It's funny, I mean come on, a princess cursed to be horse by day and himself by night...hilarious, original and I definitely could not wait to read it. It's characters are great and the mystery is inviting and curious. I really enjoyed this read. Found it cute, romantic and badass at the same time. I'm not going to give too much away just that you should definitely read it now.

Well, it was okayishliy written and very hors-ey but all in all a cute romantasy version of The Emperors new Groove.

If you are a horse girl, go for it.

While the storytelling was whimsical and the characters felt refreshing, I just wanted more from this fantasy: a more intricate mystery, a greater sense of adventure and a romance where the chemistry was undeniable. Unfortunately, nothing really demanded my full attention or got me emotionally invested. The plot followed very familiar beats and it felt YA even though the characters were in their late 20s.

Would I recommend?... It wasn't mind-blowing but I think so, particularly if you're looking for something to fill the void of My Lady Jane.

Read for:
- fantasy romance
- marriage of convenience
- forced proximity
- chronic illness and queer representation

Behooved leans into the rom-com side of romantasy with a lovely balance of fantasy tropes, light and fluffy romance, and fun, giggly comedy, creating a unique, light, and fluffy vibe for storytelling. I'd pitch the vibe as somewhere between How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Shrek, and the Swan Princess. Her writing style draws you into a cozy, light-hearted story that's a deliciously quirky fantasy full of magical mayhem and playful humor, embracing the fun absurdity that weaves its way through the narrative. I can't tell you how much my sides hurt with the giggles I got with the imagery of riding off into the night with your husband (literally riding him as he's magically transformed into a horse).

The characters are beautifully crafted, with authentic identities and layered personalities that possess complex flaws, vulnerabilities, and dreams. The representation among the characters is perfectly balanced, creating an inclusive vibe that showcases characters with disabilities and LGBTQIA+ relationships between characters in a world that accepts and normalises their relationships, which is a heartwarming detail in the storytelling.

Bianca's character has a chronic illness based on celiac disease. She's been raised to believe she's not good enough and limited by her condition by the beliefs forced upon her by her parents. She's got a fiery that she keeps hidden, which comes out as she discovers her inner strengths. Aric's a nervous, socially anxious, cinnamon-roll character who feels more at home in the library than on the throne. The relationship between Bianca and Aric is beautifully portrayed. These two come together bound in mistrust as their kingdoms are at war, slowly growing to find common ground, lowering their defences as they share their vulnerabilities, and attraction grows between them.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton, NetGalley, and M. Stevenson for the opportunity to read and review this Book. I loved every moment in this cozy, spun magical world with excellent representation, bags of silliness, magical mayhem, and horse puns galore.

I think the most important thing I can say about this book is that it read like a capital R genre Romance wearing a fantasy aesthetic. By that I mean that the pacing, the narrative focus, and the way I felt like most of the book was conversations between the main characters, with the conversations being about the characters reacting to new information about the other character and having FEELINGS about it. I felt like I was reading a Contemporary Romance in which the love interest sometimes turns into a horse. Is that a bad thing? NO ... if you're a fan of Contemporary Romance, which I am generally not (I am verrrry picky and most genre romance books fall flat for me). So if you're coming to this corner of romantasy because you want the ROMANCE decorated with magical worldbuilding, there's a great chance you're going to like this book. And to give it credit, there was more robust worldbuilding than is often the case. But it was not for me, really.

Shout out to how campy the premise was, though. I enjoyed watching the dude turn into a horse, or back into a human, at inconvenient times lol. And somehow this is the first time I've ever read a book with coeliac representation??? My coeliac ass loves to see it (although the repetition of "my condition" and "flare" got grating. Did you know there are other words that could be used to mix it up a bit? This book didn't.)

This book was great fun! Our two main protagonists, Bianca and Aric, had great chemistry and awesome banter.

The world building of this was really good! I enjoyed learning about the magic and the way it works differently. There was also a good amount of political intrigue in this too that made the book suspenseful and thrilling. I do however think on all these elements there could be *more*, especially with the exploration of magic as I feel this was hardly touched on, so I, hoping for a sequel…

The plot was fun, well paced and well structured. I loved the inclusion of some of my favourite tropes, *cough* only one bed *cough*. One of my favourite parts however must’ve been Aric, fleeing from danger, completely stark naked…

Bianca and Aric were both great characters and I loved how Bianca was more stabby stabby, while Aric was more of a softy. They balanced each other out well. I loved how they worked through their issues together and fell in love. It did feel a bit quick, sure, but then the man did turn in to a horse, so anything’s possible!

Such a fun, easy read with great vibes. It didn’t take itself too seriously, and that was exactly what I was in the mood for.

The banter was charming, the romance was sweet, and the whole thing just felt like a cozy escape. Definitely one to pick up when you need something light and enjoyable.

Happy Release day to @mstevensonbooks and her fun fantasy imagining- 'Behooved'.

I think i can convince you to read this book in only one line:

"Oh. The bed. There was only one."

Just incase that isnt enough, this is one for you if you fancy:

❤️ magical Kingdoms with a rich rivalry
🩷 incredible strength shown through chronic illness rep (based on celiac)
🧡 queernormative characters and world
💛 queer MC (main romance is WLM)
💚 hilarious, fun antics with medium stakes
💙 lots of horse puns 👀
🩵 arranged political marriage gone right
💜 backfiring magic
🤎 whimsical, fairy tale feel
🖤 double crossing politicians
🩶 incorrect first impressions
🤍 different cultural viewpoints on magic

Thanks so much @netgalley and @hodderstoughton @hodderscape for my advance copy 😘 I had a lot of fun!

Behooved is an excellent novel filled with political marriages, a curse to be broken, and twists and turns along the way. The world it is set in is magical in more ways than one, and it was interesting to find out the differences between how magic is used in different locations - something I wish was expanded on more.
The adventure filled most of the story, alongside some excellent character and romantic developments. Overall, it was a lovely easy read with enough surprises to keep me theorising and interested in what was going to happen next!
Solid 4 stars from me!

I enjoyed this book it felt very different and I enjoyed reading it. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

This was such a fun read, and I was totally in this for the vibes.

I wasn’t completely invested until the second half, but the banter between the two main characters felt so natural and easy.

If you are looking for a light, easy to read fantasy with great quips. Then this is definitely for you. The storyline very much reminded me of The princess bride and My Lady Jane, but I honestly didn’t mind at all. I knew when I picked this up that it wasn’t going to be heavy world building, and intricate magic systems. This book came at the perfect time after finishing some very heavy hitting romantasy books, and I was definitely here for the vibes!

A light hearted, beautiful romance with plenty of silly horse puns. You have to be in the mood for a good time. It was excellent. I’m so glad I read it!

This enemies-to-lovers romantasy, full of tropes like miscommunication and only-one-stall/bed, was so charming, I loved it! Indeed, I am spellbound by this – and this is not surprising. The cover? Gorgeous. The premise of an arranged marriage and a prince cursed to be horse by day and human by night? Compelling. Horse puns? Galore. My mood? Un*stable*, this was quite a *ride* hehe ahem sorry.

Stevenson’s narrative was teeming with magical and gorgeous descriptions, decent pacing and the world-building was nothing short of excellent. There was a good deal of political intrigue, general mystery, magic and of course romance. Moreover, this is an exceptionally brilliant debut and I am sure we shall see more great things from her! While many aspects of the plot were very predictable which is the reason for my 4-star rating, I think many will still enjoy this.

As someone who knows people with chronic illnesses, the representation was done very well here through the main character having an unknown condition inspired by the author’s own struggles with celiac disease. This was a wonderful inclusion that shows anyone can be a hero, and I think those with chronic health conditions will both relate to and appreciate this.

The best part of this story is the relationship between Aric and Bianca, which has both hilarious yet very tender moments. I am not a fan of the miscommunication trope but it was done just fine here and is essential to the plot. The lovely thing is their parallels: both Aric and Bianca both come from households with huge expectations that they follow their duties rather than their hearts; they both feel like a disappointment to their parents because Bianca has had ableist views pointed to her her whole life and Aric does not fight and prefers studying (the latter which I like because it makes a change from the stereotypical main male characters). It is beautiful that they help each other see their own strength and worth.

It reminds me a bit of The Emperor’s New Groove because of Aric being turned into an animal and him thinking she has something to do with it – it’s like Pacha and Kuzco “Why would I kidnap a llama?” “I don’t know you’re the criminal mastermind, not me!” haha.

I like the colours and names of the kingdoms. Damaria means “Divine” or “Beloved”, ironic perhaps for Bianca as she is not beloved in her kingdom; Gildenheim means “Golden Home” which is a great choice, giving this sense of prosperity. The blue colour is for Damaria (associated with security, loyalty, wisdom yet can be seen as sadness and coldness), fitting for the fact Bianca is not happy with the situation and is trained not to let people know her real feelings. The green is for Gildenheim (symbolic of nature, growth, balance and hope yet associated with inexperience and greed) and is perfect for the fact they are greatly tied to nature and magic but Aric is inexperienced as a ruler and there is greed via who wants to become the new ruler.

I found the concept of this book really enticing because I loved My Lady Jane, and while the first half was well paced and fun, the second half felt really slow. I was struggling to pick it up and lost most of my interest.
I found the relationship a bit unbelievable its pacing. They had only known each other a few days and Aric had been a horse for half of that time when Bianca was saying she loved him.
This is a cosy fantasy so while I wasn’t expecting much action, now I look back, I’m not really sure what the plot was half the time.
I liked the chronicles illness rep though felt this could have been done slightly better instead of just having her seemingly randomly have these pains, maybe have us find out by the end what it is that she is experiencing. Knowing now it is supposed to be Celiacs disease, I feel that could have been made more obvious.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

2.75 stars

Behooved by M. Stevenson is a quirky and offbeat read that took some getting used to. The tone is intentionally fluffy and over-the-top, which initially felt disorienting.

The middle third of the book is where things really come together. The pacing picks up, the characters begin to click, and the narrative feels more cohesive and entertaining. It was during this section that I felt most engaged and genuinely curious about what would happen next.

Unfortunately, the first and last thirds didn’t work as well for me. The beginning took a while to find its footing, and the ending felt rushed and chaotic, with the plot veering in several directions that didn’t quite land. The story seemed to lose its focus, and the resolution felt more confusing than satisfying.

Overall, this wasn’t quite my kind of book, but I can see it appealing to readers who enjoy whimsical, off-centre stories with a strong sense of style. While it didn’t fully work for me, I have no doubt it will find its audience.

Save a horse, ride your husband... who has turned into a horse? I think that's how the saying goes...

I had the best time reading Behooved, it has such a fun premise and kept that fun going the whole way through while also balancing a serious plot thread and conversations of growth and defying peoples expectations. This book follows Bianca and Aric, who are forced into going on the run after an assassination attempt on their wedding night leaves Bianca accused of murder and Aric cursed to turn into... a horse? It truly is as fun and weird as it sounds!

This book also has a lot of tropes that I love including the one bed trope, forced proximity and what I would consider a very very mild enemies to lovers plot line. This book also has chronic illness representation and recognising strength in people living with chronic conditions which is really awesome to see. I have read that the condition is inspired by coeliac disease which I haven't seen in a novel before, and it is great to see this being normalised through literature.

I also loved our main characters, with Bianca being an insecure, duty driven princess insistent on being useful after years of being looked down on due to her chronic illness, and Aric, a slightly awkward and reclusive bookworm who has spent his life in the shadows of others. I would protect them both with my life. I really appreciated their growth throughout the story but I LOVED their relationship so much, they had me kicking my feet and smiling so hard it was so cute!

If you are after a fun and quirky read full of magic and cute romance please pick this book up, you won't regret it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Staughton for providing me with an advanced copy of this book!

A mesmerising read that drew me in from page 1. Beautiful author craft, a captivating story and some really great characters.

3.5 ⭐This was a delightfully fun fantasy that fans of My Lady Jane will enjoy! It was a funny and easy to read book that is great if you're looking for some low(ish) stakes adventure and escapism. I really liked that the FMC was a chronic illness sufferer and how this was portrayed, not only in the context of a fantasy world, but also just in general- it felt authentic and well written. The romance was sweet and I liked the dynamic.
a

If you loved My Lady Jane and needed more then this book is for you.
Cozy fantasy, forced marriage, grumpy mc, headstrong fmc, banter, the horse puns?? I loved it, this book was just so easy to just devour.
Save a horse, ride a Prince.

This was a really enjoyable, lighthearted read with tropes that I have been loving lately. It reminded me a lot of the TV show My Lady Jane which is what initially drew me in.
I enjoyed the romance and the characters dynamics along with an easygoing plot that I could get lost in without too much heaviness.
I would recommend this to anyone who loves close proximity. lighthearted banter, and transformative characters.