The characters were engaging, and the plot, while familiar, was well-executed. I appreciated the steady pacing and the occasional surprises along the way. It may not have been groundbreaking, but it’s a book I’d happily recommend for a relaxing and entertaining experience.

Niamh was the last of her line with the magic to sew enchantments and feelings into garments. Somehow, the prince regent of Avaland commissioned her to do the bridal vestaments for his younger brother, Prince Christopher (Kit). Her grandmother is against this idea as the Avlish ruined her people’s land in the last war they had with them and she feels its betrayal. But Niamh knows this is her best chance to make the money needed for her mother and grandmother to be comfortable without working to the bone on their old age.
However, when she gets to Avaland, she realizes that the Machlish are seen as second class citizens and are well on their way to an uprising in the city. The prince she is meant to create wedding garments for is rude and uncooperative. This Season is not panning out how she dreamed it would.
Due to her curiosity and impertinence and terrible ideas, she finds that there is more than meets the eye with Prince Kit and against her better judgement develops a friendship with him. Or could it be more? With only a few days until the wedding, political unrest, and the High Society looking down on her at every turn, could Niamh find a home for herself in Avaland? Or will she be sent away in disgrace to meet her grandmother’s I told you so?

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a slow burn enemies to lovers that felt believable. Sometimes there’s a massive shift and the ‘enemy’ suddenly discovers a heart. This story is not like that. It takes a while and Kit doesn’t actually change his personality through the whole story which I found refreshing.
The female main character is always helping others to her own detriment. And that is something I think a lot of women struggle with, myself included. So it was nice to see that played out on the page.
There were a few times where she did things I thought were dumb and seemed a little out of character for her. Other than that, I really enjoyed the book and how it twisted politics, gossip, and romance into the plot. I would be interested to read more about Princess Rosa as her character wasn’t flushed out but was also intriguing.

Thanks to the author and Netgalley for the ARC.

First and foremost that you to both Allison Saft and St Martins press for a copy of A Fragile Enchantment. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

At first I didn't know if I would like this book. It was slow to me and slightly dry, but I'm so thankful I kept pushing through because I ended up loving this story. Its a beautiful story that's so enchanting in the end. It has a blend of fantasy merging with Bridgerton.

I adored Niamh and her story. She was a joy to follow along with and you really felt for her. She has the weight of the world on her shoulders and she's honestly just trying to survive in life. Niamh is going through life trying to be a well known seamstress to help her and her family live a comfortable life. Kit was the perfect counter partner to her. Bad attitude, sour mood, Kit is grumpy to a T. When Niamh and him but heads I live for the drama that is caused. He's also mysterious which keeps you engrossed cause you just want to know everything that is going on with him.

This book has it all, cinderella style story line, YA enemies to lovers with fantasy added into it. Its a win all around for me. My biggest take away Wass the character development for both Niamh and Kit, that always makes or breaks a book for me, and it made the book for me.

I enjoyed this in the end and can't wait to read more of Allisons work!

This book has been on my Netgalley for a bit and I haven’t picked it up. I haven’t been into romance in a minute, so I’m not the right person to review it anymore.

This book was beautifully written. I loved the world and the characters. You could feel the magic through the pages and were rooting for the characters. A good, light read. I saw people say fans of bridgerton would enjoy, and I would definitely agree.

Allison Saft is by far and away one of my favorite authors of all time due to her understated beautiful style of writing, the characters she creates, and the deep, heartfelt stories she builds. I was very very excited to receive this book…

But this one did not work for me no matter how hard I tried to immerse myself. Even after finishing I could hardly remember anything to write because my mind never really connected - I’m so sorry as I feel like I’ve built a good relationship with this company for the most part over the years but I will have to let you down this time because I just have nothing to really say about this one.

I’m so sorry and thank you for the opportunity, regardless of the outcome.

allison !! saft !! this book was created for those who can’t get enough of historical/period dramas (downton abbey, dickinson, pride & prejudice, bridgerton, etc). it takes immense craft to write characters that not only do we grow to love deeply, but also to develop a romance you can’t help but love. 4/5 stars — thank you netgalley!

Saft's prose is elegant, and the concept of infusing emotions into clothing adds a unique and enchanting element to the narrative. The depiction of the court's opulence and the intricate details of the fashion design process are vividly portrayed, enhancing the immersive quality of the setting.

However, the pacing of the story is uneven at times, with certain plot developments feeling either rushed or overly drawn out. Additionally, while the romantic elements are central to the narrative, some character relationships could benefit from deeper development to enhance emotional resonance.

A very fun regency read. It started a little slow but was very enjoyable otherwise. Wish there was a bit more world building.

This book was sweet and entertaining! I liked the writing style and the way the author set the dynamic between the 2 characters. And the premise is a really cool, fresh take on a classic fairytale. Will definitely recommend!

A great romantasy novel and fun read

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this review copy and the opportunity !

Pride and prejudice meets fantasy and political intrigue. This honestly had more than I was expecting and was a fun, easy read. Recommended for anyone looking for a pretty fantasy romance!

2.5 rounded down to 2, because honestly i dnfed this book.

while the vibes were certainly there, i struggled to connect with the characters and their relationships, and more than anything found myself not caring enough to continue reading. i also personally struggled with saft's tendency to take our world, change the names, and call it a day in terms of worldbuilding. i had this issue in <i>a wilder shade of magic</i> as well, and i'm not sure if this is just something i don't enjoy or if it's how saft does it in particular

though this book will probably be good for people who are really into the atmosphere of it and enjoy romantasy, it wasn't for me. i was much more interested in some of the minor characters than the romance, and as the romance is the main plot, i don't think i'll be finishing it

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for this ARC.

3 stars

So, the reason I was interested in reading this book was because i watch Bridgerton and a few reviews had stated that if you like Bridgerton, then you will like this one. They were not wrong! This was such a fun and easy read compared to the dense fantasy books i've been into lately. It was a great book to take my mind off of the heavy reads.

Allison Saft is a great writer so this made it more enjoyable to pick up each time. I would recommend this book to other readers if you like to read romantic fantasy. Even if you don't, it is worth it!

I really loved Allison Saft’s previous book A FAR WILDER MAGIC and when I heard she was writing a Regency Fantasy (one of my favorite subgenres of all time!) my expectations were through the roof! So it really hurts to say that A FRAGILE ENCHANTMENT did not live up to my expectations and actually turned out to be a slog.

The setting and fantasy elements were compelling, but unfortunately they took a backseat to what I found to be a really annoying romance. I’m sorry, y’all, I tried to love Niamh and Kit but their dynamic made me want to tear my hair out! Their relationship went from 0 to 100 way too fast even though they start off as enemies. They both know it’s a bad idea because Kit is already engaged… And yet! They continue to make terrible decisions and endanger Niamh to a nonsensical degree. I can only read so many scenes where the characters say, “But we can’t do x because y will happen!” Only for them to immediately do x and experience y consequence! I was seriously banging my head against the wall!

I was also disappointed by the plot even beyond the romance. I will give the author props for trying to create a nuanced political system and critique her royals, but it felt unrealistic and half-hearted. I also felt my jaw nearly drop when the mysterious gossip columnist is revealed by a really, really clumsy mistake that no actual political operative would commit.

I feel like the author was trying to combine a forbidden royal romance with political commentary, but it didn’t work. A few beautiful, evocative scenes and a gorgeous cover can’t make up for the headache-inducing lack of brain cells in the main characters…

The one point I will give to the book is that Niamh has a hereditary magical illness and by the end there’s no magical cure or erasure of her disability, just acceptance.

Maybe closer to a 3.5!! A lot of this felt a little TOO simple to resolve, but I loved the world and the magic here. It wasn't as regency as I would have liked in terms of the specifics of class dynamics, but honestly I had fun with it as a silly YA regency drama, and it was aggressively readable prose!

The story started out well but Niamh was just a disaster. Her ability to trip over nothing was cute at first but got old real first. She was quite pathetic and the way she created trouble everywhere she went and she'd go like "oh, woe me, because of me..." was not pretty at all.
There was none of the romantic tension I wanted to see and Kit wasn't really as intense as described. It was all just so bland. And I had issues with the side characters too. The writing dragged too much and even the plot was kind of disappointing. The story had so much potential but it turned out to be a major disappointment for me.