This was such a sweet love story! The narrator did an amazing job (I’ve listened to many books with this particular narrator and they always do a great job!)

It was fun with a lot of hilarious moments but it also has a deeper message. Despite seeming “weak” that real strength lies within.

I absolutely enjoyed the progression of the love story between the main characters.

Behooved is a solid adventure story, but the courtly maneuvering leading into that adventure is lackluster. Much of the overarching story, rooted in that courtly maneuvering, is predictable as a result. I was skeptical of the romance but it won me over as we got to know the Pony Prince better.

Bianca's "affliction" troubles her throughout the story but is never defined beyond vague tummy troubles. It's probably good chronic illness representation.

I appreciate the author's light sprinkling of horse related terms in the prose without declaring an all-out horse pun war.

This book had such a promising start - a fun premise about a man who is cursed to turn into a horse, chronic illness representation, a strong FMC who isn't also a warrior assassing type...and it fell so so so so short.

Before I dive into the details, my overall impression is that this story would have been much better served as being written and marketed as a YA. Instead of the main characters being in their mid 20s, make them 18 and 19. Take out the (unnecessary and kind of cringey) sex scenes and given the romance more time to breathe (don't put them together until the very end). Instead of having them get married early in the story, keep the arranged marriage aspect but don't finish it until the end. Spread the action out over a few weeks or months, instead of days - give us time to see the characters together and establish a dislike or enemy vibe before forcing them together. Give us more interactions with side characters - Bianca spends a lot internal monologue worried about her retinue, but we as readers have no reason to care about them (and Bianca's reasons feel weak). A lot of the main character's internal dialogue is very focused on things like growing independence from her parents, overcoming self doubt and being strong in the face of hardship - all of which I think of as being quintessential YA themes. I kept kind of comparing the story to Ella Enchanted, as I feel like the type of adventures and the character dynamics had some similiarities. The story and magic system also don't work if you look too closely - a lot of illogical decisions made by characters and built into the story. While I'm not saying that YA stories shouldn't also have tight in-world logic, the focus can be elsewhere and the details more hand-waving.

Some other positives - I think the chronic illness is represented well, as something that is constant and enduring, but is not magically solved or just ignored. The society is queernormative, which is also always nice to see in fantasy, especially ones that still fit a lot of the western medieval type vibes.

And the negatives - (light spoilers)

So much of the details of the magic system, how the curse worked and even the plot just don't make sense if you think about it for more than a second. The whole "who tried to kill the king" political intrigue is overly drawn out, when there is an obvious answer, and the ending doesn't make sense (we learn that FMC's parents and the governing body of her home country were involved, but somehow she is under the impressin that making her sister the ambassador to their kingdom will be fine? Like, we are just completely ignoring the fact that your home life/country is toxic af?). The magic system doesn't make sense, or the rules seem loose when it suits the plot. Bianca's sister is a great magician, except when she's not. Bianca somehow strengthened the spell to turn Aric into a horse, but we never get any sort of explanation as to how or why that happened (also it takes her way too long with side characters basically spelling it out for her before she figures out this detail). Why can she hear Aric's voice in her head, but no one else can, but when he happens to be muzzled but nearby, he can't communicate with her? He also does a lot of things very naked (since he loses his clothes each time he transforms) and it made my uncomfortable to think about (I'm sorry, but a guy riding a horse bareback naked cannot be a fun thing).

Speaking of the romance - the two main characters have the chemistry of paper dolls. Bianca spends 75% of the story purposefully miscontruing every single thing Aric says or does as meaning that he hates her....even after it starts to become very obvious that he is just awkward and doesn't hate her. And then suddenly, after 4 days, they are madly in love. They go from being awkward allies to having sex with no build up (and also right after Bianca has been gravely injured). We also get a lot of whining about Bianca's previous crush/relationship with her guard captain. Except that it was 10 years ago and we eventually learn that they kissed once before Bianca supposedly broke Catalina's heart at 16? Like I'm sorry, but I think she's over it by now. I would get it still be a sore spot if they were only 17 or 18, but its been 10 years. It felt so unnecessary to the plot, especially since we only see them interact on page once before all the chaos happens.

Related to above, the timeline makes no sense. It took Bianca several days by boat to get to the castle to marry Aric, but then it is only a couple days ride to the border? And then despite literally everything going wrong, they somehow still make their ridiculous timeline. It is also never explained how they magically happen to find a healer after she is injured - like give me something to believe that they didn't just magically stumble upon the only place that could heal our close to death heroine.

Finally - Bianca's internal monologues are exhausting. Maybe it was because I listened to it on audio, but they are so repetitive. Every single decision she makes, she spends 10 minutes talking about how her parents hate her and how she's not strong and how Aric hates her, how her sister is so much better than her etc. And while I get being caught up a storm of your own thoughts, it happened constantly and I would find myself rolling my eyes with how ridiculous they were. We don't need to hear it every single time, especially when it does nothing to move the story forward. And I swear, the amount of times we hear about the fact she wore a dagger up her sleeve when they first met - like....get over it already. Its not that weird!

If only I could magic up more than 5 stars! I loved this book from start to finish. The writing is masterful and elegant, the plot is full of adventure, and the magic absolutely whisks you away! I was particularly thrilled by nostalgic moments that brought me back to some of my favorite fantasy stories - the spitoon! I'll be buying the hardcover and I simply cannot wait to see what Stevenson writes next!

For Fans of:
- My Lady Jane

Bianca is determined to do her duty no matter what. Even in the face of chronic pain, she drags herself out of bed to serve as princess. When she is married off to her kingdoms hostile neighbor, she is both terrified and determined. Predictably, things immediately go haywire and Bianca is stuck running for her life with none other than her betrothed, (soon to be) King Eric. Forced to confront their differences, the Bianca and Eric resolve to enter a truce and work work together to save their kingdoms.

This book includes:
- whimsical and sorta silly conflict
- sisterhood
- unexpected alliances
- duty before all else
- chronic illness rep
- unlikely love stories
- miscommunication

As a lover of "my Lady Jane" I was very excited to explore this book. The storyline is whimsical and fun, and hits a lot of my most beloved romantasy beats. Eric is a bookish and academic king, which I loved as a book worm myself. I enjoyed reading about his quiet strength, and willingness to do whatever he needed to protect his people, despite his shortcomings when it comes to fighting and expressing his feelings. Bianca's character is likable, but a bit bland. While I found myself deeply engrossed in the story, it was pretty predictable and lacking in depth. If you don't mind a bit of cringe or corniness in your books, you'll probably enjoy this one.

I listened on audiobook and I thought the audiobook narrator is very talented and I think they did a great job.

I received this audiobook as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, M. Stevenson, and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to review this book. This review has been posted across my socials under the username @tinynightingales, check out my GoodReads profile https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/62314863
my bookstagram account https://www.instagram.com/tinynightingales/
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This book was cute, cozy, and humorous all wrapped into one and it was done perfectly!

The acting was amazing and fit really well.

This was a fun romp. The story follows Bianca as she takes part in an arranged marriage that begins with an assassination attempt on her new husband. It has all the fun getting to know you mishaps you expect from an arranged marriage romance. If you like romantasy, with just a hint of spice (some spice, but relatively mild), this is an excellent choice of book to read.

I did find that her 'condition' was an obvious allergy to something she eats, so it annoyed me a bit to have it be such an unknown to her. I appreciate that they actually talked about things, I didn't have to get mad at them hiding things from each other, which I appreciated. The ending was a whirlwind, engaging and plausible. All storylines were satisfactorily wrapped up.

The narration was pleasant, and easy to listen to.

I received a free copy of the audiobook version via NetGalley.

4.25 stars

What to Expect:
- Standalone (but possibility for additional books with side characters)
- Queer normative world: bi4bi 🏳️‍🌈
- Green flag book lover MMC 💚
- Chronic illness rep
- Arranged marriage 💍
- Love interest turns into a magical horse 🐎
- Horse puns 🐴

Behooved is a cute and sweet cozy-ish fantasy where the FMC, Bianca, unhappily agrees to an arranged marriage. On their wedding night, they are attacked by an assassin and the MMC, Aric, is by accident magically turned into a horse. Bianca and Aric (who is now horse by day, man by night) are on the run because Bianca is wanted for his murder.

I really rooted for Bianca and Aric. I love a green flag cinnamon roll MMC and Aric delivered. I loved the bi4bi romance and chronic illness rep in the queer-normative world. The world is whimsical, and I’d love to hear more about the magic system in possible future books.

The narration by Natalie Naudus is excellent. Her intonation, pacing, and her lyrical voice are a great choice for Bianca.

Thank you to M Stevenson, Macmillan Audio, and to NetGalley for providing an audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Behooved is a surprising funny and interesting romantacy book that has some of the best puns and unexpected magic. This is an incredibly interesting adventure that just completely takes you for an incredible ride! One of my favorite books this year so far!

3.5⭐ (Rounded up)

This book was cute and fun and not something to think too deeply about.

Behooved is about a political arranged marriage between Aric (Prince of Gildenheim) and Bianca (Duchess of Damaria), where both parties think the other person has forced the arrangement. On their wedding night, an attempted assassination ends with Aric being cursed to turn into a horse during the day, returning to his human form at night. What follows is a journey to end his curse and ensure he returns in time for the coronation.

I will say that I really enjoyed this book, BUT if the world building and politics are important to you, you may not. This really focuses on the interactions between the two main characters, to the detriment of the fantasy elements.

What I liked:
• The chronic illness representation.
• The banter.
• The humor.

What I didn't like:
• THE MISCOMMUNICATION.

What I waffled on:
• The magic system? It was so so neat, but so so lacking.
• There not being any chapters from Aric's POV.

The narration was done well and kept me thoroughly entertained.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with this ALC.

I really enjoyed this cozy romantasy!

Bianca was a cool fmc. I found her inspiring. She deals with her chronic illness all while fulfilling her duty to her kingdom and marrying a prince. Then she avoids an assasination attempt while saving said prince. Then he turns into a horse on their wedding night!

The banter of these two were great! I loved the slow burn and respectful relationship they shared. The horse puns alone are reason to give this one a read.

There's a lot going on in this book. If you want an epic world building fantasy experience this is probably not your thing. If you want a light-hearted, entertaining, fast paced, romantasy Behooved is it!

💜 arranged marriage
💜 Curse
💜 Animal shifting
💜 LGBT characters
💜 Slow burn
🌶️

I received an audiobook arc from Macmillan Audio and Netgalley in exchange for a honest review. The audiobook was also great! It was one narrator as Bianca was the pov and it was in first person.

If you love My Lady Jane and Vin/Elend from Mistborn then you would love Behooved. Bianca is the fmc who agree to an arranged marriage with the neighboring kingdom heir apparent Aric. Bianca and Aric never met so they didn't get off to a great start and on their wedding night, Aric get turns into a horse and they escaped from assassins. Working together to break and curse and clear Bianca's name for his "murder", the married couple slowlyyyyyy fall in love.

The slow burn works since they just met and heard bad things about each other. They remind me of Vin and Elend from Mistborn since Bianca is the fighter heroine while Aric is an avid book lover (if you brings books to a ball, you're basically Elend).

The book is a low stakes romantasy similar to the Spellshop and Assistant to the Villain. It's a standalone but the author could do a sequel with supporting characters. Most of the characters are queer with both the FMC and MMC being bisexual. The book was great! I love the romance. I wanted more since I didn't want the story to be over.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5 stars)

Behooved is such a sweet and magical story! ✨🐎 The plot is totally unique and had me hooked from the beginning—there’s something whimsical and heartwarming about the whole vibe that made it feel like a cozy escape. The horse details were super fun and added a special charm that made the story stand out. 🐴💫

The audiobook narrator absolutely nailed it—their voice brought so much emotion and depth to the characters, and it made the whole experience even better. 🎧❤️

This book has a soft, gentle feel to it. The romance has just a hint of spice 🌶️ (very mild!) and honestly, it could almost be a YA novel in tone. That’s not a bad thing at all—it just feels like it might connect more with younger readers or anyone looking for a low-angst, emotionally sweet romance. 🥰

Now for the mixed feels: I loved that both the FMC and MMC were soft, real, and flawed in a super relatable way. 🙌 But I did wish the FMC had grown more emotionally. She struggled with insecurities throughout the book, and I was really rooting for her to find her strength by the end—but she kind of... didn’t 😕. It left me feeling a little bummed, even though we still got a happy ending. 💕

Overall, I’d still give this a solid 4/5 stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ It’s magical, different, and engaging—and definitely worth a listen if you're in the mood for something heartfelt and unique! ✨📚💕

Thank you to Netgalley for this advanced reader copy of the book and audiobook!

This has filled the My Lady Jane-shaped hole in my heart. Also, weirdly, the Shrek-shaped hole.

Bianca accidentally curses her husband (of inconvenience) to turn into a horse every sunrise, and if that doesn't interest you, I don't want to be friends. This was so much fun! A romantasy that for once did not have the couple banging every 30 pages from the 25% mark but was actually deeply romantic and swoony (proving yet again why slow burn is still superior in my shelf). Bianca and Aric go on an adventure to reverse his curse and save a kingdom and I loved watching their character development and relationship bloom.

I also really appreciated the disability rep, although I had no idea it was meant to be celiac disease until I saw the author mention it after I finished reading. But in hindsight it makes perfect sense and was well-written.

Listen, we may not get another season of My Lady Jane, but we did get this! I signed up for horse puns, some magical tomfoolery, forced marriage and one-bed trope, with a dash of adventure - and that’s exactly what I got!

This was charming and whimsical and felt like an easy breezy fairytale updated with lots of amazing representation! Our main (bisexual) character has chronic pain that appears to be reminiscent of celiac disease, and despite her tummy aches she is so brave! I love her big heart and her urge to do right by the people around her no matter what. I loved our MMC - dude doesn’t want to rule a kingdom, he just wants to sit in a library and read all day (SAME). I love their banter and their chemistry and found myself giggling throughout the audiobook!

This was such an easy read and I could see it being a comfort book for plenty of people (including me!). It doesn’t take itself too seriously and leans into its charm as a result.

I am so excited to grab this on release day and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future!

Perfect for fans of My Lady Jane and other stories like The Princess Knight or Once Upon a Broken Heart! This was a charming and whimsical fairytale with just the right touch of adventure, humor, romance, and heart!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for arc in exchange for an honest review - I had such a great time with this one!

SUCH A FUN READ! Is it the best written or the most original, no, but DANG did I have a good time! Loved the romance, the representation of a chronically ill protagonist, and the representation of a book smart/introverted/soft spoken love interest. If you’re looking for a Romantasy that gallops along (pun intended), this is for you.

This is a standalone fantasy romance which I appreciated. For me it came off as more of a cozy read even though our princess clearly has deeper emotional trauma from her parents lack of love and our prince never really feeling accepted due to his love of reading over swordplay. I really lived all the horse puns and humor in the beginning of the book. Knowing from the book blurb what was coming I did find it very comical.

I really feel the narrator did a great job bringing this story to life! The intonation and pacing was perfect and really helped immerse me into the story. Since this is a single POV story it is single narrator as well. I did love the way the narrator threw her voice for different characters it didn’t feel forced and helped really envision the scene.

Given the short nature of this book there is not a lot of world building, with the plot being more focused on the predicament of the prince being turned into a horse. But you know what? That’s ok! We get just enough world building to let you know what’s going on so you can flow right into the main storyline.

I do feel that there was good character growth. Both characters were so insecure to start but I loved them grow together. The characters themselves were likable and interesting and really had me routing for their HEA.

I recommend this book of your looking for a cozier romantasy read!

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.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.

As for the audiobook edition, wow. Getting Natalie Naudus to do your debut fantasy novel's narration is such a win. I adore her, she is such a talented narrator and has the most beautiful voice that perfectly suited Bianca and elevated the story to new heights. Really just an incredible performance.

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!

Cozy fantasy about an arranged marriage between a noblewoman and neighboring kingdom's heir, who has no interest in the throne.

Prince Aric also has no interest in Bianca. Their wedding night brings chaos and an assassination fail turns the prince into a horse...yes, a horse. Biance rides away (yes on her husband/horse) to safety and later finds out she is being framed for the murder, causing more chaos between kingdoms.

Horse by day, prince by night - the two will have to work together to try and break the curse, clear Bianca's name, and find out the truth about their kingdoms who appear to be using them both as pawns.

This is an unserious fantasy where a lot doesn't make sense, but if you're in the right mood (I was), it can be enjoyable.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review. Release date 5/20/25.

Woah, Nelly! I really enjoyed this slow burn romantasy (.5 🌶️). Bianca is everything I want in a main character and the MMC is a stallion (lol- and also an amazing character). I loved the representation of chronic illness in this book and how the FMC wasn’t considered “less than” for her extra needs.

There is a miscommunication trope but it actually makes sense, isn’t drawn out, and is extremely well done. This was an absolutely amazing and fantastic ride (pun intended). 4.5⭐️

Thanks for NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook Behooved!