This was charming. I really liked it. A fun little tale of actions and intent gone wrong. I felt the characters refreshing too.

I loved how the miscommunication was handled and the banter. Both Bianca and Aric were really lovable characters too that balance each other well.

The pacing was great. I see it marketed as cozy but im not sure I'd call it that though. Despite that it flowed well and was a great stand alone read with everything wrapped up well.

A fun romantasy where a man turns into a horse during the day but into a man at night. This book was a really fun, good time. I loved the concept and can't wait to see what else this author is planning to write! It was a fun light hearted romantasy, Definitely the best for in between heavier reads.

Also the cover on this book is so, so pretty!

Ty to netgalley for an earc in exchange for an honest review!

The nitty-gritty: A spell gone wrong turns a prince into a horse in this funny (at times) fantasy where the horsey antics are the best part of the story.

Behooved is a fun and silly romantasy that offers a lot of laughs and some feel good moments, however I found it to be rather formulaic in regards to the world building. I also didn’t care for the characters much, as they come across as flat and sometimes annoying. But I did love the idea of a man who turns into a horse at sunrise (and back into a man at sunset), and the author didn’t hold back when it came to horsey puns and double entendres, so despite my issues, this was an entertaining story and I’m glad I read it.

Bianca is a young woman from House Liliana, one of nine noble Houses in the kingdom of Damaria. When her father informs her that she's to be married to the prince of House Gildenheim in order to prevent a war, Bianca dutifully agrees to the arrangement, even though she’s never met her husband-to-be. Bianca’s first duty is to her family, and she’s determined to make her father proud.

Unfortunately, when Bianca meets Prince Aric, the wrong sort of sparks begin to fly. He seems to be angry at her, and on their wedding night, when Bianca expects him to demand they consummate the marriage, Aric simply wants to “get it over with.” But before anything can happen, an assassin bursts into the room, intent on killing Aric. Luckily, Bianca’s sister Tatiana gave her a magic charm to use in case of emergencies, and Bianca figures this is definitely an emergency. But when she activates the charm, she’s shocked to see that the magic has turned Aric into a white stallion!

With an assassin on their tail and the fate of the kingdom hinging on whether Aric makes it to his coronation in a week’s time, Bianca and Aric must figure out how to break the spell, uncover the identity of the assassin, and try to get along.

Let’s start with the good. The second half was a lot of fun, with lots of funny dialog and fast-paced action. While I didn’t like Bianca and Aric in the first half of the book, as they get to know each other, their characters become much more likable. Aric starts out as a grump, but as he and Bianca are forced to hide from the assassin, who is supposedly still after them, their true personalities emerge and shine. Aric isn’t your typical main character/love interest, and I liked him more because of it. He’s short, almost frail in appearance (well, until he takes his shirt off, at least!) and loves nothing more than to settle in with a good book or two. He doesn’t want to go to war with anyone, but instead has dreams of everyone in the kingdom being able to read. And let’s face it, I absolutely loved the times he was in his horsey form. There were so many awkward moments when Bianca is talking about “riding” him, I found myself laughing out loud.

I also liked some of the themes and messages the author addressed. Bianca has a “condition” where she gets frequent stomach aches and nausea, and the author reveals in her Afterword that she based the condition on her own struggles with celiac disease. Bianca has been taught by her parents never to show fear or pain, and it reminded me of my own issues with migraines and working through the pain no matter what. 

But I did have a few issues. First, the sex. Sigh. There are a few spicy scenes that just didn’t fit the tone of the story. Obviously this is being marketed as a romantasy, and sex scenes seem to be a prerequisite for the genre. But the sex here is awkward and goes on way too long, in my opinion. Also, the author’s language harkens back to old fashioned romances and was frankly a bit embarrassing (“A hard length pressed against my backside. How intriguing.”) This is one instance where closed door scenes would have worked much, much better, especially since the chemistry between Bianca and Aric was almost nonexistent. And forget about a slow-build romance—the couple goes from zero to sixty in about half a page! The best scenes were when Aric is in horse form and the two are clumsily commenting on the situation (“Right. Almost time for me to ride you.”) LOL. And before you ask, no, there is no beastiality in this book!

The world-building is fairly standard and (other than Aric turning into a horse) didn’t wow me. This is a world where some people can wield magic (like Bianca’s sister, who created the protect charm that went spectacularly wrong) but the author never goes very deep, so very little was explained. I wanted more from the characters as well, especially Bianca, who mostly ended up annoying me. And I would have been fine if Aric had just stayed in his horse form!

Stevenson wraps everything up neatly at the end, which I appreciated, and even gives readers some feel-good moments. If you’re a horse fan, and you’re looking for a fairly quick read with some laugh-out-loud moments, Behooved just might be for you.

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.

I thought the plot of this, the overall idea was so cute! It's magical, romantic and has great rep! It felt like it offers a lot of the popular romantasy tropes while still standing on it's own as a story. I do wish we got to understand more about the world building but if you want an easy to get into, cozy with a side of spice romantasy then this is for you!

Thank you so much to Tor Publishing Group for my ARC!

3.75/5

Thank you tor for the gifted eARC!

4.5 ⭐️

Ohhhhh I really liked this one!! I love the cozy fantasy romance vibes and the sweet message behind this story 🥹 I feel like it’s so unique and I just had such a fun time reading it!

The world building is pretty limited in this one, but I didn’t mind so much since this is more focused on the romance! I was really intrigued with what we did learn, especially with how different the magic worked in these two nations!

I adoreeeee both of the MCs! They are both burdened with high expectations and never feeling like they are enough. Bianca suffers from chronic pain (such a nice rep for a fantasy) and is made to believe she can’t show her weaknesses. I loved watching her grow and learn to rely on others 🫶 friggin aric is SO bbg! I love a soft mmc and he was so cutie 😭 I was sobbing whenever he felt bad about himself bc wdym you don’t love yourself as much as I love you?? And he’s bookish? 🤌

The romantic development was so fun! I loved the gate to love vibes while they uncover schemes on their journey! They learn so much together and truly fit each other so well 🥰

Thank you to NetGalley, Tor/Bramble, and Ms. Stevenson for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

This had SO much potential, a cute premise, a gorgeous cover, I loved the inclusion of the FMC's chronic illness, but..... But. The magic system of *both* countries went largely unexplored, there being more exceptions than explanations or rules. The politics went largely unexplored too. It was fairly obvious (even to me, the world's most oblivious reader) who could be behind the plot to usurp the king (or heir, I suppose) but for some reason it takes Aric and Bianca a reeeeeeally long time to get there. Of course, they are super busy taking offense at each other and then getting huffy at every perceived slight so they didn't really have time to think things through. Their transition from enemies to squabbling, reluctant partners to lovers was also a little choppy. Positives? I did like Aric as a horse, and I liked Marya and Tatiana a lot even though their only real function was to advance the plot for Aric and Bianca. Bianca's illness was very relatable and realistic. I liked the greenwitch portion; I wish that had been expanded. There were also a few loose ends: what ever happened to all those people whose stuff Aric and Bianca stole? To the horse trader who abused his animals? To the inn where Aric the horse broke the bed? Inquiring minds want to know.

Basically this had a lot of promise and would have benefitted by some serious expansion of world building and some bridgework to build the the MCs' relationship a little more.

⭐⭐1/2

Duchess Bianca marries the neighboring kingdom's heir to unite their countries and avoid the threat of war. Prince Aric is cold and seems to hate her on sight. Even worse, an assassination attempt on their wedding night leaves him magically transformed into a horse. Bianca rides him away to safety, but is framed for his murder as part of a larger plot against the throne. Aric is a horse by day and a man by night, and the two of them are on the run and forced to get to know each other better. Bianca and Aric must rely on each other to unravel the curse and save the throne.

Bianca has a chronic illness that leaves her in pain and nauseous for hours to days at a time. Her parents see it as weakness, and instilled in her that she's only worthwhile if she can do what House Liliana needs. This leads her to the marriage and trying to protect Aric for the good of her people in avoiding war. Her people use magic via devices, and his use blood magic fir certain spells; the combination leads to Aric getting cursed. Of course the two are at odds, each thinking the other despises them, and the threat of death hangs over them both. The journey forces them together, talking, getting to know each other, and figuring out the magic as well as who wants them dead.

This is a fun fantasy romance, for all that there is the threat if assassination and blood magic. The two snark at each other and complement each other. Both perceive failings in themselves, but the other sees strength. The book clearly shows that strength takes different forms. You don't need a foil or sword to be a hero. Knowledge and the desire to help others is a strength. Persistence in the face of constant struggle is a strength. Kindness and loyalty are to be rewarded. These are great themes to have alongside the romance, and the ending was lots of fun to read. I really enjoyed this book.

3.75⭐️s! Thank you so much NetGalley and Tor for sending me the eARC for Behooved !

Behooved was such a fun time ! This story is a fantasy romance that follows Bianca and Aric. Bianca struggles with a chronic illness that makes her feel like she would never amount to something that her cold and calculating parents would be proud of. They end up shipping her off for an arranged marriage to Prince Aric. After an assassination attempt, a spell makes Aric turn into a horse by day and human by night. Even though they both distrust one another, they work together to try and find a cure for Aric and turn him back human with enough time for him to get crowned king ! This book is super fun and charming, and filled with hilarious dialogue and innuendos. The pacing was alittle odd due to the fact that the book was 350 pages ish but the events only took place over a couple of days ? There also seemed to be a rather interesting and complex magic system that we only saw a tiny bit of. This leads me to believe that potentially this might turn into a series ? Overall though I thought this was funny, cute, and a good message in trusting yourself and letting others show you the good in yourself !

Thank you, Net Galley and Tor/Bramble for the eARC of this book.

Behooved is a romantasy book which follows Bianca and Aric to their arranged nuptials until, during an assassination attempt, Aric is cursed to be a horse during daylight hours. This book has some levity but was not laugh out loud funny.

The pacing in this book was very slow. Events were interspersed with an excess of internal thoughts and doubts. The assassination attempt/horse curse didn’t occur until 20% into the story.

The characters in this book felt underdeveloped and simplified. The only character that showed development (imo) is Bianca, the FMC. I liked the Celiac’s disease inclusion. The misunderstandings between the FMC and MMC felt juvenile, and the villains were obvious. The most interesting character was Tatiana, and she was not in the story much.

I was very excited for the world building in this story. Gildenheim is a kingdom of unregulated magic, and the royal family uses blood magic. The author hinted at the creatures associated with the wild magical areas, but then everything fell flat. The world was very basic with a lot of trees, cold, and rain. I really wanted more.

The plot follows their journey to break the curse, but the plot twists were predictable.

The word retinue is used a lot throughout the story.

This book contains spice. I’d say 1.5 🌶️

Tropes:
- One Bed
- Arranged Marriage
- enemies-ish to lovers

Overall, I struggled to stay invested in the story. The premise sounded awesome, but the execution didn’t meet expectations.

I requested this title after finally watching My Lady Jane because the concept sounded fun and honestly, where else am I going to get many books exploring the "husband-turns-into-a-horse" trope? Which I still hope to see a few more people try to do something with, but this one was kind of a disappointment. To be fair I am famously a hard sell on cozy romantasy, but I can also love it when it's done well--like I can't wait for the next installment in Stephanie Burgis's Witch Queens trilogy, and really enjoyed Sarah Beth Durst and Freya Marske's recent Bramble books--so while this subgenre may be a harder sell for me than some others, my issue here really was more the execution. Short version, BEHOOVED does read very YA, it needed better editing, and I can't *believe* anyone paid seven figures for this book, but it was a debut so I'm going to say 2.5 stars rounded up. Hopefully the next big seven figure Tor romantasy will do a better job living up to the hype. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in return for my honest review--I appreciate it!

2.5/5. Unfortunately, this one didn’t work for me. Behooved follows Bianca, a noblewoman who agrees to marry Prince Aric to prevent a war. But on their wedding night, things take a wild turn when a failed assassination attempt turns Aric into a horse. A literal horse. By day he’s an animal, by night he’s back to being a man—and to make matters worse, Bianca gets framed for his murder. The two go on the run to clear her name, break the curse, and maybe catch some unexpected feelings along the way.

I had a hard time connecting with the characters. Bianca hates Aric almost immediately based on rumors and some supposed slights, and Aric doesn’t exactly make a great first impression either. He’s cold, unkind, and aside from being handsome, there’s not much to like. Neither of them felt especially clever or compelling, and their choices often made me question their judgment. The plot leans heavily on familiar tropes—enemies to lovers, one bed, witty banter—but none of them felt natural or well-developed. Everything just came across as forced.

Weirdest of all was the horse curse. It was so random, and I don’t understand how anyone was meant to believe it was due to a protection spell. I didn’t feel like the horse transformation was ever explained well enough. However, I was aware of the horse thing before reading so I won’t count the strangeness of the animal choice against the story. I know people are comparing Behooved to My Lady Jane, but I haven’t seen the show, so that reference didn’t work for me.

I did appreciate the chronic illness representation, which is rare in fantasy and handled with some care, but it wasn’t quite enough to raise my overall opinion. I had high hopes going in, especially with the promise of a cozy rom-com fantasy, but sadly, it just didn’t deliver. That said, the cover is absolutely gorgeous—I’d give it five stars without hesitation.

I would like to thank Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I wish so dearly to have loved this but I don’t think it worked the way it should have! Which is such a bummer because the premise and the cover are so delightful. This felt like it was supposed to be a young adult book but the author had to age everyone up and add (cringy) sex scenes to apply to a wider audience. The characters and their voice stood out to me as like 16-18, when in reality our FMC is 26. Her internal monologue was exhausting at times.

I think the story would have benefited from breathing a bit and slowing down. There is no “slow burn” in this plot, everything happens over a very short period of time. The magic system also desperately needed an overhaul.

I know this book was described a lot as being a cozy romantasy read, but it really doesn’t feel like it which I enjoyed. It has high stakes moments and some pretty spicy scenes as well which isn’t normally shown in most cozy books, and it was very entertaining. I found the book reminded me of My Lady Jane, so if anyone’s read the book or seen the TV show adaptation, you should definitely give this book a go as it’s pretty similar in some aspects.

Tomorrow is the release day for one of my most anticipated books this year, Behooved by M. Stevenson. This debut romantasy novel is for the horse lovers out there.

When Bianca is sent to marry the neighboring kingdom’s heir apparent, Aric, she doesn’t expect to turn her new husband into a horse on their wedding night. Um, oops. Nor does she expect for the two of them to be chased off by assassins. Bianca and Aric start off on the wrong hoof—I mean, foot—but quickly surmise that they must work together to undo his curse and save his kingdom.

As a former horse girl and fan of both fantasy and romance, this is exactly the book I needed.

What I Liked:
- This book is kind of bonkers! I’m not sure how many people can relate to accidentally turning their new husband into a horse on their wedding night—I certainly can’t—but it’s this kind of unexpected and silly storytelling that caught my interest. Behooved is just so much fun! From these wild events to Bianca’s humorous observations, this book is a wonderful escape.
- The romance! Bianca and Aric are forced into a marriage they don’t want, so they’re more enemies than anything else at the beginning. But through forced proximity and a common goal, they get to know each other, and it’s so sweet! (Spicy, too!)
- Flipped gender norms. Aric is the bookish guy who isn’t keen on fighting. Bianca is the woman who is great with weapons, at least in practice if not in the real world. She repeatedly has to save him, which I actually loved. And he’s not “emasculated” for it or anything; he’s simply accepted for the gentle man that he is. Love this!
- Queer-normative world. The main romance is between a man and woman, but I do like that the characters and world-building actively make space for queerness. Bianca is openly bisexual, while her sister is a lesbian. This is fully accepted in their world, which is great to see.
- Chronic illness. Bianca has a strange condition that causes her to have flare-ups. There’s actually some mystery surrounding this later on in the book. I hate how she’s been shamed for it, but love how Aric sees her with tenderness instead.

Final Thoughts
Behooved is the perfect book to escape into. The romance, the adventure, the court politics and family dynamics and horse themes—it’s joyous and clever. I fully expected to enjoy this book, and it more than lived up to the hype. I only hope that the fun won’t stop here; two characters at the end are maybe setup for their own romance, and I still have questions in need of answers. Please let there be a sequel! In any case, I look forward to reading more from M. Stevenson.

THIS is my kind of romantasy!

Behooved is a breath of fresh air after an unceasing tide of nearly identical ~romantasy~ books that have been released in the past year alone. Bianca is an incredible protagonist that lives with a chronic illness while getting the job done, and Aric is a fun departure from the grumpy MLs you usually see in this genre. The politics that forced these two together into a contract marriage is one of my favorite tropes, and Stevenson writes it SO so well. Especially with the added twist involved, Bianca and Aric go on an emotional journey together concurrently with their physical one. I found the romantic development well-written, and both characters are so soft when it comes to their own feelings and consideration for one another that I was kicking my feet.

The world building was slim but sufficient; we actually get very little about Bianca's home, Damaria, other than the concept of magic being strictly regulated. This is a foil to Aric's kingdom, Gildenheim, which leaves magic largely to its own devices while also integrating it into certain rituals tied to the rulers. Even as we travel through Gildenheim for the story, we don't learn much about it that makes it stand out from any other typical fantasy setting. I was willing to overlook this since it is cozy fantasy, but others may disagree.

If you like horse puns, banter, and characters who struggle to be honest with others (and themselves), then Bianca and Aric will entertain you the whole time. Both have very ingrained self-loathing borne from their inability to meet the expectations of those around them, so learning to love each other and SPECIFICALLY those aspects that they were taught to hide and hate about themselves made me weak. Bonus points for Aric's acceptance of Bianca's illness, which Stevenson confirms is celiac disease and DOESN'T write a magical cure or permanent fix to erase it.

If I had to only pick one word to describe Behooved, it would be “delightful.”

M. Stevenson somehow wrote a book full of adventure, romance, and whimsy with major Princess Bride vibes, while still tackling tough topics like the trauma of failing to meet your parents' expectations and the way living with a chronic illness impacts your health. Five stars.

Behooved is centered around one of the most classic romance tropes, a marriage of convenience, but Bianca soon learns there is absolutely nothing convenient about the fact that she accidentally turned her new husband, Aric, into a part-time horse on their wedding night. To make things worse, Bianca is framed for his murder (because no one knows he is a horse), so the two must flee before the real assassin finishes his/her job. Behooved is full of political machinations, action, magic spells that go hilariously wrong, and follows two young people who through it all, help each other learn that they are good enough just the way they are.

Thanks to Bramble/Tor Publishing Group and Netgalley for the advance copy!

I have really mixed feelings about Behooved, in so much that it quite adequately accomplishes what it is setting out to do, but also not in a particularly stand-out way. It feels like the plot was crafted around the premise (horse MMC! Shenanigans ensure!) I do think if you're looking for a fun paperback beach read with a pretty cover, Behooved will get the job done. I just also don't think I would be reaching for it again and again.

Probably the strongest representation in Behooved is it's protagonist Bianca, who is chronically ill (inspired by M. Stevenson's own lived experiences with celiac disease) and openly and proudly bisexual. In her mid twenties, she is also older than your typical 19 year old romantasy heroine, and candid about her past romantic and sexual experiences. This characterization enabled Stevenson to write spice scenes that I felt really shone, especially the words spoken between the two leads.

The hiccup for me is that the words of devotion and admiration and love between the two leads didn't feel earned after they travel together over the course of a harried week.. The depiction of the characters on Kelly Chong's gorgeous cover illustration reflect how I feel about the protags--faceless. And unfortunately, the supporting cast does not fare much better (particularly the sister, oof.) I'm not sure how I feel about an Asian coded character being described as "monolid" if only because when other characters are introduced they are not described as...double-lidded. And the villain...Well, he's no Edmund from King Lear, that's for sure. Especially with the character arcs of FMC and MMC, I feel like the story would have worked better with them in their early twenties, say five years younger.

Part of my reading, I think, was hoping for a worthy successor to My Lady Jane (the show). But it isn't as snappy, the chemistry isn't as scorching, and there's an excruciatingly slow start as you wait for MMC to horsify--a lot of horsy foreshadowing anvils while you wait (MMC's voice prior to the spell is described as "hoarse".) I don't know how that can be helped, necessarily--I guess it's a Doylist reading because the reader likely knows the premise upon picking up the book and is sold by the premise, but then foreshadowing becomes dramatic irony in the reading of it. There were times where I wish the editing had been more polished. "Maybe it was time to stop thinking with my head and start thinking with my heart"--oof.

I mentally shelve Behoove the same place I would shelve a Vanessa Hudgens Netflix Christmas Special--a lot of fun, and I will watch it to the end, but it won't stick with me. It's servicable, but not mindblowing. I won't be rewinding to scenes or pondering about it while I'm washing the dishes. A delightful snack, as ephemeral and sweet as spun sugar floss.

This read like a whimsical fairytale. Aric and Bianca's banter was top notch, their romance was cute. This book is steeped with magic and a satisfying conclusion.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

I will admit that I didn't have high hopes for this when I requested it because the idea seemed silly, but this absolutely blew me away. Perfect for fans of My Lady Jane. Quite literally, it's My Lady Jane but a bit spicy and wrapped up in a happy neat bow. It's cute and not that serious while being everything I needed from a romantasy book.

Behooved by M. Stevenson is a heartfelt and thoughtful romantasy that blends light magic with real emotional depth. The romance grows slowly and naturally, and the characters feel honest and relatable. It’s a quiet, moving story about trust, healing, and finding your worth.