Reading With Tyler

Name: The Rose Bargain
Series: The Rose Bargain #1
Author: Sasha Petyon Smith
Publisher: HarperCollins
Format: Hardcover
Genres: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Romance
Noted Tropes: Bargains, Marriage Competition, Love Triangle, Forbidden Romance, Games and Trials
Spice rating: Behind Closed Doors 🌶️🌶️

Rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Review:

I ate this up. Oh my god, did this book scratch the itch that The Selection by Kiera Cass has left me with!! I really enjoyed Sasha Peyton Smith’s historical romance with cruel fae and their cruel bargains. And the twists presented in this book were just so good (maybe most readers would predict the outcome, but I was so wrapped up in having a good time that I didn’t!)!

Let’s take it step by step. First, our main character, Ivy. She was never really interested in coming out in her Season in order to find a husband. She was more concerned with her sister Lydia, securing a future where she could basically stay with her forever. That was the plan… Until Lydia went missing and this forced Ivy into a position she never expected to be in. One of the disappointing aspects of this story for me was that this is the way in which The Rose Bargain was ‘marketed’ to me – this mystery of her missing sister… and yet Lydia comes home in like chapter 1. The mystery is more about what happened to her while she was gone. And whilst that was fine – I had just expected a different mystery – if that makes sense?

Lydia returning did not suddenly help Ivy – nope. She still has to present herself at the Pact Parade, make a bargain with the Queen and find a husband – all of which she had hoped to avoid, but she does to help her family. The twist is announced that the Queen’s own Son is looking for a bride this season, and so Ivy signs up to that competition of many girls all trying to win the Prince’s hand.

See The Selection vibes? Man, it was good. I enjoyed it. Not all of the trials that the girls went through were all that great to me, but the relationships in this book were excellent and they truly carried the book. Not that the plot wasn’t good! It was, it got slightly confused towards the end for me, but other than that it was good! The relationships however, and the character development!!

There is a love triangle, and while I loved both Prince’s – the love triangle itself did start off pretty slow. And it does kind of feel like an ‘all of a sudden’ everyone is in love sort of development… But this is the only relationship that didn’t completely hit the mark. I still really liked them both – I just felt as though the romance’s for a while required our own imagination for them to work.

Then we have, in my opinion, such a brilliant example of character development. The Six girls all trying to win the Prince’s hand in marriage start off on a weird footing with each other but as we go through the book, alliances and friendships are built – and this was the absolute best part of the book for me. Also, thanks to the single POV chapter that each of them receives, you start to understand them and what they’re there for. I loved these chapters that were sprinkled throughout.

Saying much I think would really spoil this gem. If you liked The Selection, if you like Historical London and those Bridgerton vibes (which I am assured, are there!) and the cruel style fae… The Rose Bargain is it for you. And did I mention, it’s a duology? Which means there is still part of this tale left to be told! And I cannot wait for book 2.

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