*I was sent an ARC of The Rose Bargain in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to HarperCollins and Sasha Peyton Smith for my copy of the book*
Synopsis:
Every citizen of England is granted one bargain from their immortal fae queen.
High society girls are expected to bargain for qualities that will win them suitors: a rare talent for piano in exchange for one’s happiest childhood memory. A perfect smile for one’s ability to taste.
But Ivy Benton’s debut season arrives with a shocking twist: a competition to secure the heart of the Queen’s fae son, Prince Bram. A prize that could save Ivy’s family from ruin… and free her sister from the bargain that destroyed her.
Yet every glittering fae deal has a rotting heart—and at the center of this contest is a dark plot that could destroy everything Ivy knows.
Review:
I’ve been struggling with fantasies for about a year now so I was worried I wouldn’t enjoy The Rose Bargain. I was completely wrong to think this. Welcome to my first five star review of 2025.
I wasn’t sure what I was going to rate The Rose Bargain until the last few chapters. When I tell you I was completely shocked and blown away by the story, I’m telling the truth. It broke my heart, stunned me and made me ridiculously happy, all within two chapters. I didn’t think I was too attached to the characters before this, but the latter half of the book changed my mind. I actually almost cried at one point because I was so upset about what was happening. It takes a lot for a book to physically affect me.
I’m a big fan of competitions and tournaments in fantasy books, especially ones that end in marriage. There’s something about high stakes competitions where people are vying for the heart of royalty that I just love. The stakes are definitely high in The Rose Bargain. I hate how something as small as a chaste kiss would ruin a girl back in the day but this book takes it to another level. If the girl’s want to compete to marry the prince they must agree to never marry if they fail to win. Which is obviously a big deal in regency England. Ivy doesn’t see this as a risk though, she doesn’t want to marry. So straight away I love her. Ivy is a great main character; headstrong, clever and a little awkward.
I also loved the rest of the girl’s in the competition. You get to spend a single chapter with each of them which explain their background and reasons for competing to win the prince’s heart. Most of which are not for love. When you first meet them you expect them to stay pretty two dimensional and secondary to Ivy. But you learn so much about them in just one chapter. It’s pretty impressive how complex Sasha Peyton Smith made the entire cast of characters with just one chapter for most of them.
The world in which The Rose Bargain is set is also super interesting. A fae twist on regency England makes for one hell of a setting. I can’t wait to learn more about the fae of this world in a second instalment.
I can’t comment on the romance side of The Rose Bargain without giving huge spoilers. It’s fairly obvious from the start who Ivy has the most chemistry with, but that doesn’t mean they’ll end up together. I did love their back and forth though, both platonic and flirtatious banter.
With all five star reviews I’m struggling to explain the reasons why I think this is such a great book. There are many elements that make The Rose Bargain a perfect read for me: romance, strong female friendship, flow of the story and all round great characters. I really can’t recommend this enough.
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Like this post? Why not read this one too: To Be Read: February 2025