Pretty good book. Fairly standard for a fantasy but it was entertaining. I really enjoyed that I didn’t have to think to much about who is who and where they are from.

Oh where do I even begin... Let's start with I listened to this book in one day!!! Once I started I couldn't stop. I was immediately drawn in to Biancas Character, I feel like I can relate to her so much! Her sense of never feeling good enough but truly she was so strong, brave and always put others first. Even her husband Prince Aric who she ends up in an arranged marriage with. On their wedding night they get the surprise of their lives! This story kept me guessing and that is something that is so important to me I'm a book. It also had the perfect amount of spice 🔥Such a good read! Highly recommend!

3.5 rounded up. MC had way more chemistry with the horse than the human (no surprise here coming from the girl who cried every time the beast turned back into a human again when she was a kid.) I really hate that the line “his voice was horse” wasn’t cut in editing.

A whimsical and action packed fairytale that ignites the imagination and pulls the heartstrings.

Disclaimer: I read this novel as an audiobook ARC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I had way more fun with this than I anticipated I would. Honestly, I had zero intention of requesting and reading this audiobook until I saw that Natalie Naudus narrated it. She's spectacular as a narrator so I naturally had to read it. I'm so glad I did. This book was a fantastic reminder to step outside what you normally read because you never know if you'll find a new fave.

Behooved was simply a fun read. It was a simple concept and premise that was executed in a fun and entertaining way. The chemistry between our rivals to lovers was palpable and tense. The magic was easy to understand and had a very whimsical feel to it. There were great moments of laughter and the political intrigue was suspenseful. Just an overall great time to be had.

I really want to try more by this author. And quite honestly I wouldn't mind entering this world with these characters again.

This book was silly and fun and if not taken too seriously you'll have a good time reading it. I wasn't quite sure what to make of the plot since the MMC gets turned into a horse, and it's about as goofy as I imagined. Good palate cleanser book but nothing overly fantastic.

I enjoyed the audio narration done by Natalie Naudus.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for access to the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

This book just didn’t hit for me but I’m going to just focus on the narration.

The narration was great! Natalie Naudus had lovely vocals that kept you engaged in the story. I think she spoke at a great natural pace for the 1x speed . I listened to most of it at 1.25X as going any higher distorted the audio too much and I enjoyed her recitation too much to do that.

The story? I was happy for chronic illness rep but the horse husband transformation just wasn’t for me.

I am thankful to have gotten a complimentary audio ALC from MacMillian Audio through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️/5
2/5 🌶️


Thank you Netgalley and the author M. Stevenson for the early access audiobook of Behooved.

🐴 Only One Bed
🐴 Cozy Vibes
🐴 Chronic Illness Rep
🐴 Queernormative World
🐴 Arraigned Marriage
🐴 Inconvenient Transformation

Synopsis:
💫Bianca, bound by duty, marries Prince Aric upon hearing of the looming war. However, Prince Aric appears to harbor a deep disdain for Bianca’s presence. During their wedding night, after an assassination attempt, Aric transforms into a horse. In a desperate attempt to escape, Bianca mounts her husband’s back and flees into the night. Miraculously, as the sun sets, Aric miraculously returns to human form. However, their joy is short-lived as Bianca is falsely accused of murder and forced to endure a double life, riding during the day with a horse and accompanying an attractive man at night. Amidst this intricate plot, an unexpected romance blossoms between Bianca and Aric. To break the curse and reclaim their throne, they must unite, their love story becoming the spark for their triumph.💫

My thoughts:
💫I absolutely adored this book. I love how strong Bianca is. Despite having chronic pain, she doesn’t let it hinder her strength. Aric, on the other hand, is a shy bookworm who never aspired to be king. Their banter was incredibly entertaining. This is a must-read for anyone who enjoys a good time rom-com fantasy! 💫

Arranged marriage, horses, and magic?????? Pretty sure this book was made for me. Not to mix metaphors, but this book is catnip and I am a cat. Thank you so so much to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to take this book out for a ride! Okay I’ll stop with the horse jokes before I make myself hoarse. Maybe.

This had the type of miscommunication trope that I actually enjoy, the one where there are other players at work leading them to their beliefs and when they get their heads out of their asses and talk to each other, they start working together.

This was charming, this was funny, this was spicy, and this was just plain fun. I absolutely devoured this book and am so glad I read it!

This book felt like listening to a classic fairytale. Bianca is a softer character that is sacrificing for the good of her family and kingdom. Despite having an illness she tries to be strong and is set to marry a king from a neighboring kingdom. Their wedding night doesn't go as planned and Eric (the king) gets turn into a horse. Then the majority of the story is them going to find a cure to the curse and they fall in love along the way. Bianca and Erics relationship starts against their will but as they spend time together and get to know each other they find they have more in common than expected, There is a bit of humor, running from attacks and heartfelt moments. One thing that kept me from giving it five stars is that the world building was lacking a bit and during their quest some moments felt a bit slow. I really enjoy the narrator she had a great tone and clarity. Also an honorable mention to the beautiful cover too.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC, all opinions are my own.

Oh NetGally, thank you so much for the early copy of the gem of a book.

I had SO much fun reading this book. If there are two things I love, it’s Spirit and My Lady Jane. So when I came across a romance about a groom who shifts into a horse on his wedding night, I knew I had to give it a whirl.

Bianca is such a good main character. She is strong, nuanced, and has a clear sense of duty. Aric is gentle, scholarly, and radiates his own kind of strength. The adventure that they take together is filled with hijinks and love. I truly enjoyed every minute of this book.

I’m optimistic for a sequel? There were a few loose ends to be tied so I am curious to see what comes next.

I love this narrator.

I think there was a lot of premise in the plot, and for the most part it was well done. I found it hard to enjoy the main character though, it felt almost like she was too self sacrificing.

Overall really enjoyed the plot, which is what drew me in, however from the NetGalley I did not see “Adult” or “LGBT” if so I would have not requested. The actual storyline line between Bianca and Aric was beautiful. Enjoyed the character development and how their relationship evolved. I skipped over the spice scenes so no feedback to provide. The portions where same sex attraction is referenced felt forced/thrown in and was more of a distraction. I really enjoyed the story wrapped up and did not guess the whole did it- well done! There were plenty of laughs and sweet moments to go around. Aside from unexpected content, honestly could have been left out, really enjoyed the story and world the author built.

This was such a fun time!! I loved the banter between the two main characters. It was fun seeing them interact and also not take things too seriously. The plot was mostly them travelling and it didn’t feel boring. This is a slower paced fantasy, I don’t know if I’d classify it as cozy exactly. It does have higher stakes too! I loved the whole horse concept too. If you loved My Lady Jane, this will fill the void!

Thank you SO much to MacMillan audio and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review!

The narrator did a fantastic job and would definitely recommend listening to the audiobook instead. The plot was interesting but I’m the end I felt like something was missing.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bramble, Tor Publishing Group. and Macmillan Audio for this advanced copy. You can pick up Behooved on May 20, 2025.

I should have absolutely loved this book. Marriage of convenience, forced proximity, and My Lady Jane vibes? Sign me up, I said. Unfortunately, after getting 26% in, I found myself bored to tears and forced to DNF. This book felt like the exact same plot as My Lady Jane but with none of the charm and camp. It took itself too seriously at times, and I just struggled to care about any of the characters. Perhaps that was more because of my reading mood, but for now, this was a no for me.

Much thanks to M. Stevenson, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to a free eaudio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had fun with this book! The blurb says it's a slow burn, and I can maybe see that, but I thought the pace was pretty steady. I loved sweet, nerdy Aric and badass Bianca and their arcs, which might be the most well-written aspect. The plot's trite and predictable, the world building is lacking, the magic could use some exploration and clarification, and the semi-graphic sex didn't suit the tone. Points of the plot are a bit questionable, like the fact that her sister thought turning an assailant into a huge powerful animal was going to keep Bianca UNharmed? I means, horses' ability to kill people has been well documented, especially frightened ones.

But if you can roll with the janky bits and appreciate the characters, this story is a pleasant way to pass some time. I'm not sure if this is meant to be the start of a series, but I'd spend more time with Aric and Bianca without hesitation.

The narrator, Natalie Naudus, did an excellent job. She gave each character a distinctive voice. She has a low, husky, intense quality that might be better suited to erotic romance, but it worked okay here.

Narrator 4/5
Plot 3/5
Characters 4/5

I really loved the characters, especially the book loving mmc and the narrator was perfect for this book, but the plot…
I didn’t feel anything reading it.
There was not a lot of action and it was quite repetitive.

I’m happy I got to listen to the audiobook because I probably would have dnf’d it if I was reading it physically 😣

Can I just say how chronic illness and just living and dealing with it truly needs to be represented more especially in fantasy!! People aren’t just magically perfect and illness free even in a magical world and it makes it feel so relatable! We have our FMC that does suffer but it doesn’t center around it and she lives through it, where it does come up and we learn how she just has learned to live with it and come to accept it isn’t something that makes her a terrible person and weak and finding acceptance. I do love that.

Overall I did love this story, it was such a quick and fun read (thank you for the horse puns 😂) and the narrator absolutely did a perfect job! She was so great, all the voices and all the emotion. I was absolutely sucked into the story. Were there some things I wish it had to make it a 5 star? I do wish it could have been longer in time frame as well as the book itself for one! Not a bad thing to want.

It was absolutely just the right read for if you want a fast paced fantasy adventure with sweet romance and a little spice. It has arranged marriage, magical transformations, just enough spice and sweet romance.

Thank you so much for this advanced copy to read and enjoy, I loved being able to listen to it! 💕

Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio for the alc, all opinions are my own.

This was definitely one of my highest anticipated reads this year and I was not disappointed. Bianca is sent off to a neighboring kingdom to be wed to mysterious prince Aric after the death of his mother. There is a treaty in place for trade agreements and she’s the bargaining piece. After a terrible journey by ship, falling into the water, and a less than warm welcome she is feeling scorned. She follows through on her duty to be wed, and on their wedding night there is an assassination attempt. Instead of Aric’s death, he is turned into a horse by day and man by night.

Bianca and Aric set off trying to find a cure while also being in hiding. This was laugh out loud hilarious, forced proximity, slow burn, and just a great read! I am greatly looking forward to more of M Stevenson’s work.

Did I just find my new favorite narrator? Natalie Naudus absolutely wowed me in this delightfully sweet, low-brain-power fantasy romance.

I loved the non-hetero normativity was woven into the plot. Great chronic illness rep, and particularly Aric’s treatment of Bianca’s illness, not that it’s a weakness, but also needs tending to. The magic system was easy to understand and the enchanted horse very much have me Princess and the Frog vibes. I loved the stubble way their friendship builds into more, it’s so wholesome. Overall cute, easy read!!