I have really enjoyed all the books in this series, but I think this one is my favourite! One of the things that I think Atwster does very well, is in pointing out issues that are not drastically radical (like that the dallying around Europe might have a direct negative impact on the lives of those employed by the family, that the cinderella story relies on maintaining the class status quo for everyone else, the general ridiculousness of the concept of landed gentry), but still regularly ignored especially in historical romance, and then skewering them with a light deft touch which never feels overdone or preaching.

I also really loved how in this story too, the way that anger is shown as not being either negative or positive per se, but a power that can be negative, by people taking out their pain on those below them, but also constructive, as when the servants are able to work together and direct that anger upwards.

Effie and Mr Jubilee were both such fantastic characters, full of life and imperfectly good. The end, wrll that made me actively cheer. I demand more romances ending in class struggle and unionisation! A truly gorgeous book!

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free ARC*

Olivia Atwater writes lovely mix of fantasy and romance set during Regency. Half a soul was lovely, a great introduction to this world, Ten Thosand Stiches is another great story that I found enjoyable and kept me reading.
Great world building and storytelling.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Ten Thousand Stitches is the 2nd book in the Olivia Atwater trilogy that I like to call ‘fae Bridgerton’ to my friends. While I call this a trilogy, each book is it’s own story, with different characters, just Regency based and with magic.

Half A Soul was such a delightful read that I was really happy to find out there was more! Like it’s previous book, Ten Thousand Stitches is what I call a comfort book, you can just curl up with it, read it in one sitting, and it just feels warm. The book is just charming, again Atwater has written a strong minded, likeable female protagonist, this time with Effie, and Blackthorn, a loveable, well minded guy hopleless fae. Effie is a housemaid who is in love with Benedict Ashbrooke, a gentleman she feels invisible around and could never marry. When she meets Lord Blackthorn, of the faerie realm, they make a deal that, despite her better judgement, she can’t resist. Blackthorn will turn Effie into a lady, but if she cannot get Benedict to fall in love and propose within 100 days, she must become his maid in the faerie realm instead. Alongside this, Effie must sew 10,000 stitches for Blackthorn with her very own magic.

Like Half A Soul, yes this book is a little predictable, you will see the direction it’s heading in, but that doesn’t take away the delight, in fact it’s because it’s so familiar and unchallenging that it feels so lovely to step into, when reality feels a little too loud and intimidating.

Thank you NetGalley for the copy I’m exchange for my honest review, this book really did make me smile

Another great faerie-regency novel! This time a retelling of Cinderella, charming and entertaining. I can't wait to read the next one

Thank you for my eARC of this book. These books are great fun and easy to read and great for people who are new to fantasy. Great for historical fiction fans too.

4.5*'s. A cinderella retelling where the girl ends up with the well-meaning fairy godfather because there is no way a servant could be happy with a guy who doesn't appreciate the hard work that a maid or a footman does - sign me tf up. This was so much fun and I loved how well meaning Mr Juniper was and how relatable Effie was! Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for providing me with an early copy.

Well, I am loving this series. It is the perfect combination of light, fun romance with a sprinkling of fantasy and a little nod towards Regency society.

The story of Effie Reeves is one part Cinderella, one part ??? There's a fairy tale out there that I read once that involves putting stitches into a coat, and I've googled it and can't find it and would be very, very grateful if someone could tell me what it was.

In any case, it's all parts lovely - Effie, frustrated and angry by her belittled life as a servant in a house that can't budget for its help properly, finds a kind gentleman in a hedge maze. No good could ever come of this, but especially when Effie realizes that the strange Lord Blackthorn is actually one of the Fae. He offers her his help and, although Effie knows she shouldn't accept, her own frustrations lead her to accept not only his help but all of the trouble he brings too.

We've taken a few steps downstairs away from the elite in this book, and are instead focused on a maid. Once again there's a lovely nod to the Regency period. Whereas last time there was a question of what it is to be proper and virtuous as nobility, this time we are thinking of what it is to be virtuous when you don't have the advantages of a title, as well as what it says about a house in how they treat their servants.

This is the second book in the series and the building romance in this feels a little more 'innocent' that then last book. It's also lovely to see a character that's briefly mentioned in book one appear in this as one of the main characters, as well as for some references back to the first book in the series here too.

Another enjoyable and light insight into this period, with a little touch of magic.

This was a good read with a lot of interesting twists and turns. I like the writing and the characters and the world is very interesting too. It was a bit slow, especially at the beginning, but towards the middle it really took off and I had a hard time putting it down. It's perhaps not the best book I've read, and not one I'd probably remember much of in a year's time, but it was a solid book with enough hooks and details to keep me invested.

Headlines:
Cinderella based retelling
All the ire
When you get what you want but you didn’t really want it

Ten Thousand Stitches continued the feel of this series by keeping the story light, fun but with real things to say about life and inequalities in those times. While it was told in the same two worlds as Half A Soul, those characters from the first book didn’t feature and I missed them.

This story gave a feeling of Cinderella flipped around whilst being its own story in its own right. Effie was a maid in a large country house, she was treated poorly by her employers and she had a lot of stored anger. There was a serendipitous meeting with Lord Blackthorn, a fae who was trying to learn more about humans. He seemed weirdly simplistic at first but there was more under the surface. That said, Effie was such a deep and interesting character that Blackthorn was a faded character in comparison.

There was lightness and wit to this tale of servitude and stitching which I’m beginning to know and appreciate this author for. I felt a little unsatisfied by how Blackthorn’s characterisation ended, I wanted a bit more humanity which is probably not fair to ask of a fae. I’m definitely invested in this series and I look forward to the queer story that’s coming in book three.

3.75 stars rounded up.

Thank you to Orbit Books for three eARC through netgalley.

Lovely read, adore the world and magic system, I'd reread for an easy fun time. The characters are engaging and the series as a whole flows well together

I'd previously read the earlier book in this series (Half a Soul) and enjoyed it but wasn't completely smitten with it, so getting hold of a copy of this one from Netgalley left me feeling a little ambivalent. I much preferred this book, though it still had its flaws, and would be more than happy to read more in this universe.

The basic premise of this Regency-based fantasy universe is that both magic and the Fae are real but the virtue of this book is that our protagonist is a housemaid (Effie), even if she's one who has a prodigious talent for needlework. Unfortunately, Effie has recently fallen head over heels for Benedict, the younger son of the family in whose house she works, who has recently returned from his Grand Tour and seems to be the only member of that family who actually notices she even exists.

It's at this point that Effie gets herself a literal fairy godfather in the shape of Lord Blackthorn, who wants to use his interactions with Effie to learn about how to be virtuous. She makes a deal with Blackthorn, that he'll help her marry Benedict and in exchange she'll use her embroidery skills to benefit him. Naturally, as all deals with the Fae, things are not as straightforward as they seem.

It's quite possible to read this book without having read the previous one, though a supporting character from Half a Soul makes a fairly significant appearance to help the plot along. If there's one flaw to the book, it was that I could see where the plot was going fairly early on and it didn't 100% convince me. Likewise, I'd love to see more of some of the supporting characters and they worked better for me than the main relationships did. Still, an enjoyable enough read and it kept me interested right till the end.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, via Netgalley. This is my honest opinion of the book in question.

I'm really enjoying these Regency Faerie Tales. This is very Cinderella and Prince Charming re-telling but with faeries and reality being a thing.

The descriptions were so good that I really felt the stitching being put into the clothing and when it turned out to be more than just some good embroidery it was a wonderful twist.

I really like the humour that was put into this as well as the wandering into the faerie realms changing up this Faerie Tale. I read it through without stopping as I just had to find out what happened.

Thank you to Netgalley & Orbit for this arc in exchange for a review. Very different from the first book but equally as fun and whimsical. A Cinderella retelling with a twist! I thoroughly enjoyed this and looking forward to reading the next book in this fantastical series!

Books are such powerful things and the experience of reading can bring so much. In the case of this series, which I read one after another, they brought me sheer joy and comfort. These books are the equivalent of being curled up with a cozy blanket and a hot drink by a roaring fire. They were a perfect escape.

Olivia Atwater’s series delivers a well balanced combination of regency romance and light fantasy. We are introduced to various characters in the familiar regency romance landscape who then find themselves drawn in to some mystery or plot involving inhabitants of the adjacent lands of Faerie.

Like Lord Sorcier in Half A Soul, Effie is an angry person, though she deals with her anger in quite a different way. She is understanding of many things but also naïve, particularly to matters of the heart. She learns lesson in these matters throughout the book however, and she and Lord Blackthorn both find themselves quite different by the end of the book. Once again, we see our characters fighting for the rights of others less fortunate in society.

As I said, the books were a real comfort, they are sweet but not overly so.

I’ve seen the series described as “Bridgerton meets Howl’s Moving Castle”. It certainly shares setting elements with Bridgerton but anyone looking for the steaminess of that series should look elsewhere.

I’d really recommend this series to anyone looking for a whimsical, cozy fantasy-romance read. You won’t regret it.

Ten Thousand Stitches had such an interesting premise, I was excited to pick it up to read. However it has pacing issues, was not engaging, and the main character was unlikeable. I got 37% of the way through before I completely lost interest, and as such will not be giving a full review.

Olivia Atwood has done an amazing job with this delightfully whimsical read. A lovely twist on a classic fairytale.

I loved the premise of the magic stitches. The focus on the necessity of anger when it is channeled correctly and not destructive.

I had a difficult time buying the romance between Effie and Blackthorn. Both seem so young, naive, and such strangers to their own emotions that I had a difficult time understanding why their story ended up in marriage rather than finding some other way of overcoming the deal that they made. Either that or their relationship needed to be developed more throughout the book.

Like all fairytales, this is a sweet and easy read. Primarily aimed at young adults though I see no reason that children and teenagers shouldn’t enjoy this book as well.
Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

Feel boring with standard Cinderella retelling? So we should try this version. Our MC is a tired and frustrated young maid who working for not so pleasant work environment. And she falling in love with Benedict Ashbrook, brother of her employer. The light side about Effie the heroine is she always release her feeling and emotions at her embroidery and needles work. I like Effie as MC because she is strong, kind and caring but also very human with her emotions.

This historical romance take time at romantic Regency era with healthy dosage of magic and satire. The storyline and plot isnt something new but it is pleasing to read. This book is perfect for reader who want cute easy reading that enjoyable in one sitting.

3.5

Thank you Netgalley and Orbit Little Brown Book group UK for letting me receive a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I love retellings and so the fact that this is a faerie tale with a Cinderella twist meant i soaked this up and of course I loved it, A great read. i even found myself singing disney songs whilst I read it.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series and Ten Thousand Stitches had all the charm and whimsy of Half A Soul.

This one is almost a Cinderella retelling, with our main character Effie as a maid who falls in love with a nobleman. Unfortunately she catches the eye of a faerie who offers to help her--for a price. In exchange for stitching ten thousand stitches onto his favourite jacket Lord Blackthorn is only too eager to assist Effie in winning over her love. But his 'help' often leads to disastrous consequences and Effie will need more luck than ever if she is to overcome the obstacle that is Lord Blackthorn's good intentions...

I loved this one more than the first. There was more faerie, more hilarious moments, more heart - just everything was improved. Atwater's writing is so easy to read, her books are always so light-hearted and just utterly adorable. Lord Blackthorn will definitely go down as one of my favourite heroes. He was such a wonderful cinnamon roll, always striving to do his best even as he caused chaos. His naivety was so sweet to read, and also hilarious. Poor Effie having to deal with him!

Effie herself was a lovely heroine, she was kind hearted and warm but also strong, with a spine made of steel and a bit of a temper that she had to be so careful to tamp down.

Honestly the only reason this is a 4 star and not a 5 is I wish there'd been more exploration and development to Effie and Blackthorn's relationship - I just needed more of the two of them together!

All in all this was an absolutely delightful regency-esque, Cinderella-retelling with a faerie twist. Definitely recommend to anyone who likes fantasy-lite reads with heart.

Many thanks to Orbit and Netgalley for an ARC.

The perfect combination between period drama and fantasy- Faerie was amazing! Love a good Cinderella retelling, and just a delightful story to get swept away by. Perfect for any Bridgerton lovers!
I love Olivia's writing style, and can't wait to see what's next.
An enjoyable read that is easy and fun!