. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.Thank you to Tor and Bramble for providing me with a physical ARC for early review!!. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.

This one is for the Barbie in Swan Lake girlies. This is for the Bella Sara girlies. If you owned a Breyer horse stable and loved the Princess Bride growing up, *this will be your book of 2025.*

One of my autistic special interests is horses, especially magical horses, and I'm also a huge lover of cozy fantasy. So when Behooved came across my radar, I knew it was my sacred duty to get my hands on it. And low and behold, this is probably going to be my favourite book of 2025. No one is surprised.

Behooved tells the story of Bianca, dutiful daughter and Duchess of Damaria, a country which has made great strides in technological advancement towards weapons of war and destruction via their Adept guild of magic users. She concedes to be married off to the heir apparent of Gildenheim, Aric, after the mysterious death of his mother, the queen. However, neither of them have any blinders on when it comes to the reality of the situation; this is a forced marriage, and it will not be a happy one.

On the night of their wedding, Aric is attacked and Bianca is left with her husband, now a horse, and a royal plot to assassinate the heir of Gildenheim. During their travel across the country, Bianca learns that the cold, frosty exterior of her husband hides a warm, kind, and anxious soul who has been put down his whole life for not being someone more assertive and cunning. And who knows, maybe the two royals can find love in their hearts after all...

LISTEN. The tropes of this. Cozy fantasy. Forced marriage. Only one bed. Only one stall in the stable. Grumpy x grumpy. I can't even express how tailor-made this book was for me! The horse puns. Them both being terrible at communication. The eventual enthusiastic consent (WE LOVE!). And above all, the incredible attention put on Bianca as a person with chronic illness. While not stated by name in the text, Stevenson confirms in the notes explicitly that Bianca is meant to have celiac disease. There's no magical cure for it, Bianca doesn't get "fixed" by witchcraft or sorcery even though magic is inherently present in the world. She struggles with it every day and night and has to deal with flares and bad episodes throughout the story. I've literally never read a fantasy where I felt like the character was so human. Listen. Her tummy hurt and she was so brave about it. Brave to the point of literally standing up to four grown adults with weapons during a bad flare in order to try to protect Aric. Bianca is twenty six years old and has spent her entire life being told that her condition makes her weak and that it is a weakness she must not show at all costs. And every single step she takes in the story proves that she's the strongest person in the entire book.

Speaking of Bianca being twenty six, Aric is twenty eight! I feel like we rarely get to see characters in this age demographic as main characters. It was so refreshing and it made their romance feel so much more mature and believable. Even though I don't think I can classify this as slow burn. They knew each other for like, max, three weeks!! But it was meant to be. Tatiana making dirty jokes about Aric turning into a horse had me giggling like a child. The supporting cast as a whole were wonderful. Juliana and Catalina and Marya all felt super well-charactetized but Tatiana takes the cake.

The attempted-murder mystery isn't really very veiled--- we're only given one real suspect for whodunnit and it isn't a super complex reason. And it almost felt like there was an epilogue missing where the rest of the assassination plot got resolved. But with a happily ever after as sweet as the one given, it behooves me to be lenient.

Overall, I am so pleased and tickled pink to have been given the chance to review something that speaks to me on so many levels. I can't wait to see more from Stevenson!

Behooved by M. Stevenson is a wonderfully original and delightfully whimsical read that completely charmed me from start to finish. The premise is wonderfully out-of-the-box and, honestly, a bit wacky—but in the best possible way. I mean, who would’ve thought that a royal wedding could go so awry that it leads to a prince being transformed into a horse? It’s quirky, funny, and full of unexpected moments, and I loved every second of it!

The blend of romance and fantasy, with a bit of a slow-burn dynamic, makes the story so engaging. Bianca, the duty-bound noblewoman with a chronic illness, is a character you can’t help but root for. Her determination and strength, even in the face of ridiculous circumstances (like riding her new husband, who is a horse during the day), really made her stand out. Then there's Prince Aric, who would rather be buried in books than rule a kingdom, and who is a very reluctant horse. Their dynamic is both hilarious and heartwarming, and watching their romance develop is one of the most fun parts of the book.

What I truly admire about Behooved is its originality. The magical elements, the quirky characters, and the engaging plot all come together to create something fresh and fun. It’s rare to find a book that’s this creatively different, but Stevenson pulls it off with charm and flair. I also really appreciated the cozy enchantment that runs through the story, providing a perfect balance to the more serious undertones of political intrigue and danger.

Overall, Behooved is a fantastical romp filled with humor, heart, and a dash of magic. If you love unique, slow-burn romances with a sprinkle of the unexpected, this book is definitely worth picking up. I can’t wait to see where M. Stevenson takes this world next!

I absolutely loved the chronic illness representation in this story. It's a cozy read and just a fun magical adventure. I'd happily read a spin off of this, no questions asked!

Bramble stays having different and fun romantasy books and I'm here for it! This book was fun we have the main characters that have to get married in their respective countries. The mmc is turned into a stallion by a spell on the wedding night. On that same night, there is also an assassination attempt on the mm who is the future ruler so the main characters have to deal with finding out who wants him assassinated and how to break the spell. There is some travel and political intrigue and I liked how the main characters started by not liking each other getting to know each other and see the good side of each other. The fmc is strong and a warrior she has a chronic illness similar to Celiac disease so I thought that was a good rep. The mmc is a softie and shy, he loves reading and books which I always like in a book. There are plots, magic, coup attempts, and political intrigue that comes to a headway in this cozy romantasy. Thank you Bramble for this arc.

A darling journey from start to finish. We love a chronic illness girlie matched with nerdy hero. Perfect cozy romantasy for a weekend in your mind palace.