Thank you so much to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review!

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4,25 stars - fun, horse-filled romance with a little bit of whimsicalness

“Maybe marriage, like magic, was an exchange.”

It took me about a fourth into the book before I felt properly invested in the story and characters, but once it got going I had a good time with it. The world was intriguing, serious politics and happenings sprinkled with whimsical magic and characters.
I loved reading about a chronically ill FMC, who was strong the whole way through but also had such a beautiful journey of learning to listen to her own needs and wants, and the quiet introvert bookish MMC won me over with little fight.
The side-characters were also delightful, and brought a lot of fun to the story.

“But whether or not I know how to brandish a fire iron properly, we’re married. That means we do this together.”

I got to pick this one up as a quirky little in between read of some heavier fantasy novels, no expectations - just vibes. I was not expecting to enjoy this one as much as I honestly did. Was it the perfect piece of modern literature? No. Were there flaws? Of course. Was it fun? Wholeheartedly. Should you give it a read? Why not!

Yes, there is a lot of miscommunication here that means the main characters are simply unable to see the obvious, and I could sit here and nitpick at issues all day, but this is just a silly little Romantasy novel about a bride and her new husband/horse and let me tell you - it’s really not that deep. This is a book that you should just sit back and enjoy, because there really isn’t any need to question anything, just let it take you where it wants to go - no more, no less. I really did find myself rooting for them despite everything, and both the main character and the love interest were surprisingly likeable, just very naïve. It was such a surprise to see the main character represented with a chronic illness, especially one that wasn’t simply for the sake of a plot that had to be cured at any cost (which despite being a fantasy novel, would have been simply too unrealistic), and I absolutely need more of this. I adored her sister the most, such a quirky and fun member of this pretty small cast of characters, she definitely shines throughout.

The book was well paced and kept me engaged from start to finish. There are a lot of elements that are left fairly untouched in this tale, but that just allows you fill in the magical gaps of the world yourself. Behooved was to me quite reminiscent of old folklore such as Swan Lake and The Goose Girl, saddled with a good helping of My Lady Jane that is simply too fun to pass up.

Thank you to M. Stevenson and the publishing/NetGalley team for allowing me the opportunity to give an advance review of this book. Behooved was charmingly humorous and all round entertaining, which I am happy to leave with a 4.5/5 star rating ✨

#book #bookreview #arcreview

Such a preposterously fun story. If you like wacky and whimsical, then giddy up for a ride.

This was light on the world building, but the adventure was incredible. I loved the horse puns and jokes, and honestly had the best time with this book.

The slow burn romance was very cute, and there was some light spice. There was just enough action to keep me engaged the entire time, and this was balanced well with romantic moments.

I loved Aric and how he a was sweet and gentle love interest, and the way Bianca's condition didn't stop her at any point.

Overall, just a very fun time.

3.5 stars

This book was enjoyable, and i like the fact that the author represented an auto immune disorder which is very relatable. The premises was a little quirky but was interesting all the same. The MMC was very different to the usual MMC'S I've read. Whilst he was not good with a sword or a touch her and die kind of guy he did support the FMC in a more emotional way which I liked, but it took me a while to get used to.

I would have liked to see the romance built up a little bit more, it felt a bit rushed and all of a sudden. However it was very cute and I did like them as a couple.

I feel like this would be a good introduction to fantasy romance, but for myself I felt like I needed a bit more. More story and a bit more depth. But it was light and funny considering the MMC practically gets ridden about and is a bit of a indoorsy type.

Overal a good book.

This book was amazing! I found myself loving the character development and the storyline. Bianca and Aric are the best and I love their dynamic as the story progresses. I honestly was surprised at where the story went and it had a few plot twists that surprised me. Highly recommend! I honestly wish this was a series because I didn’t want to leave this world.

I also like how Bianca’s condition is written. I feel like a lot of readers who relate (or don’t relate) will enjoy this book as it is the first time I’ve ever read this condition in a book!

The side characters are also super loveable. I don’t want to spoil but some of the best side characters too!

The pacing was well done and the world building was amazing. I could picture the scenes. It was beautifully written.

I really enjoyed this book.

Thank you NetGalley for an opportunity to read and Review this ARC!

Cozy and unique slow burn Romantasy I have to be honest I didn’t finish the book it just felt a little dragged out it could of been more condensed in places I feel as though it just needs a bit more editing before it goes to print. I really wanted to like it!

A very fun book with a unique premise!

Behooved by M. Stevenson is a strange, beautiful, and memorable book. It tells a unique story that mixes real life with fantasy in a way that feels both magical and meaningful. The main character goes through a mysterious transformation, and the book explores big ideas like identity, change, and feeling like an outsider due to the main character's chronic illness.

The writing is poetic and vivid—sometimes it feels like reading a dream. Stevenson has a special way of making you feel the emotions of the characters and see the world through their eyes. Some parts are a little hard to follow, but they also make you think, and that’s part of what makes the book special. I also very much enjoyed the queernormative world, which is a unique take. The MMC turning into a horse was expected, but no less surprising!

If you enjoy books that are a little weird, deep, and beautifully written, Behooved is worth reading. It’s not a fast or super-easy read, but it’s a fun, unique, and rewarding book. Moreover, I adored the bisexual representation, and with the prince turning into a horse? How fun, new, and exciting! I liked the relationship between our FMC and MMC, it’s a slow burn, but a good one. Pick it up to read a fun and unique book!✨

4/5 ⭐️

** 3.5 stars, thank you to NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review**

Behooved starts out well, and the writing is engaging. The significance of Bianca's chronic pain was, to me, not really revealed until I read the author's note. I understand wanting to include characters with chronic pain and disabilities, but I think leaving the reason of why she's in chronic pain as an open question at the end of the book was a bit frustrating. While breaking the curse on her husband is the main arc of the plot, the mystery of Bianca's chronic pain is another, and I just wish that we'd received an answer on that. I guess maybe it's the author's way of demonstrating that doctors don't always know what's wrong with someone and it takes time to realize what it could be?

I enjoyed the romance between Bianca and Aric, it definitely has a cozy feel! There is a bit of spice, but it's not really very specific. The pacing, however, was a bit off for me. After a quick paced beginning, I stalled at the 40% marker for a few days. I just couldn't get past chapter 16. Once I was able to get back into it, the story picked up again around the 70-80% mark, but the middle is slow and meandering. We take a long time getting to the border with Damaria, and I honestly think they took more days than they had to get there. I think they allotted four days to get there, but reading it felt like at least five to six went by before we arrived at inn with Bianca's sister. I did love the ending, it was adorable and tied up most of the loose ends.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this as a digital ARC.

I LOVED this book. My inner horse kid hasn't been this happy in so long!

In this book, we follow our main character, Bianca. A princess who is set to marry Prince Aric of a neighbouring kingdom to solidify a treaty. However, things take a swift turn after their marriage ceremony, as an assassin interrupts their wedding night - and a spell leaves Bianca's new husband transformed into a horse.

We follow their journey as they try to understand the magic at work and theorise a way to fix it. We become introduced to many supporting characters that are important to both sides, as well as how magic works in this compelling world Stevenson has created.

I would highly recommend this to anyone who loves a classic fairytale, especially if you liked A Curse So Dark and Lonely! I will be keeping a keen eye out for more work by this author.

Absolutely in love with this terrific debut novel! I was in such a reading slump but then picked Behooved up last night and... devoured it in one sitting!

Loved Bianca's strength and how she cared for other people, even at the expense of her own happiness. Her interactions with Tatiana were my absolute favourites, Tatiana in general was a wonderful character. Their sisterly bond made me smile.

Aric, oh Aric... This man is just precious and needs to be protected.

I loved how the relationship blossomed between Bianca and Aric, at first unwillingly but then when they started opening up to each other, it was so sweet and moving.

I also really appreciated the chronic illness representation on page and thought it was done very well.

In general, I just had such a fantastic time with this book. All the stars, would highly recommend to everyone!

Arranged marriage? ✅
A cursed prince who turns into a horse by day? ✅
A refreshing non brawny MMC that get saved by the FMC ✅
Great bisexual representation ✅

As someone who loved the My Lady Jane series, I was immediately excited to read this one.

The writing style was cosy and the characters were endearing, each with their own unique quirks that made them feel real and relatable.

Bianca's strength and vulnerability were particularly compelling, and I enjoyed how the story explored Bianca's relationship with her illness and how she coped with it, as well as how her and Aric navigated their complicated marriage.

Unfortunately I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing by the end. The story had so much potential, but the tension didn’t quite hit the mark for me, and I found myself wishing for a little more stakes and less repetitive travelling moments.

I give this a ⭐⭐⭐.25 stars as it was enjoyable and would recommend picking this one up if you're even vaguely interested because it was a very fun cosy read.

R E V I E W

Behooved by M. Stevenson

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Advanced Reader Copy graciously provided by Hodder and Stoughton via Netgalley

I'm not sure if I've missed something here, but is the love interest transforming into a horse a new trope that is having a moment right now? Is there a historical basis for this narrative? First My Lady Jane and now Behooved, the similarities are too striking to be coincidental. Regardless, much like the aforementioned TV series, if you're looking for something to escape reality and entertain you for a little while, Behooved is as good an option as any though this story is unlikely to stick with you.

When Duchess Bianca Lilliana agrees to marry the heir apparent of a neighbouring kingdom at her parents' behest, she expects to enter a loveless marriage with the sole purpose of preventing a war. What she does not expect is to receive an inhospitable welcome from her betrothed, the very man who set the terms leading to their future nuptials in the first place. But when an assassin attacks on the night of their wedding, Bianca is forced to set aside her confusion and any reticence she feels towards her new husband and defend them both. What follows can only be described as magical hijinks as a protection spell backfires, forcing King Aric to become a horse by day before reverting to a man by night. Determined to solve the mystery of who is behind the assassination attempt, the stalwart pair set off to reverse the curse on the King and retake the kingdom.

Whilst coined a romantasy, I would argue that despite the on-page sexual antics (which aren't particularly graphic or explicit), this is more of a YA read. Similarly, though admirable to include a character with chronic illness in a fantasy story - something not often done - I felt the representation was handled with more consideration than the plot itself here, which mostly featured an uneventful journey spanning the course of seven days. With very little world-building and not much of a plot, a lot of pressure is placed upon the romance unfolding between the main characters since any side characters only play a role at the beginning and the end. For me, sadly, I found the romance a little bland, with tentative, gentle and bookish MMC Aric doing little to endear me to him (even if he became slightly less mild-mannered in the bedroom). I also disliked Bianca's hesitation to rescue Aric later in the story despite her need to reconcile who she was before and who she had become.

A decent enough read if you want something lighthearted or if you're looking for a chronic illness rep.

As someone who really enjoyed the show ‘My Lady Jane’ (I haven’t got to the book yet) this was one of my most anticipated reads for this quarter.

Behooved is a slow-burn romantasy between a duty-bound noblewoman (Bianca) and prince who’d rather read a book than sit on the Throne (Aric). Bianca puts her duty first, so with a threat of war on the horizon she agrees to marry Aric - he’s heir of the neighbouring kingdom. The only issue, he seems to hate her. And when he’s turned into a horse on their wedding night, in an assassination attempt gone haywire - the only thing Bianca can do is ride him to safety. Not a euphemism - she literally mounts him and rides away from danger. Sunset returns him to human form, but it’s soon revealed the attempt on his life is part of a grander plot against the throne. Bianca, now framed for Aric’s murder, is stuck with a husband who’s horse by day and man by night. When a romance begins to form between them, they must rely on each other to break the curse and save the throne - and hopefully protect their own hearts in the process.

Firstly, I’m officially obsessed with Bianca - she’s such a strong FMC! From the way in which she honours her duty to her family, to the way she manages her chronic illness - yet still managing to be feisty and witty. She was just 10/10! Absolutely loved her character.

Aric is such a cinnamon roll - he’s literally described as smelling like ink and paper and having next to no combat experience, yet he still tried to protect her?!

Overall I really like enjoyed this one! If you’re looking for a fantasy romance with a quest through the realm, fantastical creatures and plenty of tension then this may be the read for you.

ARC copy provided by Hodderscape & NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley, M. Stevenson, and Hodder for a complimentary digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Not gonna lie I fully wanted to read this book because the premise sounded so fun and thankfully it really did live up to it - this could so easily have been executed poorly but thankfully our heroine is interesting and complex enough to really make this story work. I also appreciated how self-aware this book was with it's narrative and overall I found it to be a really enjoyable read that hooked me fully in its latter half. I really appreciated Bianca being a heroine with a disability and related a lot to her feelings of inadequacy and frustration. I could have used a little more development with Aric but overall he was charming enough and of course the whole 'he got turned into a horse' thing was very amusing.
This book was a really good mix tonally of Beauty and the Beast, The Princess Bride and weirdly... Shrek, but it managed to hold onto the comedic moments enough to still make the heartfelt and serious moments count. It was definitely somewhat predictable in terms of the narrative but I enjoyed the story anyway and would definitely check out more from this author in the future.
(Also really appreciated the bisexual representation and the queer-normativeness of the world. Having our couple be in their late twenties was nice to see as we so often have a couple barely out of their teens in romantasy and the fact they were both experiences in relationships was a nice bit of equality)

This was an adventurous, tongue-in-cheek, romantasy adventure that reminds me of the nostalgic Barbie Swan Lake magic of my childhood. Safe to say that I enjoyed this immensely. Whilst there were a few plot threads that felt worth being further explored, the wit, horse puns, and sheer coziness of the enchantments were enough to make me feel besotted.

I loved the chronic pain rep, mainly how those around Bianca treated her chronic pain, and how it felt like a dirty secret amongst society. This was portrayed really well. I do think that the characterisations of both Bianca and Aric could have been developed further, but on the surface level I really did enjoy the sniping, the playful banter, and then the smouldering affection between them.

Whilst the tropes are seriously overdone in fiction everywhere: arranged marriage, only one bed, etc. The fact that Aric is accidentally turned into a horse is diabolically funny. Reading this lighthearted fantasy put a smile on my face yet it was still engaging enough to compel me to finish it.

This was an interesting ride.

If you like the dynamic in My Lady Jane, this has a similar vibe. Unfortunately the politics, magic and quest are so glossed over it feels pretty unmagical despite the dude LITERALLY BEING TURNED INTO A HORSE.

I kept waiting for the intresting politics to come to play. Someone waiting in the wings for more power or a big plot twist. Instead we got a rather bog standard plot twist that wasn't really a plot twist.

The chronic disability rep was intresting though the poisoning route felt odd to me and was left feeling incomplete. While the authors note does shed more light on what they were attempting it didn't fit with what the characters were actually doing. I doubt horse boy could have figured out she was a coeliac.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC

This book was not for me. Logic is pretty much absent for the entirety of the book and my main feeling was one of frustration. I think it I completely turned my brain off I might have enjoyed it more.

So this became a read I was very interested by as I was seeing it everywhere on bookstagram.
Sadly, I didn't know much about this when I requested it, other than I knew I wanted to read it due to being influenced. If I had known to expect the prince turning into a horse on his wedding night, I might not have joined the right.....
I rarely understood what was actually going on throughout this, and it's quite hard to review for that reason.
I felt like the characters rarely connected, and the chemistry just wasn't there. I want yearning, and this did not provide sadly. Interactions just felt cringey, especially sex scenes, and I just didn't connect to them, so I rarely found myself caring for what happened next. There's a lot of miscommunication in this, and it just isn't for me sadly.

I liked that there was chronic illness representation as that's quite rare in a fantasy book and I think more authors should attempt to be more inclusive.

First of all, many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for granting me a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Sometimes your husband is not the prince on the white horse, but the horse itself. I’m not kidding.

Jokes aside, even though my friends made fun of me for requesting this and kept on referring to that cursed my horse prince game, I highly enjoyed this!!

Favorite thing was that it was a little silly while also being an actual well plotted storyline with an intriguing cast of characters. I loved Bianca and Aric, but I also loved the horse puns (yes multiple, I was in heaven).

The only thing that bugged me was how we didn’t really get to truly know almost all of the side characters. Think I would’ve been more involved in the mystery of who the assasin was, if I would’ve actually known the characters. Due to that the ending felt a little rushed to me aswell.

BUT I do really hope we get some sort of sequel or spin off with Bianca’s sister, i’m in need of some courtly wlw <33

4/5 ⭐️

So cozy and cute!!

“Behooved” is a sweet and fun read, perfect for fans of My Lady Jane 🫶🏻
I absolutely adored the mmc Aric—such a cinnamon roll!— and I saw so much of myself in Bianca. Her struggles and fears were deeply relatable, and her journey felt so personal.

Some tropes you’ll find:

- only one bed
- enemies to lovers
- cinnamon roll mmc
- hurt/comfort
- arranged marriage
- chronic illness rep

The setting felt like a fairytale: magical woods, cozy inns and majestic castles—it was dreamy!

I had such a great time reading this!

Many thanks to NetGalley, M. Stevenson and Hodder & Stoughton for providing a digital review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts!!