If you're looking to add a whimsical forbidden romance, with magic, and Bridgerton vibes look no further.

A Fragile Enchantment is a perfect slow burn romance with political unrest, found family, and the incredibly heart wrenching task of weighing your duty to your family and country to your own personal desires. Both Kit Carmine and Niamh O Conchobhair are struggling behind the weight of doing what is best for their respective families and countries but when they are forced into each others lives both of them realize there is more to life then living for those around you.

The way Saft is able to build such immersive worlds and complex characters in stand-alone novels is an enchantment in itself. If you haven't read her other novels, A Far Wilder Magic or Down Comes The Night I highly recommend both of those as well.

Fantastical! Enchanting! Swoonworthy! Throughout the novel we are enchanted by the budding, forbidden romance with a side of rebellion and intrigue.

*Received as a free ARC*
Extremely fabulous! I came for the magic and left delighted by the representation. While not a queer normative setting, it's discussed as very present and the main pairing is casually bi4bi. Additionally, our heroine has a magical autoimmune disorder which is portrayed accurately and thoughtfully. And of course the magic system was innovative and wonderful. Hands down, would recommend.

When I saw that this book was a regency romantasy, I was immediately intrigued. The beginning of the book was very promising! I liked the magical elements and the banter between Kit and Niamh. Unfortunately, the book started to go downhill for me. I thought the pacing was inconsistent and the magical elements were underdeveloped. I also had a problem with the writing. Some passages would read historically while others felt modern. Overall, this story fell flat for me. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

Kit and Niamh, wow! I love them so much. This book was like a warm cup of tea on a gloomy rainy day, next to a crackling fire. It was truly captivating. I am a total swiftie and I kept finding myself imagining the folklore and evermore albums while reading The Fragile Enchantment.

I loved the influence of Irish words and names. I did have to look them up and the pronunciation, but I felt like it was really well done. The character were well-developed. The plot was built fabulously. I never felt like I lost information. It was beautiful and balanced. Tremendous!!

As for the romance, I usually read smut. I LOVED this book. It was tasteful and so delicious!! Thank you for this ARC. This was my first Allison Saft novel and I basically just put all her books on my TBR.

Allison Saft has such a magical, comforting style of writing that immediately captivates you and makes you want to never leave her world.

After reading A Far Wilder Magic and Down Comes the Night, I was in awe of the author’s ability to write such well rounded characters and love stories. A Fragile Enchantment exceeded all of my expectations!

Niamh is a dressmaker of divine blood that can magic various enchantments into her client’s pieces. All her life she’s aimed to please the people around her and support her mother and grandmother. So, when she is invited to the kingdom of Avaland to design the prince’s wardrobe for his royal wedding, she jumps at the opportunity.

Prince Kit is not what she expected - he is abrasive, and prickly, and seems to hate her work. Yet, the more time they spend together, the more they realize how much they have in common. As their friendship blossoms into something more ahead of the royal wedding, Niamh fears what she could be missing out on. Would a future be possible for a commoner and a prince? Especially when there is so much political unrest in the kingdom?

I absolutely loved all the friendships that were forged in this book between Niamh and Kit, Sinclair, Miriam and Rosa. They were all such exceptional characters with backstory and heart, I almost wanted this to be a series so we can learn more about them.

The bond between Niamh and Kit was so lovely and the best parts were when they let down their walls and allowed themselves to be vulnerable with each other. They both struggled with the idea that they were allowed to find happiness and kept wanting to push each other away. This made their relationship so much more special to me when they did find their happy ending.

Things I loved:

👑 Regency-England Inspired Fantasy
👑 YA Fantasy
👑 Political Intrigue & Gossip Columns
👑 Balls, Gowns & Magic
👑 Enemies to Friends to Lovers
👑 LGBTQ Representation
👑 Grumpy X Sunshine
👑 Forbidden Love

Thank you, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley, for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for choosing me to review this eARC!

I gave this book a 4.5/5 star read and this is my first Allison Saft book and I am in love. The writing was whimsical and I could not stop reading.

We follow our main female character Niamh Ó Conchobhair and she has magic to stich emotions and memories into any fabric she makes. She is an amazing seamstress and loves creating clothes. Though the downfall of using her magic will eventually kill her but she doesn't care because she wants to provide for her family. Given the opportunity to design the wardrobe for the royal wedding she doesn't hesitate. This is where she meets Prince Kit Carmine and they are at each others throats immediately. Anytime the two of them was on talking I was squealing and was so happy. This is a perfect romantasy and I adored the love story.

This is great for anyone who loves Historical Romance, delving into fantasy for the first time, or Bridgerton vibes. Highly recommend.

4.75 stars!

The pining! The magic! The found family! The banter! The slow burn! The enemies to lover angst! The grump/sunshine! I read my first Allison Saft novel "A Dark and Drowning Tale" through NetGalley and fell in love! So when I saw this I knew I needed to read it! Somehow the author manages to stuff all the best tropes in one book and it works out beautifully. Also love the gossip girl vibes I get from the column!

This is a delight! Cozy and warm, this fantasy story has just enough political intrigue to add far-reaching stakes to the romance at the heart of the book.

Niamh is a member of a persecuted race who gets an opportunity to better her family when her dress designs attract royal attention. She travels across the ocean to sew enchanted clothes for the wedding of Prince Kit. But when she meets Kit, he's prickly, rude and devastatingly handsome. As Niamh's naivete honesty and lack of court decorum break through Kit's defenses, Niamh gets to see another side to him. But falling for the groom is the last thing a royal wedding seamstress is supposed to do.

From Rosa, the sarcastic, bored princess and future bride; to Sinclair, the disgraced best friend with a heart of gold; to Jack, the prince regent with a secret who seems more interested in running his household than his kingdom, these characters bicker and banter their way into your heart. Some of the characters are queer, though the romance at the heart of a story is between a boy and a girl.

Against the backdrop of a protest against chronic oppression, this royal wedding serves up all the drama: two reluctant future spouses, a gossip columnist who knows more than they should, and a romance that threatens to upend the delicate balance of everything.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy of this book.

Bridgeton but with magic.
I enjoyed this book. If you like Bridgerton and like magic this book is for you. Secrets a tangled love store with a few twists thrown in.

-Netgalley Arc Review-

Fans of Regency genre remixes rejoice! Another contender for an excellent fantasy book has entered the ring.

This gave me all the heartwarming feelings that the work of Charlie N. Holmberg does with the worldbuilding of Olivia Atwater.

Though I thought it a tad strange how obvious real-world counterparts of each fictional country are, the magic system and the alternative views of the origins of magic were clever!

I like how magic wasn't just a singular understood concept throughout the world. Each place had its own reasoning for it.

*Magic affected by emotions, my beloved*

Also the romance was just too good- no spoilers here though.

What a wonderful delight this was! The representation of chronic illness and mental health issues was so greatly executed! And I get my favorite tropes!!! With enemies to lovers, grumpyxsunshine and some forbidden love!! Ugh I am SWOONING! I canNOT wait to own a physical copy of the book when it comes out! And this was my first from this author so I am also excited to read more from them!

Oh, I loved this! It included all of my favorite tropes and this would be perfect for fans of Bridgerton! I adored the romance and had a ton of fun reading this book. I would absolutely recommend this.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

My Rating: 5/5
One thing you have to know about me-- I am an Alison Saft fan!

This book has everything I love in it: an interesting magic system, a strong ( in an interesting way) female character, a brusque but charming love interest, and a found family trope.

Not to mention how beautifully it was written! I was drawn into everything, the environment, the romantic scenes ( i kicked my feet and giggled to give you some insight into the fluff), and the magic. I loved how Niamh's magic was written, it was flowery but not overly so and had meaningful repercussions on the clothing and Niamh.

Niamh was strong but not in the stereotypical way, no she was strong in the way so many real women are. She shouldered the familial burden, took on too much, and denied herself too much, but she was still lovely, girly, and sensitive. I loved her! I will have to say I identified with her love interest Kit more though. As someone who can be a bit blunt and shuts down when hurt-- i loved the representation in Kit lol.

It was a heart-melting romance in my opinion as they went from "enemies" to friends to lovers. I say enemies loosely as they were never "I'll kill you" but more normal , in real-life type enemies. Their transition to friends in their own found family is what really sold me.

Thank you netgalley for the ARC

First, a huge thanks to NetGalley for an e-Arc of A Fragile Enchantment.

When I saw this and read the blurb I immediately wanted to get it. This was like a YA version of Bridgerton but with the addition of magic and way more world building. Lovelace reminded me of Lady Whistledown I’m not going to lie.

Niamh (our magical seamstress) was a bit naive and dreamy FMC which made her seem younger than she was. Took me a bit to care for her but I loved her. She stood her ground on what she believed was right and fought/pushed back when called for. She was curious about everything because let’s face it, she was out of her depth and it was a learning curve but my girl persisted.

Kit was an ass to Niamh in the beginning and while I understood why he was mad at everything and everyone it doesn’t excuse his behavior towards Niamh. He did get better and his character had so much growth that I ended up just adoring him.

Kit and Niamhs story was beautiful plan and simple. It was slow and I liked how they became friends first before anything else.
Everything about them had me swooning.

“Don’t deny me only for the sake of denying yourself”.

One of my favorite things throughout the story was the group of friends. It was so well done and thought out. Miriam, Rosa, Sinclair, Kit & Niamh were so good 😊 together and everyone was crucial and added more to the story. The book wouldn’t have been the same without the little friend group.

I will need a book on Sinclair though!

A Fragile Enchantment is a whimsical romance full of all my favorite tropes. Perfect for fans of Bridgerton, A Fragile Enchantment has it all: regency high society, a gossip columnist, and a grumpy prince who claims he will never love.
We watch as Niahm and Kit seem to slowly build this friendship and love that is forbidden and the challenges they face. We get insight on the lives of all these amazing characters and what love and politics can do to people.
A Fragile Enchantment was such a fun read and had me squealing at every page.
I loved it so much I preordered a physical copy!!
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press / Wednesday Books for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

A Fragile Enchantment is a whimsical romance full of all my favorite tropes. Perfect for fans of Bridgerton, A Fragile Enchantment has it all: regency high society, a gossip columnist, and a grumpy prince who claims he will never love.

Niamh is a tailor from Machland who is invited to Avaland to create the wedding attire for Prince Christopher (also known by the totally irresistible nickname, Kit), and Rosa, Infanta of Castilia. Niamh is divine blooded and when she sews, she can work enchantments into her threads, to elicit specific emotions and memories. She can make someone feel nostalgic, or remind them of a warm summer day from their childhood, or even draw upon the sense of loss or longing.

Kit is a disaster of a prince, constantly grumpy and rude. Also of divine blood, Kit has the power to manipulate plants, though his emotions often run away from him, causing disaster to take root. He is your classic traumatized sad boy and Niamh is determined to tear down his walls.

Kit and Niamh themselves at the center of a rumor from a gossip column that may jeopardize Kit’s betrothal to Rosa, and threaten a much-needed alliance with Castilia.

A Fragile Enchantment was such a fun read and had me squealing at every page. Though Kit did seem a little immature, I appreciated his character growth.

The central relationship is M/F, but they are canonically bisexual, and there are other queer characters as well. I also loved how Niamh’s chronic illness was handled—there was not a single point that she was made to be less than because of her health, and no magical cure by the end of it.

If you like cute regency romances with scandals and magic, this is the book for you!

DNF @ 25%

I wanted to love this so bad! The cover is gorgeous & the synopsis sounds like something I would enjoy but unfortunately that wasn’t the case! No matter how hard I tried I couldn’t get into this. The characters weren’t really likable & the pacing was slow. I felt like I was forcing myself to read and honestly I don’t want to do that!. This is getting wonderful reviews so I’m sure this is probably just a me thing. Maybe I will give it another try one day!

4.5/5
This book was such a delight to read! Allison Saft has a way with her writing where it feels like you're inside the book alongside the characters. Niamh was such a fun protagonist to follow, I mean she loves love and was such a ray of sunshine throughout the book while also having such real characteristics of perfectionism and striving to constantly do her best for others. The tension between her and Kit just oozed off the pages, and seeing his thorns slowly unravel around her was UGH *chef's kiss*. Sinclair and Rosa really stole the show for me. I love how Saft just normalizes her characters being LGBTQ+ in her books. I would've absolutely adored more content on Rosa and Miriam! Saft weaves another tale with political intrigue that is not overshadowed by the romance in the book. I wish there was a bit more explaining on the magic system and the various religions/mythologies in the world as it felt that they weren't explained a whole lot compared to my previous read of Saft's book "A Dark and Drowning Tide". There are so many layers to this book, and it solidifies Saft being an auto-read author for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

Apparently the theme of 2023 is starting off enjoying a book, strongly feeling 4 stars, you’re giggling and kicking your feet at the romance, and then you watch the story dissolve into something else. I just…the story was focused on too many things. There were so many plot threads that weren’t as interesting as the romance and the two main characters’ arcs, and they were not resolved in satisfying ways, I just wanted more for the characters. And no one was taking the serious aspects of the story seriously enough. No one actually tried to help Niamh with her health even after a character told her there were ways to manage her condition. We just moved ahead and Niamh never thought about the conversation again. The story dragged on and was about as cohesive as this review. The setting was not very strong and the writing didn’t match up to it, the regency era kind of slipped away and everything felt far too modern. Sometimes the characters were just annoying and I stopped caring. I don’t know. I’m sad because I loved the book until I didn’t. And there’s the whole review, I guess.