Description–

     Recent release The Rose Bargain by Sasha Peyton Smith has quickly become a bestseller. It has been said to be like Bridgerton and The Selection. The story takes place in London during the year of 1848, so during Victorian times. The general idea of the book is that for over 400 years there has been a fae queen and every one of her subjects get’s to make a bargain. Every person has one bargain that they can make in their lifetime. The name of the book comes from the idea that debutantes would most likely use their bargain to make themselves more appealing to a man. The novel is focused around a girl named Ivy Benton who’s family in the past few years has become poor. Due to them being in need of money and to be respected, Ivy is their only hope. Yes, she has the sister, but the sister failed at the task and is now empty with no personality. When Ivy has the chance to compete to become the prince’s wife she runs for the chance. Through the signing of her name in blood  she is now one of the women fighting to become princess. Each girl is doing it for their own reasons. However, there is a catch: she cannot marry someone else if she wasn’t chosen to become princess. The girls are put through tasks by the queen to test them for her own enjoyment. There are rebellions secretly being planned, plot twists, and unexpected relationships like falling for the wrong prince. 

Favorites–

     I loved this book because the author made sure the reader knew what was going on with the other characters too. It is definitely on the top of the list of books I recommend.  Yes, the main character was Ivy but there were so many things that the reader gets to learn from others’ perspectives. There are more options to have more complex understandings of everyone in the book that would usually be glazed over. It was also interesting to read about a story taking place in the 1800’s but have a spin of fantasy in it where there was fae and another world to think about. The whole story readers are wondering who Ivy will end up with. She gets help from the prince’s stepbrother on how to win over the prince. She’s pulled into what the other prince has in mind for her to help himself. When you get to the last hundred pages there is so much that goes on that completely surprises the reader. 

About author-

     So far in her writing career Smith has two best-selling novels. One being The Rose Bargain the other being The Witch Haven. The Witch Haven was the first book she wrote back in 2021 which is also a historical fantasy like The Rose Bargain. This is a two book series so far. Smith is originally from Utah and went to D.C. for college but never moved back home. Other than being a writer she has also been a scientist. In college she went to be a STEM major, but she spent her free time writing and then she realized that is what she wanted to do. So her writing career started through the writing of fanfiction. Based on her profiles and blurb on her website and social media it is clear that she is into the paranormal and the fantasy stuff she puts in her books. On Smith’s website it states, “She lives in a 100-year-old house in the mountains of Utah, with her husband and (allegedly) two ghosts though she has yet to see them.” After reading her recent novel that was just released, The Rose Bargain I would definitely consider reading her other novels due to how much I enjoyed reading this one. 

Why read?

     This book is for people who like historical books or fantasy. It is written through third-person point of view which lets the reader hear from different perspectives. It gives the reader more knowledge than the main character knows themselves. In addition, there is adventure and the girls are cut-throat because of how high the stakes are for this competition. If you are the type of reader who loves adventure with a side of romance then this book is for you. Even if you are the type of person who doesn’t normally pick up a book just give this book a try. Who knows it might surprise you. It’s also not a big commitment because only the first book is out so far. The second one is released sometime next year, so there is plenty of time to let this book be the one that causes you to fall in love with reading.