A Fragile Enchantment is a fantasy romance book that takes place in a regency historical period. It is whimsical and has a true romance with yearning and longing.

Niamh is a dressmaker that has a magical ability to imbue emotions and feelings in her work. She works hard to support her family that are from a poor province that's subjugated by the neighboring kingdom (keep in mind this is inspired by England and Ireland). Niamh is offered the opportunity to make the outfits for the prince that is set to be married. She travels to the royal court and meets Kit, a very prickly and rude prince. Over time, she gets to know him but also begins to discover things are not right in the royal family and is drawn into conspiracies and secrets. 

This is regency inspired England, with Naimh being from Ireland after a great famine. The magic system as a whole isn't a hard magic system, with people having all different types of magic, but Naimh's magic is very obviously a very unique idea as a protagonist. The writing is so, so immersive and creates a wonderful setting that is rich and whimsical. It highlights the romantic moments in the book and makes them feel all that much sweeter. 

The romance is easily the best part of this book. When we first meet Kit, he is mean and stubborn to Niamh and she can't stand him. But she peels back those layers and we meet the loyal and kind Kit who only wants to do right and prove the rumors about him aren't true. There is yearning and longing, and small moments that touch your heart. It is the driving force of this story and it is done so well. 

The characters are also just so flawed and written to be dimensional, even the side characters. Niamh is optimistic, emotional, and definitely a touch naive. For me, this doesn't detract from her actions and it's not annoying in the sense that a lot of naive characters can be. Naimh is very in tune with other people's emotions and is able to draw out other people. Kit and Niamh are both deeply complex people and both struggle with responsibility and selflessness with this in turn, affecting their relationship. 
 
Outside of the romance, we are seeing the inner workings of the royal court, elegant balls, and the court politics that are central to the story. One of the few criticisms I have is that it feels like Naimh's disease is addressed and is written to show how she pushes past it and how it affects her life. For the last 30ish% of the book, it isn't talked about as much and I do wish there was more about it other than, "it is manageable with the correct treatment." 

Overall, definitely pick up this book if you like the regency era, forbidden romance, and political intrigue! 

Thank you to St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!