⭐️⭐️⭐️ — A Cozy, Magical Rom-Com with Laugh-Out-Loud Banter

Behooved is a fun and light-hearted standalone fantasy romance that had me laughing out loud—especially in the beginning! The banter was absolutely hilarious, and the audiobook brought it to life even more. I signed up for this ARC because the plot sounded delightfully ridiculous in the best way, and it definitely delivered on the humor.

Big thanks to Net Galley for the opportunity to read this early! I really enjoyed the magical elements woven into the story, though it’s worth noting that this isn’t an epic fantasy with a deep, complex magic system. It’s more of a cozy, feel-good tale, perfect for readers looking for charm over world-building depth.

I loved watching Bianca and the prince grow individually and together. Their romance was sweet, and their journey to discover inner strength (and each other!) was heartwarming. While it didn’t quite reach favorite status for me, Behooved was still an enjoyable read filled with charm, whimsy, and a lot of laughs.

This book gave me so much joy. It's cozy, it's fun, it's silly, all in the best possible way. It definitely satisfies the My Lady Jane withdrawal, and I really enjoyed the narrators!

Absolutely love Natalie Naudus narrating this! She brought me further into this world and I absolutely adored it!

The writing style, the magic, the suspense. I loved it so much and can’t wait to see what’s next.

-finished this late so didn’t write a proper review. I’ll add the links and the full review a bit later!

This was such a fun and unique fantasy! It was so well written and expertly crafted. I enjoyed every single second. Oh the conflict in this one! Our heroine, Bianca, accidentally turns her new husband into a white horse. He’s a complete stranger to her but she’s willing to sacrifice to avoid war between her country and his. So much fun was had trying to get the spell unbroken and save themselves from someone else’s deceit. I really enjoyed listening to this book. I was hooked from start to finish. I even chucked a few times. This is definitely a slow burn as advertised, but it’s worth the wait. I love the character growth in this one too! This is a new author for me, but I can’t wait to read more. The narrator did an amazing job bringing Bianca to life! I received this book from Macmillan audio and Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Summary: This was a different take on a fairytale! A young girl is given as a peace deal as a bride to another country. The prince would soon be king and a new wife would ensure peace and commerce between the two thrones. When Bianca is shipped off to a country unknown, she’s accepted her fate and family duty. What she doesn’t know is her new husband has been told a different version of the deal made. Starting a marriage on resentment and a lack of trust, the marriage doesn’t look promising. When a threat is presented on their wedding night, Bianca makes a rash decision to use a spelled locket from her sister for protection. The result? A prince turned horse! Fleeing and trying to determine who is the enemy and how to remove the curse, Bianca and Eric are forced to work together, ride together, and find a solution.

Review: I liked the characters enough to be interested in their story. The horse magic in the plot was a little strange, but it seemed to work. The story flowed well and the plot flowed with action and intrigue. There was angst, brutal honesty, an honorable prince who comes through in emotional rescue the way we’ve all wanted, and I felt satisfied with the ending. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for gifting me an ALC of this title. All opinions are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a cute and magical romantasy! This one reminded me of princess and the frog and assistant to the villain! The romance was slow-burn but oh so good!🔥 I’d def recommend this one!

✅political marriage
✅rivals to lovers
✅he turns into a horse
✅must break the curse

If you are looking for a fun and easy read, this is it. Just a book to make you giggle and relax with all of the fantasy vibes. I think this is a really cute read and the narration was done really well. If you're looking for a super serious fantasy, this is not it. I had so much fun listening to this with the banter and romance. This however has an insta love vibe because the story only takes place over a few weeks (if that). I am much more of a slow burn drawn out romance but this was a cute change up

"I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."
I really enjoyed this book. It was well done and an interesting story. I think it came together well and had good character development. My only note is that overall it seemed like a plot for juvenile fiction but it was too spicy for that audience so it was definitely an adult book. It just could have easily skewed younger,

I absolutely loved this book. Behooved gave me all the cozy, comforting feels I didn’t know I was craving—until I couldn’t stop listening. The narration was spot-on, drawing me in and keeping me hooked from beginning to end. The plot twist? Brilliant. Just when I thought I had it figured out, it completely surprised me in the best way. Every element—character development, pacing, atmosphere—was perfectly balanced. This is one of those stories that stays with you long after it’s over. I wholeheartedly recommend Behooved to anyone looking for a heartwarming, cleverly crafted read (or listen). You won’t regret it.

In Behooved we follow chronically ill princess Bianca as she marries a prince, turns him into a horse and travels across the countryside trying to turn him back into a human before his coronation to be king. I LOVE the premise of this book and I was super excited to read it, but it fell flat for me.

We are constantly told about Bianca’s chronic illness/pain, but it was never explained or gave significant representation for what life with a chronic illness is like. Instead it just shoved the representation in your face making it feel disingenuous to me. Prince Aric was SO boring, he had more personality as a horse than a man.

If you removed the spice and just made Behooved YA maybe it would have been more enjoyable for me. The storyline felt clunky, the pacing was slow, the magic system was never really explained, the world building was lacking, the plotlines were halfbaked and confusing. Was her chronic illness her being poisoned? Who arranged their marriage and why? Was she a witch? I feel like so many things were thrown out there but NEVER resolved or talked about again. Also why did we have to listen to her talk about training with blades a bunch only for her to be afraid to use it when she needed to defend herself and Aric…..and then I’m sorry did she just get shot? Idk what world I thought I was in while reading this, but it definitely wasn’t one with guns 💀

It really felt like NOTHING happened in this book. Just a princess riding a horse for three days.

Thank you Netgalley for an audio arc of Behooved.

The second I saw the cover for Behooved I knew I was going to pick it up. The cover is not only gorgeous, but also promises whimsy. I love fantasy books that deal with curses, magic and bargains, so I knew I would have fun with this story. And while I did really enjoy the overall premise of this book, as well as the chronic illness representation, the writing really fell through for me. The overarching story of Behooved is quite silly, but in an endearing way. On her wedding night, a woman's husband turns into a horse. They work together to break the curse during the night time hours, when he is back in his human form. It's very reminiscent of East of the Sun, West of the Moon, but a bit more goofy (I mean this in a good way). And though this plot was good and fun, it wasn't enough to carry the book on it's own. It needed strong writing to match it. Unfortunately, I found the writing of Behooved very shallow. The main character felt like a template for any generic 'romantasy' protagonist. The enemies-to-lovers romance felt rushed and based on nothing other than physical proximity. And the themes of self-image, insecurity, and duty, though all good themes in theory, felt very blunt and surface level. So overall, I'd recommend Behooved as a fun palette cleanser between heavier reads, but don't go into it expecting too much from the politics or characters. It's just a fun little story, and that's okay.

This is a fantasy where you get to just turn your brain off and enjoy, there’s no heavy details you need to piece together to enjoy the story.
The narrator did a wonderful job reading both POV’s.
The first half of this book was good, it was fast paced and the horse puns were on point. But I feel like the second half started to taper off and could have been cut short. All in all the book was cute and quirky, and I’ll probably end up picking up more of this authors work in the future .

Narrator Natalie Naudus did a phenomenal job of bringing this beautiful novel to life for the listener. I absolutely flew through this audiobook in just one afternoon because I was so immersed in the world that was created by the author and the life brought to the audiobook by the narrator.
Behooved by M. Stevenson is a gripping, thought-provoking novel that pulls the reader into a fairytale world with royalty, magic, and lush landscapes. One of the book’s greatest strengths lies in its atmosphere. I absolutely fell headfirst into the world and it kept me thoroughly engaged.
The characters are nuanced and authentic, each contributing meaningfully to the book’s themes. Stevensen reverses the stereotypes of prince charming and the damsel in distress by having Bianca rescue Aric from several deadly situations. Stevenson invites the reader to think, reflect, and question—making Behooved intellectually engaging as well.
Behooved is absolutely worth your time. Highly recommended for readers who appreciate depth, atmosphere, and identity exploration.

I don’t usually read blurbs—honestly, I skip them more often than not—but this one caught my eye, and I’m so glad it did. The idea of a prince turning into a horse? Instantly intriguing. I couldn’t wait to see how that kind of magical twist would play into the story, especially in terms of the character relationships. It ended up being a fun challenge for them, but I really appreciated that it didn’t become a huge dramatic obstacle. The emotional connections stayed strong, which gave the story a solid, grounded feel even with all the fantasy elements in play.

What did leave me feeling a bit disappointed, though, was the unresolved plotline around the main character’s illness. Since this isn’t the first book in the series, I expected more development or at least some kind of reveal. The way her symptoms and those constant tonics were described had me convinced there was a deeper, magical explanation—like some hidden power trying to break through. But in the end, there was no closure. Her husband was clearly trying to help and understand what she was going through, but the mystery never unraveled, and it felt like a missed opportunity in an otherwise creative and compelling story.

I had NO idea what I was getting into when I started this, and honestly I was pretty skeptical, but I had an absolute blast!

This strikes a really funny, really unique balance. Its a romantasy with some political elements to it, and a big quest to break a curse. Its also got a bit of a cozy fantasy feel because of the humor involved in the horse-shifting (lol), and it even has a decent amount of spice. I didn't know at first how well these would all blend together, but I was definitely really pleasantly surprised. I laughed, I was intrigued, I swooned. I really, really enjoyed the audiobook narrator, and had no trouble staying engaged with the story. For a romantasy with a really goofy premise, I think this was a delightful read!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for this early audio copy!

*ARC review from Macmillian Audio and NetGalley*

To me, "Behooved" felt like a hallmark movie. Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE hallmark movies, especially around the holidays, however there is that sense of cheesy predictability that you get with each one. I felt that the plot was quite predictable, easy to go along with, and overall underwhelming. The characters were fine, not too much or too little, but again, preditable in their choices and dialogue given their character trits and roles in the narrative.

If you are looking for a cute and quirky, easy read, then I defintely recomend this book! It was less gimmicky than a contemporary romcom given the fahtastical nature, however it defintly gives the same feel.

This was a cute romantasy. While there was some high stakes conflict, it definitely leans more to the cozy side. I enjoyed the comedic elements and appreciated the LGBTQIA+ representation. It definitely skewed more romance than fantasy for me.

What an interesting take on an arranged marriage… and one to the king (heir apparent) of a neighboring kingdom!

And so, we’re in for quite the ride when Bianca goes to meet Aric for their wedding. Tensions are high, and Bianca hopes that by tying the knot with this man that things will get better all around… for both sides of the kingdom… and peace will be kept. She realizes that it’s an ‘arranged’ marriage, so she’s not hoping or looking for love…

What she’s NOT expecting is exactly what happens… and she’s not sure what to do now.
But she was raised correctly, and will act in the best manner possible. 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

And then, the s**t hits the fan… and all bets are off!

Fae magic! Elixirs. Healers. Blood magic. Trouble within your own walls. 😮
Oh… and did I mention a beautiful white stallion????

4 big, bright 🌟🌟🌟🌟 for me!

#Behooved by #MStevenson and narrated nicely by#NatalieNaudus.

And don’t you just LOVE that cover???

*** RELEASE DATE was a few days ago, on 5/20/25 ... SO LOOK 👀 FOR IT ON SHELVES NOW!!! ***

Thanks so much to #NetGalley and #MacmillanAudio for an ARC of the audiobook, in exchange for an honest review.

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Book review: 4/5 ⭐️
Genre: romantic fairy tale
Themes: found family, allies-to-lovers, transformative magic
📖 Read if you like: Six Crimson Cranes, Thorn

This is such a charming fairy-tale full of adventure, romance and court politics. Bianca has been trained to be a dutiful daughter, so when she is told she is to marry the crown prince of a neighbouring kingdom to prevent a looming war, she pushes her own wishes aside and follows suit. Any hopes of an amicable or even cordial marriage are quickly swept aside when she comes face to face with her prince. He is neither charming, nor sweet, but a cold hard edifice who seems more interested in books than their impending marriage.

On the night of their wedding an assassination attempt leads both Bianca and Prince Aric on the run. She is being framed for his murder and he has been magically transformed into a horse after a spell goes awry. Riding away on her new husband, the two must find answers and safety. What begins as a reluctant truce soon blooms into something far more tender, but with the fate of the kingdom at stake both will have to choose between love and loyalty, desire and duty.

I enjoyed the quirky magic and all the whimsy in this story. It was fun and cast the right balance of sincerity and banter in this budding romance. Both main characters were flawed and equal parts vulnerable and self-conscious. Bookish Aric has been told he is too weak to be king, while the Duchess Bianca has suffered from a chronic illness considered as more of a burden than an asset. It was wonderful for both to see strength in the other that they eventually recognized in themselves. It was a sort of sweet love story that was refreshingly heartwarming and left such a cozy feeling. Then there was the cast of supporting characters who were really just a treat. From surly guards to imaginative siblings, I just enjoyed it all!

It did read a little YA, and there are certain gaps with the magical system that left holes in the plot. The villainous elements could also be spotted a mile away, but this audiobook hit the mark for my headspace at the moment. It was easy to read and didn’t require much thought to follow along. I did wish that Aric was given a more present voice, but all in all this was an enjoyable listen for me. Thank you to NetGalley and @Macmillan.Audio for the ARC.

If you’ve been devastated that My Lady Jane was canceled on Amazon Prime, boy do I have the book for you: introducing, Behooved, a cozy and action-packed romantasy about a duty-bound noblewoman with a chronic illness and a prince who befalls an enchantment that turns him into a horse after the sun goes down.

This was a really fun romp that was highly digestible and well-paced. I also appreciated that the male main character wasn’t your typical fantasy hero (aside from the whole turning-into-a-horse thing). His strength wasn’t just physical - it was quieter, more thoughtful - and it was refreshing to see that unfold as the story progressed. The story had a satisfying conclusion, and I enjoyed my time with it overall.

Here are a few other things that I liked in the story, and if you like these as well, then Behooved may be the book for you!

✨ Whimsical atmosphere
🐴 Slow-burn romance
✨ Arranged marriage
🐴 One bed trope + one horse trope (the man is also the horse)
✨ Enemies to lovers
🐴 Chronic illness representation

Thank you Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the ARC!