This is a lovely, soft book about the difficulties of growing up, letting go of your preconceived notions, of what you thought your life would look like/where you wanted it to go, and embracing the life you were meant to have. I often enjoy fairytale retellings, and this re-telling of King Thrushbeard honored the original nicely. The romance between Alexandra and Tom was sweet, but the explicit nature of the spicy scenes felt out of place with the tone of the rest of the book. Also, due to how short the actual book was, it felt like the character arcs were a bit rushed - however, reading the epilogue, it seems like it left the door open for a sequel so there may be more space for those character arcs to be fleshed out in book 2.

Fairly straightforward retelling, but the writing and characters fell flat for me. I didnt know it was a retelling at first, but a friend clued me in. Princess learns to be a better person through a trial year of comparable poverty.

I wanted so much to like our main character, but even with her overall growth arc I found her unintetesting for most of the book. The first 5th of the book dragged on and I really just wanted more to happen or some....excitement since the characters didn't endear themselves to me. The writing is fine, but I wasn't drawn in so the book was hard to get through.

Loved! Immediately went and downloaded the ebook on kindle so I can reread! I can’t wait for book 2!

"The Bard's Bargain" by Vanessa Green is an enchanting and gritty retelling of King Thrushbeard that had me hooked from the very first page. Princess Alexandra's journey from spoiled royalty to humble commoner is a masterfully woven tale of growth, hardship, and unexpected romance. Green's portrayal of Alexandra is both raw and relatable, making her transformation genuinely compelling. The dynamic between Alexandra and the charming bard, Tom, is electric, filled with humor, tension, and undeniable chemistry. The explicit scenes and strong language add a modern, edgy twist to this classic tale, making it a captivating read for adult audiences. What truly sets this book apart is its unflinching look at the stark realities of peasant life, which Alexandra must navigate to earn her redemption. The stakes are high, not just for Alexandra's personal growth, but for the fate of two kingdoms on the brink of war. Vanessa Green's storytelling is vivid and immersive, with rich descriptions and complex characters that bring the medieval setting to life. "The Bard's Bargain" is a beautifully crafted story of love, sacrifice, and the true meaning of nobility. Highly recommended for fans of fairy tale retellings with a mature twist!

3.5*
this was quite an enjoyable read; however i feel like there was a certain discrepancy with the tone and the actual content. it read like a sort of fairy tale-esque YA novel, but it is actually new adult, meaning it had sexually explicit scenes that did not match the rest of the story (which was pretty silly as well as kinda whimsical, even though it dealt with more serious topics). i would have even preferred it, if it were young adult, and i do not say that often.

the writing was simple and easy to follow and the world was simple but entirely compelling. the book reminded me of a few young adult novels i have read very many years ago but in a good way, because the story felt familiar and comforting. i wish there was a bit more character development within the story, so i wouldn't have minded at least 50 or 100 more pages. however, i am very interested in picking up the sequel (the epilogue really sets it up nicely) and i would definitely read more from this author! all and all, if you are craving a fantasy romance and you like the bridge kingdom series, i would recommend this for a quick and fun read. big thank you to net-galley and the author for this eARC.

Thoroughly enjoyed this fantasy-adjacent story. It has all the makings of a romantasy without the magic, which I found I didn't mind at all. This was the first book I've read where the reader is in on the con against the FMC while she is oblivious, as opposed to most where the reader finds out she's been tricked along with her. This was a nice refreshing take on the enemies to lovers trope. I found the character development to be really well done- you're meant to hate the FMC at first, but she definitely grows on you. The beginnings of the romance felt slightly rushed, but the rest of the relationship felt like a natural progression.

Note that this is the first in a series, and the story definitely has more to tell. I do think this would have been a really good standalone, but am interested in where the next installment will go.

The Bard's Bargain is a delightful read that seamlessly blends adventure, romance, and personal growth. Vanessa Green has crafted a story that is sure to enchant readers and leave them eagerly awaiting her next work.

This book is apparently a retelling of a fairytale, but as I was not familiar with the story it was new to me. It follows Alexandra on her journey from disgraced princess through her year of forced self reflection via poverty and a pretend marriage with a bard from a rival country—Tom. Tensions rise surprisingly quickly between the two—much quicker than Alexandra actually starts to do any reflecting.

That’s actually one of my criticisms of this book. The MFC and MMC fall together quite quickly. In general, there are pacing issues in this book. Places seem to drag and others seem rushed. I thought this was supposed to be a romantasy book, but there isn’t much fantasy at all. Honestly, my biggest critique is probably just the entire premise of the book? The fact that her mother was punishing her for being the way that SHE raised her to be?

Alexandra really saved this book in the end because once things started moving between the her and Tom, once the emotional arc started to happen, she really started to shine. Her interactions with the villagers and the adventures are the best parts of this book. They weren’t enough to make me truly enjoy it through the pacing issues though. Maybe if there had been some more action? More fantasy elements?

first of all, the cover art is gorgeous! really eye-catching and what i would call "romantic gloom"

as for my review, this book had me enthralled and at no point did i feel bored. the chemistry between both characters was natural and the storyline was paced well with just enough give. 400 pages meant there was a perfect amount of time for our main character alexandra to grow, learn and change. my problems with the book include two things which i feel are pretty major. the first one being the conclusion, it felt rushed and as if something was still missing. the second one is the dialogue which at times seemed unnatural and did make me stop and question for awhile. nonetheless i really did enjoy the bard's bargain and it felt very classic and standard.

thank you netgalley and vanessa green for approving and providing me with an ARC!

eu amo surpresas agradáveis literárias, eu amei esse livro de tantas formas que me arrancou lágrimas de felicidade ao ver esse final maravilhoso

esse livro merece mais destaque doq o coitado recebeu ate agora

maravilhoso, imagina um princesinha paty que a mae quer dar uma licao, ai manda ela pros cafundo da parafuseta pra ficar brincando de casinha com um pobretão. porem o pobretao é ninguém mais ninguém menos que o lider da nação inimiga e a sua mae acredita que um casamento arranjado seria uma boa razão pra o fim da guerra.

ai ai ai ameeei a escrita da autora é super leve, tu vai lendo e quando tu ve puff terminou! aff amei! ja estou saudosa da ali e do tom 🫶🏾

review sincera em troca de uma copia ofertada pelo netgalley

The story was average, it felt a bit too slow for me and I just didn't find myself all that invested. However I did like the historical aspect and the retelling elements. The spice was predictable but some readers who enjoy fairytales and historical romances with a bit of spice would enjoy this.

The Bard's Bargain was an overall enjoyable reading experience. It followed a spoiled princess experiencing life from the perspective of a commoner to gain perspective and humility as she an her enemy, disguised as a bard, live a simple life rather than their political ones. The pacing was nice in terms of character growth being nonlinear and imperfect while getting to where it needed to be at the end of the novel. The story wasn't terribly long meaning that our spoiled princess, Alexandra, had to grow quickly. This being said, she would still fall back into old habits from time to time as one would expect which I appreciated as it made her more human.

The only problem I had while reading this was how quickly the characters managed to go from hating and finding fault in each other to being overcome by their attraction. While they acknowledged that this attraction started off as a physical attraction only, the speed at which it happened felt rushed to me and I wish the story had been longer to allow for a more natural attraction to build between them.

Overall, if you like romantasy, or have interest in a retelling of King Thrushbeard, this was a good read and I would recommend giving it a try.

From the beginning, I found Alexandra appealing, even when other characters saw her as tricky – after all, who would be content with marrying a stranger under her circumstances? Her development throughout the book felt natural, and the chemistry between her and Tom was excellent. However, some of the supporting characters began to seem overly villainous.

The romantic scenes were well-executed and felt earned by the time Tom and Alexandra reached that point in their relationship. My main issue with the book was the rapid conclusion. The resolution involving her mother, Bryan, and the reconciliation was too quick and predictable (even though I understand it is based on a fairy tale). Despite this, the book leaves room for a sequel, which I am interested in reading—I hope to see more of Angharad and more of Tom and Alexandra.

A well written and well paced retelling of King Thrushbeard with a smidge of The Taming of the Shrew, and hints at the end for a Little Mermaid adventure happening to another character. It’s more a 3.75, but I rounded it up to 4 stars because goodreads likes whole numbers.

I have two issues with this book, but only two! The first, is that the message for most people in this book seem to be that the ends justifies the means. Which is why the queen mother sends her daughter off with a man to go live in a cottage somewhere way over yonder, because her daughter — like her mother — follows that same creed. She does charitable work; she’s pleasant to her maid, kind and supportive of her friends, patient and understanding of the women she meets … but because she doesn’t know what it’s like to live as a commoner, her mother hands her over to a stranger because, you know, the ends justifies the means. For her.

It’s interesting making the queen the villain, the one who comes up with the deception in the first place, which takes the burden of the lie off of the prince’s shoulders. The prince, who goes by Tom when he’s out playing wandering bard, wants to marry Alexandra to ensure peace between their kingdoms; and he wants to take her down a peg. Having met her twice, and heard about her from her mother, he has come to the conclusion that the princess is a spoiled brat. And those two meetings and her mother’s biased opinion were all he needed to judge a girl he’s only had two conversations with.

For the most part it works. This is a fairy tale and a romance and there’s a suspension of disbelief required for the plot. As they journey on foot from her palace to his cottage, the princess has ample time to be humbled, but … she’s never known a hard life. So mocking her or judging her for not knowing how to pump water or the cost of money seems petty. She’s decent to the women on the road, and shows both good and poor qualities. Until, for no reason, the story makes a choice.

Alexandra’s mood swings wildly, going from being compassionate to someone who was kind to her one moment, and then being stupid the next — looking at a burned and sacked village and protesting that maybe they’d done something to deserve it; and maybe the people weren’t really dead. Not because of shock or sorrow or because she wanted to pretend she wasn’t seeing a destroyed village with dead people; she did this so that Tom could be mad at her and she could learn a lesson.

This moment really stood out especially when — both preceding and following — there were so many moments of her obliviousness and general selfishness that did the same thing, only more in character. The overall moral lesson of this book seems to be the ends justify the means, unless you’re a princess; then you have to do things for the right reasons or you’re a spoiled brat.

I had fun with the book. Alexandra is a fun character, Tom was a decent love interest, and the world building, writing and plot were solid. If you like fairy tell books, this one is worth a try. I want to thank Net Galley and the publisher for granting me access to an advanced reader copy

King Thrushbeard is one of my favorite fairy/folktales for so many reasons. Highest among them is because there aren't too many modern or recent retellings that really captures the essence of the story and the character growth that is essential to the plot. It is a magical tale and i really enjoyed Vanessa Green's version in The Bard's Bargain. The characters were wonderful and there was a nice balance of storytelling and worldbuilding and romance. I'm looking for a little bit of a follow up and continuation of this tale but Vanessa Green is an author I will be SURE to be on the lookout for more in the future.

Recommended: yes!
for a story with a lot of satisfying character growth, for a simple love I could root for, for a setting and cast of side characters I adored

Thoughts:
This was all I'd hoped it could be and honestly, even more. I read the blurb thinking it sounded lighthearted and silly, and while it had those moments, it also had so much genuine feeling in it. Situations that are hard to navigate; characters with flaws whom you can nonetheless root for to see them grow.

Now don't get me wrong, at the start, Alexandra is clearly a spoiled twat, but there's enough of a good heart behind her entitled actions and beliefs that I felt like she could get to a better place, given the right circumstances. WELL. The circumstances were designed to do so, and I loved the premise. As a heads up, it's not just "a bard named Tom," it's the (essentially) prince of the rival kingdom faking being a commoner to learn more about his people whom she is intended to be betrothed to in order to end a generational war between them. That's left out of the blurb for some reason and it's not a twist or a surprise in the book or anything, so I was shocked when I learned the full details of the setup as it was happening at the start. There's a hint of enemies to lovers in this, but Tom is never really her "enemy" so it didn't annoy me.

And ah, god, Alexandra grows so much. She refuses food so often in the first arc of the story that I have a not that says "I feel like this bitch is always refusing food, like just eat something" with the thought of how much she'll regret this later. As far as I could tell she went days without eating anything because she was too haughty for whatever was offered. It killed me, it was so impractical. But she reflects on this later in her year and thinks the exact same thing, which was very vindicating and made me soften toward her. She could see and admit her flaws, and work to change them, even if it took some time to get to that point.

Don't forget Tom, either! We get a few chapters from his perspective, though Alexandra is mostly the star. He's a lovable character, to the point where the animosity before they set off was somewhat confusing. The romance in this is present, but a light touch. It's more about them each learning more about themselves and then finding ways they connect, rather than just a proximity-based flash fire. This is like a coming of age story, with some romance, and a lil bit of royalty/ruler intrigue.

Overall I really loved this one, and can't wait for the next book in July!

Thanks to NetGalley for a free copy. This is my honest review.

Princess Alexandra's character develops significantly, learning humility, compassion, and selflessness, influenced by Tom, a young bard with a lighthearted nature and hidden depth. Her transformation is central to the story's moral, contrasting the lives of nobility and commoners, and reflecting on social struggles and duties.

I am not sure if I would continue with this series but I would check it out if I have nothing else to read.

What a lovely and spicy love story!! The characters were well developed and I immediately feel in love with Tom’s character. Alexandra was of course difficult to latch onto at the beginning, but she does a full 180 which was expected. The spice was juicy and romantic! I needed a break from high fantasy and this checked that box. I really look forward to the next book as it was left open for a sequel. Thank you to the author Vanessa Green and Net Gallery for the e-arc!!

This book requires a little more time for you to become immersed in the reading but when it happens everything starts to flow better.

The most interesting point of the book is following Alexandra’s journey becoming an “ordinary” person and the romance. I loved how her relationship with Tom developed, despite being a retelling, I found the story to have a lot of personality.

A historical romance retelling of King Thrushbeard. The story follows Princess Alexandra who has rejected all her suitors at her debut and is then forced to live in poverty with the lowliest commoner, a young bard named Tom. If Alexandra can live a life of a commoner fora. full be reinstated and put back in the palace and will in turn be given the title of regent. Should be easy enough right? Wrong. Alexandra is now forced to face the harsh reality of the poor and must learn to care for someone other than herself. As she faces this new reality she also begins to fall for her handsome and lighthearted companion.... but when the time comes to choose between returning to her old life as a princess and her new life.... what will she choose? This is a marked as fantasy romance however there was very little actual fantasy in this story. It definitely leaned much more on the slow historical romance aspect. This book felt very slow and if I'm being honest, I found myself nearly dnf-ing it multiple times. The story was okay at best but I dont think I would read the next book. It felt a bit too slow for me and I just didn't find myself all that invested. There is spice and romance but it just didn't hit the spot for me. However, I do think that if you enjoy fairytales and historical romances with a bit of spice, definitely give this a go.

Release Date: November 30, 2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Indie/Self for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*