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A housemaid needs some magical help when she falls for a high-society gentleman in this captivating historical fantasy full of wit, charm, and heart-fluttering romance. Effie has most inconveniently fallen in love with the dashing Mr. Benedict Ashbrooke. There's only one problem: Effie is a housemaid, and a housemaid cannot marry a gentleman. It seems that Effie is out of luck until she stumbles into the faerie realm of Lord Blackthorn, who is only too eager to help her win Mr. Ashbrooke's heart. All he asks in return is that Effie sew ten thousand stitches onto his favorite jacket. Effie has heard rumors about what happens to those who accept magical bargains. But life as a maid at Hartfield is so awful that she is willing to risk even her immortal soul for a chance at something better. Now she has one hundred days--and ten thousand stitches--to make Mr. Ashbrooke fall in love and propose...if Lord Blackthorn doesn't wreck things by accident, that is. For Effie's greatest obstacle might well be Lord Blackthorn's overwhelmingly good intentions. An enchanting faerie tale set in Olivia Atwater's magical version of Regency England, Ten Thousand Stitches is "a delightful, romantic romp" (Hannah Whitten) with a Cinderella twist and heaps of heart. Praise for the Regency Faerie Tales "Smart and subversive, these charming romances will ignite your heart--and your hope." --Shelley Parker-Chan "Whimsical, witty, and brimming over with charm." --India Holton "Sweeps you off your feet in the swooniest way possible." --Megan Bannen "I wolfed this down with great pleasure." --KJ Charles "Warm, sparkling with magic, dangerous, and delightful." --Tasha Suri "Whimsical but never frivolous, sweet but not sugary. I loved it." --Alix E. Harrow… (more)
User reviews
Another delightful story about characters who are angry about injustice (or who become angry about it). I liked how I wasn’t quite sure which direction it was going to take.
“A decently angry man?” Effie asked, bewildered.
“Have you looked around at the state of things lately?” Lady Hollowvale asked dryly. “Any really decent man ought to be angry, you’d think.”
An utter delight from start to finish, this riff on Cinderella does a great job of turning all of our expectations of such a tale on its head. Effie is a brilliant character who is frequently angry about the injustices of her role in the world (and there's a definite pro-labour motif at work here). Lord Blackthorn is also a delight as the rare exception in this world of a Faerie who genuinely wants to help. Atwater manages to also sneak in a few truly laugh out loud lines into the book, which made the read even more fun. Interested readers should read Half a Soul first, as this book does include some spoilers for the first book in the series. Highly recommended.
This was my least favourite but it is still very sweet and tender with some class wars and embroidery thrown in.