An unconventional romance, a thrilling adventure and a curse gone awry. I absolutely adored this book! Through a set of misunderstandings, a duty bound marriage, an assasination attempt and a protection spell gone bad, Biancas new husband Aric gets turned into a horse, but without Aric the man, everyone believes that hes been killed and that Bianca herself did the killing. And so the newlyweds are on the run together in a race to reverse the spell and stop a deeper plot to take the throne, all the while learning more about each other. Loved, loved, loved it!

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor/Bramble for an advanced copy!

The cover of this book is so beautiful! That's what first caught my attention. The premise also sounded very interesting, and it also sounded different and unique compared to lots of romantasy books I've read.

Overall, it was a fun read. The idea was fun, and executed well enough. I didn't really feel like I connected with any of the characters, though, and Bianca got on my nerves sometimes. Also, I feel like Bianca's "condition" was too mysterious--I know it was supposed to be unexplained, but there should have been a little bit more information for how big of a deal it was. The tension between Bianca and Aric was good, but once they decided they liked each other, it felt a little like insta-love. I did like the sibling relationship between Tatiana and Bianca. If you love romantasy that isn't too heavy on the magic/worldbuilding but still has enough magic to make things fun, this is a great read for you!

Behooved was SUCH a good time! I absolutely love so many things about this story, but none more than the fact that it never takes itself too seriously. The premise is admittedly a bit ridiculous—An arranged marriage between two people who absolutely CANNOT stand each other—one of whom just so happens to turn into a horse when the sun comes up—and that’s exactly what makes it so much fun. The author fully owns the absurdity and runs with it, packing the plot with humor, heart, and so many horse puns, you might need a saddle just to keep up. Chef’s kiss.

This book is cozy and whimsical— it reminded me of the uniquely wonderful, offbeat charm that packs such a huge punch in The Princess Bride as well as the regrettably axed My Lady Jane series on Prime (though I’m sure that particular comparison is a bit obvious, and perhaps a touch on the nose).

It’s the kind of story where you’re in on the joke from the start, and the absurdity is just part of the fun. It’s whimsical, witty, and doesn’t take itself too seriously—and honestly, that’s what makes it such a delightful read

I can’t recommend this one enough! It’s a delightful, lighthearted read that also manages to shine a well-deserved spotlight on communities too often sidelined in the fantasy genre. Enter Bianca—our bisexual, chronically-ill heroine who tackles challenges like it's her damn day job, all while defending her adorably nonviolent, bookworm husband like the absolute champion that she is.

The perfect blend of humor, heart, and representation makes this a must-read. If you love witty, fun stories that don’t take themselves too seriously but still have something to say, Behooved is your next literary adventure, trust me.

Behooved by M. Stevenson is a breath of fresh air in the fantasy genre, and I can truly say it blew me away. The story follows Bianca and her arranged marriage to Aric. Bianca is a strong-willed woman who suffers from a chronic illness that she has been told makes her weak. Despite what she has been led to believe about herself, she accepts the proposal and enters an unknown court, only to find that her soon-to-be husband is nothing like she imagined. After some dancing, a failed assassination attempt, and a spell gone wrong, Bianca and Aric are on the run. What follows is a hilarious, heartbreaking, and swoon-worthy tale - all things I want from a light fantasy book.

If you love stories like Ella Enchanted and My Lady Jane, chronic illness representation, the one-bed trope, and a good time then this book is for you!


Thank you to Netgalley, M. Stevenson, and Tor Publishing for the eARC!

OK so LOVE the chronic illness rep, unique magic system and detailed intricate world building, I felt fully immersed and invested in the story and characters, was a quick read because I couldn't put it down!

Behooved by M Stevenson follows Bianca, Duchess of Damaria, known for her sense of duty as she accepts a betrothal to Prince Aric, the heir of Gildenheim, to solidify a treaty and stave off war. A failed assassination attempt on their wedding night leaves Prince Aric transformed into a white stallion. Bianca will need to find a way to break the spell before Prince Aric’s coronation and somewhere along the way their arranged marriage becomes one of love.

This was a unique story with nonstop action, an intriguing magic system, and beautifully flawed characters. M Stevenson does a wonderful job of creating a world and characters that draws you in. I loved how much both Bianca and Aric grow and learn throughout the story and their budding romance felt very real. I would highly recommend this to readers who enjoy fantasy and romance.

BEHOOVED takes a time-worn trope - arranged marriage with a mysterious foreign king - and sparks it with new life by turning that man into a horse. This is a book that's fully aware of its (somewhat ridiculous) premise, going all in on the horse jokes, and it's fabulously fun. The banter was a delight. I loved seeing Bianca as an openly and unapologetically bisexual woman, as well as chronic illness rep that was an essential part of her character from page one. And of course, I'm endlessly weak for a soft boi male love interest, who'd rather cozy up with a book while his wife does the stabbing.

A fantasy book with sort of celiac rep? It's not diagnosed/specified in the novel, but the author explains in the author's note that is what the portrayal is intended to be! I had a similar journey as the main character with my gluten intolerance/symptoms so I really loved and connected with this one. The romance is also cute and funny. tw for one scene of slight horse abuse ): (I just felt bad but the horse is totally OKAY at the end!)

What an easy read and what an entertaining one. I don't normally love romance but I really do adore this book. More review to come!

Bianca is our FMC who must follow her duty; meaning marrying the neighboring kingdom's prince to prevent you know, a war. However, what perfect thing to happen on the wedding day other than an assassination attempt and not only that, a curse causing him to become a horse? What a total night-mare. And so the novel follows the journey of dragging the horsely prince around to break a curse and uncover a coup.

All in all, cozy read for me with a lot of good things about it (humor, heartfelt moments, action-packed scenes amongst others) but I mostly struggled to read because it felt a bit too cozy. Nothing wrong with it, but I don't think it was "the right time, the right read" for me.

3.25/5

Would still recommend it for readers who want a cozy fantasy read and are interested in Swan Lake with a twist. There are more adult themes, spice, and open-door romance.

Thank you NetGalley, Bramble & Tor Publishing for the e-arc for an honest review!

A fast-paced escape into a world where magic means power over all things… all things except love.

BEHOOVED is magical—and not just by definition. The world is rich and immersive: I experienced the sea air, the damp dew of the night, the flicker of the green-gilded fire. I rode along with Bianca and Aric, very much as if I was a part of their entourage.

The characters are vibrant and whole, each entangled in their own desires and motivated by them. I related very strongly to Bianca, to her idea of who she should be instead of being who she really is in order to please others. I admired Bianca’s quiet strength. With her condition that ails her, as well as her perceived worth tied to the fulfilment of her duty, she has a veritable burden of challenges. (To say nothing of turning Aric into a horse…!) But that’s the thing with Bianca’s strength, it’s a whole lot more potent than she thinks it is. And, to that point (without any spoilers), the ending was highly satisfying for me.

Even the side characters felt real and whole, specifically Marya and Tatiana. They also provided a touch of levity in situations where things trended darker.

The story unfolds at a perfect pace so the relationship between Bianca and Aric blossomed naturally, and does so without bogging down the plot. They complement each other beautifully. They shift and adapt to situations and each other, even when nothing goes according to plan.

BEHOOVED is indeed magical. Each thread of the story weaves together into a bright and complex tapestry of magic, mystery, intrigue—and most important of all—love.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read an advance review copy of this story for free. My opinions are honest, and given freely.

Behooved is a really cute fairy tale fantasy reminiscent of childhood favorites like Ella Enchanted, Once Upon a Marigold, and Shrek. I loved the main and side characters and the only reason this isn't a full 4 star book for me is that I would have liked to spend more time with them all. I would have really enjoyed seeing more of the characters' relationships develop and more of Bianca coming to terms with her parents and their roles in her life. I would have loved to spend more time in this world and especially delve deeper into the side characters, as well as the magic system in Gildenheim.

That said, the book was really sweet and funny, highlighted chronic illness and LGBTQ+ representation, and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who loves fairy tales and slightly higher stakes in their cozy fantasies.

3.5 stars (rounded to 4)
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for the ARC!

Filling the immense void left behind by the My Lady Jane cancellation, this was a delight! I always love a good arranged-political-marriage-but-oh-no-we-actually-like-each-other PLUS a “my husband is a horse????” trope? Impeccable. I loved Bianca as a protagonist and narrator and Arin was great. Really enjoyed their relationship and how well they complimented each other. Wasn't suuuper interested in the whole political/magical scheming aspects of the plot, but still had a good time!

This book this is sweet…cloyingly so, even.

It is cozy and feels like a warm hug; a tale full of self-love, breaking toxic familial expectations, reconciling and healing from negative self talk, sex positivity, and queer characters.

It was so healthy that it made me…honestly roll my eyes a bit; some of the dialogue was a tad on the nose for me with all the consent and self acceptance; but hey there’s plenty of toxic love stories I can read to cleanse from this healthy sweetness.

I myself did not know about “the horse thing” when I received the ARC- I just liked the cover so I picked it up! When the “horse thing” happened I was delighted. The plot really picks up from there, and the adventure of our reluctant lovers is a delight. And their banter and dialogue is often quite funny.

Ooooone thing to note: I did feel these characters were being deliberately thick and I myself saw the “twists” coming miles away- there just aren’t enough characters or red herrings to distract from the blatant clues. So the ending comes as very little surprise, but that’s fine. It was happy and fairly satisfying a conclusion. O and it’s A STAND ALONE FANTASY NOVEL one of my favorite rarities.

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!