Book Review: The Rose Bargain (The Rose Bargain #1) by Sasha Peyton Smith

March 15, 2025February 14, 2025 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★☆
Genre: NA Fantasy Romance
Length: 400 pages
Author: Sasha Peyton Smith
Publisher: Harper Collins
Release Date: February 4th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The Cruel Prince meets The Selection in this captivating duology opener brimming with heart-pounding romance, vicious competition, and beautiful, cruel fae, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Witch Haven, Sasha Peyton Smith.

Every citizen of England is granted one bargain from their immortal fae queen.

High society girls are expected to bargain for qualities that will win them suitors: a rare talent for piano in exchange for one’s happiest childhood memory. A perfect smile for one’s ability to taste.

But Ivy Benton’s debut season arrives with a shocking twist: a competition to secure the heart of the Queen’s fae son, Prince Bram. A prize that could save Ivy’s family from ruin… and free her sister from the bargain that destroyed her.

Yet every glittering fae deal has a rotting heart—and at the center of this contest is a dark plot that could destroy everything Ivy knows.

Sweepingly romantic and deceptively enchanting, this alternate history romantasy will enthrall readers of Holly Black, Stephanie Garber, and Adalyn Grace.

YO, WHAT.

This book had one moment where I absolutely shouted WHAT in my car and I love that for me. Bring me a book that has a shock factor and I am your girl. I adored this book a lot. The audiobook was great and this reminded me of why I enjoy fantasy romance so much. I will say it definitely leans into the new adult category over young adult if you were curious.

I loved the setting. I can’t get enough of historical fantasy and liked the twist that this one had. The bargains and fae and competition all aligned with the coup in progress and I enjoyed the betrayals and twists throughout. I don’t mind a love triangle involving brothers and this one had the right plot edge that I knew something else was going on and was excited to figure out what that happened to be. I do think one of the brothers was a little flat for 90% of the book but now I think that has opened up a lot more for book two.

An absolute gem in my mind. Fantastic book, can’t wait for more.

Overall audience notes:

NA Fantasy Romance
Language: mild
Romance: one open door
Violence: moderate
Content Warnings: loss of life, torture, loss of loved ones

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

ALC Book Review: Upon a Starlit Tide by Kell Woods

February 18, 2025February 11, 2025 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Historical Fantasy Romance
Length: 432 pages
Author: Kell Woods
Publisher: Tor Books
Release Date: February 18th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Saint-Malo, Brittany, 1758.
For Lucinde Leon, the youngest daughter of one of Saint-Malo’s wealthiest ship-owners, the high walls of the city are more hindrance than haven. While her sisters are interested in securing advantageous marriages, Luce dreams of escaping her elegant but stifling home and joining a ship’s crew. Only Samuel—Luce’s best friend and an English smuggler—understands her longing for the sea, secretly teaching her to sail whenever she can sneak away. For Luce, the stolen time on the water with Samuel is precious.

One stormy morning, Luce’s plans are blown off course when she rescues Morgan de Chatelaine, the youngest son of the most powerful ship-owner in Saint-Malo, from the sea. Immediately drawn to his charm and sense of adventure, she longs to attend the glittering ball held in honor of his safe return and begins to contemplate a different kind of future for herself.

But it is not only Luce’s hopes at stake—the local fae are leaving Brittany and taking their magic with them, while the long-standing war with the English means Saint-Malo is always at risk of attack. As Luce is plunged into a world of magic, brutality, and seduction, secrets that have long been lost in the shadowy depths of the ocean begin to rise to the surface. The truth of her own power is growing brighter and brighter, shining like a sea-glass slipper.

Or the scales of a sea-maid’s tail.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the gifted audiobook.

SQUEAKED OUT A FOUR STAR.

I kind of felt all over about this one. What I did love was the unique mash-up of The Little Mermaid and Cinderella. I could easily see the nods to the story but adding in the historical fiction elements really set the plot apart and it did feel fresh rather than a regurgitated attempt at a new story.

I enjoyed Luce’s character and her growth. Somewhat naive and under her father’s thumb she slowly moves away as she understands her history, falls in love, and finds out where she truly belongs. The love story was different than I was expecting but the more I sit with it, the more that I think it makes sense for the novel and the more I like it.

The middle dragged for me and I think I was hoping for something more. Everyone got their dues and I loved seeing all of the different faerie folk woven throughout. The ending had me almost throwing my phone across the room BUT LUCKILY the epilogue saved it and I feel good about how things went down. It’s a sturdy, well planned standalone.

Overall audience notes:

Historical fantasy romance
Language: low
Romance: brief open door
Violence: moderate
Content warnings: torture, loss of life

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

Book Review: The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door by H.G. Parry

January 25, 2025January 1, 2025 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Length: 464 pages
Author: H.G. Parry
Publisher: Orbit Books
Release Date: October 22nd, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From the author of The Magician’s Daughter comes The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door, a mythic, magical tale full of secret scholarship, faerie curses, and the deadliest spells of all—the ones that friends cast on each other.

All they needed to break the world was a door, and someone to open it.

Camford, 1920. Gilded and glittering, England’s secret magical academy is no place for Clover, a commoner with neither connections nor magical blood. She tells herself she has fought her way there only to find a cure for her brother Matthew, one of the few survivors of a faerie attack on the battlefields of WWI which left the doors to faerie country sealed, the study of its magic banned, and its victims cursed.

But when Clover catches the eye of golden boy Alden Lennox-Fontaine and his friends, doors that were previously closed to her are flung wide open, and she soon finds herself enmeshed in the seductive world of the country’s magical aristocrats. The summer she spends in Alden’s orbit leaves a fateful mark: months of joyous friendship and mutual study come crashing down when experiments go awry, and old secrets are unearthed.

Years later, when the faerie seals break, Clover knows it’s because of what they did. And she knows that she must seek the help of people she once called friends—and now doesn’t quite know what to call—if there’s any hope of saving the world as they know it.

Thank you to Orbit Books for the gifted ARC.

GREAT READ.

I enjoyed this one a lot and highly recommend the audiobook format for picking it up. I loved the narrator and it had such a great story telling quality that was really engaging from the get go. I loved the plot set-up and watching the slow build of Clover’s character.

The middle did fall off a bit and things dragged around as some of the mundane life aspects were happening without the plot changing. But I liked the complicated dynamic and relationship between all of these college students and how the force of time and circumstances changed everything.

At least the ending brought things back around and I liked how it all came together. It’s a truly solid standalone that wraps up the story lines in a satisfactory way. I admittedly would have loved a little more romance or at least generation of chemistry between one pair but that’s alright.

Overall audience notes:

Historical Fantasy
Language: mild
Romance: one closed door
Violence: moderate

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

Book Review: A Cruel Thirst by Angela Montoya

December 17, 2024December 17, 2024 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Historical Fantasy Romance
Length: 432 pages
Author: Angela Montoya
Publisher: Joy Revolution
Release Date: December 17th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A fledgling vampire and a headstrong vampire huntress must work together–against their better judgment—to rid the world of monsters in this irresistible romantic fantasy.

Carolina Fuentes has always wanted to join her family in hunting down the bloodthirsty monsters that plague her pueblo. But these days, her father wants her out of town with a husband of his choosing. That’s not happening. Carolina plans to show everyone that she’d make a better vampire slayer than wife. But when she runs into a sediento that is not only handsome but kind, she questions everything.

Lalo Villalobos doesn’t act on impulses. As the eldest of two, his duties were to carry on the family business, marry, and have children. But then he is turned into a sediento and must flee the city, taking lives as he goes north, where he believes the first vampire was made. Surely, the pueblo there will have the answers to reverse this curse or end sedientos altogether. Another unexpected turn? Lalo runs right into a beautiful young woman who’d gladly stake him.

Fortunately, mostly for him, they share a common enemy. They can stop these evil beasts. Together. And if along the way, Lalo and Fernanda discover what it is to truly live and love, then they’ll have won anyway.

Thank you to PRH Audio for the audiobook and Get Underlined for my gifted copy.

LOVED THE LORE.

This was a good sophomore book to follow up Sinner’s Isle. It made me an official fan of Angela Montoya and I will continue to look forward to her new releases because I love the concepts she comes up with for each book. I loved the deep lore and historical fantasy vibes that A Cruel Thirst had. All the vampire content y’all. The time period was perfect and set a haunting atmosphere listening for what was going to go bump in the night.

The romance was a little too rushed for me though. I was hoping for a bit more development and connection between them. The banter was good and they really were sweet on each other at least.

I liked how the story wrapped up and think this is absolutely a solid standalone. I love finding fast paced stories like these. There’s complicated family dynamics, strong sibling relationships and plenty of action. The audiobook was great too and I loved the narrators!

Overall audience notes: