Whimsical Fantasy is so back! Behooved is full of humor, whimsy, and magic.

Bianca Liliana never expected to accidentally turn her husband into a horse on her wedding night. When the protection charm her sister gave her goes awry defending them from a would-be-assassin, she and her new husband must put aside their differences and travel across the land in search of a cure.

An arranged marriage, a spell gone wrong, and enemies becoming lovers? Plus, the inn only has one bed? What’s not to love about this! And our main protagonist has a chronic illness- representation!

Behooved releases on May 20, with a diverse cast and a plot that will have you hooked all the way. Thank you to Bramble/Tor Publishing and Netgalley for the e-arc!

Behooved was a fun and cute adventure. It's cozy, it doesn't take itself too seriously, and the magical and whimsical vibes are through the roof.

Bianca ships off to a neighboring kingdom to prevent a war by fulfilling an arranged marriage to the studious and aloof Aric who seems to hate her and the prospect of their marriage. On their wedding night, Bianca tries to save Aric from an assassin and accidentally turns him into a horse and gets herself framed for his murder. The two must now work together to break his curse, take back the throne, and save their kingdom.

So, that's a fun set up.

There were a lot of puns and tongue-in-cheek moments. I really enjoyed their banter and their romance (although, I wouldn't really consider it that slow burn), and Aric is a genuinely good guy which was refreshing compared to many romantasy heroes.

Bianca's own struggles with a mysterious chronic condition (a fantasy version of celiac disease) help her empathize with Aric, and for me, her chronic illness rep was a standout feature of the story. It was refreshing to see a chronic condition NOT get magically "cured" in a fantasy book.

Some of my favorite quotes from my advanced copy of Behooved (text not final):
"Relieving pain seemed a much more worthy use of magic than inventing new ways to kill people."
"I knew firsthand that one could appear collected while falling to pieces inside."
"Wounds, like words, like magic, always left a mark."

Overall, Behooved was different, fun, and refreshing. I laughed out loud, I swooned, and I'd recommend it to any former horse girls looking for a whimsical rom-com.

☁️ Cozy Romantasy • Arranged Marriage • Queernorm World • Bi Rep • Chronic Illness Rep • Bookish MMC

Thank you, NetGalley, Bramble, and Tor, for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Plagued with a mysterious illness, Bianca makes up for what her parents thinks she lacks by being a dutiful daughter. So when a neighbouring kingdom demands a marriage pact to prevent war, Bianca knows her duty. Her intended, heir apparent Prince Aric is cold and aloof, and seems just as against the marriage as Bianca is herself. Duty bound, the two wed. But on their wedding night an assassin attacks. To save her husband, Bianca uses a bespelled locket given to her by her sister that saves Aric from the assassin...but turns him into a horse in the process. The two go on the run, trying to break the curse, discover who sent the assassin and save their kingdoms, all while getting to know each other as husband and wife.
Behooved is a charming new fantasy of enemies to lovers that absolutely bewitched me. I love fantasy and romance, but most of all, I loved the representation of a disease I personally suffer from in a fantasy novel.

I had an enjoyable time reading Behooved. If you've read any of my other reviews, you may know that I'm a bit of a critical reader. I don't usually let the vibes take me, but that's precisely what happened with Behooved. Was the world-building fully developed? No. Was the magic confusing and not entirely explained? Yes. Did all of the characters' motivations make sense? No. Were they fully developed? Still no.

I could probably go on. However!

This book was fun. It didn't claim to be a crazy, political, world-heavy story, and it wasn't. It was cozy. It was slightly magical. It was cute. It was a palate cleanser of a book, and I was 100% here for it.

Do I wish that the things I mentioned were more developed? Of course. But I got exactly what the synopsis said I was going to get, and that in itself is so rare that I appreciated the book for what it was.

One thing I will gripe about, though, is that the plot was predictable. I knew who did it and how it would end within the first three chapters. Now, a lot of times, even when I know how the story will end, I enjoy getting to that end enough that I end up not really caring about the predictability. The twists and turns keep me coming back for more. Unfortunately, in the case of this book, the in-between parts, while enjoyable, were also so predictable that nothing felt fresh and new, and that's why I couldn't give it a full five stars.

If you're looking for a cute and cozy adventure, look no further than Behooved.

I received an advanced copy of Behooved from Netgalley and the publisher and am leaving this review voluntarily.

I got both an ARC and an ALC of this from NetGalley and ended up doing a tandem read of the story. So thank you to Tor publishing and Macmillan Audio.

I love Natalie Naudus as a narrator and she did a lovely job with the audio of the story.

This was more of a cozy fantasy to me. There were stakes to it, and there were situations that were technically life or death, but all of the situations were resolved rather quickly.

A lot of it was fairly predictable, but it was still a cute story. The love wasn’t quite insta love but close to it.

I know all of that may seem like I didn’t really enjoy it, but I did. It was cute and entertaining and had some funny moments.

I think if you enjoy a cozy fantasy with some spice, you’ll enjoy this.

3.75 stars rounded up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the eARC of Behooved.

The good:
This book was so much fun, very action packed, easy to read and a great adventure. There were so many small details woven throughout the book, and each one played an integral part in bringing the story together. Bianca and Aric were mismatched from the start under false pretenses, resulting in a book that was deliciously enemies to lovers. If you love a good enemies to lovers, and one bed trope, this will be for you. The gradual love that bloomed between them was romantic, though I feel like it maybe could’ve been stretched out a little bit more from enemies into lovers if that makes any sense. I am a horse girl, so as inconvenient as it was for Aric to be transformed into a horse, I thoroughly enjoyed it. All of the minor characters released it out in this; I loved Bianca’s relationship with her sister, Tatiana, along with Aric’s relationship with Marya. There was proper diverse representation of the LGBTQIA+ community, along with the FMC having a disability. There’s something for everyone here, and it’s one that I might return to you to read again at some point.

The ehhhh:
The amount of horse references and just the first three chapters alone was enough to roll my eyes after the first few. We get it, he turns into a horse, so clever but definitely not warranted for as many horse puns and references there were. Also, the amount of self loathing in this book was a little repetitive, but that’s just a personal opinion of mine!

I did not find anything bad with this book, just minor annoyances that are easy to live with.

I was hooked from the cover and description and was so well done in this type of book, it uses the slow-burn fantasy genre perfectly and was able to create the world perfectly. I enjoyed getting into this world and how everything worked with the romance concept. M. Stevenson was able to weave a strong storyline and I cared about what was happening with the world and characters. It uses the fairy tale element in a unique way and was glad it was so well done and left me wanting to read more from M. Stevenson.

Behooved has moments of funny; lighthearted and whimsical moments but too much is lost in miscommunication. The story feels more like a dream than a journey but hard to hold onto.

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for the opportunity to read this e-ARC.

Behooved is a magical slow-burn romantasy featuring a chronically ill duchess and a prince who has no choice but to take the throne.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this at 25%, though I did skip forward and skim every few pages afterward to see if the issues I initially had continued throughout the story.

I generally avoid YA novels, and while this isn’t one, it certainly reads like one. It was refreshing to have main characters in their mid to late twenties, but then the FMC started behaving like an angsty teenager. Every other page was filled with what felt like imaginary scenarios in her head and one-sided anger toward a character she’d barely interacted with. The MMC spoke all of five sentences. The character descriptions were also quite basic.

I was unsure about the setting due to the lack of world-building. There were many odd and confusing word choices that made it difficult to follow at times. Even as I skimmed through the rest of the book, it still felt lackluster. And to be honest, the writing was just… not great, unfortunately.

I really wanted to enjoy this because it sounded like a fun, cozy fantasy, but the first quarter was so aggressively angsty for no reason that I couldn’t get into the story. It is also about war, politics, and assassins..which is not cozy. But if this is something you are interested in, you may really enjoy this.

While this isn’t technically a YA book, it may be better suited for readers looking for something in that category.

When an assassin tries to take Aric out on the wedding night of their arranged marriage, Bianca acts desperately and releases a curse that hits her new husband on accident and turns him into a horse. Fleeing from danger, Aric becomes her ride or die (literally). The journey that ensues builds trust between the two, and feelings beyond duty grow. Aric falls head over hooves for Bianca, but is she ready to take over the reins of her life and do something for her own happiness for once?

I had fun with this book. I think it's great for a good time if you aren't going to take it too seriously. The horse shifting premise was unique and the jokes had me laughing. The romance was sweet, the bi and chronic illness rep were great, and both of the MCs were likable. I liked that the MCs were over 25, I've seen some people say it reads as YA but I think it's just the nature of the book being a bit silly. I do think some of the plot doesn't completely track for me, but I don't always mind that if the book is engaging and fun. I'll be looking forward to more from this author!

Behooved takes a familiar romantasy setup, an arranged marriage, a looming war, and a reluctant bride, and adds a refreshingly strange twist: the groom spends half his life as a horse. It sounds absurd, and in moments, it is; but the story leans into that oddity with a sincerity that works.

Bianca is a standout heroine: duty-driven, quietly strong, and living with a chronic illness that’s portrayed with care and nuance. Her bisexuality isn’t a side note, it’s part of who she is, integrated seamlessly into the story. Opposite her is Prince Aric, a quiet, bookish royal who’d much rather read than rule. His transformation into a horse (yes, really) adds unexpected humor, but also forces a kind of vulnerability that deepens their relationship.

The romance is a true slow burn, full of tension, mutual respect, and reluctant tenderness. Their banter feels natural, the emotional growth earned, and the stakes rise steadily without overshadowing the more intimate moments.

While the premise is undeniably strange, the writing treats it with just the right mix of whimsy and heart. Behooved doesn’t shy away from being a little weird, but it also never loses sight of the emotional core at its center.

A charming and magical tale of two characters finding strength in each other and themselves! The tone was whimsical and cozy, the MCs enjoyable and relatable with their struggles, and the romance sweet and earnest. And shoutout to the disability rep, it was so well done.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5 stars)

Behooved is such a sweet and magical story! ✨🐎 The plot is totally unique and had me hooked from the beginning—there’s something whimsical and heartwarming about the whole vibe that made it feel like a cozy escape. The horse details were super fun and added a special charm that made the story stand out. 🐴💫

The audiobook narrator absolutely nailed it—their voice brought so much emotion and depth to the characters, and it made the whole experience even better. 🎧❤️

This book has a soft, gentle feel to it. The romance has just a hint of spice 🌶️ (very mild!) and honestly, it could almost be a YA novel in tone. That’s not a bad thing at all—it just feels like it might connect more with younger readers or anyone looking for a low-angst, emotionally sweet romance. 🥰

Now for the mixed feels: I loved that both the FMC and MMC were soft, real, and flawed in a super relatable way. 🙌 But I did wish the FMC had grown more emotionally. She struggled with insecurities throughout the book, and I was really rooting for her to find her strength by the end—but she kind of... didn’t 😕. It left me feeling a little bummed, even though we still got a happy ending. 💕

Overall, I’d still give this a solid 4/5 stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ It’s magical, different, and engaging—and definitely worth a listen if you're in the mood for something heartfelt and unique! ✨📚💕

Thank you to Netgalley for this advanced reader copy of the book and audiobook!

This has filled the My Lady Jane-shaped hole in my heart. Also, weirdly, the Shrek-shaped hole.

Bianca accidentally curses her husband (of inconvenience) to turn into a horse every sunrise, and if that doesn't interest you, I don't want to be friends. This was so much fun! A romantasy that for once did not have the couple banging every 30 pages from the 25% mark but was actually deeply romantic and swoony (proving yet again why slow burn is still superior in my shelf). Bianca and Aric go on an adventure to reverse his curse and save a kingdom and I loved watching their character development and relationship bloom.

I also really appreciated the disability rep, although I had no idea it was meant to be celiac disease until I saw the author mention it after I finished reading. But in hindsight it makes perfect sense and was well-written.

I enjoyed this even more than I thought I would. A magical tale with so many important underlying themes. The MC learning her own worth after living a life of just hoping for a scrap of her parents seeing her value. Her leaving that dynamic lets the reader see her character develop. I really enjoyed Behooved and would recommend it.

Charming and lovely. I really enjoyed this a lot and brought me back to my childhood as a little girl who loved horses. I was bri intrigued by the magic in this world and wish that had been expanded on more but otherwise I loved everything about this.

I think there was a lot of premise in the plot, and for the most part it was well done. I found it hard to enjoy the main character though, it felt almost like she was too self sacrificing.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bramble, Tor Publishing Group. and Macmillan Audio for this advanced copy. You can pick up Behooved on May 20, 2025.

I should have absolutely loved this book. Marriage of convenience, forced proximity, and My Lady Jane vibes? Sign me up, I said. Unfortunately, after getting 26% in, I found myself bored to tears and forced to DNF. This book felt like the exact same plot as My Lady Jane but with none of the charm and camp. It took itself too seriously at times, and I just struggled to care about any of the characters. Perhaps that was more because of my reading mood, but for now, this was a no for me.

I think we all came to this book through a shared love of My Lady Jane. Who doesn't want more of My Lady Jane only to be cruelly cast aside by Amazon? Well, this book does a great job inserting itself in that horse-shaped hole in our hearts.

Firstly, this isn't My Lady Jane. I wouldn't even call it fanfic with the serial numbers scraped off. It's just heavily inspired. I did enjoy this novel--it's got a little bit of everything--a journey, a bi FMC, a love interest who is a horse during the day, and some palace intrigue. Yes, it's predictable. No, it is not great palace intrigue. But is the love interest magically a horse against his will? Yes, and that's what I came here for.

Bravo.

As a girly obsessed with My Lady Jane, I love a cursed to be a horse book. What a fun time, highly recommend!