I enjoyed this, however, the pacing was off at times. It clearly needed some more editing in terms of the writing, but the concept was super interesting!

This was a proper retelling, but I think I need to hold off on them for a little while. I read lots of fairytales when I was younger, so I am quite familiar with a few of them, and retellings very often don't do the originals justice. This one tried, and I enjoyed it, but it didn't fully deliver for me. I started out not really liking the main character, but as the story progressed, I started feeling better toward her.

Tale as old as time, honoring the big name European storytellers this book is set in the times where kingdoms fall if truce and allegiance and forced marriages were not made to happen.
Alexandra the crown princes is full of herself and she wants nothing to do with marriage but she wants to rule her kingdom alongside her brother after her father passes away due to battle wounds.
The queen is unable to get her in line and to break her spirit she makes a plan with the enemy kingdoms heir, who just inherited the throne from his father.
He must disguise himself (*cough* king Mathias from Hungary used to do this often to see peoples character and their true opinion about the rule of the monarchs) and he must life with the princess for a year and break her spirit to humble her in order to make her out to be fitting and obedient wife.
I liked the aspect of it that it meant to serve you the message of someone self absorbed having to think of someone other than herself for once, and slowly knock her down a peg and learn some empathy. but sadly didn't bring out the empathy for her from me.
I loved the very real , very humble, very honest representation of trade that is useful, the message that knowledge cannot be taken from you even if you get robbed of your money.
I liked that the crown prince was not only a spoiled heir, but a battle worn soldier and a man who was comfortable using his hands in manual labor.
Their romance was slow burn and I felt at the beginning her lust was a bit misplaced and as it was played out I think the author did deliver the message she was set out to do so .
I'm giving it 3 stars because in my opinion the writing could use some more editing but it is not the fault of the author but the next chain in the publishing process'.

Okay, so this King Thrushbeard retelling was a bit of a rollercoaster for me. Alexandra starts off as this royally unlikable princess – very bratty. But eventually she begins to grows as a person. She did have trauma in her childhood which I'll bet anything is why she is the way she is..shocker.. It does kinda feels like she’s being "fixed" by the men around her, which made me roll my eyes a bit.

The MMC Tyram, our male lead, was a solid guy – sweet, patient, and all-around decent – but honestly, he could’ve used a little more oomph in the character department. The writing style also started out feeling YA-ish and cute but quickly went into some spice and I would have liked a little more buildup.

That said, I still had fun with this one. It’s a breezy, character-driven read with some romantic flare, perfect if you want something light and easy.

Dual POV, Spicy, Fairytale Retelling, Slow Burn

This is slow to get into as Alexandra is a spoiled princess who is hard to connect to however over the course of the novel as the plot picks up and she spends more time with Tom she becomes more like him, sweet and caring. The whimsical, lyrical feel of the novel made the explicit scenes and a little jarring.

I thought that this was such a fun fairytale retelling! I really enjoyed reading this. It was a good read with good plot and good character development.

The romance is both tender and fraught with tension, while the central bargain adds layers of suspense and drama. While some elements might feel familiar to fans of fantasy, the emotional depth and well-crafted characters make this a memorable read. If you love stories where magic and love are intertwined with high stakes, The Bard’s Bargain is a book you won’t want to miss.

The Bard’s Bargain is a wonderful retelling of King Thrushbeard!

I had so much fun in this fairytale with Tom and Alexandra; their relationship was so believable and their chemistry was incredible. I particularly adored seeing their connection with the wider village and Alexandra had a fantastic character arc.

Tom had some top level yearning: “…Tom found himself closing his eyes and inhaling her. Her smell had taunted him for days. It lived in her hair and even her sweet breath, and in the few moments he was close to her it made his heart pound with desire.” Reminded me so much of Anthony in Bridgerton Season 2 in the best way!

This is such an enjoyable story and I would highly recommend it to lovers of romance and fairytale retellings!

While I did enjoy the book there was parts of it that moved slower and I would lose my interest a bit to the point where I wouldn't read it for days. On the flip side there were also parts that I just couldn't put the book down.
It's an easy read although I will say the writing is a bit misleading, initially I thought this was more YA but then there's explicit scenes and I think that sudden jump in tone and maturity could've been handled a bit better, idk it just felt out of place to have such explicit scenes in something that initially came across as a nice easy lighter read.
I loved the cold open the way it builds up and you're trapped in her mind wondering why its curious this stands out and then boom <spoiler> the entire opening takes place while shes at her fathers funeral </spoiler> yea I just really liked that moment since it made me stop reading for a second to like recompose idk if that makes sense.

One of my favourite quotes <spoiler> "It had never occurred to her to fear life itself" </spoiler> idk why but I just love it.

As for the characters Alexandria is a brat in the beginning and not very easy to like, she does become more likeable as she gets humbler later on in the story though.
The mother was annoying at times especially in the beginning since she seemed to over react to every single thing.

My only other complaint is that the start is very slow and then the middle slows and speeds but the end it just whizzes through and not in a good way, it doesn't speed up in a way that's you enjoying the story so much you're just reading page after page after page its more there are sudden jumps in plot and you're left confused at points. It was still an enjoyable book I just don't think it's my cup of tea.

Thank you Netgalley, Joan Anderson and Vanessa Green for this arc!

Normally I am not a fan of historical books but the premise of this was so interesting that I had to read it. And I have to say I enjoyed this book so much. The history of the kingsdoms was really intriguing and catched my attention from the start. The characters were well written and the plot was interesting. But the ending felt a bit too rushed for my liking.

I had mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, I found the story to be engaging with a simple, easy-to-follow writing style that made it a quick read. The world-building was charming and intriguing, and the plot had a whimsical, fairy tale-like quality that kept me entertained. However, the shift to new adult content felt out of place. The explicit scenes didn’t align with the tone of the story, which felt more lighthearted and youthful, leaving me a bit unsettled by the contrast.

While I did enjoy the overall premise, I found the character development lacking. The characters felt a bit underdeveloped, and I think a little more depth would have made the story more impactful. That said, the epilogue was a nice touch and definitely piqued my interest for the sequel.

If you’re looking for a quick, fun fantasy romance with a bit of steam, this book could be for you, though I would have preferred it to lean more into the young adult genre.

This is definitely a four star read for me almost a 3.75. This book is a very unique and magical concept, and is an enemies to lover type of romance. This is a fantasy book that is also historical fiction, and it gave me all sorts of emotions. This book definitely has its twist and turns which add depth to the story and overall this was an enjoyable read.

The Bard’s Bargain is going to be a love or hate book for some readers. For me, it ticked all my favourite trope boxes, delivered strong character development, transformed a very unlikable character in incredible ways, and gave me a proper to-enemies-to-lover vibe with visceral hate and animosity dripping off the pages. The writing is gorgeously descriptive, bringing to life intriguing world-building in this fantasy realm, with high-stake plot twists, creative light and touching moments, and a dual POV for the main characters, Alexandra and Tyram/Tom, giving added depth to the conflict from both sides of the divide of war. These features kept me reading from the lulls in the pacing, which had a lot of chop and change throughout the narrative and could be a little repetitive in the push-and-pull parts of the storytelling.

The characters are complex, rich, and varied from across all walks of life of the two central kingdoms at the heart of the plot, making them feel like flesh and blood people. I loved the character arc growth for Alexandra, whose transformation is very visual in the plot. She grows from an unlikable character who is petulant and arrogant, and she does only the minimum of her duties for an easy life while being passed over to her brother, heir to the throne. Her journey with Tyram allows her to reach for the untapped potential for kindness, empathy, and compassion she lacked at the start.

Opening doors for her feelings to grow for Tyram, sparked by the little sweet moments they share in their simple village life full of cozy, warm fuzzies feels of falling in love. Through the secrets and lies being outed, Tyram and Alexandra have a lot to work through in their relationship (lots of groveling) for the sake of their love and to secure a peaceful resolution to the war-ravaged between their countries being stoked by enemies seeking to profit from their nations being at war with each other.

An enjoyable reimagined romantasy with a warm, whimsical feel, full of wonderful character development, and a perfect enemy-to-lovers plot uniting two hearts from different sides of a war with sizzling chemistry. If you love a good reimagining or retelling of a fairytale with a cozy feel, high-stakes plot, and real enemies-to-lovers like the ones you can find in the Crimson Moth, Divine Rivals, and The Hurricane Wars, The Bard’s Bargain might be a book to charm you.

as a retelling of a classic fairy tale (king thrushbeard), i thought this did a great job of keeping to what a fairy tale does (teach morals) while adding something new 💫🤍

overall, it was good to see alexandra develop into a self-aware person but she was very hard to connect with. tom had more patience than myself so good on him. the smut threw me, it just feel at odds with the otherwise whimsical/ya tone of the story. the ending also felt a bit rushed but i think that will get remedied in the next installment!

i had a good time reading it: the character development of the main characters was well-written, i love fairy tale retellings, and the set up for book 2 was interesting (love my girl angharad) 🕯️🖤

thank you netgalley for the e-arc!

This was a fun fairytale read! It was low stakes and would recommend if you are looking for a quick read!
From the very beginning, I found myself rooting for Alexandra, even though she could come across as a brat I thought her reasonings made up for it. I thought she had great character growth! The chemistry between her and Tom was fantastic, and the slow burn and spice was good!
That said, my biggest issue with the book was how quickly everything wrapped up toward the end, everything happened so rapidly that it felt a bit rushed and predictable.
Overall, this was an enjoyable read, and I’m intrigued by the potential of the sequel. The epilogue sets up future developments nicely, and I’m excited to see where Alexandra and Tom’s story goes next.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher Joan Anderson, and Vanessa Green for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really fun fantasy romance book and an exciting start to a series! I thought the author did a really great job with character arcs and development. The OC in particular goes through a really interesting character development arc that I’m excited to follow through the rest of the series.

a most unlikely redemption by way of a bards bargain

A War-Torn Kingdom. A life of splendor and privilege came to an abrupt end for a princess who fell from grace. The prince of a rival kingdom is due to ascend his throne. One chooses to live among their humble people, the other forced by the bargain of a bard. Will their hearts survive the year?

| fantasy romance | time piece | redemption | hidden identity | quest | slow burn | netgalley | loss of parent | indie author | humbling | prophecy | rival kingdoms | riches to rags | to fate of the kingdom | the bargain | witches | peasants | war | fueding |

We all know and love the classic tale of Cinderella. A meek girl destined to become a queen. From humble beginnings, her heart was soft and kind. Would Cinderella have been so kind if she had grown up in a life of privilege and splendor? Would she know what it was like to be a peasant? Could she govern a kingdom with that same kindness, humility, and understanding?

This story is about a princess who has fallen from grace. Her vanity, self-righteousness, and lack of tact led to her sudden change of station. In the pursuit of upholding her father's legacy, her overwhelming and entitled desire for power set in motion a path meant to redeem her. Can living amongst the people she is meant to protect help her understand her true duty to her kingdom? Tom the bard sure hopes so.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Bard's Bargain by Vanessa Green. I enjoyed the humor, the writing, the language, and the overall development. The story was a fresh take on a somewhat classic tale however instead of rags to riches, we had riches to rags.

I did not know what to expect when I began this story, but it did not disappoint. I will absolutely be reading more from Vanessa.

Happy Reading, Friends xx

Thank you to Vanessa Green and NetGalley for access to this title in exchange for an honest review.

First, kudos to Vanessa Green. It looks like this book is pretty successful for an Indie published book. Indie authors are truly amazing, and I was so happy to have the privilege to read and review this title. This author is clearly very talented. Her prose left no crumbs. However, I almost died of boredom the first quarter of the book. Girlies, I totally understand the need to set the stage. I think there are more effective (quicker) ways to present our MCs as spoiled rich kids. This portion of the book could have benefited from an intense edit to get to the story faster. Hang in there though, because if you make it through the trenches there is a very special treat waiting for you. The remainder of the book is very demure, very mindful. Very as you wish, Buttercup.

I docked the stars, primarily for the early portion of the book. I would still recommend this one based on how hard the remainder of the book ATE. But, genuinely, did this book have the same cover artist as Alison Saft’s A Far Wilder Magic? I am not doing any due diligence research into this or making any accusations, I am just noting those covers are very, very similar in my opinion.

I think this is a good book to read in between dense or more challenging books. On its own, it's a decent story. The strongest thing it has going for it, in my opinion, is the FMC's character development from a selfish, self-centered, casually cruel, spoilt brat, to someone who manages to care about people. That kind of change is always fun to see play out. The way that it happened, with the scheme, felt a little melodramatic, but overall it was fine. The writing style also makes the book very easy to get through.

The story is nothing new, so if you've read a similar story before where an unlikable, privileged character changes when put in the place of the people they look down on and with the help of a counterpart character who challenges them to make them better, then you know how this will go. The beats it follows are very expected. That predictability doesn't make it a bad book, it just makes it an average one.

Also, I want to say I hated the spice. It felt very out of place and I don't think it was at all necessary for the relationship development. Moreover, this has an epilogue that makes it seem like the story will continue in a sequel or something, and that also feels unnecessary. It should've stayed as a standalone and I don't think there's anything here to expand on at all. I certainly wouldn't be interested in continuing, so this is a standalone to me.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc.
The first thing that caught my eye was the cover, it’s simply gorgeous and captures the vibe of the book quite well.
Unfortunately I did not connect with the main female character. I’m not a fan of insufferable characters and the slow burn was honestly killing me.