Category: Romance

A Fragile Enchantment – Allison Saft [ARC Review]

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Rating: ⭐️⭐️

Synopsis:

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.

Review:

Huge thank you to Wednesday Books for sharing this e-arc with me! The following review reflects my honest reading experience.

It has been a LONG time since I’ve written up a review (thanks a lot Facebook/Instagram/Meta for disabling my Bookstagram account for no reason) so forgive me if I’m a bit rusty.

A Fragile Enchantment is a new romance set in a regency inspired fantasy world from author Allison Saft. I was immediately intrigued by the absolutely gorgeous cover for this book. It is seriously stunning and one of my favorites I’ve seen this year. Unfortunately, A Fragile Enchantment fell flat for me. The plot did not hold my interest and I was never really able to connect with the lead characters. I will say that Niamh’s magic was so cool!

I think my biggest issue with A Fragile Enchantment is that there are parts that are blatant rip-offs of Bridgerton (the TV show, I have not yet read the books). Some of the things I noticed were: the anonymous gossip column, the game of croquet (pall-mall in Bridgerton), the MMC’s parent dying in front of him, and the MFC getting injured in the rain and needing to be carried back by the MMC. Now these plot points aren’t super important and may not bother everyone, but it was all too similar for my taste. I think it would have been better if the author left out the anonymous gossip columnist. I don’t think I would have noticed the other similarities as much if this was left out.

I am still obsessed with the cover of A Fragile Enchantment. It is absolutely beautiful! A Fragile Enchantment was just not for me.

Thank you again to Wednesday Books!

A Fragile Enchantment is set to be released January 30th, 2024!

Hook, Line, and Sinker (Bellinger Sisters, #2) – Tessa Bailey [ARC Review]

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Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis:

In the follow-up to It Happened One Summer, Tessa Bailey delivers another deliciously fun rom-com about a former player who accidentally falls for his best friend while trying to help her land a different man…

King crab fisherman Fox Thornton has a reputation as a sexy, carefree flirt. Everyone knows he’s a guaranteed good time–in bed and out–and that’s exactly how he prefers it. Until he meets Hannah Bellinger. She’s immune to his charm and looks, but she seems to enjoy his… personality? And wants to be friends? Bizarre. But he likes her too much to risk a fling, so platonic pals it is.

Now, Hannah’s in town for work, crashing in Fox’s spare bedroom. She knows he’s a notorious ladies’ man, but they’re definitely just friends. In fact, she’s nursing a hopeless crush on a colleague and Fox is just the person to help with her lackluster love life. Armed with a few tips from Westport’s resident Casanova, Hannah sets out to catch her coworker’s eye… yet the more time she spends with Fox, the more she wants him instead. As the line between friendship and flirtation begins to blur, Hannah can’t deny she loves everything about Fox, but she refuses to be another notch on his bedpost.

Living with his best friend should have been easy. Except now she’s walking around in a towel, sleeping right across the hall, and Fox is fantasizing about waking up next to her for the rest of his life and… and… man overboard! He’s fallen for her, hook, line, and sinker. Helping her flirt with another guy is pure torture, but maybe if Fox can tackle his inner demons and show Hannah he’s all in, she’ll choose him instead?

Review:

HUGE thank you to Netgalley and Avon+Harper Voyager for sending me this e-arc in exchange for my honest review. I absolutely ADORED the first book in this series. I was so beyond excited when I saw Hook, Line, and Sinker was available to request on Netgalley. And then I was approved and I did the biggest happy dance. I love these books!!

This is my first time reviewing a contemporary romance and I don’t really know where to start. All I can say is that I absolutely loved Hannah and Fox’s story. I’m a sucker for any kind of friends/enemies to lovers and forced proximity tropes. I loved watching Hannah and Fox’s relationship bloom into something. I especially liked that their text messages from the past months apart were included at the beginning of the story. It really gave nice context to their friendship. Overall, I think that Hook, Line, and Sinker was slightly less good than It Happened One Summer, but I still totally loved it. This series was my first experience with Tessa Bailey’s writing and I loved it! The setting (I LOVED being back in Westport!), characters, banter, and romance were all done so well. And the smut is *chef’s kiss* amazing.

If you are looking for a fun, easy-to-read, smutty romance then definitely check out It Happened One Summer and Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey!

Hook, Line, and Sinker is set to be released March 1st, 2022.