This book is a very interesting dichotomy of cute & cozy and surprisingly dark & epic. I can absolutely see where it’s likened to The Cruel Prince. It has very similar vibes. Ivy is a really fun FMC. I loved her stubbornness and that fact that she is very self aware of her flaws. She knows she is a bit coddled and unprepared for the world. I LOVED the chapters from other POVs and the glimpses they gave into everyone else’s backstory.
I will admit I had suspicions at the beginning of the book, but as the went on I was convinced myself there wasn’t some ulterior motive….only to be proven complete wrong in the last few chapters! 😆 It’s the kind of book I look forward to eventually rereading and trying to see if I spot any clues I missed the first time around.

If you cross The Bachelor with Bridgertons and add in a fae prince, then you’ll have this book.

Short Synopsis:
England is ruled over by an immortal fae queen. She grants each of her subjects one bargain - with society girls on their debut season. Most girls use their bargains to make themselves more attractive to potential suitors. But this season is different. Her fae prince son is looking to wed. And Ivy sees this as her chance to get her parents out of ruin.

My Thoughts:
There’s something about Sasha Peyton Smith’s writing that makes it addictive and THE ROSE BARGAIN was no exception. I gobbled this up like candy. It was so good.

The Prince brothers. The society girls. The found family. The competition. I loved every single second of it.

The longing and “practice” romance between Emmett and Ivy - whiles she’s trying to win the hand of his brother - just stab me in the heart why don’t you? I LOVED them.

And now I have to impatiently wait for two. Highly recommend.

What You’ll Find:
Trials for marriage
Fae prince
Royal brothers
Sister relationships
Forbidden love
Romance for “practice”
Just one bed

The Rose Bargain by Sasha Peyton Smith was an enchanting, fast paced read. High Society girls compete and make a bargain to win the Prince’s heart. There can only be one winner but Ivy Benton is determined to protect her family. With the help of an unlikely ally, Ivy will see if she has what it takes to free her sister.
This was a fun unique type of romantic fantasy. Although I was able to predict all the twist it was still an enjoyable read. I would say that the ending felt rushed but I am still looking forward to see how the duology concludes in the next book.
Thank you for the eARC! 3.5 🌟

Are you kidding me with that ending?! I need Book 2 IMMEDIATELY! Needless to say, I loved the Rose Bargain. The plot, character development, and the ending were all so satisfying. I devoured this book in one day and am so sad I will have to wait for Book 2.

I received an ARC from HarperCollins Children's Books | HarperCollins via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed parts of this book, but the bad was so jarring that I’ve had a hard time reviewing and rating this novel.

I love this concept, alternate history with magic is so cool and I feel like Smith does an ok job mixing fae folklore with Victorian history, but I think she could have done more. Also, some things just didn’t make sense in the context of this world. There was a Shakespeare reference that make me question how he could have written R&J in this world. Other social conventions didn’t make sense with all of England living under a fae queen.

As far as characters go I really liked our protagonist and the dark nature of the Queen, I thought that was fun and interesting and I think Smith could have made the fae even meaner. It felt at times like a tamer version of Holly Black’s fae dynamic.

Alright, on to what I fully didn’t like. I wanted to love the romance and at times I really liked it, but the pacing felt off. I couldn’t believe that they could fully love each other in this time frame.

My biggest qualm is that this is a YA novel. That means that this book should be closed door romance at the most and I was so completely shocked to have some sort of open/cracked door romantic scene. I feel like a fade to black would be more appropriate for teens.

What a very hit or miss book for me 😅

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Youngest sister Ivy has to take over the role of securing an advantageous match after her sister’s abrupt disappearance and reappearance from society has ruined their family’s reputation. In addition to entering society, she is expected to make a bargain with the faerie Queen Moryen to entice marriage prospects’ favor, but there is always a cost. Out of hope, Ivy enters the contest for fae Prince Bram’s hand in marriage. In a fight against the other ladies of the Ton, a dangerous faerie Queen with an agenda, and growing feelings for the wrong prince, Ivy has a lot to lose but everything to gain.

This has been one of my favorite books this year with its immersive retelling of an alternate British history that invokes the feelings of 1800s romance of Bridgerton combined with the nefarious faerie agenda of Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia. I believe The Rose Bargain did everything right with the heart pounding romance, intense suspense, and unexpected life lessons. I was not expecting a novel about a love triangle to remind me 1) the grass isn’t always greener on the other side, 2) dreams/fantasies come at a cost, 3) sometimes it takes something tragic to remind us about the priorities in our life.

The love triangle had me going nuts! I could not decide whether I was rooting for Ivy to be with Prince Bram or Prince Emmett. The trio elicited such conflicted feelings and had me feeling betrayed when I would choose one brother over the other, which is exactly how I want to feel when reading about a love triangle. There was something so steamy about Ivy initially rejecting Prince Emmett’s advances and then him later teaching her how to make Bram fall for her. My only complaint is that I wish I could have had more of Ivy and Emmett and the building of their romance, but I guess I will have to wait for the second in the duology. It will be an especially long wait with the twist at the end!

The Rose Bargain is for romantasy readers who are fans of the tropes: one bed, love triangles, forbidden romance, found family, matchmaking, and reformed rake. Additionally, fans of Bridgerton, Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia, and the Bachelor TV show will enjoy this novel.

Disclaimer: Thank you Harper Collins for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

Hey there! I’d like to thank Harper Collins and NetGalley for a copy of this ARC!

To start, I’d like to give my rating of 3.5/5

Overall the general story was very enjoyable and I’m curious to see how book 2 goes.
I’ve always loved stories that paint the fae as cunning tricksters and show the darker side of immortality. Word choice is one of my favorite tools in the author’s arsenal.

The Rose Bargain by Sasha Peyton Smith is a new romantasy that had me on the edge of my seat as I was reading. It has romance, mystery, unexpected friendships, and a love triangle that was well done (and I don't particularly like love triangles).

Ivy Benton is our FMC who is just trying to look out for her family whose social status is in shambles. She is to be presented before the immortal Queen Mor where she can bargain for her deepest desire, at a cost of course. What is that cost? Well, that is left up to the Queen to decide and some payments might not be worth having your deepest desire granted. As Ivy is being presented though, Queen Mor makes an announcement where there will be a competition for Bram's (her son) hand in marriage. Ivy jumps on this opportunity and is the first to sign her name in blood. Little did she know just what she was signing up for though. Thankfully, she has the help of Prince Emmett, Bram's brother.

The girls competing for Bram's hand in marriage have to go through a set of trials Queen Mor sets up to test them. The trials are well brutal to say the least. But some unexpected friendships are formed and in the background of all this, Prince Emmett and Ivy grow closer as they help each other which presents a conundrum as she's competing for his brother's hand in marriage.

One thing I loved about this book is that we didn't just get Ivy's POV. We also got little snippets from the other characters. It provided a nice little break and deeper insight into all of them. And that ending? Wow. I was pleasantly surprised at that twist. I can honestly say I did NOT see that coming. I can't wait for the next book to read about what happens next.

First off thank you thank you thank you! I couldn’t wait to read this so being able to read it early was a dream. This is exactly the book I needed to get me out of a book slump. It’s like bridgerton meets the selection (sorta) meets fae. It was amazing. However I will warn the last 10% threw me and I realllyyyyy need the second book now. Highly recommend if you are a fan of romantasy. Can’t wait to read more from this author as this was my first read. Thanks again :)

A truly gipping tale! Our main character Ivy is unexpectedly thrown into a competition to “fix” her family s social standing. With a huge resentment and urge to make her parents happy after their fall from grace she goes headfirst with a hurried plan. With the competition for the eldest sons hand in marriage even if she loses she has improved her family social standing. Also never having no interest in the Prince or in marriage at all she just decides to make due with the cards she has been dealt. She is later realizing that the Queen is not what she seems. The other girls in the competition are also not what they seem but even though up against one another to win the princes and queens favor they form a bond. After the Queens first individual lesson ending in bruises and injuiries they quickly learn her cruelty. Even worse they are enchanted to not say anything to the Prince. The competetion ensures and shortly after the human prince enrolls her to win the crown princes heart to dethrone the queen. Ivy agrees and together they work on her flirting skills. As she is inexerienced she takes his instruction amd winds up falling for the younger prince. All while her resentment for her sister and hatred for the Queen fester constantly. Towards the end a most inpredictible plot twist that intruly did not see coming! Very fast paced and quick, quite intrugued as to where the story ends up next.

That ending! I absolutely loved this one and I’m impatiently waiting for the second one now after that ending! 5 star rating is on Goodreads.

1. Immediately upon finishing this I had to check that it’s not a stand alone. It’s not. It’s a duology. The second book will be released in 2026. Which…is basically a lifetime away.
2. I fell in love with Smith’s writing after reading her Witch Haven duology. I preordered this and didn’t even read a synopsis. I started reading it without knowing a single thing about it. I actually somehow thought it was some kind of French Versailles setting. It’s not.
3. This is set in an alternate 1840s London which has been closed off from the rest of the world by the Fae Queen Mor who has been ruling it since the 1400s. She’s eternal and that gets dull so she entertains herself by offering her subjects the opportunity to make a bargain. They make a request. If it’s possible to grant their request, she names her price. Want to be a little taller? It’ll cost you a toe. Want to forget something? It’ll cost you a molar. Want to change the color of your hair? You can never turn to the left again. You don’t have to make a bargain - but most people do.
4. There are two princes - one is Queen Mor’s from the Fae World. The other is her mortal human stepson. She’s looking for a wife for her Fae son. So she sets up some trials. Think The Selection meets A Court of Thorns and Roses…only really really good. And dark.
5. With mystery, politics, a love triangle, magic, and more this is a fabulous read! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - I will read anything Sasha Peyton Smith writes.

The Rose Bargain defied expectations at every turn. On one hand, there's this deadly trial which is only heightened by the presence of the Fae. These aren't the ethereal kindhearted beings you might expect. This is Fae with a capital F, the type who view humans as playthings. They're cruel and faced with eternity they chase entertainment above all else with humanity paying the cost. It's like having a selection process for the next Queen, but is run by a cruel and callous ringmaster who only cares about the spectacle. On the other hand, we have a story about a romance which may be doomed from the start.

There's tension and angst and we love it even more so because the reason it's doomed is for the entire good of the land. It's the only way they have a chance at being free of the Fae. We love a doomed, yet noble, tragic love story. But what I didn't expect was that The Rose Bargain features chapters from other characters specifically the other contestants. This gave the book not only a more three dimensional feeling, but allows us to see that in this sexist world of marriages as tickets to security and the Fae, no one is safe. Everyone has skin in the game.

In the alternate universe of The Rose Bargain, the Wars of the Roses ended when Queen Moryen left her fairy kingdom and killed both the York and Lancaster claimants to have herself crowned as Queen of England. An immortal and infinitely powerful monster of unearthly beauty, Mor has held her subjects in thrall for over four hundred years. Every subject is granted a single magical bargain to be claimed at some time in his or her life. Most are simple exchanges - a beautiful singing voice for a finger, a lovely face or figure for a toe, business success for one's hair - but some are complicated and unbearably cruel. Among the upper classes, young debutantes make their bargains in the Pact Parade. Some girls bargain for a wealthy husband, a straight nose or perfect teeth. Some live to regret their bargains.
Ivy Benton is a pretty girl whose life has been overshadowed by her beautiful older sister, Lydia. When Lydia's mysterious bargain plunges her entire family into penury and social ruin, only Ivy can save them. Hoping to either annul Lydia's bargain or, perhaps, shore up the Bentons' fortunes with a good marriage, Ivy is surprised to learn that her debutante season will be distinguished by the betrothal of Prince Bram, Mor's handsome young son. Any eligible young lady may sign up to woo Bram, but she must agree to remain unwed if he rejects her and she must submit to the Queen's special "training."
I don't usually care for mashups, I have little interest in the Fae, and I haven't read a good Regency novel in ages, but I LOVED The Rose Bargain!
Ivy and her fellow bargainers are interesting character, as is Bram, and his step-brother, Emmett. Despite some really intense brutality and sexuality that is a bit too much for a young adult story, this is a well-written and enthralling book that I hated to see end. A sequel is needed and I look forward to reading it.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Harper Collins for the opportunity to read a free advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Faerie tales all have the same lesson, really: don't go searching in the dark.⟡₊ ⊹

🌸 Marriage Competition
🌹 Love triangle
🌸 Fairy bargains
🌹 Victorian era
🌸 Royalty
🌹 Only one bed

Thank you to @netgalley and @harpercollons for the arc copy! I devoured this lush fairytale in two days! A delicious blend of The Selection, Bridgerton, The Cruel Prince and Once Upon a Broken Heart. It was fun, whimsical and frilly with a dark edge. There’s delicious yearning and pining which I adore in a YA romance. I really enjoyed that each girl got a chapter from her POV to explain their motivations and inner thoughts. It’s going to be a duology and after the ending I need book two as soon as possible.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 4.5 stars

➸ 3.5 stars

“When one makes a faerie bargain, one must be prepared to pay the price. There is one silver lining. I have nothing to lose.”

𓍢⊹ ࣪ thank you to netgalley and the publishers for the advanced readers copy!

✨ marriage competition
🌹 minor trials
✨ forbidden love
🌹 faerie bargains
✨ high society 1848 london

this was such a fun read! it was really easy to read and i flew through it! immediately from chapter one i was utterly obsessed with the banter between ivy and emmet and it was such a promising start to the book!

overall, things kind of just fell from there for me. i still don’t know what to think of ivy, the fmc, i just don’t have much thoughts there! i did like emmet, mostly because of the dynamic between him and ivy HOWEVER i felt like there was no build up which made me not really see a connection between them!

ALSO, authors and getting quite bold these days sneaking in fully detailed smut chapters in YOUNG ADULT novels!!! what happened to fade to black???? a warning of explicit content at the start would be nice to have for the younger readers out there at least!

i also felt like the stakes weren’t so high; the trials were boring and overall i felt like nothing exciting was happening… UNTIL THE END!!!! i did like the twist at the end and i kind of saw it coming but it was nice having a oh my god this really just happened moment and im definitely looking coward to book two!!

i wish we could’ve gotten more of the side characters and their stories! i absolutely loved their povs and i found them all so intriguing!! GREER DESERVED BETTER. anyways, i hope to see more of them as they have some amazing stories for their characters and i really loved the friendships they found with each other!!

I'm completely obsessed! This is my first book by Sasha Peyton Smith, but it won't be my last! I loved every page of this rich, indulgent world, and I just know this book is going to take the world by storm.

I love, love, loved this one! An intriguing and uncanny magic system + the mystery of Ivy's sister's missing memories + the high stakes competition for Prince Bram's hand = me not being able to put this book down. An instant favorite. I cannot wait for the sequel!

3.75/5 stars

This is a book that perfectly falls into the good, but not quite great category for me. It has a lot of things that were done well and has potential for it to be even better, but just lacked a little bit of the depth and excitement that I think it could have had to be a really excellent book. That being said, I still was entertained the whole time and will be reading the next one! I just wanted a smidgen more from it.

The book premise is a lot of fun, with a fae Queen of England in a human world who grants the citizens one bargain each. The girls of High Society are granted their bargain on their debut day, often asking for beauty or traits that will make them more desirable on the marriage mart. The start of this book has our FMC, Ivy, looking for her sister, who has been missing for some time. When her sister re-appears, it causes a scandal, so Ivy’s debut is tainted with familial disgrace, and while she is still invited to present to the queen, she doesn’t have any hope for an actual marriage proposal this season. But this year, there is a twist. The Queen’s fae son is looking for a wife, and this year, the debutantes can choose to join the competition for his hand. But it wouldn’t be a YA novel without a little love triangle, in the form of Prince Bram’s step brother and the human Prince of England. This second prince has a rogue reputation and is the exact opposite of Bram in every way. As the competition continues, Ivy discovers a secret mission to overthrow the Queen and take back England for the humans.

As I said, the book overall was entertaining and I always love a competition and secret love triangle with a forbidden love angle. The story was an entertaining mix of historical fiction (similar to Bridgerton), fantasy elements, and an upper YA love story. The characters were intriguing, if lacking a little depth, and I enjoyed the side characters and their relationships.

I do wish that there was a little bit more excitement with the competition and a little more rivalry with the girls, although them all coming out as friends was a nice touch too. This is a YA story, but I do think that the romance could have been developed a little bit more for some depth to really see them falling in love, but I still was rooting for them to get together, even though we know it isn’t good for either of their goals.

I do think the book got the most exciting at the end, with some twists I wasn’t expecting. It makes me really excited for the next book to see where this is going!

Thank you NetGalley for the copy of this book!

REVIEW: The Rose Bargain 🌹💍

Author: Sasha Peyton Smith
Genre: YA Historical Romantasy
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.25

💬 “I think it was always going to be you for me.”

About the Book: In an alternative England ruled by a deceptive fae queen, Ivy Benton knows that not even magic can fix her family's ruined reputation. Desperate for security (or at least freedom), she enters a competition to win the hand of fae Prince Bram. With the help of his charming human brother, Prince Emmett, Ivy rises as a frontrunner, but the queen’s trials prove more treacherous than she imagined.

💭 This was a super quick and easy read! It hooks you immediately with its prologue and wastes no time diving into the story. It’s a fun mix of The Bachelor and The Selection, set in an alternate England ruled by a fae queen who grants magical bargains. I did wish there was a bit more magic overall though.

The competition to marry Prince Bram has some wild high-stakes moments (including a hedge maze reminiscent of Goblet of Fire). I loved the occasional POV from the other contestants (Marion is prob my fav). I didn’t absolutely love Ivy as our main character, but I didn’t love Emmett. He kinda has my heart.

While the story starts strong, the last act takes a bizarre turn that left me more confused than captivated. Still, it’s a fun, slightly chaotic read that feels very Valentine’s Day season-coded.

💌 Read this if you like The Bachelor, YA fantasy, love triangles, 1800s England, forbidden love, and Bridgerton.