Thank you so much to Toppling Stacks Tours for allowing me to take part in this tour for The Redwood Bargain. I enjoyed Call Forth a Fox, so I was very intrigued to see what this book had in store for me!
About The Book:
Author:
Markelle Grabo
Pub.Date:
April 28, 2026
Find it: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and IndieBound.
To free her cousin from an indentured contract, Katrien agrees to fulfill their lord’s bargain with the fabled “Redwood Man.” Three maids before her have posed as his stepdaughter, Lady Zaviera, and met this lord of the forest as promised. But Katrien means to be the first to fool him—and live.
Impersonating a Lady is no easy feat, especially one as beautiful and aloof as Zaviera. With one month before she’s sent off, Katrien is put through endless lessons, even as the Redwood Man’s suffocating vines overtake the manor and threaten its staff.
Zaviera takes a special interest in her training, and their shared interests grow into shared affections. But the Redwood Man awaits his prize. Caught between duty and desire, her future and her past, Katrien must navigate a tricky bargain—or risk failing those she holds dearest.
Review:
Markelle Grabo has got me! I will read anything that she puts out at this point. She has an almost lyrical way of writing that winds me into the story. The way the book can switch from haunting to cute to enchanting is fabulous!
The descriptions in this novel are fantastic. Enough to drag me into the story and keep me chained to it the entire time. Especially during the Redwood scenes. The descriptions are fantastic, to a point where I was concerned about the safety of all the people involved.
The romance between Katrien and Zaviera is really sweet. It has its up's and down's, but I loved the ride! It's a forced proximity type of book, the two of them having to spend time with each other in order to get Katrien ready for the bargain. It's really cute even when you are aware of why they are spending time with each other.
Overall, I loved this book. It was dark and eerie, but also had really cute moments. The cute moments never dampened the stakes, only adding to them actually. It was fun to see how the characters reacted to the different conflicts and the ending was bittersweet, but on the better side.
Favorite Quotes:
-Ooh...the vibes here are eerie!!!
-Seriously, this is dark but enchanting
-The setup is perfect!
-The descriptions are amazing
-Aww...the sweet moments, the glances!!
-"A kindness and a burden"...dang!
-The dance lesson!!!!!
-Is she being honest, misguided, or cruel?
-The girls are fighting!
-No one wins with this bargain
-Cute
-The roads to hell...
-This is a haunting book
-This is so sad!
-The ending...ooh, that sure is something
About Markelle Grabo:
Markelle Grabo started writing in 5th grade once she realized her squeamish nature wouldn’t lend itself well to a career in Marine Biology. After growing up in Wisconsin, she earned her bachelor’s degree in English from Loyola University Chicago and her master’s degree in creative writing for children and young adults from Hamline University, where she wrote the first draft of her debut YA novel, Call Forth a Fox.
When not writing, Markelle enjoys hiking, food adventures, and going to the movies. Whatever she’s doing, she’s usually listening to an audiobook or a podcast at the same time. She lives in the Greater Chicago Area with her husband and their two very fluffy cats, Matcha and Kava.
Markelle is the author of Call Forth a Fox and The Redwood Bargain (April 2026). She is represented by Tricia Lawrence of Aevitas Creative Management.
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