All the fantasy adventure I was hoping for. The romping and political intrigue was excellent. And I really enjoyed how Bianca and Aric’s personalities played off of each other.

If anyone was hoping for another taste of the show Lady Jane, this story will sate that. Here’s hoping we get another book in the series. I am invested.

ADORED!!! I didn't realize how cozy romatasy could be a thing until i read this book. Because while it is a lot of FLUFF, there's the same feeling of this being a very /adult/ romantasy novel. The jokes were funny, the moments made me cry and I loved to see two people learn to trust each other.

Save a horse, ride your husband! (or whatever they say)

This truly was the lighthearted, cozy fantasy as stated. I was immediately charmed in the first half but lost some steam in the second. The premise—a royal couple navigating curses, assassination plots, and magical mysteries—was whimsical and fun, especially with the MMC being cursed into a horse. The banter between Bianca and Aric, paired with playful horse puns, added humor and warmth, but the rushed romance and underdeveloped magic system left me wanting more. A great pick for fans of My Lady Jane or those looking for a palate cleanser.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Behooved by M. Stevenson was a delight to read. Bianca is an easy FMC to root for. She's sharp-witted, can defend herself and her horse, and is a bit stabby. I am here for all of the horse puns and banter. It was fun and quirky, the perfect cozy romantasy to get me out of my reading slump. The writing was lyrical, without being pretentious. I found myself hooked when the spell goes awry, until the very last page.

Good premise, good plot. A little spicier than I prefer, and a little didactic. And the constant round of "I'm weak and you couldn't possibly love me"/"No, I"M weak and YOU couldn't possibly love ME"/"No, I'M weak and YOU couldn't--" gets old. I understand what the author was going for, but there are better methods of character and relationship development.

Bianca is a daughter of house Liliana, one of 9 noble houses ruling Damaria. She has a chronic illness that can flare at any time. When her parents demand she marry Prince Aric to avoid war, she reluctantly agrees. Her magically talented sister Tatiana gives her an experimental protection charm.

After the wedding, Aric is attacked in their bedchamber, so Bianca invokes the charm, which turns her new husband into a large white horse. They flee the palace, heading into all kinds of adventures, in a race against time, to understand who orchestrated the attack, prove Bianca's innocence of her husband's murder, and permanently unhorse Aric before the country's looming coronation.

Behooved is a fun wild ride into an enemies-to-lovers, slow-burn romantasy, full of bewitching magic and dueling kingdoms.

Overall, I loved the My Lady Jane vibes, but the pacing and execution of the story I found were not for me.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.*

My thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC of this book available for my review.

This was a fun little fantasy and romance story, with the the main character a young woman who is being married off to a neighboring kingdom in order to benefit her family. The husband-to-be at first appears to be more than a bit uncaring and standoffish, but those appearances need to be put into some context that is revealed later in the book. When he is accidentally transformed into a horse during an assassination attempt, things go quite a bit haywire and the two of them end up on the run (literally). This was very enjoyable, and the journey well worth it.

This was a cute fantasy romance. I enjoyed our FMC and she made me laugh a few times. Definitely a slow burn and the way these two denied their feelings at times was sweet. But the actual story was unique, the secret that brings them together…just adorable and if you enjoy those things you’ll love this book.

I enjoyed reading this romantasy book. I loved the concept and I found it very humorous with the main character, Bianca, trying her best to convince herself that her attraction to her husband is just a fluke due to circumstances. There were many moments that made me want to look away and cringe in second hand embarrassment because of Bianca. The dynamic between Bianca and her husband, Aric, is so sweet but also hilarious, considering that Aric is horse by day and man by night.
Something that I thoroughly enjoyed in this fantasy book is the representation of Celiac Disease and queer people. I love seeing the main character having a condition that makes things difficult but it doesn’t stop them from doing their job, and seeing that shown in a fantasy book where adventure is something common is really nice. The queer representation is great as well and how there isn’t a huge discourse over queer relationships but instead seen as something normal, which is something I quite like.
There is political intrigue and with the arranged marriage between Aric and Bianca, it is the leading factor of the plot and who tried to take over and the treaty in discussion. Although the political intrigue isn’t the most critical plot point, it is something that is mentioned and gives a bit more world-building to the story.
I would like to say that although I really enjoyed the beginning and middle of the book, the ending for me felt very rushed. I felt there could be more done for the ending to give it a more conclusive wrap up instead of everything being revealed. We know from the beginning who the person behind the whole political intrigue is but it would be fine if the ending gave a bit more depth into the reasoning or background of the political intrigue.
There is a lot that is not concluded in the ending as well, like what happened to Bianca and Tatiana’s parents after they figured out that they were behind the entire political marriage and treaties.
Overall, I enjoyed reading it and while the ending could have been executed better, I would recommend this to someone who wants an easy read, standalone romantasy, with queer and Celiac disease representation.

Thank you Tor/Bramble for the gifted copy!

Behooved
M. Stevenson
Publishing Date: May 22, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🎧 Narrator: Natalie Naudus 🎧

This romantasy took me by surprise in the best way. It is fun and humorous while also being romantic and intriguing, it’s easily digestible and fast paced, and I really really enjoyed it!

Bianca is part of a magical family with no magic of her own. She is betrothed to Aric, a brooding grump, in order to solidify an alliance. During the wedding there is an assassination attempt, things get crazy, and Bianca’s new hubby is turned into a horse!

This book gives us enemies to lovers romance with magical political intrigue as Bianca and Aric find their way out of this mess.. and to each other.

🎧 Natalie Naudus is always flawless and this is no exception!

If you grew up loving Barbie in Swan Lake, The Princess Bride, or more recently My Lady Jane then this book is for you! This book is kinda silly and as expected there are many jokes and puns about her husband turning into a horse BUT it was also so fricken good and really hit me in the feels! Bianca, is the celiac representation we didn't know we were getting but were so happy to see, she is strong but struggles every day because she doesn't know what is wrong with her body and why she is so weak. There is no magical fix by the end just the knowledge that it's something she's eating and she's going to have to figure it out but has support, loved this! She was so brave and wonderful (a little cringy and clumsy at time), her and Aric were cuties, they start as enemies to lovers and you feel the hate on both ends but their romance built up very well. This book is a cozy fantasy with all the best tropes, forced marriage, one bed, enthusiastic consent! It was a little predictable but I would definitely read another book by M. Stevenson! Also, that cover is incredible!

Finally, a true horse girl fantasy!

Behooved is a lot of fun, from the cheeky title to the intriguing narrative that delivers on some solid forced proximity between the main pairing.

I just wish that the "antagonist" tied better into the narrative as a whole. It felt like the romance was so rich and well-communicated but when it slipped back into the plot in the last quarter I found myself a little bored.

This novel has a fantastic premise but is somewhat lacking in execution. Given the setup of political machinations at the beginning I had expected something complex and twisty, but the plot and the tone were pretty straightforward and less sophisticated than that. More cozy than I expected, but then there were sex scenes, which felt kind of at-odds with the vibe of the book, which very much felt more like a YA novel. There was kind of a mismatch between what the book felt like it wanted to be and what actually came out. I didn’t think it was bad, per se, just that it didn’t live up to its potential. There was actually quite a bit to like about it. I liked the relationship between Aric and Bianca and the way it developed. And the plot, for all it was not what I expected, was well paced and fairly enjoyable. And while this book fell short of the mark for me, I’m very interested to see what the author does next.

Representation: Main character with chronic illness, bisexual main character and other LGBTQ+ characters, POC characters

bianca has been raised knowing her worth is in her duty to her people. so, when her parents explain she is to be married to the neighboring kingdom’s young heir to avoid war, she agrees. being betrothed to prince aric is worse than she imagined, though, as he seems to want nothing to do with her, despite being the one to arrange the marriage in the first place. to make matters worse, on their wedding night, a failed assassination attempt leads to aric turning into a horse. now, the two have to set aside their differences to figure out how to stop a second attempt on aric’s life—and how to turn him back to a human.

i was expecting to like this book, but not to love it as much as i did! bianca was chronically ill, and as a girlie attempting to figure out her own body, i absolutely loved how this aspect of her identity was portrayed. with her family’s reactions to her chronic illness and not having magic, she’s always felt like a burden on others. in fact, she’s determined to hide her chronic illness from aric for as long as she can so that he doesn’t call things off. she carries this mindset on their journey, but aric is quick to help her see a different perspective: “strength isn’t about what your body can do…it’s about how you respond to adversity.” i was having a bad health day and when i heard this line, it felt truly magical. i loved how their relationship progressed; seeing them go from not wanting anything to do with each other to loving each other was beautiful!

Listen. This is unhinged. So many horse jokes, so little time. I'm into it. It's hilarious. Don't think to hard about it. This is Romantasy, friends, and the romance comes first. There is spice and all your favorite tropes including only one stable stall. I enjoyed it very much, and you could too unless you get hung up on little things like how bad her parents are really or can you trust an assassin after they tried to kill your husband. This is a 3.5 star in rounding up because I read this quickly once I got past the world-building (LGBTQIA+ rep! Chronic illness rep! Oligarchy over Monarchy! Oh wait, no, that last one is sus. Nevermind that. Carry on.)
Thanks to NetGalley, Bramble, and Macmillan Audio for these advanced copies!

thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc! 🤍

Behooved by M. Stevenson was such a fun and easy read and it’s definitely not one to take too seriously. if you love classic fantasy tropes like arranged marriage, enemies to lovers, only one bed (you know the drill), you’ll probably enjoy this one too.

that said, it also featured one of my least favorite tropes: miscommunication. i found myself wanting to yell at the characters to please. just. talk. to. each. other. more than once. even with that, i found myself really enjoying the ride. (pun intended)

the magic system and world had a whimsical vibe that i loved, and while i do wish the author had gone a bit more in depth with both of them, what we did see was super fun. this definitely felt like a vibes over logic kind of book, as some things didn’t always make the most sense, but if you go into it expecting a fun escape rather than heavy worldbuilding, i think you’ll have a great time.

i also really appreciated the chronic illness rep (which you don’t see nearly enough in fantasy), and i liked the two main characters quite a bit, even when they made… questionable decisions. i adored the tender moments between them.

if you're looking for a cozy, tropey romantasy that doesn’t take itself too seriously, Behooved is a great pick. 🦄🔮🗡️

This was such a cute fantasy rom com! It will definitely be perfect to recommend to patrons who were sad the My Lady Jane tv series was cancelled.

Thank you to Tor Publishing Group/Bramble for providing me with this ARC.

Behooved is a grown horse girl’s dream come true in novel form. The story follows Bianca Lilliana as she journeys to a neighboring country to wed their heir to the throne, Aric. This marriage will secure an alliance between their two nations. Bianca and Aric immediately get off on the wrong foot, which soon magically becomes a hoof—at least in Aric’s case—when an assassination attempt gone wrong turns Bianca’s new husband into a white horse and she is framed for his disappearance and murder.

“Virtue of Mercy. I was married to a horse.”

Hilarity ensues as Bianca and her new, er, horseband go on the run in an attempt to find a cure for the magical spell that turns Aric into a horse at night. Along the way, Behooved bursts with nearly every romantic trope imaginable. The two newlyweds (who are clearly meant to be both enemies-to-lovers and maybe even grumpy and sunshine, if one squints) are forced to share only one bed in every inn they encounter, and must pretend to be a happily married couple (fake dating) to avoid discovery. Readers who love these tropes will find plenty to delight in, but I found the execution a bit lacking.

For instance, the enemies-to-lovers arc is a little hard to believe, as the two have agreed to wed for the good of their countries. Aric and Bianca only share a single dance and a rejected breakfast invitation before they’re married and forced to call a truce to cure Aric and clear Bianca’s name. There’s just not enough time spent establishing their relationship or their characters. It’s obvious that Bianca is meant to be the long-suffering, dutiful daughter, and Aric the socially inept recluse—but without more interaction, a man choosing to read at a ball after dancing with his betrothed doesn’t feel like enough of a basis to form an entire judgment of his character. Yet that’s exactly what Bianca, a twenty-something-year-old woman, decides she should do.

It's this lack of nuance that makes the characters read more like teenagers than the young adults they’re supposed to be. It doesn’t help that they seem more like archetypes than fully developed people. Admittedly, what little development they do receive was perplexing. How did a noblewoman receive training in swordplay, especially when she has a chronic illness that labels her as weak even by her own family's standards? And how did the male heir to a throne manage to avoid similar training? Behooved implies this is simply a cultural difference between the countries, but I didn’t find it convincing.

This is most likely due to the fact that the world-building is practically nonexistent. For instance, Bianca is constantly swearing “by the seas” or “by the virtues,” yet there’s little—if any—explanation of where these curses originate. Are they religious? Is her country’s economy based on some form of maritime trade? I was also confused when she claimed there was no royalty in her country, yet she was deemed worthy (as a member of a noble house) to marry a future king and become a queen.

“I hadn’t exactly missed the man, but being married to a horse was awkward at best. If Aric was human again, we could return to the castle. Clear my name. Find the assassin, and consequently who had sent them.”

With weak character development and thin world-building, Behooved reads more like a YA novel with detailed spice than an actual adult romantasy. The characters begin developing feelings for each other fairly early on. I’m a huge fan of slow burn/yearning, so it felt too fast for my taste. Unfortunately, I just couldn't feel their chemistry either. The curse setup echoes The Swan Princess, except in Behooved, Aric conveniently turns human at night. Romantic? Maybe. Convenient for sex scenes? Definitely. I also had trouble with the first spicy scene, which takes place right after Bianca is mortally injured. She’s supposed to be recovering from serious wounds—and she’s chronically ill—but apparently this is the moment she chooses to act on her sudden desire for her husband?

As someone with multiple chronic illnesses, I was excited (but cautiously optimistic) to see a fantasy novel with a chronically ill main character. In the afterword, the author shares that she wanted to represent a heroine who, like her (she has Celiac disease), lives with a chronic condition. I love that this representation comes from an author with firsthand experience, but for most of the book I was worried about where the portrayal was headed.

“‘Did she tell you what the poison was?’
‘No. But she said you and I could figure it out.’ Aric reached for my hand. ‘Then we will. It might take time. But I promise we’ll find the answer.’”
Because Bianca’s condition is unnamed, undiagnosed, and only managed through tonics, I feared the book was setting up for one of my least favorite tropes ever: the magical cure. About three-quarters of the way through, a greenwitch (a healer with magical powers) says Bianca is poisoning herself, and that her husband is clever enough to figure it out. After reading the author’s note, I realized this was a metaphor for gluten "poisoning," but while reading, it felt uncomfortably close to a magical cure because of how it was presented.

As someone who struggled to get diagnoses for most of my life, it felt dismissive—even in a fantasy novel—that a character could say, “Don’t worry. Your husband will figure it out,” and everyone just went with it. What’s worse is that Bianca wholeheartedly believes this—despite barely knowing her new husband and who sometimes doesn’t even have thumbs because of the horse curse. His only real skill? He likes to read. I’m not saying Aric couldn’t discover a treatment eventually, but it felt flippant considering Bianca’s noble upbringing, which allowed her access to medical testing and care that the less fortunate wouldn't. This easily believed solution is another kind of moment that makes the book feel much more YA than adult.

That said, Behooved is a really fun concept. The beginning is fast-paced and engaging. The stakes get high quickly, which is both a strength and a weakness—it doesn’t give readers enough time to settle in with the characters or grow attached to them. Though it didn’t quite work for me—a recovering horse-a-holic—readers drawn to whimsical romantasy, magical mishaps, and well-worn tropes will still find it a feel-good, low-stakes escape. Behooved has all the ingredients for an engaging romp, but weak world-building and rushed romance keep it from reaching full gallop.

I loveeeeeed this, it was so cute and fun. 10/10 banter. I also really appreciated the chronic illness representation! It had a little bit of a YA feel to the writing style, but it was definitely an adult book with spice. Overall really enjoyed this and would recommend it!