Thank you to NetGalley, M Stevenson, and Macmillan Audio for the chance to listen and review this ALC. To start with the positives, the narration was very well done, and the concept was really interesting. But unfortunately that’s kind of where I leave it. If the narration wasn’t so well done, I’d probably have lost interest. The pacing of this book was funky, and I just didn’t really vibe with the story overall.

this one wasn't for me. its unique and I can definitely seeing it being a good time for the right reader

Thank you for allowing me to listen to the audiobook of Behooved. I thought the story of Behooved was humorous and cute. I mean who expects their new groom to turn into a horse and then have to run around the realm together? This was a lighthearted and fun adventure. The narrator did such a wonderful job and I really liked listening to her do everyone's voice. Audiobooks are always a hit or miss with the narrator and this one got a good one.

In Behooved, M. Stevenson delivers a five-star cozy romantic fantasy that’s as elegant and beautifully written as it is emotionally satisfying. At the center of it all are Bianca dutchess of Liliana and Eric king of Gildenhiem—two characters who absolutely light up the page like a firefly on a summer night.

Dutchess of Liliana-Bianca is bold, brilliant, sassy, classy, a little badassy and impossible not to love! She’s got a spine of steel, a sharp tongue, and a vulnerability she guards like a secret the motto of Liliana royals are following control, freedom, and virtue, she lives by this throughout the story . Watching her navigate love while trying to stay one step ahead of her own heart is nothing short of addictive. And then there’s King Eric of Gildenhiem —infuriatingly charming, endlessly confident, reserved and just self-aware enough to make you fall hard. His banter with Bianca is fire, but it’s the quiet, surprising moments of blunt honesty that truly make him unforgettable.

Together, Bianca and Eric are explosive—in the best way. Their dynamic is full of tension, humor, and the kind of slow-burn spark that keeps you flipping pages long into the night.

Stevenson has crafted a romance that’s not only flirty and fun but also rich with emotional payoff. Behooved is pure romantic magic.

If you love cozy romantic fantasies, arranged marriages, slow burn enemies to lovers, and innocent among the corrupt this story is for you.

I will be posting my review on my bookstagram the day before release and on amazon the day of release! At https://www.instagram.com/seductivespellbindingsagass
and https://wwww.amazon.com/mike.eckrich@fmr.com

Thank you to MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for this audiobook ARC.

This is one of those books that maybe just needs the right audience and I was not it. First of all, it felt like it was a rewrite of My Lady Jane, only not as good.

The first thing that bothered me was the relationship between Aric and Bianca. It felt like there was no real relationship building and no chemistry. It felt very forced.

Another thing I didn’t like was the lack of logic to what was happening with the travel and trying to get to Bianca’s sister. Does no one in this land know what either of these two people look like? Also, there is no way a horse gets from upstairs in an Inn to outside.

Finally, the addition of the spittoon port key contraption made me loose hope for this one unfortunately. They make this arduous journey just to have a Harry Potter port key get them home.

What I DID like was the representation of someone with chronic illness (even though it felt like they were just solving it away with the green witches). I also loved the narration. She did a great job of bringing the story to life.

Overall this feels like one of those books that if you think about it too hard, it’s not good, and unfortunately, I can’t look past that personally. I’m sure some people will love it though.

Ａｕｄｉｏｂｏｏｋ Ｒｅｖｉｅｗ
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
"Behooved by M. Stevenson" is my first book by this author and will definitely not be my last. This book gave me magical fantasy, enemies-to-lovers, with cozy enchantment. I can see this book being a major hit on TikTok, especially with its deluxe edition pink sprayed edges.

I devoured this book in one day. Bianca knows her duty comes before her heart. So, when the threat of war looms, she agrees to marry the neighboring kingdom's heir. But not all royal weddings are fairytales, and Prince Aric, Bianca's betrothed, is cold, aloof, and seems to hate her on sight. To make matters worse, on their wedding night, an assassination attempt goes awry—leaving Aric magically transformed into a horse. Bianca does what any bride in this situation would do: she mounts her new husband and rides away to safety.

The cozy elements and the twists and turns this book takes you on are amazing! I actually enjoyed both main characters, Bianca and Aric.

The audiobook is performed by Natalie Naudus. Natalie did a good job telling the story and bringing the characters to life! I enjoyed listening to her voice; she was easy to understand. I listened at 2x speed.

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬:
•Enemies-to-lovers
•illness
•arranged marriage
•magical

Thank you, NetGalley, and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Bianca and Aric find themselves marrying practically against their will. The reason? It's to create an alliance between their countries. But an assassination attempt proves that something isn't as it seems. And the most shocking part of the attempt was the fact that Prince Aric comes out of it as...a HORSE. He's now a white stallion by day, handsome human by night, on a road trip with Bianca to find out who their enemies REALLY are. As they venture together, they learn to trust each other, but could their feelings blossom into something more?

This was a high fantasy I could follow pretty well, which is saying something, because I often get lost in the politics of it all. The characters all felt well fleshed out. We got to experience some quaint magic along the journey, which was fun. I found the ending to be quite satisfying! Natalie Naudus, who narrates the audiobook, did a good job of conveying the characters' emotions and bringing the tension to life.

This felt like a YA novel to me, until we got to the spicy scenes. I wanted more from the world building, the depth of feelings from the characters, and the magic. Ultimately, this feels like a romantasy that entertains but will be hard to remember afterwards. Nothing too terribly gripping about the main characters or plot, but solid story-telling nonetheless.

I'd like to thank MacMillan Audio and Netgalley for the eARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Behooved written by M. Stevenson and narrated by Natalie Naudus an enemies to lovers, slow burn, romantasy. We follow Bianca and Arik as they figure out life, love, and magic together. Arik is not your morally gray MMC. He is more of a shy Prince Charming. We don’t get a whole lot of world building. M. Stevenson provides a lot of action and story in a small space of time and land. Natalie Naudus was spectacular for narration. 4-4.5 stars.

This is a 3.5 for me. Yep, the premise was really fun and I definitely read it just because of the description (and Natalie Naudus). I thought the banter was pretty good and I liked the idea of the magic system. There are some really solid points in this books favor and I would recommend this for anyone looking for a humorous read or a nice whimsical slow burn. I am going to assume that there may be more books happening in this world because the political stuff and the magic system wasn't really fleshed out. Natalie Naudus was a major factor in picking this audiobook and I think she did a great job with the narration and humor. Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

A fun (and funny) tale about learning how fitting in may be more of a chore than needed. I loved all the characters and how Bianca really came into herself throughout the novel.

I did not expect to enjoy this book the way that I did! It was the pallet cleanser that I didn't know that my brain needed. It was the fun kind of ridiculous that my inner horse girl absolutely adored. It was so fun, and I loved how there were some feel-good moments in there as both the FMC and the MMC grew a lot and had to learn how to see themselves outside of how they'd been told to see themselves.

This is not as dark as the usual romantasy, and I appreciated it for that alone!

The narrator also did a fantastic job of telling the story and doing some of the sound effects that come with a book that has magic that turns people into a horse. It was *so* fun to listen to!

Narration: I generally enjoyed the narration in this audiobook. Natalie Naudus was clear, emotive, and engaging. I really enjoyed her work in previous books as well, and she is one of a handful of narrators who would make me more likely to purchase an audiobook.

Characters: Fundamentally, I liked Bianca quite a bit. However, I do think that they lacked a little depth. Bianca had essentially two defining characteristics: guilt from her past breakup (with a character she wasn't even dating and who honestly didn't seem crushed? this felt very overblown), and duty to a family that treats her poorly. I thought the more complex feelings towards her family were interesting and added a little depth to her character, but a lot of her inner monologue was her going in circles, bringing up the same internal issues over and over again. One thing I think was particularly well done was her medical condition, though. I appreciated that she was adamant that she wanted her pain to be managed but did not need to be "fixed," and how well the other characters in the book supported that mindset. Her learning to ask for accommodations and deal with a more positive attitude towards her condition was a nice growth arc. I also liked Aric, though I wish we had some POV chapters from his POV. I felt like his various insecurities, as well as how much he also got caught in circles (how many times did he bring up Bianca having a knife in her sleeve? 100? more?) did not make as much sense given the posture of his background versus that of Bianca's, but it was fine. I thought the romance (which was essentially just a giant miscommunication trope) was fine and paced adequately. I was happy to see the two of them together at the end which feels like a win.

World building and Plot, however, were very thin. I liked what was there, but it felt like almost an outline instead of a fully fleshed out novel. This felt like a novella worth of plot, set in a pre-existing world that we should already know all of the magic systems and political postures of. The general shape of the plot was fun, but it wasn't enough to fill 350 pages or however long the book was. The magic systems were interesting, particularly with the contrast between green witches and adepts, but I just don't feel like we ever really got anywhere with those systems. I would have loved to have taken out at least 50% of the rehashing of the same insecurity/conflict between Bianca and Aric and instead replaced it with more robust world building and a minor secondary plot line to add interest.

Overall, a book that had a lot of promise but just didn't quite live up to what I wanted out of it. I would still recommend it to someone looking for a light and less serious romantic read, and I would also pick up another book by the author to see if the next one develops a little more.

This book was so silly and yet also so good. If you start it keep reading until you get to the twist! I'm rarely surprised by a book but this one got me!

This book handles serious topics like familial duty and disability with an dose of whimsy and humor.

I also love that this was my first time reading a book about a m/f relationship that takes place in a queer affirmative world.

Favorite quotes:"Would you say someone with a broken arm is weak for not using it?"
Genre: Romantasy
Age: Adult
Topics: duty, chronic illness
Spice: Yes
Tropes: one bed at the inn, forced/arranged mairrage
Representation: Queer Affirmative world, Bisexual (assumed) FMC, chronically ill fmc
Read for: Disability Readathon
Obtained from: Thanks to Macmillan Audioand Netgalley for the ALC

Behooved was so much fun to read/listen (audiobook)! While there were some heavy topics that came up, overall the book still felt light and fun without being all fluff. The magic and the ways that it is cultivated in this world were really interesting to me, and I hope these aspects are explored in more detail if there are future books in this same world. I appreciated that the main characters are in their late 20s and the leading lady chronic illness representation.
Overall a very fun “quirky fantasy” that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
The audio was really well done and the narrator was fantastic! I highly recommend checking out the audiobook version.

That was really enjoyable fun, and I know a bunch of people who will enjoy reading this once it is out. The world-building was so much better than I expected, and I am wondering if the writer intends to use the world for other stories. I'm not generally a fan of fictional politics, fantasy or otherwise, but the description implied a road-trip and that is something I love, especially in fantasy. I appreciated the protagonists' non-specified gut-based chronic illness, and how some people in her life described it as incredibly shameful. Oh! And at the beginning there is a very real exploration into how women (especially those with a chronic illness) are forced into masking so much more viciously than men. This book had more depth than I expected, actually. I'll keep an eye out for the author's work in the future.

I’m really not sure how I feel about this one…
There really is not any world building, plot is mediocre, my least favorite trope ever is a large part of the book (miscommunication) and the damn love interest turns into a horse…. Yes… a horse… was hard to picture reading and honestly found it to be kind of uncomfortable. It was kind of a silly read which maybe some people will like but I was not expecting whatsoever and isn’t my type of vibe. It was kind of a quirky, cute - ish, rom com vibe but that’s really all it gives you. This is a good book for certain people who don’t mind a just somewhat fun read with no brain power needed.

The one thing I did like was the chronic illness rep by the FMC. More books need to have this and I appreciated the way the author included it in the main character

This book was just not for me, but I think there will be people who enjoy it

After marrying a man she just met for the duty of keeping their countries out of war, she turns her husband into a horse trying to protect him from a would be assassin.

I loved this story so much. I was a little afraid we might be in “My Lady Jane” territory where the husband turns into a horse by day, but that was the only part that felt similar. How he turns into a horse and their adventures throughout are completely their own. I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a fun fantasy romance standalone.

I was also able to listen to the audiobook before release date and the narrator did an amazing job with this adaptation!

Behooved was a fun and cute adventure. It's cozy, it doesn't take itself too seriously, and the magical and whimsical vibes are through the roof.

Bianca ships off to a neighboring kingdom to prevent a war by fulfilling an arranged marriage to the studious and aloof Aric who seems to hate her and the prospect of their marriage. On their wedding night, Bianca tries to save Aric from an assassin and accidentally turns him into a horse and gets herself framed for his murder. The two must now work together to break his curse, take back the throne, and save their kingdom.

So, that's a fun set up.

There were a lot of puns and tongue-in-cheek moments. I really enjoyed their banter and their romance (although, I wouldn't really consider it that slow burn), and Aric is a genuinely good guy which was refreshing compared to many romantasy heroes.

Bianca's own struggles with a mysterious chronic condition (a fantasy version of celiac disease) help her empathize with Aric, and for me, her chronic illness rep was a standout feature of the story. It was refreshing to see a chronic condition NOT get magically "cured" in a fantasy book.

Some of my favorite quotes from my advanced copy of Behooved (text not final):
"Relieving pain seemed a much more worthy use of magic than inventing new ways to kill people."
"I knew firsthand that one could appear collected while falling to pieces inside."
"Wounds, like words, like magic, always left a mark."

The audiobook, narrated by Natalie Naudus, was fantastic. She is the perfect voice for this adventurous and magical tale.

Overall, Behooved was different, fun, and refreshing. I laughed out loud, I swooned, and I'd recommend it to any former horse girls looking for a whimsical rom-com.

☁️ Cozy Romantasy • Arranged Marriage • Queernorm World • Bi Rep • Chronic Illness Rep • Bookish MMC

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, for the advance listener copy in exchange for an honest review!

M. Stevenson’s <i>Behooved</i> is a disappointing amalgamation of underdeveloped characters and a poorly written ridiculous plot buried in the author’s quirky fantasy twist idea. What if your husband is accidentally turned into a horse on your wedding night after an assassination attempt?

It’s funny, because when I first picked up this book I was genuinely curious about the fantasy world and admittedly quirky plot idea. But the unfortunate thing is that when a book cannot properly portray developed characters, no plot will save the story. Even worse, the writing quality actually resulted in turning this once curious plot point to one that simply makes readers cringe. It really doesn’t help that the act of turning the man into a horse in the first place makes little sense when you consider the realities of the situation—a supposedly adept magic user thinks that turning an enemy into a horse is a reasonable form of protection for her sister.

Ultimately, these small oddities could be overlooked and perhaps even enjoyed if the lead characters, Aric and Bianca, actually had developed personalities and a reasonable story arc. Much to my dismay, the only arc and development they seem even remotely interested in is developing a genuine romantic connection with each other. Now, I don’t think that a sincere connection would have saved this book as a whole, but I probably would have enjoyed it more had the author actually developed their connection and made the romance feel earned rather than rushing it to the point that the two characters care for each other felt rather insta-lovey.

I guess it kind of just becomes this perfect storm of a story lacking serious development. As a result, one can’t really appreciate the goofy premise.

I did love the narration, but no matter how exceptional a job done here, the audiobook narration could never save the story.

This story has invisible illness representation along with My Lady Jane vibes. It was a fun, light, cozy tale with some of the usual romantasy tropes. I enjoyed seeing how the two main characters slowly figured each other out as well as the ridiculous magical curse. A second book in this world would be a delight.

I enjoyed the performance that Natalie Naudus gave as narrator and think that her voices added to the story.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for providing this audiobook for review consideration via NetGalley.