I always love a good medieval adventure, full of romance, handsome princes, and edge-of-your-seat action–and Jody Hedlund has delivered just that in Beholden, the first book of her new Fairest Maidens series!
In a land where being the fairest maiden is a curse . . .
A beautiful noblewoman with a terrible secret, and a prince subjected to slavery.
Upon the death of her wealthy father, Lady Gabriella is condemned to work in Warwick’s gem mine. As she struggles to survive the dangerous conditions, her kindness and beauty shine as brightly as the jewels the slaves excavate. While laboring, Gabriella plots how to avenge her father’s death and stop Queen Margery’s cruelty.
Prince Vilmar of Scania enslaves himself in Warwick’s gem mine as part of a royal test to prove himself the most worthy of three brothers to become the king’s successor. Amidst the hardships, he doesn’t anticipate his growing compassion for the other slaves, especially tenderhearted Gabriella.
As the annual summer ball looms nearer, Gabriella sets into motion her plan to end Queen Margery’s evil. When Vilmar learns of Gabriella’s intentions, he resolves to come to her aid and fight against Warwick’s queen. But doing so may require him to give up his chance of becoming Scania’s next king, perhaps even cost him his life.
I was pleasantly surprised by the complexity of this Cinderella retelling. It was very unique and different from any other I’ve seen or read. Going into the series, I knew the heroes of the books are brothers vying for the throne of their kingdom, but the way Jody is connecting the series through the actual “fairest maidens” was another surprise for me. It’s definitely fairy tale-ish, even a tad dark, though without feeling evil; some elements of the story actually reminded me of The Hunger Games, except in medieval times. The overall effect gives this book an un-put-downable factor that kept me eagerly turning the pages to see what would happen next.
The plot left me guessing until the very end, and I truly wasn’t sure how our hero and heroine would end up with a “happy ever after”. Speaking of the hero and heroine… Gabriella is sweet and kind, but doesn’t feel overly perfect to the point of cheesiness. She has imperfections and flaws that help make her a believable character. And Vilmar… at first I thought he was arrogant and selfish and I wasn’t sure if I’d like him. But I think that was Jody’s goal, because throughout the story you saw his growth into a noble and completely selfless hero. In the end, I loved him! I’m looking forward to meeting his brothers now and seeing who ends up being my favorite prince–and my choice for who I think should become the next King of Scania!
If you love a good fairy tale with just the right amount of whimsy, action, adventure, and swoony romance, you will love Beholden! It’s the perfect quick, feel-good read and was just the sort of book I needed at this moment. I went back and forth on what to rate this one, but ultimately decided–because I was impressed with how many surprising twists and turns Jody managed to back into this story–to give it 5/5 Stars!
I will be reading the second book soon (I can’t wait!!!) so stay tuned for that review!
