BOOK NOOK: The Rose Bargain by Sasha Peyton Smith

 

"Remembering is heavy. It lasts so long."

I have been in the mood for enchantment lately, being drawn to whimsical books I can enjoy while sitting out in my garden as I listen to the sound of birdsong.  With a China teapot full of mint tea and a dainty tea cup, I can sit in the glider by the patio table and enjoy a lovely afternoon of sunshine and reading. 

The lighter half of the year is the perfect time to indulge in novels of the fey and the faerie court, so when I received The Rose Bargain, I knew I had to save it until I could give myself up to the story entirely. I finished it today and it has been a fabulous read. Like many fey novels, this is a tale of romance, beauty and trickery. It has some parallels with Christina Rosetti's poem, Goblin Market and it also reminded me a little of These Hallow Vows. 

The Rose Bargain tells the story of two sisters, Ivy and Lydia.  Lydia has been missing since her formal presentation to the queen at her coming out, and Ivy is determined to find out what happened to her. The book begins in England, during the 1400's and the Wars of the Roses. However, in this version of events, the fey queen intervenes in the Wars and the outcome is that she takes the English throne for herself, setting up her Fey Court at Kensington Palace, in London.  Fast forward four hundred years and Ivy is due to make her own debut at Queen Mor's Fey Court, where she hopes to discover where her sister vanished to. 

But the Queen has a surprise for all the debutants. One of them will be chosen to marry her son and heir, Prince Bram, after a series of tests and trials to determine who is the most suitable. Each English Rose competitor is allowed to make a single bargain with the Queen, in the hopes of improving her chances of becoming the chosen bride. Bargains such as a prettier smile in return for a happy memory, or a musical gift in exchange for a finger nail and so on, are bartered for and agreed upon with the queen. Their competitor contracts are signed in blood and the games begin.

However, like all Fey, the Queen doesn't play fair, for she is of course a trickster, leading the girls a merry dance around the May Pole as she plays a game of bait and switch, with her son as the prize and poverty and destitution, or even death, as the punishment for those not chosen.   Ivy is thrust into this deadly game of ritualized courtship and she finds herself torn between Prince Bram and his rebellious half brother, Emmett. With her family at stake and her reputation on the line, she has to ensure she wins the Crown Prince, while keeping her feelings for his brother a secret. 

The Rose Bargain is a fantasy novel of high stakes courtship, glittering ballrooms, faerie revels and forbidden romance. It is the first novel in a duology and I cannot wait to read the second book! It's a great read and would appeal to anyone who likes faerie romance, so if you enjoyed reading These Hallow Vows, then you will probably like The Rose Bargain too.  Happy reading! 

Marie x

AD: The Rose Bargain is published by Harper Collins from February 2025 and is out now in hardcover, audio and digital formats. 

BOOK NOOK: The Cornish Witch by Elena Collins

"This is how people ensnare us, by promising things that won't come to pass."

I have just finished reading The Cornish Witch by Elena Collins, which was kindly gifted to me for review by the publisher Boldwood Books prior to its release. I enjoyed it immensely and it is one of those witchy historical novels that I love to read. Set in Cornwall in a small fishing village it tells the duel narratives of Susanna and Katel, a mother and daughter from the 1600s, and Megan, a modern day surfer and herbalist. 

When Megan discovers that she has a half sister, she travels to Cornwall to find out more about her. There she spends her time surfing and diving, and learning about the history of the haunted pub where she is staying, The Ship Inn. After a close encounter with the not so friendly ghosts, she is determined to find out who they are and why the are so tormented.

Back in 1625 The Ship Inn was the bustling hub of the village. It was also the base for a group of smugglers and wreckers, who would stash their stolen booty in the cellar.  Susanna lives in one of the cottages attached to the Inn and she makes her living as a healer, wise woman and midwife. In this quiet, sheltered life she has brought up her only daughter, Katel, who is a flighty young woman eager for male attention. In her hurry to find love and ward away rivals, she turns to a less wise women than her mother, a woman called Tedda who has a reputation for witchcraft.  The subsequent spell casts a dark shadow over the whole village, leaving both Katel and her mother in danger, as the workings of the spell play out with disastrous consequences. I felt great empathy for Susanna who was the calm voice of reason trying to break through the noise of irrational fear and a web of superstition. 

This is a novel in the style of a traditional Cornish sea yarn, filled with smugglers, sea shanties, witchcraft, romance and of course, ghosts.  In lots of ways it reminded me of the works of Daphne du Maurier, so if you like books such as Jamaica Inn and Frenchman's Creek, The Cornish Witch will probably be one you will enjoy too.  I especially liked the descriptions of surfing, which really gave a feeling of being swept up by the power of the ocean and carried on crests of waves.  As a non-swimmer I really appreciated this insight into what it must be like to be a surfer and to feel completely at home and safe in the sea. 

It is a coastal novel and I could almost smell the surf and the tang of the ocean as I read this book. It was eerily atmospheric when it needed to be and at the same time, it had all the freshness of a coastal mystery and romance.  It is the first time I have ever read any of this author's work and I was hooked from the very first page, which is always a good sign.  I believe she has also written another novel about a highway-woman, so I'm certainly going to be picking that one up next.

The Cornish Witch is the perfect read for anyone who loves the work of Daphne du Maurier or Barbara Erskine. It will sweep you away on a tide of intrigue and leave you feeling as if you have spent time on the beautiful Cornish coast, wherever you happen to be.  It's the perfect book for taking on holiday.  Happy reading!

Marie x

AD: This book was sent to be by the publisher, Boldwood Books, prior to its release for the purposes of review. It is available in all formats from the 20th April 2025.