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!

🎠 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.)