It’s a slow realization, and she stumbles a bit in between, repressing her anger at every turn when she is belittled or forgotten or not seen, until it all bubbles up and comes out in an explosive way. Benedict Ashbrooke as if she is an actual person of rank, and not an invisible maid, well, she rather inconveniently falls in love with him. I liked that story just fine - although it’s a very white, very heteronormative view of the issues - but I didn’t vibe with the central relationship between Effie, an exhausted maid, and the self-improving elf, Lord Blackthorn. I started this via ebook and kind of soft DNFd and then I got the audio and tried to listen as long as I could but I wasn’t interested. 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.

He's such an over the top character, full of a puppy-dog kind of enthusiasm and innocence that makes his fae ways somewhat less creepy than expected (though no less bizarre). Effie is tired, and she’s angry too — she and her friends below stairs are, at best, viewed as part of the furniture. For Effie being a lady isn’t what she thought it would be after she gets to see how the other half lives.This is set in a city where humans live in elegant tall buildings, while fathomfolk (sirens, kelpies, sea witches, and kappa) live in the polluted waters below.

While I think I liked the first book a shade better than this one, it’s such a small distinction that it’s barely worth noting. At the end of the novel, Mr Allen pilfers an expensive bottle of brandy to share with the other servants, in keeping with this stereotype. But what the author does with her story is give her the opportunity to see the truth behind the supposed Prince she wants to marry, realize what is it that she values in a partner and what she hopes her future will actually be.Atwater's stubborn, quietly radical characters defy the expectations of both society and fairy tales as they blaze new paths towards love and decency. The second book in the Regency Faerie Tales series, I ended up enjoying this book way more than I thought I would. 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. Lord Blackthorn is a very interesting character because he’s kind of Effie’s magical fairy godfather but at the same time faeries can also be tricksters. She endures through much, and slowly begins to learn more about herself and the role she wants to play in the world going forward.

On a lighter note, Lady Culver's insistence that her maids pretend to be French is taken from a real firsthand account. Other events were so ridiculous that I knew I'd be accused of writing cardboard villains if I included them. It's almost like SHE doesn't see the servants as people either, and craves the attention of the upper class because they're the only ones who are real to her. Servants were not allowed to be married or engage in relationships, and any sign that they were in a romantic relationship—even with another servant—was grounds for dismissal. It was more that some of the more childish aspects of his faerie self played at conflict with the adult romance he was also supposed to be within.This may be part two of a series, but you don't need to know anything of book one to enjoy it (although there is a role for one Lady Hollowvale whose story is well worth the read with Half A Soul). It’s a short read (or listen, if that’s your fancy, as it is mine) and in just an afternoon I had myself a nice heartwarming listen. Or, better yet, try to marry someone they might actually enjoy being married to, as Miss Buxley is trying to do.