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In this world inspired by Regency England, some people have the ability to do different types of magic. Those with the strongest powers are mostly nobility; some commoners have lesser abilities. Avaland is a dominant kingdom that has used its might to take advantage of other countries. This is particularly true of Machland, an Irish-inspired country whose inhabitants are considered far beneath the Avlish.
Niamh is Machlish, a commoner with excellent design and tailoring skills who also wields magic through her sewing. Since one of her dresses led to a fellow Machlish woman catching the eye of a duke, Niamh has gained some following. And now, she has been invited to Avaland to design all the clothing for a royal wedding.
It’s all very exciting, but the pressure is on: Niamh feels she needs to support her mother and grandmother. She has to do well and get enough attention to open her own shop and live comfortably with her family in Avaland.
But when she’s introduced to the prince who is to be married to the princess of Castilia, she’s dismayed at just how surly and unpleasant he is. Kit shows no appreciation for her designs and is going to make the process difficult.
Kit, for his part, has no desire whatsoever to marry, but his older brother, the prince regent, is insisting. The marriage can shore up their monarchy’s power.
While their first meetings are prickly, Niamh and Kit slowly begin to talk and get to know each other. Then an attraction between the two is obvious. But there is no room for a prince and a commoner from a particularly snubbed country to be together, for one thing. And, even more, they begin to unearth some real difficulties the prince regent has been covering up. Canceling an important alliance could bring all those weaknesses to the surface and tear apart Avaland.
I couldn’t help but be drawn in to this romance; the feelings and chemistry between Kit and Niamh are undeniable. And you just want to root for both of them to have happy lives, individually and together. With all that’s going on politically, it’s difficult to figure out how they might end up with a happily-ever-after. I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see if it would happen and how!
The only drawback for me was that A Fragile Enchantment seemed in many ways like a “clean” Regency-style romance, but it ended up having some spiciness and some strong language, which surprised me. I’m sure that’s not a problem for some readers, but others may likewise be a little shocked by some of the content that sticks out from the rest of the Regency-era feeling.
Rated: High. Profanity includes 8 uses of strong language, around 10 instances of moderate profanity, about 6 uses of mild language, and around 20 instances of the name of Deity in vain. There are some intense kissing scenes and one that goes past that with moderate detail. Then some parts of a sexual scene are “off-screen.” There is some violence, with blood drawn at different times.
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*I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
