Hilariously fun! This will make you laugh and giggle! Such a light hearted read with the sweetness of falling in love and saving one another.

💙 Behooved by @mstevensonbooks
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🐴 “Caring means you’re strong. It means you’re brave enough to let yourself feel, even though it puts your heart at risk.”

💚 This was such a fun read! I ate this one up, y’all! The audiobook is absolutely fantastic. I loved how lighthearted this story is, while still touching on some deep topics (see quote above). I am a horse girlie, so this was the perfect read for me!

💙 After the Queen’s mysterious death, Bianca is forced to marry Aric, the heir apparent to Gildenheim. While he’s very handsome, it is obvious that neither of them want this arranged marriage.

🐴 On their wedding night, they’re attacked and somehow Aric is magically changed into a horse. They then realize they’re being hunted. Someone wants the throne of Gildenheim for themselves.

💚 The two of them take off an adventure across the country to find out who’s responsible. On their journey, the tension between these two builds up! The banter between them is next level good. I found myself literally laughing out loud at the sassiness. The horse puns were perfection. 😂

💙 Read this if you love:
-chronically ill rep (the FMC)
-arranged marriage
-one horse trope (literally 😂)
-political intrigue/drama
-banter
-great puns
-slow burn
-standalone

🐴 Thank you so much, @brambleromance and @torbooks for this ARC! It was such a fun ride!

Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for early access. All thoughts are entirely my own.

Overall I had a good time listening to this audiobook. This would be perfect for those who enjoyed My Lady Jane or Princess Bride. It was cozy, quirky and I liked the grumpy x grumpy dynamic of the characters which leads to hilarious banter and tension.

It’s a very fast paced and easy read/listen and I was living for all the horse puns.

Natalie Naudus does an excellent job solo narrating the story and keeping you engaged through the whole book.

Read if you like:
🐴 Cozy Romantasy
🐴 Queernormative World
🐴 Arranged Marriage
🐴 One Bed
🐴 Chronically Ill representation

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for providing me with this copy of Behooved for an honest review.

First, if you enjoy lots of politics in books, I feel like you may enjoy that aspect in Behooved, because to me I felt like there was quite a bit.
I enjoyed the beginning of this book quite a bit and then I just felt like the romance got slightly forgotten. There was hardly any slow burn or angst like I was hoping. The world building and magic wasn’t really there and all around the story fell a bit flat for me.
I liked the idea and got some Swan princess vibes with this one. I also enjoy the narrator, she did a great job as far as voices and spoke clearly.
I know there are definitely people that will enjoy this book. It was more cosy than anything with low romance.

This book is a fun ride! The main characters are forced to marry in their respective countries, but on their wedding night, the male main character gets turned into a stallion by a spell. That same night, there’s an assassination attempt on the female main character, who is set to become the future ruler. They both have to figure out who wants him dead and how to reverse the spell.
There’s plenty of travel and political intrigue, and I really liked how the characters started out disliking each other but gradually discovered each other’s good sides. The female lead is a strong warrior with a chronic illness similar to Celiac disease, which is great representation. Meanwhile, the male lead is a shy sweetheart who loves reading, which I always appreciate in a story.
With magic, coup attempts, and political drama, this cozy romantasy has it all! Thanks to Bramble for the ARC!

Behooved is an absolutely adorable fantasy romance. The story follows Bianca, a noblewoman who has always done whatever was expected of her by her parents. Because of her sense of duty, when her parents inform her that she is to be a bride to the king of a foreign land, Aric, as part of a treaty, she doesn’t hesitate. Once meeting the two royals, DO NOT hit it off. Both believe the other has ill intentions towards them, so their marriage is off to a rocky start. On the night of their wedding, an assassin aims to kill Aric, and in a magical attempt to save his life Bianca accidentally turns Aric into a horse.

The story is hilarious and absolutely adorable. Both Bianca and Aric find on the run, navigating how to break the curse, but also trying to figure out who wants Aric dead and Bianca framed for his murder. Neither character is particularly skilled in any field. They aren’t badass heroes, but rather kind of goofy and awkward which makes for great banter and entertaining scenes.

The book was well written, having good pacing and prose. The characters were likable. The story was overall entertaining. This isn’t a story with a lot of world building or interact plots. It is more similar to a romance in structure than a fantasy.

I enjoyed this book a lot for the entertainment value, and the low stakes cute story. It was a good pallet cleanser between all the heavy and intricate plot line I have been reading.



The story is romantic and does contain a bit of spice.

Behooved was a cute, fun, light read. It reminded me a bit of Amy Lady Jane since her husband turned into a horse. There was not a lot of depth to the story so it was easy to follow. I enjoyed it as a nice quick palette cleanse coming off other high adult fantasy books. I listened to the audio book which I will say was done very well. It definitely keeps me interested to see how it all would work out in the end.

Thank you net galley for the audiobook Arc!

While I enjoyed the premise of this book and the narrator was fantastic.....can we all agree this is basically fan fiction of My Lady Jane? The set up is almost exactly the same and the magic works in the same way where he is a horse by day and a man by night....It was just too closely related for me to view this book's execution objectively.

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.