This story was much better than I thought it was going to be! I think listening to the audiobook also helped though. I enjoyed the characters more than anticipated, especially given how rude Eric seemed at first. Beatrice's interactions with him as a horse were so funny. I was surprised she could hear his thoughts as a horse but since she inadvertently cast a spell, it would make sense that she would hear him. I almost thought they would break the curse with "true loves kiss" but THANKFULLY that wasn't the case. I'm glad that she was able to simply use the crown/her blood to break it. I also loved her older sister Tatiana and all her magical gadgets. It was fun to see what kind of things she imagined. If the author ever mde a sequel, I'd hope it'd be about her and another magical mishap.

The insta-hate was a little too intense and unfounded. It made it difficult to like the characters and buy into the premise. I was looking forward to the chronic illness rep, but even that felt a little contrived.

This book had me grinning and laughing out loud. Also, he turns into a horse?! The banter, the wit, the romance! I thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook narration and highly recommend if that is your preferred mode of reading. If you’re in the mood for a cozy romantasy with fractured fairytale vibes, pick up this book!

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the audio arc!

If I had to recommend a cozy romantasy for epic fantasy lovers, this one is it! It has political intrigue, assassination attempts, a fast moving plot, and a spicy romance with a blond mmc. The chronic illness representation is astonishingly depicted. The narrator is amazing and creates multiple characters with the most unique voices.

This really is the year of FANTASTIC debuts!! I absolutely loved this romantasy involving a political marriage of convenience between two royals who finds themselves on the run. There's excellent chronic illness rep (her), a blood curse (him), forced proximity, a bookish MMC and relatable feelings of inadequacy on both their parts for feeling like they aren't the royals their families want them to be. AMAZING on audio narrated by my very fav, Natalie Naudus and just a standout love story that I adored from start to finish!! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

If you’ve ever thought, “What this fantasy romance needs is more horses,” Behooved might just be your next read. M. Stevenson’s debut novel is a quirky, heartfelt romp through political intrigue, magical mishaps, and the kind of slow-burn romance that sneaks up on you like a galloping stallion. Bianca, a duty-bound duchess, and Aric, the cursed prince, are an unlikely pair whose relationship grows through mutual respect and vulnerability. Their slow-burn romance is refreshingly tender, and the magical mind-bonding adds a unique twist.

Behooved is a charming, offbeat fantasy romance that doesn’t take itself too seriously — but still manages to say something real. If you like your love stories with a side of magical chaos and a whole lot of heart, saddle up.

This was SO DISAPPOINTING. I CANNOT CAPSLOCK THIS ENOUGH. I suppose it's my own fault. A great, enticing premise does not a good book make. Okay, actually, the author has some share of this, also. She wrote the thing. But your own expectations are never a good thing to put on a book, regardless of the book's quality. Still, I went and did that. HOWEVER. Even without those expectations, this book would still have been Not Great. I just wouldn't have been so butthurt about it.

The premise here that I was so drawn to was an arranged marriage between two people, but the man turns into a horse on their wedding night, whoopsie. Aside from this being an extremely whimsical idea that just tickled my fancy, the reason I was so excited for this is that I have already read a book with this exact same premise, plus or minus Lady Jane Grey and some historical anachronisms (My Lady Jane, read if you haven't already). So my Expectations here (beyond just that the book be coherent in form and plot, sadly also too much to ask for the most part) were largely created by how delighted that book made me. I wanted an adult version of it. I wanted that very badly. But what I got was . . . this. Thing.

Aside from the writing itself being just kind of lackluster, and not really connecting to the characters (see: lackluster writing), the worldbuilding and plotting was A MESS. That premise I loved so much? The reason given for it in the story? Asinine. (I feel bad for being this harsh, but I cannot fathom how it got past editors, plural, or an agent, or anyone. It makes no sense.) This book honestly reads like a shitty first draft. 

I read an article somewhere on the internet recently that talked about how traditional publishers have changed how they edit works in the last handful of years, cutting out significant pieces of the editing process, and that article totally makes sense to me in the context of this book, because there was something here, or there could have been with a lot more work. On character, on worldbuilding, on the structure of the story, on the dialogue between any of the characters, but especially between our two lovebirds. (Lovehorses?)

Anyway, I'm salty about it, sorry if this like your favorite book or whatever. I might read another book from this author, but it's going to need heavy vetting first. Sad :(

This book has the most beautiful cover, it certainly drew me to this book.
I enjoyed the chronic illness rep the queer normative world, that the main female character liked SWORDS and the male character was like the more gentle and sweet one, the way the sister relationship was portrayed.....
But it was a struggle getting through the whole adventure, ultimately it couldn't hold my attention.

I listened to the audiobook version of Behooved by M. Stevenson, narrated by Natalie Naudus.
With this style of writing, I think the author was going for a sarcastic tone but the audio interpretation, to me sounded like just whining and whining. It made listening to this like nails on chalkboard.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

Good, light hearted romance read with decent action and interesting main characters! I enjoyed it overall.

Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for providing an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are still my own.

This was a light-hearted, quirky fantasy romance that I absolutely devoured. While I don't think it was the most complex or deep fantasy, it was an extremely fun and readable debut. If you go into this with the right expectations, it's definitely worth picking up.

This is a low-stacks, cozy fantasy romance between a woman married off for an alliance and the husband she accident curses into a horse (during the day). If you want world building or an explained magic system, this is not the book for you. But if you want to go on an adventure with a mind talking horse and his very reluctant bride, it might be.

I read this entire book via audio and most of it in 2 sittings. Because there isn't much emphasis on the world or politics or magic systems, it reads extremely quick. I do think it loses a little steam in the final quarter and wraps up a little too conveniently. But I also think as a standalone, cozy fantasy, it was worth the read.

Not only is the cover perfect for this story, but the sprayed edges are the perfect color! I adored this book. It was sassy and romantic. The chemistry between the main two characters is powerful and dynamic. Bianca just wants to do her duty and agrees to marry a stranger for the sake of peace for both kingdoms. Aric is icy and aloof when Bianca makes her splashy entrance to his kingdom. After a failed assassination attempt, Bianca and Aric are thrown together in an equestrian quest to save their kingdoms and each other. Through witty and vibrant banter, Bianca and Aric cultivate a relationship. The side characters are quirky and endearing. I was delighted the whole time I read this!

Highly recommended for anyone who likes strangers to lovers, one horse, one bed, and forced proximity with a side of quirky sister and fierce personal body guard

The narrator was fantastic!

Behooved is an interesting combination of a romantasy story with a really cute romance as well as chronic illness representation. I really loved the message that people with chronic illnesses are incredibly strong just for dealing with their illnesses and it's ok to need to rest. I haven't seen that in a romantasy setting before.

Having the hero periodically change into a horse was also an interesting way for the hero and heroine to bond. I liked that it let them become friends and learn about each other. This book was an interesting combination of romance, fantasy and self discovery. At times if felt like a young adult book as we very much follow Bianca's journey but the fantasy elements push the story instead of the romance though both Bianca and Aric grow and change throughout the story.

I think if you like romantasy and want to read one with chronic health representation this one is worth picking up! One personal pet peeve that will probably bother few other people is that I think if you are going to use British titles you should use them consistently with how they are used. I also think it's important to remember those titles are also deeply seeped in patriarchy so if you want to create a society without it they need to be altered.

I listened to the audiobook version of this title and enjoyed it! Natalie Naudus did the narration and she did great. Romance readers may recognize her from One Last Stop by Casey Macquiston or The Heart Principal by Helon Hoang.

Ok I loved this. It feels like an old classic fairy tale, expanded upon. It is cozy and felt relatively low stakes, but still offers enough action and adventure to push the plot along. The romance is sweet and the banter between Bianca & Aric is giggle-worthy. Most of the book feels young/YA but it is really, *ahem*, really not. That’s actually what adds to the fairytalesque atmosphere. It’s about self discovery, romance and growing into your maturity, but in a way that isn’t too emotionally messy, but rather, playful and whimsical. The prince is, after all, accidentally turned into a horse. Perfectly quirky, utterly loveable. 4 stars, I absolutely devoured this audiobook!

As for the narration- easy to listen to, accents/voice changes for characters were distinct and thankfully not weird when they switch to male 😆

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook.

4 out of 5 Stars

Behooved was a great time. I really enjoyed this Young Adult Fantasy novel. Ten out of ten would recommend.

From birth, Bianca has been trained to as "how high?" when her parents tell her to jump - so when her parents tell her she is to marry the neighboring kingdom's heir in a bid to stave off war, she dutifully packs her bags and leaves everything she knows behind. Yes, Bianca grins and bears it - even when her new fiancé is cold and aloof; even amidst her own worries about her mysterious illness; even when what could possibly be the worst wedding night ever ends in an assassination attempt and her new husband turning into a horse. When the sun sets and her horse-husband Aric returns to his two-legged form, it's to find that Bianca has been framed for his murder; that there's a plot bigger than the both of them lurking in the background; and that they only have a few days (days being the operative word, since Aric returns to his horsey form during the day) to figure out how to reset everything before their absence spells war. With time, options, and possibly their hearts galloping away faster than the wind, Bianca and Aric have a lot of work to do.

I need some studio to pick this story up and turn it into a late 90s, early 2000s banger of a movie IMMEDIATELY - I'm talking "The Princess Bride", "A Knight's Tale", "Ella Enchanted" realness. This book has everything: the fairytale of a lifetime for the horse girl buried (or not buried, it's 2025 live your best life while you can); YEARNING; bookish soft MMC X chronic illness (literal) warrior FMC; queer rep; one bed/one stable; having to get over your first impression of someone and apologizing for it; parental angst; a sister who's a chaos junkie; forgiveness; and sassy back-talking to courtly idiots. I had so much fun listening to the audio for this book, it was a perfect road trip companion, and I wish there was a sequel to this story because I would eat it all the way up (something something hay is for horses). Can't wait for M. Stevenson's next book!

Behooved, follows Bianca who is told by her family that she has to marry the future king of a neighboring kingdom in order to avoid war. Upon arriving she receives a cold welcome and feels slighted but resolves herself to do her duty. When her husband, Aric, is turned into a horse during an assassination attempt and she is blamed for his apparent death she finds herself with no other choice but to help her flee with her cursed husband, and try break it.

This book was really endearing. I went into it pretty blind but I ended up listening to the entirety of the book in one sitting.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this Audio ARC Copy!

I was sucked in by a pretty cover yet again, but I'm not mad about it. When I read the blurb that the groom gets turned into a horse, I was really curious just how that was going to play out... I have read a variety of literature, so you never know... This of course was not THAT kind of book. It was cute, I liked the grumpy MMC, and I enjoyed it for what it was. Alos, if you are a lover of puns like me, then this book is going to make you smile, a lot.

This story started a bit slow. I have seen it described as cozy, but it was more a romantasy with banter. I love narrator Natalie Naudus, however I am not sure she is the best for this title. Something about her voice didn't fit for me with the story, but this was my first romantasy she has narrated. She did a good job (she is an excellent narrator) but again, it didn't fit for me and that is entirely on me.

At about 25% is when it begins to pick up, and I am so glad I stuck with it. The story took a fun twist and had a fair amount of adventure and mystery. I would absolutely read/listen to another title by M. Stevenson.

Not what I expected, fun ride and would reconmend to some people but not all thankyou for this chance and the audiobook was the best way imo to indulge in this world and fantasy

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the ARC of this book! I thought the narrator did a wonderful job bringing this lighthearted fantasy to life. Behooved is a perfect romantic fantasy palate cleanser that is fun, romantic, emotional, and filled with feel-good adventure. I wouldn’t say this is my favorite light hearted romantasy I’ve read, but it was still an enjoyable read that kept me entertained!