Title: Bespoke and Bespelled (Movie Magic Book One)
Publisher: 8th Note Press
Author: Karen Healey
Pages: 154pp
Price: $4.99

Marnie Taylor is a stitch-witch. The fabric crafts created by her ancestors have been extraordinary, a few even changing the course of history. Marnie just wants to make beautiful clothes — beautiful clothes worn by beautiful people on the silver screen. When she’s offered a lucrative position on a super-secret film project in New Zealand, she agrees. Unfortunately, the adaptation of The Queen’s Horde — Marnie’s absolute favorite fantasy series — is proving to be a disaster. The costumes are a mess, machinery keeps breaking, and the producer’s cigarettes are poisoned. Even worse, Marnie finds herself falling for the film’s leading man. Sure Rider Adams is handsome, but did he have to be smart and funny and kind, too? Marnie must decide how much she can trust Rider Adams while keeping her magic secret and unmasking the saboteur before it’s too late ….

I came across an advance reader copy of Bespoke and Bespelled on netgalley. The premise sounded cute, so I decided to give it a shot. I’m glad that I did. Healey is an engaging writer with a real gift for creating sympathetic, well-rounded characters. Marnie is whip-smart and highly creative. She is also a hard worker who goes after what she wants; and once she decides that she wants Rider (not a spoiler as this is a romance) she goes after him, regardless of what others might think.

Rider Adams is wonderful, too. He’s ridiculously handsome, and he knows how lucky he is to get paid stupid amounts of money to play make-believe. But, like Marnie, he works hard. He wants to move beyond acting to produce and direct, and he’s afraid that a terrible adaptation of The Queen’s Horde will tank his career. So he’s going to do the best he can, and he’ll happily help Marnie investigate the sabotage — particularly since that means he gets to spend more time with her.

I love Marnie’s magic, too. It’s subtle, not flashy. She can make fabric do almost anything, resize it as needed, move stitches, repair damage to the point that it is unnoticeable, and even pull fabric from thin air. Sometimes, she can reach “down” through the fabric and feel its constituent parts, such as the plants that created the fibers and dyes.

Bespoke and Bespelled is delightful. It’s smart, funny, and spicy-sweet. Marnie and Rider are a great couple, and Healey neatly sets the stage for sequels starring Rider’s fellow actors. Highly recommended to fans of Wards of the Roses by Celia Lake, the Lady Jewel Diviner series by Rosalie Oaks, the Regency Dragons series by Stephanie Burgis, The Regency Bestiary for Fine Ladies and Gentlemen books by Quenby Olson, and The Herbwitch’s Apprentice by Ireen Chau.

[Reviewed by Rebecca Buchanan.]