4 stars

Representation: chronic GI pain and nausea, undiagnosed celiac disease (own voices)

I read this book to fill the hole that Amazon’s cancellation of My Lady Jane left in my heart. And you know what? It scratched that itch.

If you are primarily a fantasy reader, this book may not be for you. Behooved is not very concerned with putting together high quality politics or a well-developed world, those serve only as the backdrop for the main event: a romantic romp of a storyline featuring a chronically ill noblewoman on the run with her new (political match) husband who was cursed on their wedding night and is now stuck in the form of a horse from sunrise to sunset. The political maneuvering and that aspect of the storyline was very transparent and weakly constructed, but because the book was mainly focused on Bianca and Aric’s emotional connection, the weaker elements didn’t bother me too much, as they were easy to gloss over.

I actually think that, if the author had tried to flesh out those plotlines and worldbuilding elements, the book would have been weaker overall. Leaving those elements in the background and keeping the story’s focus on the romantic A-plot worked better with M. Stevenson’s specific skillset, and kept the weaker parts from bogging down the pacing and narrative.

This book is fun. It’s swoony and fast-paced and not taking itself too seriously. It’s packed to the brim with classic romantasy tropes–with a horse-ified twist that kept me giggling. But there was also a throughline of emotional depth as Bianca and Aric both comes to terms with the way they are seen as “weak” in their respective societies (Bianca due to her chronic illness and Aric due to his more bookish, less knightly nature) and how they have internalized that messaging–and how they support each other and challenge those narratives. There was a sweetness to their connection that I really appreciated, and I wish more romantasy leaned into that emotional intimacy alongside the spice (because there was also spice!).

My favorite part of the book, though, was the chronic illness representation. Bianca has chronic GI pain and nausea, and we see this affecting her constantly throughout the novel–from on-page depictions of symptoms to the way that it affects her self-image and the decisions that she makes throughout the story to manage and prevent symptoms. Even though I don’t have celiac disease, Bianca’s symptoms are very similar in presentation to my own GI symptoms (I have SIBO and suspected gastroparesis). This was my first time seeing those symptoms represented, and I really enjoyed seeing myself in the protagonist of a romantic fantasy adventure. The balance between fantasy badassery (Bianca is a softer protagonist, but she’s still on an adventure and up against high stakes!) with the reality of a chronically ill body was so well executed. My only complaint is that I would have loved to see the discovery that it was gluten, specifically, that was making Bianca sick and the reckoning of what a life without gluten looks like happen on page, instead of a vague “something you are eating is the cause”. Having the question of “why is Bianca sick” only partially answered left the representation feeling a bit unfinished to me, but I also understand that that would have been difficult to accomplish in such a narrow timeline and scope.

Overall, I had a lot of fun, and I look forward to what M. Stevenson has coming next!