Bianca knows her duty comes before her heart. So when the threat of war looms, she agrees to marry the neighboring kingdom’s heir. But not all royal weddings are a fairytale, and Prince Aric, Bianca’s betrothed, 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. Bianca does what any bride in this situation would do: she mounts her new husband and rides away to safety.

Sunset returns Aric to human form, but they soon discover the assassination attempt is part of a larger plot against the throne. Worse, Bianca has been framed for Aric’s murder, and she’s now saddled with a husband who is a horse by day and a frustratingly attractive man by night.

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.

In Behooved by M. Stevenson, the author has created a refreshing romantasy with a slow burn romance and a chronically ill heroine. I really connected to the main character of Bianca especially as she deals regularly with a chronic illness. I also enjoyed the fantasy aspects of the story, how the magic works in the world and the dilemma that Aric and Bianca are forced to deal with. It is a charming way to create romance between the pair. 

One of the other aspects is how the communication between the two is handled. From the start, they fail to communicate well and that adds a messiness to their interactions. Bianca struggles with trusting others, especially with her condition and I love the way Aric wins her over with kindness and respect for her abilities. The pair are engaging and dynamic characters and that created a real page turner with the relationship being the key to the intrigue and dilemma with realistic details. 

If you would like a refreshing Romantasy with a chronically ill character and realistic details, this book is for you. The dynamic characters will captivate you and the magic will intrigue you, especially in the realistic way every detail is handled. I loved every bit of the story. 

Rating: 5 out of 5 boots

MacMillan Publishing

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