Imagine this: The bachelor but make it royal and sprinkle in a lil bit of magic.

For the most part, I enjoyed this novel. It was entertaining, easy to read, and gave off reality tv show vibes with all the drama packed in. I liked the concept of “what are you willing to give up for the thing you desire the most”. It made an interesting plot point and doubled as a way to keep the fae queen in power for so many years.

That being said, there were a few things that didn’t work for me. At around the 100 page mark, we started to get chapters set in the POV of other characters mentioned in the story. While I understand wanting to give a little more backstory on these characters, dedicating a whole chapter and randomly inserting it into the story felt out of place. I think there could have been a better way to incorporate these details whether it be through conversations or other interactions. The other reason I found that these multiple POVs didn’t work for me was because the voices weren’t distinct enough. I needed something more that would set each of these girls apart rather than just their different backstories.

I was also slightly disappointed in the romance of this book. I loved the idea of this love triangle between Ivy, Bram, and Emmett but the execution fell flat. It felt like there weren’t enough interactions or an emotional connection between Ivy and Bram to support their leg of the triangle. Had a stronger connection been built, I think the plot twist at the end would have packed an even bigger punch.

All in all, I think the way it ended will allow the reader to jump right into the action in the sequel, which I look forward to reading. For fans of the Selection series, this one would be right up your alley.

Thank you Sasha Peyton Smith, HarperCollins, and NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Sasha Peyton Smith weaves a magical Regency tale reminding us of the dangers of the fae in The Rose Bargain. The book starts right at the beginning of the Season, which Ivy is not excited to join. She's more concerned about where her sister Lydia has been, especially when she reemerges dirtied and bloodied with no recollection of where she's been. This Season is a little different though. Queen Mor, the fae Queen of England, announces her son, Prince Bram, will be joining the marriage hunt and gives the debutantes the opportunity to pursue marriage with the prince as part of a competition. There are cruel games and secret plots with a stellar cliffhanger ending. I really enjoyed how this story was written, interspersing a few chapters from different POVs, and how the whole thing wove together at the end, but now I need to know when we're going to get the rest of the story. I'd maybe even be willing to bargain for it...

I rated this a 4.5 rounded up. Thanks to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the advanced reader's copy!

THAT ENDING MADE MY JAW DROP. Wow!! I have no words, that was absolutely amazing and I will most definitely be reading the sequel as that ending was not at all what I expected in a million years! I truly applaud the author for those twists, because really it was done so well and my mind is still reeling from all the reveals!

Read this if you like:
- Bold FMC and Tortured and Sweet MMC
- "There's only one bed!!"
- Found Family
- Competitive Trials
- A Unique Love Triangle
- Fae and Cruel Magic

Thank you HarperCollins for gifting me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The Rose Bargain by Sasha Peyton Smith is a first person multi-POV YA fantasy romance set in an alternative history Regency England. When Fairy Queen Mor takes the throne at the end of the War of the Roses, she creates a structure of bargains where citizens receive what they desire but for a price, such as a tooth or a cherished memory. As Ivy’s season opens and Crown Prince Bram is slated to be engaged that year, she competes with other young women for his hand. But it’s his brother, Emmett, that she’s drawn to and her real desire is to take down Queen Mor.

I’m a huge fan of Regency romance so you best believe that I requested it the second that I saw it. The ton, the fashion, and the seasons that are such strong markers of the time period are all present. Fairies here are a lot closer to the original Irish fairies than they are to the fae that have become popular in Romantasy in the past few years. The bargains, fairy weaknesses, the fairy realm (the Otherworld), and several other details make it feel more like a world impacted by the cruelty of fairies rather than a peaceful coexistence.

One thing I really liked was that even though Ivy is competing with other young women for Bram’s hand, the core group of six do eventually become friends and support each other. I love that so much. What really sold it was the individual POV chapters from other girls that show up between Ivy’s chapters and give backstory and insight into why each girl is competing. I want a whole book from Marion’s and Emmy’s POVs because I loved being their heads. Marion’s reaction to learning that she could never take a husband if she lost the competition was perfection while I just love Emmy’s interactions with everyone else.

Emmett and Ivy’s relationship has a lot of barriers. It’s more than Ivy trying to become Bram’s wife for her family’s social status or her own—her older sister Lydia has been extremely withdrawn since she came back two weeks after disappearing without a trace and the only way to find out what happened to her sister is for her to take down Queen Mor. Meanwhile, Emmett also wants to take his step-mother down and put Bram on the throne with Ivy as Bram’s queen. With all of those things, there’s so much push and pull between Emmett and Ivy and their personal desires vs the needs and plans of others. It’s great fodder for yearning and I was here for it.

I would recommend this to fans of Regency romance and fantasy romance and readers looking for a YA fantasy that has more traditional fairies

I devoured this book, but it devoured my soul. 😮‍💨

“𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖.”

I read this in ONE sitting. If you know me, I tend to squirrel. Often. 😅 I was sucked in IMMEDIATELY. This is The Cruel Prince meets Bridgerton meets The Selection.

⭐️ 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗘𝗿𝗮 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗻
⭐️ 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗯𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 💕
⭐️ 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘅𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘆
⭐️ 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗲
⭐️ 𝗕𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 🧚🏼
⭐️ 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲 👑
⭐️ 𝗖𝗿𝘂𝗲𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀
⭐️ 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗱 🛏️
⭐️ 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗶𝘀𝘀 💋
⭐️ 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽
⭐️ 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝗠𝗖 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗱𝗼 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆

This book just wouldn’t quit. It hit right out of the gate, and never slowed down.
𝕀. 𝔸𝕥𝕖. 𝕀𝕥. 𝕌𝕡.
The world feels tangible, but otherworldly at the same time. The themes of family, and friendship really shined through, and although it was primarily a romance, it FELT like so much more.

“𝑰 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒑𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒂 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒚 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇. 𝑰’𝒎 𝒔𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒚, 𝑰 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆, 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆.”

The trials were insane! At one point it was like The Chamber of Secrets and Under the Mountain (𝗶𝘆𝗸𝘆𝗸) had a baby.

“𝑰 𝒃𝒆𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒆𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒏𝒐𝒘”

The romance is wonderfully done, although it comes across as a triangle situation, it’s done differently. Trust the process. 🙏🏼 It’s not what you’d expect, and I’d really urge you to give it a chance even if you’re not normally a fan of love triangles.

“𝑱𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆.”

🌶️ This is YA, however there is one mildly steamy sex scene. I’d describe it as very polite spice. 🤣

“𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒎𝒚 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒂 𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒕, 𝑰𝒗𝒚.”

The ending has me RAVENOUS. I need book 2 yesterday! 😫
There is a cliff hanger. Hang on for dear life my friends. 🧗

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗔 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱. 🗣️ 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁.

Thank you to Netgalley, and the publisher, for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4.25/5 stars
0.5/5 spice

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for providing me with an eARC of The Rose Bargain by Sasha Peyton Smith in exchange for an honest review.

The Rose Bargain is absolutely destined to be a 2025 YA Romantasy hit! Giving off Bridgerton meets The Cruel Prince vibes, we’re thrown into a Regency-Era England with a twist, the Queen is Fae. I LOVED the premise of bargaining away something you don’t “need” for something you really want. Girls would ask for beautiful hair, or prodigal piano abilities, in exchange for one of their toes or their ability to turn left. Such a fun and unique premise. Though I haven’t read it, it also models ‘The Selection’ as there is a competition to marry the (Fae) Prince.

Our main character is Ivy Benton, who is in her debut season. After her sister’s bargain led their family to ruin, it’s up to Ivy to fix their reputation and secure their future. Of course, the best way to do this would be to marry the Prince of England. We do get a touch of a love triangle, but it’s not obnoxious and certainly never bothered me. There is also both a competitive, cattiness between the competitors, but also the growth of a sisterhood between them, which I really enjoyed.

This book was absolutely a page-turner. There are a few chapters from side characters here-and-there that didn’t really add much to my engagement, but they weren’t necessarily hurting the story. The end was a fast-paced wild ride and it does end on a cliffhanger! I use Goodreads as a guide to knowing whether a book is a standalone or not and it didn’t have The Rose Bargain listed as being part of a series so imagine my shock when I found out it’s a duology! (Definitely my fault for not scrolling and reading the description stating that fact on Goodreads). I had a pretty strong feeling it was more than a standalone throughout the book because it felt like it wouldn’t all be able to be wrapped up in one book, but I’ve been surprised before. So, the worst part about this book is knowing that it’ll probably be at least a year before the next one comes out! Cannot wait to get my hands on the second book.

Note: Spice is subjective but I would personally give it 0.5 to 1 chili pepper. One on-page, fairly non-descriptive sex scene. So, some may argue that the book could fall closer to NA but I do think it is just upper YA.

This story felt like coming home to some of my favorite tropes and stories, while still having a fresh spin! The Selection X Bridgerton and this book meets every expectation I had for this crossover. The author does an excellent job of sticking to the jargon and expectations of the time. The stakes were high and very engaging!

Unfortunately, the area I felt was lacking was the actual romance. I felt that it was disjointed and didn’t flow as naturally as I would have liked. Along with that, I wasn’t completely crazy about the ending and found myself skimming in some areas.

I couldn’t put The Rose Bargain down! Sasha Peyton Smith has crafted a dazzling romantasy that feels like The Bachelor meets Bridgerton with a dark, fae-infused twist. Set in a Victorian-inspired world ruled by a cunning fae queen, this book had everything I love—courtly intrigue, high-stakes trials, forbidden romance, and a heroine you can’t help but root for. Ivy’s journey from desperation to power kept me hooked, and the chemistry between her and Prince Emmett was absolutely electric. The glittering balls and sharp faerie bargains are as enchanting as they are dangerous, and the twists kept me guessing until the final page. I devoured this book and am already counting down the days until the sequel!

As someone who isn’t a regular reader of fantasy and generally isn’t into fae books, I was shocked by how much I liked this! Not even only good in the latter half when any books inevitably starts to pick up, it sucks you in on the first page. That prologue of how Queen Moryen took the throne of England, that reeled me in immediately. This kind of book will appeal to fantasy lovers and non fantasy lovers alike because while it is fantasy, it isn’t overboard, confusing, or oversaturated with magic. I usually write off fae books, but that Selection-esque plot is what pulled me in, because I love that bachelor style, winning the heart of the Prince in a competition trope. If you liked the Selection, you’ll likely enjoy this too (though the romance in the Selection is incomparably better). And to think I almost didn’t read this one thinking it wasn’t my thing, when it very much was!

This book was like an alternate universe version of England, where during the Season, the debutantes line up in front of the immortal Queen Moryen who grants them a bargain of their choosing.

“Lords and ladies of London high society mingle in their tails and silks, draped in diamonds and wearing hats piled high with organza flowers. It’s a Pact Parade tradition, this garden party. The ton gather to drink champagne and wait for the girls of the season to emerge and show off their new bargains.”

Every citizen of England gets one bargain, either when they come of age or they can wait until adulthood. But for girls with money and titles, they’re expected to make their bargains on the same day they come out to society. These women are expected to make “rose bargains”, bargains for things like shinier hair, things that make them more beautiful and sweet, like an English rose. It isn’t without sacrifice though, to get their bargains, each must give up something which could be anything from the loss of a toe to giving up all of their childhood memories.

There’s also the mystery of what Ivy’s older sister Lydia’s bargain was. She returned from the throne room with no memory of her bargain, and no one was able to discern what her gift was. She later goes missing, is found by the constable and returned, and the first thing she says is to tell her sister that the bargain she made wasn’t worth it. Since then, she lives as a recluse, without any of her family knowing the truth of what happened to her. Since then, the Benton name has been tainted with scandal because of Lydia, something that affects the whole family.

When Queen Moryen announces a competition for the hand of her son, Prince Bram, the debutantes are welcome to enter, but with a catch. If they are not selected and don’t win the hand of the prince, they vow to never marry, which is something catastrophic for a woman in regency times. Unmarried women in that time period would not have the financial and social freedom that men would, and most would have no options outside of marriage. Ivy is the first to join the competition despite this, because by entering, she will have to be invited to social events, despite her family’s shame from Lydia’s scandal. She sees this as her ticket in to get her family back into society’s good graces, and enters for the sake of her parents and sister. 24 women choose to risk it and compete for Prince Bram’s hand in marriage, meaning 23 women will walk away with nothing. A big risk for a woman living in regency England.

If you’re a fan of regency, princesses or high society ladies competing for the hand of a prince type stories, you would probably enjoy this. This technically is categorized as fantasy but it’s fantasy while barely being fantasy, which is a big reason why I liked it so much. 4 stars because it does lack originality and there’s nothing in this I haven’t read some version of at some point, but I really enjoyed it and want to read book 2!

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins for sending me an advanced copy in return for my honest 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.

The Selection meets Bridgerton in this delightful and captivating fae romantasy. It has a little bit of everything I love: court drama and gossip, a bachelor type of competition for the prince's heart, fae lore, a little bit of a love triangle, a lot of secrets and forbidden love, fae curses, tricks and bargains. It was a quick read and it got me hooked from the very first page. I am so happy that The Rose Bargain is everything I was hoping for and I'm looking forward to reading the sequel!

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

I was pretty much hooked from the beginning with this one.
I enjoyed the romance, the angst, the competition and the bargains. The bargain aspect was different in my opinion and added to the story and I think made it more interesting, especially when tied in with the competition.

The ending was unexpected but also seemed a little rushed. Seemed like a lot happened in the last 10% of the book. Aside from it feeling rushed, I did enjoy the ending and that it was shocking/not what I was expecting.

I do plan on reading the next book as I am curious to see what happens next!

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.75 stars
Well, I didn't realize I was getting into a series. I will be reading the next book though!

This is comped as The Cruel Prince meets The Selection, which is a fair description. In my opinion, it's better than The Selection, but not as good as the Cruel Prince, though.

This book started off feeling a little too silly, contrived, and anachronistic for me, but I actually enjoyed it more and more as I continued the book. This book is trope-y but it's just the right kind for me, so I enjoyed it.

I would definitely say this is the perfect book for folks who enjoyed The Selection, The Midnight Bargain, Beyond the Filigree Wall, and/or Half a Soul. It's a fun Regency-inspired fairytale romantasy romp.

The Rose Bargain by Sasha Peyton Smith is exceptional! I expected no less from Smith as her previous books have been just as great! If you have read The Selection Book series by Kiera Cass, are a fan of Bridgerton, and enjoy the fae- you will really enjoy The Rose Bargain!
Smith understands how to captivate her reader from the beginning with interesting characters, an intriguing mystery, and a fantastical world that you become immersed in. I didn't know I needed a book like this, a historial fantasy romance with a love/hate deep relationship between two sisters, high society, a complex political hieracy, an intense high stakes competition, and slow building romance.
While I enjoyed getting to know all of the ladies who are competing to be Bram's new bride, I really loved Ivy. Smith did a good job writing and developing Ivy's character development. She was a strong, determined, relatable, and likable main character. I did not really like Bram, team Emmett all the way for me! I found Queen Mor to be intriguing and I am looking forward to see where Smith is going to take this character in her next book. I especially loved Emmett and his dog Pig. I had a hard time understanding Ivy and her relationship with her sister Lydia. Her relationship is up and down, really all over the place. The only way to describe it is Ivy loves her sister deeply and also at times describes hating her. Their relationship started to make more sense as more information unfolded towards the end of the book.
The Rose Bargain holds many surprises, twists and turns, and will keep readers guessing. I didn't find much to be predicactable. The ending is the most surprising of all! I will be waiting anxiously for Smith's next book in this series! Hopefully readers will not be waiting long!
A big thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins Publishing, and to Sasha Peyton Smith for the advanced copy to read in exchange for my honest opinions.

What I liked:
Premise: I liked the idea of individual bearings, and I loved how the story played out with each of the six main side characters getting their chapter showing their motivations.
Pacing: While the very beginning was a slower start for me, the pacing after the first three or so chapters was generally excellent, and it made for an easy read.

What I didn't:
Plot: While interesting and layered, the plot hinges on a slightly obscure and occasionally mentioned riddle with more holes than Swiss cheese.
Content: The first half of this book felt YA in a way that many books haven't lately; it felt like it was written for 13-year-olds. I would have liked this a LOT at the age of 13, but as an adult, the writing comes off as very young and somewhat cheesy, with constant references to 18-year-old characters "growing up" or characters discussing that they don't feel like "grown-up." There were also FIVE pages where characters argued whether they wanted to kiss each other... What made this jarring and weird to me, though, was that despite the generally juvenile tone of the book, there was still an open-door sex scene that didn't seem like it had enough build-up in a book for a younger audience. It felt out of place and left me confused about who the expected audience was.

Despite the plot and content issues, I enjoyed the book enough to read the sequel, primarily because it is fast-paced and easy to read. However, the content tone issues and somewhat obscure plot make this book a solid three for me.

Who's it for? Anyone who wants a Bridgerton fairy collab and likes characters that seem very young. It's a skip if you don't like vague, open-door sex scenes, don't want a book with an unreleased sequel, or don't like YA that seems to be aimed at the tween demographic.

I received a digital review copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was thrilled to be approved for this book since I really enjoyed Sasha's "The Witch Haven." "The Rose Bargain" is essentially a blend of "The Selection" and faerie lore. If you enjoyed "The Selection," this is a must-read. This story offers a traditional take on faeries, featuring an immortal queen, closed doors, magical bargains, and a darker portrayal of faeries than what is commonly seen in other books.

The plot follows Ivy, who is thrust into a competition organized by Queen Mor, the former faerie queen banished to the mortal world by her husband, for her son Bram's hand in marriage. However, this competition is not what it initially appears to be, as Queen Mor uses magic and threats to ensure the participants' cooperation. Ivy is desperate to win because her family has fallen from society's grace and can no longer afford to maintain their household. Partnering with Bram's human brother, Emmett, Ivy works to fulfill a prophecy and unseat the queen. True to Sasha's style, the story concludes with unexpected twists and betrayals.

I finished this book in less than two days. I truly enjoy anything that involves the lore of Faerieland, with its twisted magic and the cunning words of the faeries. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy, particularly fans of "The Selection" and "The Hunger Games."

The Rose Bargain is one of those books I loved so much, I'm not even sure how to talk about it. This is beautiful historical fantasy, and I was swept into the story from the first page.

In an alternate England ruled by a fairy queen, all citizens are given the opportunity to make one bargain with their queen, and young ladies of the upper class are expected to bargain for something that will help them secure a good husband. Ivy Benton only wants to bargain to help her sister, whose secret bargain with the queen went terribly wrong, ruining her life and almost dragging their family into ruin; but the queen refuses to reverse her sister's bargain. When a contest for the fairy Prince Bram's hand in marriage is announced, Ivy knows she has to win no matter the cost to save her family. The competition is brutal and possibly deadly; but Ivy is determined to win. Unfortunately, her best chance of winning lies in allying with Bram's half-brother Prince Emmett, who has his own reasons for wanting Ivy to win the competition... and unfortunately, may be the brother she is actually falling for.

The Rose Bargain is a truly beautiful book. It is very character-driven, which I loved; but there is also plenty of action, and I truly couldn't stop turning pages. I loved the court politics, the relationships, the banter; I was terrified of the fairy queen; and I thought Ivy was a wonderful main character I found myself rooting for from the very beginning. This book is romantic, a little heartbreaking, and fierce, and I need the second book as soon as possible please!

I would recommend The Rose Bargain to readers who enjoy historical fantasy (even if you don't usually read young adult, you should give this one a try!), as well as fans of the Fae, forbidden romance, and court politics.

Thank you to NetGalley & HarperCollins for the arc! All thoughts & opinions in the review are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for the advanced copy!

Firstly, I will say that this is a great start to a YA series. That being said, adult readers should align expectations that this is a YA book. That doesn’t mean it exists free of critique from me.

This is a story set within a vicious monarchy where England is ruled by an elf queen. There’s a fun combination of the Cruel Prince + Bridgerton + The Bachelor with trials.

What this book got right: The fmc’s inner monologue never felt info-dumpy and was overall a pleasant place to be. She’s strong willed, and her motivations and actions aligned with her values. Plus, the tension and romantic banter was done quite well being geared for a younger audience. The trials made sense for the queen’s character and motivation, and luckily did not drag on. (though, not a personal favorite part of the book for me)

Where it missed: The writing itself flowed well, however, I noticed a few modern words and phrases that did not make sense for 1800s England. If you are particular over accuracies, this may bother you. The world building was quite good, but could have been great if I could visualize it more. This really could have amped up the tone overall.
There are some chapters dispersed highlighting the povs of a few other characters. This just seemed quite unnecessary (except for Lydia’s perspective) because they didn’t process the plot, or make the story that much more interesting. Anything revealed within these chapters was quite evident in the normal chapters.

Overall, I quite liked this book! I read it in a day, so that says quite a lot. I simply could not put it down. The friendships, romance and character developments were done quite well. Even though I had an inkling of potential plot twists, I still had a great time. Definitely would recommend picking this up!

Wow!!! This was so good! It was such a great time! I first heard about this at a conference in 2024 and I had such a fun time with this! I’m looking forward to reading more of the author’s work and CANNOT wait for the next book!

This was a quick read, I finished it in a single sitting!

That ending!? STFU and give me the next book right MEOW!

For once I agree wholeheartedly with the title comps…

This has some of the beloved elements from many of our favs, The Selection (a competition to marry the prince), Cruel Prince (political scheming, plots, and trickster fae), Bridgerton (regency era London).

This was an excellent YA fantasy romance!

What’s to love…
- Faeries/Fae of the folklore variety
- (slight) Love triangle
- political scheming
- reimagined regency era London
- THE TWISTS, THE PLOT REVEALS!?
- cruel competition to marry the prince
- FMC that will do anything to protect her family
- themes of friendship and family
- I HATE trials, why did I pick this book?! knowing there are trials?! idk I’m not perfect... BUT I totally didn’t mind the trials in this one! They don’t drag on and fit the theme of the book and the nasty Queen perfectly!

What’s not to love…
- personally I thought the pacing was just a hair off, but I’m fairly certain that’s more of a me problem. It felt like it dragged a bit and then the ending was SO intense! That said please recall that I finished this in one sitting!

A note to mature readers…
- This is a YA book, and while I absolutely had a blast reading it I think it might not be quite as fun for adult readers who are borderline fans of YA literature. The romance + the actions of this book fit the age and maturity level of the MCs (18). I will say that this book does NOT suffer from the dreaded over explanation that is sometimes found in YA literature.

🌶️ - This is YA, so there is no explicit content. There is however one scene where non-explicit love-making happens (Ch 29). Publisher website rates this ages 13+. I’d let my mature middle school niece read this.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins for sending this book (eARC) for review consideration. All opinions are my own.