Book Review: Behooved by M. Stevenson
[ID: an illustrated book cover depicting a brown haired woman with a sword and gown in front of a white horse against a sparkling green background with a castle in the distance on the left top half of the book. On the bottom right half o the book is a purple illustration of a man with a long blonde hair in a cloak in front of a silver moon with white sparkles across the scene. The book sits on a piece of white lace spread out on a gray wooden floor. Fake white peonies frame the book with a silver Sting sword to the right of the book next to a pair of golden rings. Below the book is an enamel bookmark depicting the phases of the moon in black and gold.]
Happy Book Birthday to BEHOOVED by M. Stevenson!
Thank you to the publishers for an early look at one of my most anticipated reads of 2025!
When I first heard about BEHOOVED I thought it was a dream come true:
Fantasy romance? ✔️
Arranged marriage trope? ✔️
Undiagnosed celiac disease representation? ✔️
Gorgeous pink sprayed edges? ✔️
I could not hit preorder fast enough! My expectations were sky high for this book and thankfully I was rewarded with a charming fantasy romp!
Summary: Bianca knows her duty comes before her heart. Plagued by inexplicable pain and sickness since childhood, she feels extra pressure to maintain the picture-perfect facade of a noblewoman and protect her family’s honor. So when the threat of war looms, she agrees to marry the neighboring kingdom’s heir, Prince Aric. But not all royal weddings are a fairytale and Aric is cold, aloof, and seems to hate her on sight.
To make matters worse, on their wedding night, an assassination attempt goes awry―leaving Aric magically transformed into a horse.
Sunset returns Aric to human form, but they soon discover the assassination attempt is part of a larger plot against the throne. As an unexpected romance begins galloping away with their hearts, Bianca and Aric must rely on each other to unravel the curse and save the throne.
The silly fun of this plot is countered by Bianca’s very real and relatable experience with chronic illness. Her pain is portrayed SO well and often made me emotional as I (@LibraryOfDreaming) have celiac disease myself and it’s incredibly rare to see it depicted on the page.
I really enjoyed this book, but I did notice a few rough edges. I wish the pacing of the romance had unfolded just a bit differently. However, I still had fun and I’m excited to read whatever the author writes next!