this story was... magical. it is the second allison saft i've read, and it's safe to say they're now one of my favourite authors. the blend of historical and romance was so magical i almost wondered if it was fantasy. as a fashion professional, the nods to fashion were so heartwarming. and while i'm enthralled by the romance, the plot itself also escalates with every chapter, making the book impossible to put down. this story is truly a hug in book form.

This book was magical. I was captivated from the very first chapter. I had no idea how much I loved book with Bridgeton vibes AND magic, but it’s now a top genre. Essentially this is a forbidden romance between a prince and girl from lower class. ITS ALSO SO MUCH MORE THEN THAT!

We are thrown into a world that is in the midst or political turmoil. Where the labor class, that has been morally and financially taken advantage of by the nobles, are rising against the monarchy to defend their rights and fair wages.

In this story we follow Niamh, a seamstress with the ability to enchanted feelings and memories into her thread. Want a dress that makes you feel a memories of summertime? A coat that makes you “invisible” to other around you? A gown that makes you feel brave and powerful?

Niamh is called upon by king Jack to be the royal dresser for the wedding of his brother Kit and political rival Rosa. Niamh always puts others first, even when it hurts her. She is working herself to the bone ti try to provide her family with a better life, and Kit is not making that an easy job.

In the midst of it all is an anonymous columnist named “Lovelace” who is airing out the dirty laundry of the noble class. I don’t want to give too much away, as I went in semi blind and had an AMAZING time!

I highly recommend this book for all lovers of historical romance, dynamic of Bridgeton, enemies to lovers, and grumpy sunshine!

To begin, thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read an ARC of A Fragile Enchantment.

To say that I flew through this book would be an understatement! Once I picked this book up I had absolutely zero desire to put it down. I really loved the world of magic, romance, and the kingdom's complicated political drama.
The main character Niemh, a young woman from a village that is economically struggling as it still heals from the war it was once involved in against the kingdom of Avaland, finds herself thrown into the world of that same kingdom that has hurt her village and her family for decades. In this world where magic exists, Neimh's magic allows her to stitch her emotions and memories into her designs, imbuing the wearer. Neimh has left her family, much to their dismay and distaste, when she is given the opportunity to design the wedding clothes for the soon-to-be-wed brother of the Prince Regent, Kit. Kit, embroiled in the politics of his kingdom, his family, and his past actions, is cold, rude, and completely standoff-ish to Neimh when she arrives...but could there be more to this relationship? And if there was, what would Neimh and Kit sacrifice to have it?

As I said, I really loved this book. While we only see a portion of the magic system, I really liked what I saw, and really loved Neimhs powers. I have never seen magic like hers in fantasy before which is exciting as I read a lot of fantasy. A common theme in my review is the strong desire (and perhaps a little bit of a plead) for there to be a second book and I think it would be fascinating to learn and see more about the magic in this book. I really love the side characters in this book and how we actually got to see them grow and evolve beyond how they influenced or were involved with the main characters of Neimh and Kit, that is not always the case with ensemble casts and I thought it was well done (but again....I would LOVE to see more in sequels....love story for Sinclair anyone?!). I thought that Neimh's growth throughout the book was great, and though sometimes slow and frustrating, that is what made it feel real, similar to Kit's. One area of Neimh's growth I found myself questioning was how she could be so lenient and offer so much grace to Prince Regent Jack, but overall I think it fits well with her character and was consistent, and I would love to see his growth and their relationship continue to grow and go through what I can only imagine would require growing pains (remember how I said there would be a theme to this review?). On the topic of side characters, I loved everything we got from Sinclair, Rosa, and Miriam (Rosa and Miriam book #2 and Sinclair book #3....please?).

I feel like I could go on for a very long time to be honest, so I'll just end with a resounding, read this book when it comes out on January 30th, 2024!

It is a pleasure to read a book by Allison Saft, so far they have all been delightful reads. This one in particular has been perfect to accompany on not so sunny afternoons, tea and chocolates. Loved Niamh and Kit's dynamic (I would have liked to know where their nickname comes from, though).

***actual rating of 4.25 stars*

Allison Saft has done it again with another cozy romance with elements of magic/ fantasy. This book was so much fun and so cute. It is THE grumpiest/ sunshiniest pairing I've ever read and honestly Niamh and Kit should be the mold from which all other grumpy/ sunshines are made.

One thing I loved about this book was the side characters. Sinclair, Rosa, and Miriam really stole the show for me. Saft's other books don't really go beyond the main pairings (except one or two side characters that don't get much "page time") but this book was really about finding your own family.

This book has so much heart and the plot kept me hooked. I read the whole thing in just over a day and loved every second of it.

My *only* complaint and the reason it doesn't get five stars is because it started really, really slow and took a minute to get into everything. It was also pretty insta-love-y, but that's a personal preference!

I highly recommend this book, and honestly all of her books!

Allison Saft’s previous book, A FAR WILDER MAGIC, was one of my favorites of last year, so I had really high hopes for A FRAGILE ENCHANTMENT. Unfortunately, it didn’t measure up for me. I found the world/politics too overbearing and too similar to real life (AFWM does this too but it didn’t feel as shoehorned). I also wasn’t really interested in the Bridgerton elements, as Bridgerton did it better. I did like the two main characters and their love story, but overall this was just an okay read for me.

I have previously enjoyed Saft's writing and I was excited to read another book by her. Overall I enjoed this book, but I liked the previous book, A far Wilder Magic, better. I felt this story was a little long and the love story was a bit too instant for my taste. The writing was beautiful and the world was enchanting.

This feels like Bridgerton if it was a cozy fantasy, but keeping the secrets, gossip collum, scandals, and the romance of course.

This book is a wonderful and enchanting romance that has a flare of Bridgerton but the vibes of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, and just combines the best of both worlds to make this addicting romance. But there is honestly so much more that this book provides and tells the story of.

This is a Enemies to Lovers and a Sunshine x Grumpy kind of book that also have a good amount of forbidden love, and the mixture of all of these was truly amazing. It just checked so many boxes and had such variety when it came to this romance.

Additionally, this book had such a good supporting cast that really made it just that much better. The characters were unique, motivated, and had their own secrets. Not one character felt flat or unfinished in my opinion, and it really created an immersive story.

The world-building was another highlight of this read for me because it was done in such a way that it made it feel as if it could be a real-world/kingdom. There are definitely some ideas and real events that were used to create this world, but it really supports the story that is being told.

Finally, in this book, there is also a great representation of chronic illness and also mental health issues, and it was explained and shown in such a caring and informative way.

In conclusion, this book was such a perfect read and was just such a well-rounded book that had a fantastic cast of characters and superior story-building. A fantastic read, truly.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc.
This was a really enjoyable book, I liked the characters and the plot was fun!

A Fragile Enchantment instantly became one of my favourite things I've read so far this year. Enemies to lovers, a royal wedding, a take on magic I've never seen before, and a Gossip Girl-esque gossip column? Sign me up. Add onto that some beautiful world building and characters you can't help but love (no matter how obnoxious they may act) and you've got a gorgeous read that I could not bring myself to put down.

Thanks for the chance to review “A Fragile Enchantment” by Allison Saft.

I loved it. An upper YA romantic fantasy set in a fantasy country called “Avaland” which is basically England. I think the release date is probably times perfectly to release in the spring before Season 3 of Bridgerton. It’s a light, heartfelt read I really enjoyed it.

The Worldbuilding has just the right amount of explanation of magic. The pacing is good. The characters are unique and complex, but the focus is on the main couple. It definitely has all of the check boxes that you want to see in a period historical fiction read. But also magic that corresponds to the emotions and character arc for each character in the book. Court drama, balls, and pretty dresses, emotional scenes in the rain, a wedding, and a duel. But they all feel organic to the story even if you’ve seen the settings 1000 times. Saft knows the tropes audiences want to see and she hits them well.

There are social issues that apply pressure to the nobility without hitting you over the head with preachiness.

The Tattler is a straight line to Mrs. Whistledown, but also unique to the story. This is a cozy, friendly read when you need something uplifting.

I loved this! Couldn't put it down. I thought the romance was very cute and the characters were well-drawn and developed. There were a few subplots that I thought could have been fleshed out a little further - or left out completely (mainly the inclusion of the leader of the protestors and the main character's friend from home). But that didn't get in the way of enjoying this story for what it was - a cute romance that I really looked forward to curling up with each night. Definitely recommend it.

I struggled with this one. I really enjoyed Saft’s “A Far Wilder Magic,” but I had a harder time connecting to the characters in this story. They all seemed like nice enough people but I didn’t always follow their motivations and logic, especially Kit’s. I never really bought into the core romance being very deep, so Niamh’s behavior (especially when she was so close to Rosa) came off as selfish to me. The fact that Rosa wasn’t upset about it felt like it made the stakes too low—there were no real obstacles that weren’t just miscommunication or characters being “noble idiots.” Part of this is because Saft is so empathetic to even the antagonists, to the point where in the end everything feels too resolved to justify the angst. Because of the lack of stakes (or really plot, if I’m being honest) it was hard for me to pick up the book, and it took me a long time and a lot of forced reading to get through it. I’ll also say a main lead who smokes like a chimney is not attractive to me, and I really didn’t find anything else too lovable about him either, so it just felt a bit bland. I am still a fan of Saft, and it seems like writing this was really important and therapeutic for her! Just didn’t connect with me.

I think it's safe to say that at this point I will read and enjoy everything Allison Saft writes. ( no pressure tho but like I would read your grocery list )
This book is pure romance, in the best possible way. It's a low stakes fantasy with a beautiful cast of characters. Our main character, Niamh is instantly lovable. The grumpy/sunshine trope here is done beautifully, and their relationship develops slowly with all the tension. What I love about Allison's writing is that none of her books are the same, and all of her characters are different as well. Which I think is a force in an author.
This book treats with more delicate subject like alcoholism and anxiety, xenophobia, working class with injustice. All of this set in a fantasy historical regent time.

This book is magical, whimsical and just adorable. The forbidden romance between Niamh and Kit was perfectly done. I loved loved loved all the parts where she was sewing and creating beautiful clothes because I could picture it in my head so easily, which is not something I can usually do.

I don't know what magic Allison is putting in all of her man male characters but they are always so perfect and wholesome even if they are complicated and layered. Wes from A Far Wilder Magic is still my favorite, but Kit is definitely a close second.

Read this book if you love :
♡ forbidden romance
♡ grumpy sunshine
♡ magic
♡ bridgerton but fantasy
♡ lovable characters
♡ gossip girl-ish but make it historical

Also I already can't wait to re-read this, in January when I buy the boom, which says a lot in itself.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for this e-arc. I am forever grateful for it.

Reviewed for NetGalley:

Enemies to lovers, magic, a prince, a royal wedding. A quick, fun, sweet read.

What an incredible story by Allison Saft. This novel is filled with intense longing, beautiful character depth, and wonderful prose. Niamh and Kit have my whole heart. This is a true enemies to friends to lovers narrative. I loved every moment of this! Sinclair had to be my favorite character. The LGBT representation was wonderful.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press (Wednesday Books) for the eARC in exchange for my review!

Overall, a really good book for teens that are starting out with reading historical fiction. I’m giving it 4 stars solely because based in the description I thought this book was gonna be more similar to A Court of Thorn and Roses and not more similar to Bridgerton. But, despite going into this with the wrong expectations, I still did really enjoy this book.

I totally loved this book! I am so going to get a hard copy of it when I can! I loved this so much! Regency England and muddle it up with a fantasy world and this is what you get. I cannot stop thinking about this book. Go good!
I just reviewed A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft. #NetGalley
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I was so eager to read A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft because of the magical elements in this story. As I read Niamh's tale, there was inspiration of Bridgerton, The Belles, The Wedding Planner, and almost every royalty/peerage and commoner romance you can imagine. I loved the chemistry between Niamh and Kit. I don't know if I really understood the chronic illness representation but as someone who has been chronically ill for the last ten years, I can relate to her goal of wanting to accomplish so much for the sake of family but having limitations when meeting every goal. And then there's the backlash that comes from falling for someone that family doesn't want you to be with. As with all romances, there must be a happily ever after, so I really enjoyed that inevitable conclusion.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This dreamy fantasy that brings together ya and bridgerton , really captured me about 40% into the book. The middle being my favorite part. I think if you enjoyed this author's book before you will not be let down. I think it's a bit weaker than some and at times a bit jumpy. Over all its a pretty low stakes plotline. 3.5 stars rounded up