A charming romance featuring a duty-bound noblewoman with a chronic illness, a prince who would rather be in a library than on a throne and a magical ride through a world of enchantment. A somewhat expected romance begins galloping away with their hearts and these two characters must rely on one another to unravel a curse to save the throne. A cosy fantasy world, a charming main character and a sweet romance that blooms through the pages.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐇𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞 𝐀𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐚 | 𝐇𝐨𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲 𝐯𝐢𝐚 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐌. 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐧

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Caring means you’re strong. It means you’re brave enough to let yourself feel, even though it puts your heart at risk.”

If you watched and loved the TV show ‘My Lady Jane’, and are equally as sad as I am that it was not renewed for a second season, then ‘Behooved’ will fill that void in your soul perfectly.

Be prepared for a lot of horse puns (I definitely didn’t hate them, but when I say a lot, I really mean it), cosy fantasy vibes, banter and some cute canoodling in the one bed available at the inn. And - finally - something slightly different within the romantasy genre!

“And whatever you’ve been told, you are worthy. Even if you don’t believe it yourself.”

In my eyes, the characters were without a doubt the best part of this book. I loved each and every one of them (except maybe Varin), and particularly liked both of the main characters. Both Bianca and Aric had great character development, and I thoroughly enjoyed that she was the one trained in swordplay (despite her illness) while Aric was the more bookish, reserved type. It was a refreshing role reversal to a lot of typical fantasy and it’s always great to read books with a disability-representative protagonist. The array of side characters were brilliant, with Tatiana and Marya being my favourites with their witty and snarky comments. Even Evito’s use of the messenger birds was clever, and the puffin was especially cute.

“And I will do anything it takes to protect her from you, even if it means facing whatever tortures you contrive.”

There were a few reasons why this book lost a star for me. I am not really a fan of insta-love and the speed at which Bianca and Aric fell in love felt a bit ridiculous. Even more so when they clearly had been miscommunicating and not fond of each other in the days (yes, only days) between them meeting and falling in love.

I also felt like there were gaps in the worldbuilding. For example, I was utterly confused as to why Bianca needed to take a ship to Gildenheim, but then could ride with Aric to the border between the two kingdoms. I thought the two were on completely separate landmasses, but apparently not? I’m assuming this was just to show off their ships, or it was a quicker route, but I’m hoping a map in the final published version may clear up the geography for readers.

The other reason this lost a star was for the writing. It wasn’t bad, but for me there was an excess of metaphors and some of the words used required a dictionary. I understand the POV character is a noblewoman with an upper class vocabulary, but I don’t really like having to look up the meanings of words like “ameliorate” while reading.

That being said, ‘Behooved’ will be a great book for readers new to fantasy, in particular, as it reads more like a young adult novel but with adult themes throughout. This didn’t deter me from enjoying the book, though, even as a seasoned fantasy-romance reader. The plot was easy to understand, in that it was straightforward and didn’t take a lot of guesswork to figure out. The one thing I didn’t quite pick up on was exactly what was ailing Bianca. Her condition is made clear in the author’s note at the end, though I would have much rather seen it explored and discovered by Aric and Bianca together in an epilogue some time after the events of the book.

“To love someone was to throw down your shields, lay your heart bare, and watch as it was cut in two.”

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette ANZ for sending me a digital ARC of ‘Behooved’. All opinions shared in this review are my own.

An adorable cozy romantasy about a duty-driven noble Bianca who was set to marry the soon to be king of the neighbouring region, Prince Aric. Trying to look above the fact that she was marrying a stranger, that stranger turns out to be cold, distant, and loathe the arrangement that she thought he pressured her family into. When a failed assassination attempt to kill the prince failed, Bianca and Aric were thrown together to figure out who was trying to kill them and make it to his coronation before the next-in-line is crowned. To make matters worse, a magic gone wrong turns Aric into a literal white horse. With her new husband by her side, Bianca needs to figure out her next step without getting both of them killed, or worse, falling in love for her husband that clearly resents her for the arrange marriage.

Not sure what I was expecting with this plot but throughout the book I was laughing my head off at the fact that Aric became a literal horse, the twist gave the story such a fun and lighthearted moment. Then I was gripping and biting my knuckles at the times they were hunted down by the crowns and trying to guess who was behind all this. What a fun and heartwarming read.

Loved, loved, loved. Perfect cosy story, great characters and such a top notch romance. If you liked Between, Undertaking of Hart and Mercy and Swordheart please read next.

Where to start, Bianca is a great lead, intelligent enough to navigate her unwelcome arrival in Aric's kingdom, choosing the correct times to stand up for herself and when to let things slide. The tension and conflict between her and Aric is fun, but never childish, they don't dig their heels in at their own detriment and the formation of their truce is the sane thing to under the circumstances. The relationship progression is natural and Aric is easy to love, the romance is honestly perfect, love these two as a couple.

I'm hoping that due to a more open ending we get to see more characters in this world and focus on their love stories.

Behooved is a whimsical subverted fairytale that throws reluctant allies-to-lovers together in an action-packed journey across a magical landscape. I absolutely loved watching Bianca and Aric battling their perceived shortcomings, and finding strength in each other—and themselves. Full of charm, romance, and swashbuckling adventure, this debut is so much fun!

Behooved tells the story of Duchess Bianca, daughter of one of the nine noble houses of Damaria. When the queen of a neighbouring nation dies, Bianca is informed her hand in marriage has been offered to heir apparent Aric as part of a re-negotiated peace treaty, and on the night of their wedding, an assassination attempt goes awry, and Aric is enchanted, transforming into a horse from sunrise to sunset each day. What follows is their quest across the land to save Aric and their kingdom, with Aric and Bianca falling in love in the process.

I loved this concept, and thought it had the potential to be a super-fun, quirky romantasy with a similar energy to The Princess Bride or Tress of the Emerald Sea. Unfortunately, it did end up falling a bit flat for me.

So, what didn’t work for me:
-For some reason, it seems the author tried to start them off as enemies-to-lovers. There was no reason for this. It didn’t add anything, and just made Bianca come off as really paranoid and aggressive half the time as she interpreted all of Aric’s actions in the most dramatic way possible just so they could have that initial conflict.
-Generic tropes were favoured over exploring the interesting points of the story and the world (such as the different stance of magic the two nations take) to the point where it felt like they were shoved in just for the sake of marketing the books as including them
-Bianca was meant to be one of nine noble houses in her kingdom, who view having a singular monarchy as ‘archaic’, however it felt as if there was absolutely no consideration given to any of the other houses? Throughout the book Bianca and her parents act as if they are the sole decision makers, and the council is mentioned as an afterthought.
-Bianca is so self deprecating. For so long

What did work for me!
-Aric was a fantastic character, and I loved every second of him. I really enjoyed his dynamic with Bianca, with him as the quiet bookish one, and Bianca the sword-wielding badass
-Bianca’s chronic illness rep was really well-done. I loved the conversation she had with the greenwitch specifically!
-Bianca’s sister is awesome
-Marya is awesome
-When Bianca and Aric did get together, their relationship was really sweet
-And can we talk about this cover?? So beautiful!!

Overall this one was a bit of a miss for me, but I still had fun and would recommend if you want a light fantasy read with a cute couple. Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette for the ARC!

I wasn’t sure how I would feel about this book, the premise was so unique and intriguing! I was not disappointed in the least! Like tell me how this horse man made me swoon? The romance was so good, and the magic/political system was incredible. I would def recommend if you’re looking for a unique fantasy romance!

I deign that this book was not for me

I felt like the banter was contrived (as well as the romance) and the overuse of certain words like deign, oh seas oh stars etc was not vibing with me
And her chronic illness is just her being poisoned? So I’m assuming she’ll find out what it is and then she won’t actually be chronically ill
That main character also did a 180 personality wise - she was all submissive and willing to marry a stranger etc and then when he isn’t there when she docks suddenly she is combative and assertive?

Bianca, una joven con una enfermedad crónica, se ve obligada a casarse con Aric, el heredero de un reino rival, para evitar la guerra entre ambos reinos. Sin embargo, su boda se ve interrumpida por un intento de asesinato que transforma a Aric en un caballo durante el día y lo devuelve a su forma humana por la noche. A partir de este incidente, Bianca y Aric se ven obligados a colaborar para descubrir la verdad detrás de la conspiración y romper la maldición que los une.

A través de malentendidos y situaciones incómodas, su relación evoluciona de una obligación a una alianza genuina, mientras descubren el uno del otro sus fortalezas y vulnerabilidades.




~

Es un libro de romance con toques de fantasía, magia u aventuras.

Algo que me encantó fue que Bianca fuera la líder y la fuerza entre los dos, y que Aric lo supiera, la alentara y la apoyara en todos sus planes, sin intentar jamás eclipsarla. Él sabía perfectamente que ella era capaz de lograr todo lo que se propusiera.

Mientras lo leía me transporto a mi adolescencia, este era mi top en los libros que disfrutaba.

Ojalá el final hubiera sido menos apresurado.



Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.