The Rose Bargain – Sasha Peyton Smith

Oh my god. It has been so long since I’ve been this sucked into a story. My romantasy era is back in full force and The Rose Bargain by Sasha Peyton Smith currently has me wrapped around its finger. 

The story 

As Ivy Benton grew up in 1800s England, she was surrounded by stories of faeries and “the Otherworld”, a magical alternate world filled with creatures called “Others”. The Queen of England, Queen Mor, is an individual surrounded by legend that says she made a bargain on a battlefield to gain her throne. 

Every member of London society is expected to make a bargain for something that could gain them an advantage in the marriage market. Prettier hair, whiter teeth, more money, Queen Mor will grant your wish – for a price. 

As Ivy enters her first season in London society’s marriage market, she’s tasked with keeping her family afloat from the looming threat of poverty that has come from her sister’s lack of marriage proposals. The story is full of tension surrounding Lydia’s season in society and what bargain she made with the queen. 

“Sometimes I feel like one day every other girl was given instructions on how to grow up, and I missed the lesson.”

Ivy enters a world of turmoil where she works to become Prince Bram’s bride while sneaking around and scheming with his brother, Prince Emmett. As she works to gain favour with Bram, Ivy instead gains close friendships with other girls competing with her for Bram’s hand, all while another game is afoot.

Following Ivy Benton as she enters her first season in 1800s London society, The Rose Bargain offers mystery, tension, romance, and magic that will have you begging for more! 

Characters

I want to start with Lydia because I feel like she has the most mystery surrounding her. As readers, we’re placed in a world where Lydia is put on a pedestal. Shes everything Ivy wants to be and more. Lydia was supposed to take care of everything, she was supposed to take on the responsibility of a big sister, but she didn’t. As someone who’s a big sister and often does take on the responsibility of my younger sibling, I found myself frustrated with Lydia and her character. NO SPOILERS HERE but her bargain was one of the most unrelatable decisions she could’ve made. As an older sibling – an older sister, no less, I don’t think I could ever made a decision like that knowing my family needs me. Lydia making that decision solidified the fact that she just isn’t really there for her sister and her family like Ivy, who’s sacrificing her entire life to fix her family’s misfortunes. It’s crazy to me that an older sister could even allow their younger sibling to take on that role. 

In terms of the other girls that were at the cottage, I think I found myself loving Faith and Marion’s characters the best. Sasha Peyton Smith has written the story in a way that allows us to see every part of the side characters as well which i absolutely adored and when I was reading Faith’s story, I found myself feeling sorry for her but also admiring her strength. Her life was obviously very different than the other girls and she hadn’t grown up the same way but I found myself loving her character growth despite her bitterness. I also loved Marion and how she was so authentically her. The entirety of the book she consistently made decisions that I think she’d be proud to live by and she was kind to all of the girls which I loved. Emmy was a bit of a forgettable character and while her story was interesting, it wasn’t anything mind blowing. I’m hoping that she has a bit more of a role to play in book 2. In terms of Olive, I kind of hated her? LOL not to be that person but she was so whiney and I just couldn’t enjoy her character at all. The only other girl that I really liked getting to know was Greer and the friendship that she had with Ivy was everything. I love that their friendship was something that despite their distance, they’d been able to reconcile and Greer’s final mentions had me in tears! 

“Our clever bargains for shinier hair or prettier feet are just another line item on our wifely résumés, proving that we are good girls. Rose Bargains, they’re called. Bargains to make us beautiful, fragile, sweet—perfect English roses.”

Saved the top four for last; Queen Mor was terrifying! She embodies everything I’m afraid of in a villain. I didn’t expect how much I’d actually love her character. She isn’t one of those villains that you end up liking but I ended up loving the way that the entire book played out with her character. It was so interesting! 

I’m not going to say too much about Bram because I don’t want to spoil the story but the entirety of the book he kind of just bugged me? It was like in The Selection when they were competing between Maxon and Aspen and you just know Aspen needs to go. 

Emmett, my god. I don’t even know what to say without giving it all away but I can’t wait for book two. Every inch of his character gave me chills in the best way possible. 

Ivy – she spoke to my very soul. As someone who is so family oriented, Ivy truly saw right through me. I was immediately hooked on her character when she established how family oriented she was and how she’d give everything for them to be happy in society again. I saw the love that she holds for her sister despite her faults and how she’s willing to sacrifice herself for them. Ivy was one of those characters that I could feel in myself. She was soft and strong and determined and everything I needed from a main character. She knew what she needed and went for it despite everything she wanted. I loved her character. 

The writing 

I found the book so easy to get into and gripping from the very first page. I was sucked into a world of magic and I loved it! 

Final thoughts 

I can’t get this book out of my head. Sasha Peyton Smith did a wonderful job at sucking me into this story and these characters, and I NEED book 2 immediately! 

Rating: 5/5⭐️ (I’d give it 6 if I could!)