Super cute and well written. Did feel a little rushed at certain points, but honestly a very solid stand alone romantasy.

A quick, fun, light read with pressures of familial duty, the trials of living with chronic illness, a mysterious assassination plot. Oh, and a horse for a husband. The ultimate romantic fantasy stand alone, Behooved has more than enough to have you on the edge of your seat while keeping it simple and wrapping up so prettily. Perfect for fans of My Lady Jane and The Princess Bride.

Firstly! Thank you so much NetGalley for my first ever ARC! Behooved was such a delightful surprise. It’s a fantasy rom-com with a big heart, a soft glow of coziness, and characters that make you want to cheer them on.

I adored Bianca she’s relatable, determined, and layered. Her chronic illness mentioned felt genuine, never overdone, and her quiet resilience had me rooting for her from start to finish. Watching her push through self-doubt and slowly step into her own strength was one of the highlights of the book.

And then there’s Aric… oh, Aric. The grumpy, duty-bound MMC with a soft interior. I loved his steady presence and the way he supported Bianca without trying to “fix” her. Their dynamic was fun, slow-burn, and emotionally rewarding.

The worldbuilding is simple but effective which made this a super easy read. I breezed through it in a couple of sittings but over a period of time between other books. The tone leans towards cozy and romantic, but the author still managed to sneak in a few great twists toward the end that kept me engaged.

If you're after something light, wholesome, and character-driven with a grumpy/sunshine romance and a touch of magic then this one’s for you. I’ll definitely be picking up more by this author.

Oh this was fun!! If Lady Jane left a hole in your soul, this book is for you! This is for horse girls that love romantasy! I loved it so much and it was also so funny!

I think my expectations were too high going into Behooved. As someone who loved the show adaptation of My Lady Jane, I was expecting something of a similar quality when I heard the premise, but this story paled in comparison. I wouldn't call this "cozy fantasy", because it's not cozy as much as it is slow, undercooked, and, quite frankly, dull. The love interest had the personality of a cardboard box, and his one interesting trait (the whole man-horse thing) wouldn't have existed without an accident. The main character was made out to be this stabby badass but all we really saw of that was the dagger she kept in her sleeve. Apart from that, it felt like her condition was her personality - I'm ALL for disability rep, but this subplot felt like it had a lot of attention only to be weirdly wrapped up and kind of just forgotten about in the end. Even the romance couldn't save the story; when Bianca and Aric realised there was no reason for them to stay together, what minimal tension existed left and the lack of chemistry between them made it hard to keep reading. Perhaps I'm being a bit harsh, but when the plot is all but nonexistent, it's disappointing that the characters are equally as uninteresting. Though I have to say the writing was just as cringey - so much unnecessary repetition and over-explaining that it felt like the author was reaching a hand in the book and saying "and now look this way".
I'm so sad that I didn't love this book. The premise is fantastic, the cover is gorgeous, and romantasy is all the rage. I think it's another case of great idea, poor execution.

This is a really fun fantasy romance with a healthily ridiculous premise! I really liked the exploration of Bianca’s chronic illness and the way her parents’ treatment of her and her illness diminished her sense of self-worth. It was really beautiful to watch as she learns to accept herself and understand that her illness doesn’t make her weak, but instead shows the strength of her character to persist despite pain.
I enjoyed the magic system and the politics aspect but I really wish they were further explored; seeing the different ways the two kingdoms utilized magical power and the differing stigmas about it were really interesting and had a lot of potential. Especially with Bianca’s own sister defying their culture’s rules to test the limits of her own power.
The romance was sweet and entertaining, though at times felt like it was dragged out for too long.

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette for this eARC.

If you’re looking for an easy, fast paced cozy romance with a sprinkle of spice this is the book for you.
I enjoyed reading Behooved, it was fun and flirty but I think it was a little too fast paced for me personally.

I didn't think I would enjoy this book but I did. It's a lighthearted romantasy that didn't take itself too seriously.
I really enjoyed the story and it made me laugh while still maintaining that element of suspense. It totally lulled me into a false sense of security by making me think I knew who was behind it all before pulling the rug out from under me. Read it in one day! Would 100% recommend

Behooved is a fresh take on a Fairytale based Cozy Fantasy full of laughs and one-liners from our main characters. Although predictable at times, the characters and their chemistry was what made this book for me. I do however, need to stop requesting Cozy Fantasy books as I think they're just not for me whatsoever.

My biggest gripe with this book and why I ended up skim-reading, is because I needed more World Building and Development. I found this to be lacking and without it, I kept skimming with hopes I would come across something more.

I really struggled with this book. I absolutely loved the concept, it’s giving Shrek vibes, if donkey was Fiona & a horse. Ride your husband has an entire new meaning and I loved this. Ultimately this book wasn’t for me, but congratulations to the author. Thank you for the opportunity.

Save a horse, ride your husband... who has turned into a horse? I think that's how the saying goes...

I had the best time reading Behooved, it has such a fun premise and kept that fun going the whole way through while also balancing a serious plot thread and conversations of growth and defying peoples expectations. This book follows Bianca and Aric, who are forced into going on the run after an assassination attempt on their wedding night leaves Bianca accused of murder and Aric cursed to turn into... a horse? It truly is as fun and weird as it sounds!

This book also has a lot of tropes that I love including the one bed trope, forced proximity and what I would consider a very very mild enemies to lovers plot line. This book also has chronic illness representation and recognising strength in people living with chronic conditions which is really awesome to see. I have read that the condition is inspired by coeliac disease which I haven't seen in a novel before, and it is great to see this being normalised through literature.

I also loved our main characters, with Bianca being an insecure, duty driven princess insistent on being useful after years of being looked down on due to her chronic illness, and Aric, a slightly awkward and reclusive bookworm who has spent his life in the shadows of others. I would protect them both with my life. I really appreciated their growth throughout the story but I LOVED their relationship so much, they had me kicking my feet and smiling so hard it was so cute!

If you are after a fun and quirky read full of magic and cute romance please pick this book up, you won't regret it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hatchette ANZ for providing me with an advanced copy of this book!

3.75 stars

From the first page I was entranced by Behooved’s premise with its whimsy and humour. I mean, a prince that turns into a horse? Hilarious. The story also had its tender moments, and I enjoyed the fresh take on romantasy. I’m so used to reading about grumpy, brooding men, it was nice to have a male lead with more depth and softness.

Earlier in the narrative, the characters felt flat, but I liked their development throughout the story. They still could’ve done with a bit more personality, but they blossomed in their own way. I also loved the chronic illness representation. It’s not something I’ve often encountered, particularly in fantasy and I’d love to see it more. It made the main character feel so human and raw.

There were a lot of horse-related shenanigans (as you can imagine) and sweet moments that made this book a heart-warming, yet silly read. It stands apart from other romantasy books, and tells a unique tale (which can be so hard to find). I’m very interested in seeing what M. Stevenson writes next.

If you’re looking for your next fantasy romance read and want something a little different, give this a try!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this e-book in exchange for an honest review.

A cozy fantasy that will have you giggling like a school girl with the funny jokes about an animal thrown in. An arrangement marriage involving to allies that don't like each other at first and turns into lovers. One bed ;) and also Bianca being a bad ass with chronic illness and being a Bi queen. I absolutely enjoyed reading this and wish for more.

Thank you netgalley and hachette for gifting me an earc.

Behooved is a cozy, low stakes fantasy romance involving an arranged marriage and a curse with a horse transformation. What follows is a cute little adventure with plenty of horse puns and an evolving relationship.

The main characters were cute and I enjoyed their banter, especially while one of the MC’s was in their horse-form. The plot was predictable, but there is comfort in knowing what's coming.

I would have personally liked a bit more detail from the world building. There were elements introduced that weren’t really expanded on, but saying this the romance was the main focus of the book.

Thankyou to Hachette and Netgalley for a review copy of this book.

Narration: single character, first person POV

Spice: 2/5

Tropes:
- Arranged marriage
- One bed
- Low stakes fantasy
- Stand-alone
- Political scheming
- Chronic illness rep
- Cinnamon roll MC

This book starts off slow but does pick up. I didn’t like all the same sex/bisexual stuff and almost DNF at 11% through. This needs to be marketed so readers know

There were moments where I laughed out loud at what happens to the mfc.

Her relationship with Aric the heir apparent did seem a bit forced and their pining / growth / love story wasn’t very believable for me. Also the constant ‘I’m not good enough, I’m weak’ from both mains was tiring.

I loved that aric is Horse by day and man by night, it’s very Swan Princess like. Also refreshing was the fact he wasn’t a sexy warrior prince, he is a blonde mmc and book nerd.

Riding your husband takes on a whole new meaning with this book!

I absolutely adored Behooved! It was such a cozy, charming romantacy that I couldn't put down, and I’m now fully obsessed. I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys light fantasy with a slow-burn romance and a touch of whimsy.

The story follows Duchess Bianca Liliana, who’s navigating life with a chronic illness and a strong sense of duty. When war threatens her kingdom, she agrees to a political marriage to Prince Aric of Gildenheim. But her new husband isn’t exactly Prince Charming—he’s cold, distant, and clearly wants nothing to do with her.

Then everything changes. On their wedding night, an assassination attempt goes horribly wrong, and Aric is cursed into the form of a horse by day. Cue an unexpected magical journey to uncover who’s behind the attack, clear Bianca’s name (who is being blamed), and break the curse—all while riding through forests, uncovering secrets, and slowly falling in love.

This book had the perfect balance of adventure, intrigue, and romance, all wrapped in a warm, fairytale-like atmosphere. The chronic illness representation was handled beautifully, adding depth to Bianca’s character without defining her entirely.

And Aric—oh, Aric! He’s not your usual romantacy hero. He’s quiet, intelligent, introverted, and would honestly rather spend his time in a library than on the battlefield. I loved that about him. He felt so real and refreshingly different, and I completely fell for him.

If you're after a magical, pun-filled story with heart, humor, and a romance that sneaks up on you, Behooved is the one.

✨ Slow-burn romantacy
✨ Cozy, low-stakes magic
✨ Chronic illness rep
✨ A horse by day, a bookish prince by night

Huge thanks to @NetGalley for the ARC—I loved every second of this read!

A rompy, classic enemies-to-lovers tale. This book was very fun!

It can be a tricky balancing act for writers of romantasy to juggle their worldbuilding with developing the chemistry of their characters, but happily, 'Behooved' does *not* suffer from this problem. It's been a hot minute since I had so much fun and was so immediately drawn into a narrative as this!

There's nothing hugely revolutionary about 'Behooved', but that doesn't stop it from being eminently engaging.

It's your classic tale of aristocrats forced together in a marriage of convenience, each of them coming to the union under duress and setting up a delicious slow burn, enemies-to-lovers narrative. Oh, and one of them is a part-time horse.

Overall, I really appreciated the worldbuilding and great chemistry between the romantic leads. The chonic illness representation was also sensitively handled and a very welcome inclusion and the prose is beautifully descriptive without being overblown.

This is a perfect tonic to help you handle your depression over the cancellation of Prime's 'Lady Jane'.

You should read this book.

This was a fun, fast paced and surprisingly sweet romantasy. Bianca was an interesting character to follow. She has a mysterious illness and no magic so she always felt small and less important to her Royal family until she is offered up as a deal to a neighboring King to stop a war. The curse with the horse was funny and the banter felt believable. I enjoyed the pacing and the diverse characters.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC all thoughts and opinions are my own.

If you're looking for the perfect blend of political and cosy fantasy, look no further!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Australia and New Zealand for providing me with an eARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Bianca is the second-born daughter of the Liliana family, one of nine noble families in the kingdom of Damaria. When the neighbouring kingdom of Gildenheim threatens war, Bianca agrees to marry the Gildenheim prince Aric in order to ensure peace between the two kingdoms. Things quickly go awry on the pair's wedding night, when a failed assassination attempt leaves Aric magically transformed into a horse.

'Behooved' really surprised me. I went in intrigued by the premise, but was not expecting to be laughing out loud and growing attached to characters within a story that takes place across what is essentially just a single week. Bianca and Aric are a perfect example of grumpy x grumpy at the beginning of the book, leading to misunderstanding after misunderstanding. This book also contains some really well done chronic illness representation. Bianca is suffering from an unnamed condition that frequently leaves her in pain, revealed in the author's notes at the end of the book to be coeliac disease. Despite her condition, Bianca is a badass female lead, compensating with both physical and mental strength throughout the story. Something else that I found really refreshing was our leads' ages - they're both in their late 20s. The only thing stopping this one from being a 5-star read for me was how the mystery sub-plot was handled. I found it quite predictable as there was only really one suspect introduced, and the thread was tied up a little too quickly and neatly at the end of the book. I wanted to know a little more about the consequences for the two kingdoms with everything that happened.

If you've been looking to try something in the cosy fantasy genre, but still want a solid plot, look no further. 'Behooved' is releasing at the end of May.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 stars!

Behooved is the perfect book for anyone looking for a grown up fairy tale!

This book was so surprising and I loved it way more than I expected to. Behooved is charming, magical and plays on some of the biggest tropes in Romantasy in a genuinely funny way.

What I loved in particular:
- only one bed at the inn is my least favourite book trope but somehow M Stevenson managed to make me love even that here by making it hilarious.
- inconvenient shapeshifting in general was one of the best parts of the book.
- the dreamy magical vibe

What could be better:
- Some of the biggest plot points resolved themselves a little too quickly. For example, Aric almost instantly figures out that the curse is triggered by daybreak.

This story is light and the ideal palette cleanser book, one to read and re-read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Australia and New Zealand for the opportunity to read this ARC.