A tailor and a prince become entwined in a tenuous romance.When Niamh, who's from a working-class Machlish family, receives an invitation to serve as the tailor for the royal wedding of Avaland's Prince Christopher to the Castilian Infanta Rosa, she boards the ship, convinced that this Season will change her family's fortunes. Her ability to imbue emotions into her embroidery has earned her a reputation among the high-born, but using magic comes at a cost to her lifespan. Niamh arrives on Avaland's shores, only to find the country in turmoil. The exploited Machlish are striking in droves, a gossip columnist has alienated the court, and most troublesome of all, the brooding and reluctant Christopher, who goes by Kit, simultaneously vexes and beguiles her. With patience and persistence, Niamh pierces Kit's thorny, magicked defenses, but personal and political histories threaten their future. The descriptions of Niamh's handiwork are delicately crafted, as is the worldbuilding, which evokes a European historical setting and population. Names, the Machland crop famine, and Machlish legends point to Irish influences. Kit's prickliness and Niamh's empathetic nature create a heated attraction of opposites that risks positioning Niamh as overly self-sacrificing at the expense of her individuality and a satisfying character arc. However, well-rendered supporting characters are gratifying additions to the narrative, which wraps up somewhat hastily.A bit uneven, but fans of Regency romances will revel in this fantastical affair. (Fantasy romance. 14-18)

Saft (A Far Wilder Magic) expertly weaves together magic, political intrigue, and slow-burn romance in this evocative fantasy. When working-class dressmaker Niamh Ó Conchobhair is hired to use her magical abilities to create the marital outfits for high-society Infanta Rosa and Kit Carmine’s upcoming nuptials, she’s unprepared for the brutally frosty reception from Kit—as well as for how easy he is on the eyes—while she takes his measurements. As her feelings for Kit grow, so too does her awareness of how the court machinations Kit is embroiled in have devastated the rest of the kingdom. A gossip columnist known only as Lovelace blackmails Niamh into helping them uncover the Carmine family’s skeletons, forcing Niamh to choose between her perceived duty to the working class and her all-consuming love for Kit. Saft breathes enchanting life into this Regency-influenced fantasy world, and the intricate worldbuilding and class politics never come at the cost of the romantic leads’ titillating chemistry or the riveting plot that drives the action forward. Fans of both Regency romances and alternate-Earth fantasies will find much to pour over in this sweeping read. Characters are described with varying skin tones. Ages 13–up. Agents: Claire Friedman and Jessica Mileo, InkWell Management. (Jan.)