4.5 ⭐️

This one was so much fun! It was definitely a cozier fantasy with some great humor. The main characters were likable and the premise of being cursed to turn into a horse by day and man by night was so unique and entertaining. The chronic illness and bi rep was a welcome addition.

If you’re looking for the next literary work of art, this is not it, but if you’re looking for a fun time, I’d pick this one up!

I thought the narrator was great!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for an ALC in exchange for my honest review!

If you liked the tv show My Lady Jane, this is the perfect Romantasy book for you. Loved the story it made me laugh and really enjoyed the characters and their journey. I especially could relate to the FMC living/dealing with chronic illness as I have several myself. I would love a book about the FMCs sister even though the ending seemed pretty tied up and finished I could definitely see room for an interconnected standalone follow-up book.

This book surprised me.

I listened to this as an audiobook and part of the reason I chose it was because Natalie Naudus has never once failed me, she's an excellent narrator and typically chooses books I like to narrate. That being said, I think I would have liked this book had any competent narrator chosen to read it, it really was good.

It has everything you (I) want, interesting and flawed characters, a plot within a plot, enemies to lovers, transforming into a horse... ok that last one (while I somewhat expected it because of the name) still sort of surprised me, in a good way!

The MC was naive and a little flat to start but fleshed out very nicely as the story went on and there was a decent amount of, it not necessarily character development, at least character revelation on the part of both.

All around I really enjoyed this book and I hope to see more from the author and, dare I hope, a series?

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a fun and easy to listen to fantasy. I’m glad I had the chance to listen to the audiobook because I’m not sure I would have enjoyed it as much reading it. The plot was interesting but the romance felt a bit forced to me. It’s a quick easy fantasy that you don’t need to get too involved in to enjoy.

If you are a fan of Mercedes Lackey, this book is for you!

I was allowed to read an ARC audio book of this book, thanks to Netgalley, and give it 4.25 stars out of 5.

In this story, Bianca chooses to do her duty to her cold parents and marry the future king of the neighboring kingdom, Prince Aric. On their wedding night, an attempt is made on Aric's life. Bianca manages to thwart the would-be assassin, but in the process unleashes a spell that causes Aric to change into a horse. The two manage to escape only to find out that Bianca has been accused of murdering Aric. Now the two must work together to reverse the curse and save Aric's throne while uncovering who plotted the coup against Aric in the first place.

This story was lighthearted, not extremely steamy, but the romance contained in it was sweet. It wasn't a dense book like Sarah J. Maas, but I think there is room to grow the world, should the author choose to revisit it. Although I won't say who plotted the coup against Aric, I will say it was fairly obvious. That, however, didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book.

For the audiobook version, I'd say the narrator of this book did a good job of differentiating the characters' voices without sounding ridiculous, a problem I have experienced when some narrators do voices for characters of the opposite sex. The narrator's voice was rich and relaxing, with good pacing, and made the listening of the book quite enjoyable.

Overall, I really enjoy the lightheartedness of this book and would recommend it for somebody just getting into the fantasy genre.

I’m not always a romantasy fan, but this one worked for me! It certainly falls under some of the common critiques like weak world building & lots of tropes…but they were tropes I like and I was invested enough in the romance to overlook the weaker fantasy elements.

Bianca is forced to marry the heir to the throne of a rival kingdom and on their wedding night, her new husband magically transforms into a horse! They set off together to break the curse and solve the mystery of why they were forced to wed.

I requested this thinking it'd be a nice easy listen and it did not disappoint. It's a bit silly but fun. It was a quick listen with some cute moments, a bit of a twist, enemies to lovers with magic and charms. It's not your usual dark romantasy, which was refreshing. The author is new and I"ll keep an eye out for more books by her. The narrator did a good job and I loved the sound effects! If you're looking for a fun, entertaining, light read - this is it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for the advance audio ARC. Opinions are my own.

4.25 ⭐️ 2.5🌶️
This was a really cute low stakes slow burn romantasy read! I enjoyed the fresh storyline and the characters in this spin on a bunch of fairytale tropes we know and love.
Bianca is a chronically ill baddie from one kingdom, who is underappreciated by her parents but can handle a sword because physical training helps her feel more in control of her life. At the looming threat of war from their neighboring kingdom Bianca's parents offer her hand in marriage to achieve a peace treaty. Enter the broody, aloof, quiet heir apparent, her betrothed. He seems to hate her on sight. While trying to navigate a new kingdom, a new husband who seems to hate her, and all new people as well as different magic in this new place Bianca has a full plate. Oh yeah to top it off she accidentally turned him into a horse on their wedding night.
This was so cute and quirky but well done! I loved the character & relationship development, and was very happy with the ending. Can we get a 2nd book about Bianca's sister!?!

4.25⭐️

This was so cute and cozy... I want more!

Bianca and Aric were written perfectly, and I found their relationship to be totally believable. Their personalities were distinct and complimented each other very well. While there was miscommunication, it wasn't dragged out as they actually talked to each other despite their initial animosity. The side characters were well developed, but weren't particularly notable.

The worldbuilding could have used some work, but overall they political conflict made sense and was explained well. I'd like to see other stories set in this world, perhaps in neighboring kingdoms following some of the side characters.

Rating: Enjoyed It, 3.5 stars, (rounded up)

Behooved is a charming and fun speculative romance in which a girl is determined to do her familiar duty and enter into an arranged marriage with a neighboring king in order to avoid a war. However, on her wedding night, an assassination attempt goes awry and results in her new husband being turned into a horse, the two of them fleeing for their lives, and a kingdom in political turmoil.

This was a fun, easy read. I enjoyed the main character that we followed, Bianca. She was endearing and easy to like. She has a chornic illness, which is likely undiagnosed Celiac disease. I appreciated that representation, and the characters growth over the course of the novel. Their relationship was sweet, and I was rooting for them as a couple.

I think I would have liked this one a lot more if it hadn't been in 1st person, if there was a dual POV, or if it were about 50 pages shorter. There were parts that felt like we spent too much time in our main character's head. She is an anxious person, so I totally understand the overthinking, but I didn't enjoy constantly reading through the over thinking. Being in first person POV, we spent a lot of time in our main character's thoughts being told things and experiencing a lot of repetitive thoughts.

That being said, it was still a fun time. There are some light politics and fantasy world-building, and it all ties up very neatly at the end. None of the fantasy elements felt particularly new or fresh, but I enjoyed the Swan Princess-ness of the curse! So overall, it was a fun time and a nice palate cleanser.

Natalie Naudus was the audiobook narrator, and she did a great job. The pacing was great, and she did the voices well.

Thank you to Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for an ALC. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Behooved releases on May 20, 2025.

Thank you, Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy!

Absolutely loved the narration of this audiobook! Natalie Naudus did the thing and brought vibrant life to Bianca & Aric.

This book brought me back to watching Ella Enchanted, and hit me in all the good nostalgic feels. Something baking it was so familiar, yet fun and new.

Follow Bianca and Aric, reluctant allies and political newly weds, as they attempt to solve the mysterious assassination attempt on Aric’s life. Not to mention, doing all of this while solving the curse that turned Aric into a horse (only from sunrise to sunset). Imagine all the jokes and innuendos!

M. Stevenson also added a lot of representation into the characters that never felt gimmicky: chronic illness, soft mmc, & sexuality to name a few.

I really appreciated that this story never tried to be something that it isn’t. Nothing ever felt overwhelming, convoluted or try-hard. Definitely pick this up for a quirky, cozy, adventurous, and funny read!

Vibes:
🌷Political Marriage
📝Miscommunication
🐎Horse By Day, Prince By Night
🩸Blood Curses
📓Soft MMC
💞Bisexuality
🧪Chronic Illness

The twist where Aric turned into a stallion at night gave this Romantasy a bit of a Beauty and the Beast vibe, as Bianca and Aric try to navigate assassins on their tail and their political alliance/marriage. There was a lot going on here, with multiple forces trying to win the political game, but the worldbuilding was good.

Overall, it was a really fun read. I liked the audionarration.

This book was so much fun! I went into it completely blind; I fell in love with the cover and decided to read it on the spot without knowing anything about it. First of all, this book gives Gail Carson Levine and fairytale retelling vibes all day and I’m here for it!

Without giving too much away, I can say that the characters are interesting and layered. The FMC has some kind of chronic intestinal distress and I think many readers will find that representation welcome. The MMC also struggles with low self esteem and both MCs parents seem to have made this worse for them both. Both MCs have satisfying growth in this tale.

I loved the fun magic systems and the political intrigue elements in the story. There is a romance element and personal growth storyline and both were satisfying. The relationships in the story were interesting and went beyond just the MMC and FMC, which was nice.

I was able to have access to the audiobook version as well as the ebook version thanks to Macmillan Audio, Tor/Bramble, and NetGalley and the narrator, Natalie Naudus, did a wonderful job. She has a variety of voices and intonations that made each character distinct. Naudus has excellent diction and clear enunciation and is a pleasure to listen to—she really does this fantasy story brilliantly!

I will recommend this story to my cozy fantasy and romantacy readers and I think regular romance readers looking for a switch up would like this too.

This was such a great read with a cozy storyline and now stake plot. I did a tandem reading with the audiobook and the narrator did an amazing job being the characters to life!

The best thing about this book was Eric. Everything about that character was a breath of fresh air. He stood out to me as a unique MMC, he put his kingdom above his own ego, and actually didn’t seem to want to rule. Brilliant take on what could happen if the right person was to inherit a throne. It threw the plotting of the other royals into stark contrast and made it easy to root for our king and queen.

I also really appreciated how the romance came together, it didn’t feel rushed or over sexed. Perfect pacing there.

I also appreciated the representation of chronic illness, and it not being the defining characteristic of our FMC.

I was a bit confused as to why the poisoner was kept on retainer, but go off Queen. You’re in charge now.

I had a lot of fun with this. The characters were realistic and I felt like I could relate to them. There was one moment I had to walk away from the audiobook because of something embarrassing that happened and all I could think of was that would be me that happened to with my luck and I would not want to be preceived so I will no preceive this character for a bit. Came back and still had a great time. Would recemmend. 3.5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. The audiobook was great, the voices really nicely done. I was immersed the whole time and listened to it in one sitting. Its a light hearted story and would recommend to anybody that enjoys romantasy.

What I liked:
-nice characters with insecurities
-bisexuality rep
-representation of chronic illness and the struggle and shame that come with it
-sweet romance with some open door scenes
-interesting magic take

I hope we get to see more of the world and how the magic works, maybe with some of the side characters?


Thanks to netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an ALC for this book

I would like to thank the publisher for sending me an audio-arc in exchange for an honest review through NetGalley.

When Bianca is told that she has to marry the soon to be king of a neighboring kingdom -- Aric -- she goes knowing that the most you can offer to anyone is her word. Having been told she is burden and has nothing to offer except her hand in marriage for an alliance due to her chronic illness and having no magic, she's determined to start a new life. However, Aric has not given her the warmest of welcomes, and on their wedding night when an assassin breaks into their room and attempts to take Aric's life, she uses a special protection charm that her sister gave her... and accidentally turns her husband into a horse. The two of them go on a journey to break the curse, clear her name before she's charged for murder, and discover just how deep the plot against him truly runs. But with people chasing them across the kingdom will she be able to clear her name and break his curse?

Okay but why was this absolutely amazing? This was basically Swan Lake but instead of her being turned into a swan HE's the one cursed to turn into a horse during the day and back into a human at night. I was dying during that first moment where they're standing in the room and he is a horse and she is like looking at him like what just happened. It felt silly at times, and yet I was all for everything that happened. I love the magic and I love the the twist towards the end that I kind of saw coming but not a hundred percent. This was a really fun romp and I actually enjoyed reading it and found myself looking forward to finishing it because I was just having a genuinely good time. I would definitely recommend this book to everyone that I know just because of how fun it is. If you're into curses, enemies to lovers, a badass FMC with a chronic illness, and moments where she ends up riding him... because you know, he's a horse... then this is the book for you.

Bianca is promised in marriage to the heir of a neighboring kingdom. On their wedding night, they're attacked by an assassin and she defends herself with a magic charm ... that turns her husband into a horse. Oops? After a few other plot points, she hops on his back and they ride away for a road trip honeymoon to get his human body back and foil the plot against the throne.

As you might expect, this is a silly, cute fantasy. Personally, I wouldn't classify it as "cozy" because despite the silliness the stakes are still very high! I also appreciated the disability rep: Bianca has an unknown "condition" that causes her terrible nausea and fatigue. The author's note included a personal relationship with celiac disease as well as thoughts on how it might have affected epic fantasy characters who survive on lembas bread for the duration of their quests...

I listened to the audiobook of this one, and the narration was perfectly fine. I don't recommend reading over listening, but I don't think that the book was particularly enhanced on audio, so choose whatever format you prefer!

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the audiobook.

This was an absolutely delightful read! Once I started, I couldn’t stop until I was at the end!! What a fun ride (pun intended)