Fun, quick-witted and magical. Everything you could want from a regency fairytale (although much like the authors previous book not always the friendly kind of faeries). If you're looking for a fun and light-hearted read this is the book for you!

We meet Effie, a maid at Hartfield Estate, who strikes a bargain with a faerie in order to pursue true love. I loved Effie's character - she had so many layers and her journey was truly enjoyable. Although some aspects of the story weren't surprising there were plenty of twists in the plot to make an engaging and multi-dimensional read.

You could read Ten Thousand Stitches as a stand alone, however I enjoyed the appearances from Olivia's previous book so much my recommendation would be to read them in order. It didn't quite match up to Half a Soul for me, however as always the authors charming writing style drew me in and I enjoyed every second.

Honestly I went into this book with no expectations, didn‘t even know what it‘s about before starting it. But I‘m pleasantly surprised with this one. I loved the story, even though it‘s a quite short one BUT that makes it the perfect quick read. It isn‘t the best book I ever read but I like it nonetheless.

If the key words 'regency fairy tales' excites you, you will propably enjoy this book. 'Ten Thousand Stitches' is a quick and entertaining read; it's a bit silly, it's whimsical ánd humorous.
I have to criticize the lack of world building, but I don't know if the first book already elaborates on that. It still works fine as a standalone though. And we sadly don't learn anything about Lord Blackthorns personality, other than his cheerfulness. For some reason it works nontheless, the story and the romance are cute and heartwarming.
Overall enjoyable, because the novel doesn't take itself too serious. A very delightful and entertaining read.
3,5 stars.

Regency vibes with a fantasy twist? What could be more perfect! I seriously adored ‘Half a Soul’ by this author and found it to be such a compelling and engrossing book, anything else by her became a must read. A Thousand Stitches was such a great follow up and another book that is easily worthy of its 5 stars, as equally as immersive and engrossing - if not more!

It was such a fab, Cinderella-esque type story. With an ‘Upstairs, Downstairs’ kind of dynamic. Maids being run ragged by The Culver household and Effie who is a housemaid just trying to keep up with her duties, trying to live with the injustices of never really being seen. Until she meets Benedict that is, back from his travels and the first to treat her with a modicum of kindness.

It’s her fortune (or misfortune) to bump into Lord Blackthorn. A fairie on a mission to become more virtuous. He sees Effie in a quandary and promises his help in trying to boost her position in life to become a lady and marry her beloved Benedict.

Blackthorn very quickly had my heart in this and oh my lord, he is just adorable. I’m normally a little dubious of the cunningness and cruelty of fairies, but as lovingly describes by Lady Hallowale, Blackthorn is a lovingly nicknamed ‘aberration’ and has such a kind, pure and innocent heart, it’s hard not to fall in love with him.

I devoured this story like there was no tomorrow and enjoyed every page. Literally could not put it down. Brilliant!

Bewitching read! I could not put it down, magical and endearing. This is a story that will make you feel like you are living amongst it. Cannot recommend enough

'As his figure disappeared , Effie was struck by a horrified realisation. Oh, bother, she said. I think I’ve just fallen in love.'

Effie is housemaid to Lord and Lady Culver and the Lord's younger brother, Bendict Ashbrook, comes home and Effie totally fancies him!!

She also meets Faerie, Lord Blackthorn, who offers her a deal to help her marry Benedict and she discovers a faerie deal comes at a price!

There was one character who I fell in love with myself, Mr Jubilee! As Lady Hollowvale put it, for a faerie, he's a pleasant aberration! He was always happy, jolly and wanted to learn about the English so badly!!!

I adored seeing the love match coming together, it actually made my heart sing and the ending was absolutely perfect!

Am loving these regency faerie romances!

I absolutely adored Half A Soul so was very much looking forward to returning to Olivia Atwater's magical regency world, although, as always after a great first book, there was some trepidation as to whether the concept would stretch to a second book. Never fear, my worries were unfounded. Ten Thousand Stitches is a complete delight, a subversive feminist fairytale with a heroine whose justified anger is a strength and a hero who is eager and willing to learn and grow.

Ten Thousand Stitches is a regency set Downton Abbey crossed with Cinderella following the story of Effie, a maid in an understaffed grand house where her livelihood is completely in the hands of her employers, a spendthrift mercurial young mistress and her harsh husband. A moment of unexpected kindness from her master's younger brother sends Effie into a fantasy world of 'what it'. What if he could see beyond the callussed hands and tired drawn face and whisk her out of the attic bedroom and into an easier life? A chance encounter with Lord Blackthorn, a fae, offers her an answer. Effie knows better than to make a bargain with any of the fair folk, but without hope she can't see that any consequences will be worse than her reality and so she accepts. He will help her marry Mr Benedict, but if she fails then she will need to serve him forever.

Sub themes of unfair working practices, female disempowerment (and empowerment), power imbalance and domestic violence are cleverly woven into this original, thoughtful and entertaining take on Cinderella. Highly recommended.

This was a sweet little read. The plot is pretty predictable, and the book certainly isn’t reinventing the wheel, but there are worse ways to spend a couple of hours.

The characters are charming and I liked the critique of the British class system and the support for workers coming together to gain mo the rights.

Overall, was a nice, easy read, good for those days where you just want a light and breezy book.

thank you to netgalley for providing me with an arc!

this book follows the story of euphemia reeves, a maid who is intensely irritable, who falls in love with a member of the household she works for. the mere thought is absurd, until effie meets lord blackthorn - an faerie intent on becoming virtuous. a wager is set and, along with the help of lord blackthorn, effie has 101 days to become engaged to the man she loves.

this book was a comforting read! it has everything i enjoy - regency era, faeries and the upper classes being put in their place. i deeply enjoyed euphemia's narration, which was sharp and witty, as well as euphemia as a character herself - i am always for more angry women in literature. also, i had such a soft spot of lord blackthorn, he was truly so so sweet and that sort unapologetic kindness and sincerity is something i wish more characters had in literature. something i didn't expect coming into this book was the discussion of the unfair treatment of the lower classes during the regency era. this was especially nice to see as, even though i love overly-romanticised regency novels as much as the next person, it can become quite the cliche. personally, i would have loved a little bit more of a slow burn between the characters but overall, the book was a very fast, very easy read.

Olivia Atwater does it again! This book is a delight, while it loosely follows Half a Soul you wouldn't necessarily need to read it first.
Effie is a brilliant MC and holds your attention through the ups and downs of her tale. Mr Jubilee is a character who features in Half a Soul, he's on a path of redemption for his behaviour in the previous tale.
Olivia Atwater has created a world I would like to dive into, I can't express my love of her books through words.

4.5 stars

Ten Thousand Stitches, the heartwarmingly whimsical sequel to Olivia Atwater’s spellbinding regency romance, Half A Soul was absolutely charming (and delightfully quirky) Cinderella retelling that I absolutely LOVED!

It follows Euphemia ‘Effie’ Reeves an kindhearted but overworked housemaid to makes a bargain with a faerie to win the heart of the gentleman she’s hopelessly fallen in love with. Effie knows making wagers with fae can be dangerous, but life as a maid at Hartfield is awful and she’s willing to risk her immortal soul for a chance at something better.

Lord Blackthorn is only too eager to help if, in exchange she’ll sew Ten thousand stitches onto his favourite jacket. Now, she has a 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 the greatest obstacle to Effie’s happiness might well prove to be Lord Blackthorn's overwhelmingly good intentions.

I absolutely loved this! Having read (and absolutely loved) Half A Soul I was incredibly excited to get the change to dive right back into this whimsical regency world once again and I especially enjoyed getting to see the eccentric Lord Blackthorn once again.

Like Half A Soul, Olivia Atwater’s unique and witty regency retelling of Cinderella was charming and throughly unique, delving into issues surrounding social justice whilst exploring anger, virtue, happiness, and love.

I loved soo many of the characters but I have to say Lord Blackthorn definitely stole my heart with his enthusiastic joy and sincerity as he strives to become a better person. Though, this cinnamon roll faerie godfather’s helpfulness doesn’t always workout (unintentionally causing more problems than he solves.) But, his enthusiasm is soo infectious that even Effie cannot stay mad for long.

Likewise, I also loved our protagonist, Effie is a kindhearted and strong-willed maid worked to exhaustion by her employers—I really enjoyed watching her grow in confidence and learn to stand up for herself as the story unfolds. I loved her scenes with Lord Blackthorn, the friendship that grows between them was absolutely wonderful. The one downside is that we don’t explore the relationship and growing feelings between Blackthorn and Effie nearly as much as I hope we would but otherwise a really fully, lighthearted and throughly enjoyable read.

It is the second book in the Regency Faerie Tales series, but as it’s a separate story from the first you can enjoy this as a standalone (though I definitely still recommend reading book one as it’s really good.)

So, if your looking for a Downton-esque, Studio Ghibli rendition of Cinderella set in an alternate regency England then you definitely have to give this a read, it’s absolutely delightful!

Also, a huge thank you to Orbit and Netgalley for the e-arc.

Goodreads review link: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4858123860?book_show_action=false

Thank you very much to Netgalley and Little Brown Book for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

I would be lying if I were to say that the main reason why I decided to get a copy of this book was because of its delightful cover and pretty title. But this book was an utter delight from start to finish. There is no better way to describe this tale as anything but charming, whimsical and joyful.

I would recommend this book to anyone in need of a quick read, a light-hearted story with fairy tale like qualities, where you might be able to suspend your disbelief for a quick second and transport yourself to a magical world.

Ten Thousand Stitches, through a subverted retelling of Cinderella in a quaint Regency atmosphere, hones deep into themes of righteous anger, of indignation towards mistreatment, of finding voices amongst those that were previously voiceless, of uniting and redirecting emotions towards a greater cause.

Highly recommend.

A charming and wonderful Cinderella reimagining. This story was delightful- Effie is an excellent heroine and the story sparkles with magic and wit. A truly delightful read

My thanks to Little, Brown Book Group U.K. Orbit for a review copy via NetGalley of ‘Ten Thousand Stitches’ by Olivia Atwater. I complemented my reading with its unabridged audiobook edition narrated by Madeleine Lesley.

This is Book 2 in Atwater’s Regency Faerie Tales series that blends Regency romance with Faerie fantasy. While there are some overlapping characters with ‘Half A Soul’, this can be read as a standalone. Olivia Atwater opens with a useful
Dramatis Personae.

This was a playful take on traditional fairy tales. Euphemia (Effie) Reeves may be a hardworking housemaid but rather than a capable fairy godmother as Cinderella had to smooth her path to happy ever after, Effie has a rather inept fairy godfather.

When Mr Benedict Ashbrooke, the dashing youngest brother of Lord Culver, returns home after a few years touring the Continent he encounters housemaid Effie. He is kind to her and Effie declares to her brother, George, that she has fallen in love. However, the difference in their stations seems an insurmountable barrier. That is until Effie bumps into a faerie Lord who turns up to the ball that the family holds the next evening.

Lord Blackthorn seems very eager to help Effie win Mr Ashbrooke's heart. Yet Effie is cautious as she was raised on tales of the dangers of accepting favours from faeries. He proposes a wager that gives her one hundred and one days to marry Benedict. If she loses the wager, she will accompany Lord Blackthorn to live in Faerie.

In order for Effie to succeed she must appear to be a lady. Lord Blackthorn takes on the role of Pygmalion and use faerie magics to transform Effie so that she may pass in Society. He also escorts her to various events where she will encounter Benedict and introduces her as his ward. In return for these favours, he requires Effie, who is a skilled seamstress, to sew one stitch into his favourite coat for every minute of her transformation. Effie calculates that this will be equal to ten thousand stitches.

However, Lord Blackthorn is not very good at being a fairy godfather and there are many unforeseen escapades before the final page.

Again, I adored this charming faerie fantasy. It is different to its predecessor as ‘Ten Thousand Stitches’ focus is on those in service rather than the top tier of Regency society and without fuss explores issues of class during the period. I especially loved her descriptions of the faerie realm under Lord Blackthorn’s stewardship.

Highly recommended.

This was so delightful! I've never read the author before so I went into this more or less blind (I also haven't read the first book in the series, so as far as I'm concerned this didn't change my reading experience). Suffice to say I will now read the rest of this series because gosh, this just made my heart feel happy.
"Ten Thousand Stitches" is Atwater's version of the Cinderella fairytale mixed with regency romance. Here. our Cinderella, Effie, is an actual maid, and her prince - in this case the wealthy son of the family she works for - might not actually turn out to be the perfect love of her life. It's a unique spin on this old fairytale, and I quite loved how it was done. I really enjoyed the author's note about the reasons for the way the story is written, too.
The writing is beautiful, capturing both the times and the fantastical feel of it all. The story is whimsical, charming and utterly adorable but at the same time doesn't shy away from showing the more serious underlying conflict of class politics in regency times. Effie is an amazing protagonist, the side characters (Lydia especially!) are loveable and the love interest is both dreamy in his own right and plain adorable.

Now, the writing when it comes to the aforementioned class politics is not particularly subtle or deep, it's all very on the nose with a clear-cut black and white morals underneath. The characters are not super complex either. But it's a heartwarming tale that made me smile all the way through with an added bonus of some much needed regency eat-the-rich vibes, and I very much enjoyed my time with Effie, Lydia and the loveable catastrophe that is this fairytale's fairy godmother.

Such a fun read, this was the perfect blend of regency romance and faerie retelling. Cinderella meets Rumplestiltskin, as our young heroine makes a deal with a fae lord; he will help her with her quest to marry her heart’s desire and she will stitch some embroidery for him.
There was some interesting social commentary on how the titled folk treat their servants, and how poor treatment can lead to rebellion.

Ten Thousand Stitches follows the story of Effie, a young maid working for cruel nobles, who sets her sights on a certain noble gentleman and recruits the help of the fairy lord Blackthorn to help her become a lady. She makes a bargain to become a lady and in exchange she must marry within 101 days and for every minute she spends as a lady she must put a stitch in Lord Blackthorns jacket otherwise she will end up in his keep forever.

This book was probably my favourite of all the regency faerie tales books, whilst I have loved them all with the intoxicating combination of regency era setting with faerie magic and heart-warming charm, something about this one just felt special to me. It felt like a classic faerie tale of caution but with a hopeful message and the endearing charm of both Effie and Lord Blackthorn really carried the story for me. This book also felt like a bit of a mash up between Cinderella, My Fair Lady and Rumpelstiltskin which I loved so much.

I loved the classic rags-to-riches vibe at the beginning of the story but then the direction it takes is that Effie realises she has so much more worth just as herself and maids should be treated with just as much respect as noblewomen and I loved this so much more. I think all of the books in this series discuss class and the struggles of the poor in Victorian era England in a really accessible and interesting way and I think it's really important to highlight the starker realities of the time, rather than just the glamourous veil we sometimes cast over the past.

Effie as a character was really enjoyable to follow, she had such strength and motivation but also an inherent kindness. I also really liked her friendship with Lydia and how Effie acknowledged when she had messed up and hurt Lydia's feelings and actually apologised and took responsibility because I feel like so often protagonists treat their friends like shit and just get away with it in the narrative. I also really liked Lord Blackthorn, he was so sweet and trying so hard and just generally a very cute and enthusiastic bean, even if he often messed stuff up. I loved the development of the relationship between Effie and Lord Blackthorn, it was very slowburn feeling, despite it being a short book and I was shockingly very invested in them.

The faerie settings in this series I always really enjoy and this book was no exception. The prose is also very enjoyable to read and feels perfect for the tone of the story with an excellent balance of humour and light-heartedness with some heavier and more emotional moments.

Overall I would highly recommend this series, it is the perfect mood boosting read and you will fall in love with all the characters and delight in the charming regency setting with a faerie twist!

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Half a Soul, so I went into Ten Thousand Stitches with high hopes, and I was not disappointed!

Effie is a maid for a household who treats their staff poorly, who has grown up hearing how dangerous and cruel faeries are from her mother. However, when she finds herself acquainted with Lord Blackthorn, she is driven to throw her caution to the wind and make a deal with him; he will make her a lady so she may marry the man she loves, and in return she will embroider his jacket - one stitch for every minute she spends as lady.

Effie is a fantastic character, realistically fed up of being treated poorly by the family she works for, she strives to be better but knows that society does not allow the elevation of maids. Lord Blackthorn reminds me somewhat of Dora in the first book, but more exuberant - he desperately wants to help and do what’s best, but somehow finds that things don’t quite go the way he planned.
I adored Effie’s final decision, and that she stuck to her morals and valued herself so highly.

Overall, I enjoyed Ten Thousand Stitches as much as Half a Soul, and would thoroughly recommend it. I can’t wait for the next Regency Faerie Tales book!