The Rose Bargain by Sasha Peyton Smith was just a decent read for me. What initially drew me in was the blurb comparing it to The Cruel Prince and The Selection, two favorites of mine, which set high expectations. While the concept of the story had potential, the plot felt overly predictable, leaving little room for genuine surprises or tension. The romance felt rushed and lacked the emotional depth needed to make it believable or compelling. While the writing itself was fine and the premise intriguing, the execution fell short of delivering a truly memorable or engaging experience. It’s an okay book if you’re looking for something light, but it didn’t quite stand out.

If you smashed together The Selection with every mediocre fae fantasy from the last 10 years, you’d get “The Rose Bargain.” Ivy’s older sister Lydia regrets the deal she made with the queen of England, who grants a boon to every young woman in exchange for memories or experiences. When Ivy arrives for her turn to make a bargain, the queen announces instead that women can choose to enter into a competition for the hand of her son Prince Bram. Ivy enters a series of trials to prove herself a suitable match for the prince, but quickly finds herself embroiled in a plot to overthrow the queen - a plot started by her stepson, Prince Emmet, who Ivy hates (obviously). I found the worldbuilding very thin, the characters one-dimensional, and the plot just a convenient vehicle for a very generic enemies to lovers romance that generally didn’t make much of an impression.

“The Rose Bargain” combines all aspects of a fantasy romance that I love. Taking place in faerie-ruled England, Ivy must make a magical bargain and compete to marry the Fae Prince. Ivy’s sister has ruined her family’s reputation with a secret bargain and now Ivy is their only hope to rejoin society. Upon joining the competition for the Prince’s hand in marriage, Ivy agrees to help the Second Prince with his secret ambitions. I loved every minute of this story. I was enraptured with Smith’s storytelling and the atmosphere she created. The ending is torture and I cannot wait for the sequel!

For those who love:
🌹 Royal Courting Competition
🌹 Ballgowns and Castle Setting
🌹 “The Selection”
🌹 Faerie Bargains & Lore
🌹 Love Triangle
🌹 Secret Alliances

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a highly-anticipated ARC!

The Rose Bargain is a fast paced YA romantasy that reads like The Selection meets Bridgerton with trickster fae in an alternate history version of London.
In the 1400’s during The War of The Roses a fae Queen stops the bloodbath wars by striking a bargain with one of the sides. Almost immediately she becomes Queen of England and after more than 400 years she still rules with an iron grip over her subjects. Bargains are made between the Queen and the citizens and during the debut of the newest batch of debutantes she announces that her son the Prince finally wishes to marry and this seasons ladies are in the running.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the opportunity to read and review this book which I am giving 3.5⭐️.
I enjoyed this book and thought it was fun and fast paced. As a YA romantasy book, I think it will appeal to a good range of readers. I was pleasantly surprised that the ending was unpredictable and look forward to posting about this book on my social media (TikTok and YouTube) closer to its release date.
If you are in the most for a quick romantasy read this is a good option for 2025

I don’t have much to say about this book. It was an alright read. I mostly picked it because of its comparison to The Selection, but it also felt like it was meant for a younger audience than me. I probably would’ve adored this book in middle school (around my peak Selection obsession), so I would recommend it to middle grade readers or those who like younger YA!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the arc

Ever since her sister Lydia made a foolish bargain with the queen of England, Ivy has been a social pariah and her family's fortune is fading. When she is given the perilous choice to try for the hand of Crown Price Bram, she accepts....although the bargain is far more dangerous than it seemed.

I really loved the side characters in this book, Ivy's sister and the friends she makes while competing for Prince Bram. I really loved the time they spent together and am excited to see more of their stories in the next book. The Queen is also a complex villain, with more layers than it initially seems.

I would definitely recommend this book and am excited to read the next one in the series.

Thank you to Sasha Peyton Smith, HarperCollins Publishers, and NetGalley for the e-print ARC of The Rose Bargain!

4.5 stars

This book was a masterpiece. While slightly slow in its beginning, the middle and ending easily compensated. The last one hundred pages I read in an intense, emotionally-invested sitting. Already, I want a sequel.
If you enjoyed Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber or The Selection by Keira Cass, this book has to be added to your TBR, immediately. Faeries, trickery, a contest for a charming prince’s hand? High stakes, a compelling main character, all set in the royal setting that is nineteenth-century England? What more could you want in a book?

The Rose Bargain is an intriguing fantasy tale with an enchanting premise, where deals made with magical forces come with unforeseen consequences. The book’s world is lush with potential, and the idea of bargaining with mysterious powers sets up an exciting backdrop for the story. The writing has moments of vivid description that capture the mystical quality of the setting, adding to its appeal.

However, the plot progression feels somewhat predictable, and the pacing drags in parts, which can make it challenging to stay fully engaged. While the main character’s journey has moments of growth and reflection, some character interactions lack the depth needed to make them memorable. Despite these issues, there are flashes of charm and suspense, especially in scenes where the stakes of the bargain come to light.

Though it doesn’t fully reach its potential, The Rose Bargain offers an enjoyable escape for fans of light fantasy and fairytale-like stories. With a bit more character and plot development, it could have been more impactful, but as it stands, it’s a pleasant, if somewhat uneven, read.

The Rose Bargain
By Sasha Peyton Smith
4

I did not expect to love this book as much as I do! This was such a fun YA fantasy read! I cannot wait to buy a physical copy of this next year! I have been on a work trip for the past two weeks so I figured I would slowly make my way through this but I stayed up as long as possible the last 3 days because it had me hooked! I’m obsessed with Ivy and Emmett and I actually wish this was considerably longer because I was not ready for it to be over! I hope there are more books in the series because I have sooo many questions! Also I absolutely LOVED when Emmett had to think of a fake name for Ivy on the spot and came up with Fern….

The sudden POV changes were not my favorite thing because the first one threw me off so much I thought it was an arc error but it was a pretty cool way to get a different perspective to the girls. I think some aspects were a bit predictable but honestly I had such a great time that I don’t care. I do wish the romance between Ivy and Emmett and Lydia’s character had been a bit more developed a bit more!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for this gifted arc!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7002482829
*will post on IG closer to release day*

I loved this book!! It was a great pace, excellent characterization. It reminded me of the selection series. If you liked that, mix it with cruel prince, you’ll get this book. Great read!

A mix of Bridgerton and The Cruel Prince? What more could you want! Absolutely loved the vibes in this story and what a fun enemies to lovers romance. I really enjoyed this book and did get The Selection vibes from it as well with the court politics. Would recommend!

Although I do not like true Faerie tales, where they are mean and spiteful and toy with humans, I was intrigued by the description of this story. It is a cross between a faerie story and the Bachelor. Full of twists, it is engaging and I would be willing to overlook the faerie-ness to find out what happens next if there is a sequel.

This was interesting and not what I expected based on the synopsis. I thought it was going to be the usual YA love triangle fantasy, but it was a bit different, which made it more intriguing. We start with the fmc looking for her missing sister and she goes to the Queen to join her in the marriage match during the new season. This book is set in the Regency era and is also fantasy with a fae queen, some sort of zombies, prince brothers, and many family secrets. I enjoyed the world and worldbuilding it was unique and wanted to know more about what was happening. The romance to me wasn't the strong aspect of the book. I am confused about who the love interest is and what the fmc was doing with a particular brother. There seems to be potential with both but I don't know if I'm supposed to like the "villain". The missing sister plot/mystery was also intriguing and I'm glad it went somewhere in the end. Some parts of this book were slow but I think this series is promising. Thanks to Epic Reads for this arc for an honest review.

In an alternative Regency world ruled by a Fae queen, Ivy prepares to make a bargain that will help her sister, who mysteriously disappeared and ruined the family's reputation. The world building in this book is excellent, and I was totally gripped from the start to the twisty, dramatic end. I desperately need the sequel now!

Thank you to the publisher for sending a copy for review

Thank you to NetGalley, Sasha Peyton Smith, and the publisher for allowing me access to the e-Arc.

3.5 stars

This was such a fun read. I entered the sister dynamic between Ivy and Lydia. I felt like Ivy’s character was very likable. A FMC you want to root for even when she is acting a little bratty. I definitely would have loved more magic and fae shenanigans. The interludes with the other ladies in the competition were well done. It helped me to understand more about their motives for competing. I do wish we had gotten to know more about Lydia before she made her deal.

Perfect for the fans of the Selection and Once Upon a Broken Heart.

I would recommend it.

I'm trying to put my finger on what exactly about this wasn't working for me.

A amazing prologue is followed by some rather choppy story telling-- when Ivy has something new to share with us to build out the world or the relationships, it's stationed between dialogue in a way that makes it feel like flashbacks. She'll ask something a question, info dump the context on us, and the answer feels like two pages later. I want to have faith that the this is just a draft error, and would like to preface that the version I'm reading in October 2024 may be uncorrected and not the version published in February 2025.

Writing style aside, cause in this case I can put it aside. The Rose Bargain is being marketed as something between The Cruel Prince and The Selection, but honestly it's feeling a lot more like the latter than the former. Is it just that there is also fae? Is that it? I would rather put this beside the Midnight Bargain or Divine Rivals, where the magic exists in tandem with historic events. This book is more like if Bridgerton had a dash of fairytale whimsy.

And things just go a little too smoothly for Ivy... The plot is avoiding all the hard challenges or she is easily wiggling out of the others. I felt like I was being lied to, but couldn't quiet see the -gotcha-! It all felt rather aimless.
- I don't know what a maypole is a frankly I'm too sacred to ask.
- Antibiotics haven't been invented yet (?) so Ivy should be dead lol
- Riddles?? Where??? Please?

Bram and Emmett are described as the Sun and Moon-- I. LOVE. THIS. As a concept, it's beautiful and I feel like I can perfectly picture what that means for the shape of this story. So explain to me, the entire time, I could not discern a different between their personalities. *Reputation* is not enough, I need to know why. I need to see why. I WANT to see it like everyone else. Color me surprised that the conflict we're in, this love triangle, is so under utilized because the only thing telling the Sun and Moon apart is the color of their hair.

Anyways, this has a lot of potential and is genuinely a good theme-ed, easy read. I think it has a lot of potential.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishing for providing me with an ARC Kindle copy of "The Rose Bargain" by Sasha Peyton Smith, in exchange for a sincere review.

I'm not sure what to say about this one, except that it didn't really strike a chord with me.

The plot hooked me right away: imagine Regency-era British royalty colliding with the cunning of a ruthless, magical Fae queen Mor. Young aristocratic women, eager to secure advantageous marriages during their debut Season, can strike a bargain with this mystical monarch for any boon they desire. Want unmatched beauty or a brilliant mind? The queen can grant it—but at a steep price. Each wish demands a sacrifice: a limb, a cherished memory, never speaking to a loved one ever again, or perhaps something even darker. No one knows exactly what Mor will demand in exchange.

The shocking twist? Prince Bram is also searching for a match this Season. Any girl daring enough can enter the competition for his favor, but with a brutal caveat: all losers are forever banned from romantic pursuits with any man. Our ambitious heroine, Ivy, takes the gamble- not for herself, but to redeem her family's status and help her sister. Yet just as Ivy sets her sights on winning Bram, his stepbrother Emmett throws an unexpected wrench into her plans.

While the stakes are undeniably high, I was disappointed in the trials meant to test the girls' worthiness; they fell short of the story's plot intensity. Likewise, the romance elements missed the mark, making Ivy's choices feel like plot-driven moves rather than genuine decisions for a woman in her unique position.

The shifting points of view felt a bit disjointed and randomly chosen (I don't feel as though we needed to get the other girls' perspectives, at all), but the writing itself was smooth and engaging, making it an overall enjoyable read. What it really needed, though, was deeper character development and more intense, layered emotions between the characters at the heart of the story.

The ending was also just so-so. Nothing really stood out to me as excellent and worth gushing about.

All and all it was a good read, it just left some details to be desired. Three stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins, and HarperCollins Children's Books for this advanced copy! You can pick up The Rose Bargain on February 4, 2025.

Y'all. Y'ALL! This book absolutely blew me away. I finished it in almost one sitting and just could not put it down. I fear Sasha Peyton Smith found some secret, magical recipe to help her capture exactly what I love in a YA fantasy. A little dash of debutantes a la Bridgerton, a sprinkle of women competing for the same man circa The Bachelor and The Selection, and a heavy dose of wicked fae actions per The Cruel Prince. The Rose Bargain has it all, PLUS phenomenal looks into the heads of the other girls competing for the Prince's hand, showcasing their backstory and why they're fighting our protagonist so hard to come out on top.

The romance is, of course, delicious and full of tension. Ivy and Emmett have wonderful chemistry, and the ending made everything especially gut-wrenching. Admittedly, though, I found myself more intrigued by Ivy's relationships with the other girls than her connection with the second prince.

This is absolutely a 10/10 book that y'all MUST pick up come February. It has all the vibes and will leave you emotionally distraught in the best way!!

This book was fine. Describing it as THE SELECTION meets THE CRUEL PRINCE is definitely accurate, and the cover is gorgeous, and it wasn't a bad way to pass the time so I would probably pick up the sequel if I had nothing better to do, but overall it felt to me like "here is a very mid book created in a lab to be a YA fantasy bestseller" and not much more than that. It read like a packaged book in the sense that it hit all its marks and executed everything competently--which is not in itself a criticism, as sometimes that's exactly what you want to read and some packaged books are super engaging and fun!--but in this case also in that it was formulaic and ultimately there wasn't much about the writing or the characters which made it stand out, or made it actively good as opposed to the very conspicuous absence of anything making it actively bad.

Lest you think I'm picking on this book in particular, by the way, I should add that this is an issue I have with so much being published these days! I mean obviously the goal is for a book to at least be compelling even if it doesn't meet any other metrics that might make it actively good, but if that's not on offer, I spend a lot of time considering if I'd rather read books I find more compelling even if they're also more actively bad, as opposed to ones that are just pleasant and unaggressively fine--and the answer is, yes, sometimes, depending on the book and the timing. But the other thing is that if I'm going to read something that's just pleasant and fine, then I want it to cater to my individual tastes because that will help make it inherently more compelling *for me personally*. This book failed me on both counts because it was just okay without being particularly compelling, plus I'm past my saturation point with the reality show romantic competition premise in general (whether it's in contemporary or fantasy or dystopian settings), unless there's something about the execution which really sparkles. However, for readers for whom that and/or historical YA romantasy with fae are bulletproof tropes, this book would probably be a more satisfying read! And in the right circumstances, that can be enough.

Sasha Peyton Smith can write so well and she knows how to keep you captivated!! I did not know that I needed a historic fae romantasy in my life, but it surely found me when I needed it. The Cruel Prince meets The Selection is the most accurate way to describe this book and I loved both series. The competing to win a prince’s love will always be so interesting to me, but I love when immortal, power beings are portrayed accurately. Queen Mor is wicked for the sake of entertaining herself and driving away the boredom of immortality. I love a good villian and she is perfect. Ivy was the perfect FMC to me and the chapters of the other girls were the perfect touch to making this a well rounded book. I was rooting for all the friendship and relationships in the book because all the characters were likable and real. I am not so patiently awaiting the second book, like I NEED it asap.

Thank you to Harper Collins and Netgalley for the ARC!