Thank you to NetGalley and Tor/Bramble for the Arc!

Behooved follows Aric and Bianca who enter into an arranged marriage only for one of them to suddenly turn into a horse during an assassination attempt on their wedding night.

This was such a fun read! It did take me a bit to get into (probably more me than the book) but once Bianca reached Gildenheim and the plot got going I enjoyed it a lot.

We have some welcome LGBTQ+ representation with both main characters being bisexual as well as multiple queer side characters. There is also chronic illness rep with the fmc having a condition with similar symptoms to celiac disease.

Overall I think this was a great book and I will definitely be interested in checking out more from this author in future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bramble for this advanced ready copy in exchange for a honest review. Behooved by M. Stevenson was a fun book where an arranged marriage turns into the male main character being transformed into a horse on their wedding night. This was a very fun read in which there’s a bit of mystery surrounding how the prince was turned into a horse and navigating how to be transformed back all the while being in hiding. Inevitably this is an enemies to lovers trope so the characters do end up together! Romance, Fantasy, and a Government Conspiracy - great combo. Perfect for fans of Ruby Dixon!

This was like a cozy romantasy and I had a great time! A lot of romantasy writing makes me physically recoil and doom spiral about the state of people's brainrot (look, I'm all for fun/smutty books but I have a LIMIT and STANDARDS) but this was really engaging and fun! It's like if the My Lady Jane tv show and the Ella Enchanted movie had a baby with celiac. I had myself a silly goofy time and there wasn't any miscommunication once the couple was together.

The horse jokes made killed me. At once point, Aric, in human form, speaks "hoarsely" and I had to put my iPad down.

What a mess! The first quarter felt repetitive. Bianca's character made no sense. One moment she's dutiful, docile to whatever her parents say unflinchingly, and then out nowhere is suddenly good at court politics? Sometimes she can be perceptive and other times just a big idiot. I felt like the only consistent part of her was the chronic illness, which I thought was great to emphasize, but then we don't really follow through with some of the plot points, like when the Greenwitch gives her advice about what might be poisoning her. Then there's Aric, whose personality also seemed like a mess. I hated the insta-love thing that happened between him and Bianca. They hadn't known each other for even a week and was already in love despite not knowing anything about each other. The writing felt really juvenile and stiff. Again, really disappointed by how this turned out because the premise was so strong.

This book was so fun! The chemistry between Bianca and Aric crackled from the beginning, and I loved seeing their relationship grow naturally over time. The author leaned into the sheer absurdity of the premise in ways that made me laugh out loud. The treatment of Bianca’s “condition” was done so well and the personal experience of the author came across. Respectful disability rep can be hard to find in traditional fantasy and it was done with thoughtful intention here.

Thanks to Net Galley for the digital arc copy!

Behooved follows our FMC, Bianca Liliana, who struggles with believing in herself and finding her inner strength. Her country of Damaria is working with neighboring country Gildenheim on keeping the peace and negotiations which happen to include - offering Bianca as the bride to heir apparent Aric. An assasination attempt gone wrong sends these two on an adventure to secure the crown. On top of this, magic cursed Aric and he turns into a horse (or majestic white stallion, however you want to look at it). Once sunset approaches, he is able to temporarily turn back into a human form. I wasn't sure about this element, but it totally worked!

This was a slowburn with banter and excitement that had me hooked! Some spice is included, but it doesn't encompass the entirety of the plot. There were some moments that felt like it slowed down the momentum for me during the middle part of the novel, but otherwise I thought the pacing was perfect. I really love fantasy novels that have elements of "on the road"/journey and this definitely had that. Wish there was a map to go along with it!

While Bianca is fighting through her feelings, coming to understand the true political landscape of her country and her parents views, and trying to make sense of the chaos, she also deals with a chronic ailment. I thought that was interesting to her character and shone a little bit of light on chronic pain. It didn't overshadow anything or go into major details and it was more of something that was there in the realistic way a person would be reminded of chronic pain day to day in their life.

Really enjoyed this one and looking forward to reading more from this author!

🎠 ARC REVIEW 🎠

BEHOOVED by M. Stevenson
4.5/5 🌟
Pub date 🇺🇸: May 20th

Since I started reading this book, every night I'd crawl into my bed and under the covers like a little gremlin and read as much as I could before I fell asleep. I loved this book. It reminded me of that 80's movie Lady Hawk! It was such a sweet romance.

The book begins with a treaty proposal involving our FMC getting married to the new king of a neighboring country. The king and his new bride's meeting does not go as smoothly as planned, and they end up on the run. Please read if you like the following:

👑 Men that are transformed into horses during the day and back to men (just in time 😉) at night
👑 FMC with disabilities that force her to reevaluate tactics
👑 Coups involving assassins 🗡
👑 Jokes about 'riding' the king 😏

Thank you to Netgalley and Bramble for the advanced review copy!

🔖 #netgalley #behooved #romantasy #bookstagram #books #booklover #book #bookworm #bookstagrammer #reading #bookish #bookaddict #booknerd #bibliophile #readersofinstagram #booksofinstagram #booksbooksbooks #bookreview #instabook #bookrecommendations #booklovers #booklove #booktok #reader #instabooks #authorsofinstagram

Thank you to NetGalley and Bramble for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Bianca will always follow her duty, even if it means marrying the neighboring kingdom’s heir apparent to prevent a war. When a would-be assassin attacks her bridegroom on their wedding night, a spell gone awry leaves Aric transformed into a horse. A surly prince is hard enough to deal with, but dragging a horse’s-ass across the kingdom while uncovering a coup and finding a cure? That’s a total night-mare.

I appreciate a book that knows it has a wacky premise and decides to lean into it — you will find no shortage of horse puns, and some of the wild scenarios they get themselves into reminded me of playing D&D with my friends. I agree with the author that this book falls on the cozier side of fantasy, in that the stakes of the story are medium-high but the tone of the book incorporates more comedy.

I liked that there was a bit of a gender-role reversal where Aric was book-smart, reserved and terrible in combat, whereas Bianca had a weapon quite literally up her sleeve at all times. I also enjoyed the chronic illness representation from Bianca and the conversations she had with Aric surrounding it. The characters have depth, and a big focus of their relationship’s development is overcoming their respective insecurities together.

That being said, I struggled to buy into their relationship and it sort of threw the rest of the book off for me. Their initial lack of communication made them read as much younger than their actual ages, and Bianca’s budding attraction towards Aric felt sudden to me. I wish there was more of a catalyst, a specific moment that made her view him differently. Also, I know this is marketed as a slow-burn, but once the physical aspect of their relationship begins, it progresses so quickly.

I also felt the book was weighed down by Bianca’s frequent self-reflections. I’m happy to be inside a character’s head and see their thought process, but I wish it was woven in more naturally. I think that's why I found myself enjoying the story more in the last third when the action takes over. Lastly, while the events of the story were entertaining, the greater plot/mystery surrounding the assassination attempt was, for me, fairly straight-forward and predictable. Because of this, I felt frustrated waiting for the characters to have certain realizations.

Overall, Behooved was a quick read full of heartfelt moments and strong character development alongside an action-packed plot. Certain elements kept me from getting invested fully, but I appreciate the unique concept and quality chronic-illness representation.

I’d recommend this title to readers that…

♞ find cozy fantasy just a smidge too cozy
♞ never quite grew out of their horse-girl phase
♞ think a man with a book is sexier than a man with a sword

3.5 stars because I did find this book quite funny. I mean, it's called BEHOOVED and it's about a guy who turns into a HORSE. Not to mention a heroine with a chronic illness who goes on a magical adventure. Overall, great concept and excellent execution.

First and foremost, the writing was strong. At no point did I find myself going "nobody talks like that," or regretting my decision to request this ARC. Considering my 2025 so far, this is REALLY GOOD. Honestly though, the writing was fun, witty, and flowed well. It was repetitive at times, especially when she would repeat who she had let down/how she was a failure, but I can see that also potentially being an important part of the story, so that might just be me.

The plot itself was fun. Nothing spectacular, and I DID have to skip a couple of scenes, but overall just an entertaining read. There were no weird plot things detracting from the story, and anything that I want to learn more about is something I can see being left out for the purposes of a potential sequel? Maybe me being hopeful.

The characters had very clear growth, which was nice. All of their decisions made sense in terms of who they are/where they are in their own personal journeys. At times it was hard to get a read on Aric and whether he actually trusted Bianca, but I prefer the not-knowing to a split POV.

The one thing I wish this book included was an inkling of Bianca and Tatiana's parents responding to the outcome of everything. Considering we start the story with them and they're key players in Bianca's decision-making, I would have loved some kind of confrontation with them.

But yes!! 3.5/5!!

Bianca and Aric are one of my favorite fictional couples! This story was so beautifully written and fun. I was kicking my feet and cheering.

Behooved marks a beautiful and fun debut from author M. Stevenson. This is a great blend of cozy and charm into the familiar structure of Romantasy that readers are used to. There is a lot of humor and nerdy content / banter, which adds to the night heartedness of a book. I like the way this book features characters who are kind and take care of each other. The love interest is not a dominant alpha male this time but a nerdy bookworm who is just trying his best after being turned into a horse. And we get a love interest who is whip smart and has chronic illness. It’s really wonderful to see and I related to so many parts of this. The spice is very light, so I think it’s perfect for a broad range of readers.

“I wanted you to my own humiliation.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Often hilarious, frequently heartfelt—Behooved is a charming tale of two opposing kingdoms, a chronically ill, magic-less-in-a-magic-society dutchess, and her bookish, prince husband…who just so happens to be cursed to turn into a white stallion during the day.

Add in a plot to overthrow Prince Aric’s coronation, colossal misunderstandings, and a never ending cascade of everything that could possibly go wrong, and you’ve got a an incredible, engaging read.

Not to mention, this is set in a queer-normative world. And do you know what that means? That’s right—lesbian lady knights.

Overall, this was an intriguing, fantastical story of two vulnerable, societal outcasts finding not only their place in the world, but their home.

Highly, highly recommend this one to my romantasy, fairytale lovers who want a heaping tablespoon of spice and silliness with their political intrigue.

(A sincere thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.)

I read this book SO quick. Absolutely devoured it in a matter of hours. It was so fun. She was such a BA. And the celiac disease rep was amazing.

This is definitely an adult book. It has some trigger warnings so be aware of that. Both main characters are bisexual so is LBGTQ. This is a good book. It’s definitely a cozy or fantasy mixed with some spice. There’s a good amount of open door scenes.

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.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!

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.