My first book by Ali and this will not be my last!!! THIS BOOK DESERVES ALL THE LOVE AND ATTENTION!!!!!!! Everyone needs to pick up the book. Paranormal romance and the angst was the best.

so enticing, so all-consuming, so “knot”ty!
this is easily my fav by Ali Hazelwood!!

Misery the daughter of the most powerful Vampyre + Lowe the Alpha of the Weres join in a marriage of convenience to bring some semblance of peace between their rival species

🌕 once you’re in this world, you’re IN. this world of vampyres, weres, humans had me so invested!!
❤️‍🔥 Lowe + Misery: their chemistry together and their individuality - you can’t help but root for them
✨ the sweetest supporting characters and their relationships agh it’ll melt your heart
📖 this book had me staying up late to keep reading, kicking and squealing page after page

if you’re part of the generation that was captivated by the Twilight series (books & movies!!!) ya you’re gonna like this. imagine team Jacob but like x1000000. even if you don’t care for vampires/werewolves, I think you’ll like this! 🤭

🕯️🕯️can this please become a series🕯️🕯️

❣️thank you Berkley Romance for the free e-ARC!

Excuse me while I obsess over this book for the next year. Wow just wow this was funnnnnn!!! I need more, like can we get a second ? I think I need to reread this already and it only just ended :) started off a little slow and confusing me but once it picked up I couldn’t put it down, and the spice was top knot, hehe.

Ali did it again! She had me kicking my little feet and giggling with all the interactions between these characters. I will say, this one was so different because of the paranormal elements BUT somehow made me feel the same as all her other romances. I loved the pop culture references which I typically hate but she made it work seamlessly! I can picture this being a romantic comedy movie now that vampires are back in style!


Loved it and I can't wait to get more stories like this from her!

I'm not entirely sure how I feel about Bride. It wasn't bad, but it needed something. Some parts were slow and didn't pick up until 60-70% into it, I almost DNF'd it.

The world was great and I liked the concept of this, but it wasn't executed the best, imo

•I did like the twist & characters.
•the whole alpha knot thing was weird to me
•the writing was just OK
•last 20% felt rushed
•i feel like there are a lot of unanswered questions still? hm

I don’t even have the words to describe Bride, by Ali Hazelwood besides holy Vampyre/Were 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥!! Thanks @berkleypub for the free #gifted ecopy - this book is available now so get your copy!

I’ve been a vampire fan since I first watched Interview With the Vampire back in the mid 1990s. The premise of this book intrigued me, plus, hello, Ali Hazelwood, so I was super excited to read it. I wasn’t expecting the amount of steam for some reason but I’m totally not complaining. I was here (there?) for it 👏🏼👏🏼

Misery (what an amazing character name) is the daughter of a Vampyre Councilman, and set to marry Lore, the Were Alpha, to forge an inter-species alliance. Yet, Misery has another reason to agree to this marriage - her best friend is missing and she thinks Lore knows something.

We have a bunch of romance tropes, and they go together well. Although there are some overly tropey moments, I really enjoyed this book! It’s unlike anything this author has done before, but now I want more like this!

This book had a very clever tone and I enjoyed the main character's sense of humor, as well as her empathy (something that she would claim that she did not have, which made it even more lovely). I admit that I remain unclear on the mechanics of "knotting" but honestly, I think it's better that way. The notes at the beginning of each chapter that give us the perspective of the hero were a very clever way to give the reader better information on what he was feeling and experiencing, which can be difficult to do in first-person prose.

I’ve never read an Ali Hazelwood book until this one. This book was fun but not amazing. I enjoyed reading it. It grabbed my attention quickly and kept me on my toes but it felt a little too long and underdeveloped. The connection between the two characters felt non existent. The ending was a bit predictable but still made it a fun time and had a lot of potential.

*thank you NetGalley and Berkley publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was fabulous and completely different from what I'm used to seeing from Ali Hazelwood. The author writes some of the best sex scenes in fiction and this book does not disappoint in that area. I loved Misery and Lowe and was captivated by their story, and the war between the vampires and the werewolves, and the intriguing mystery that was weaved into the plot of a marriage of convenience. Overall, a very well-written, very steamy paranormal romance that will be perfect for fans of Ali's, especially those looking for something different from her usual STEM-focused stories. This may be my favorite books of hers yet, and I typically prefer contemporary romance to paranormal romance. 5 stars. I hope she writes more stories in this world, Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the DRC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to @berkleyromance and @prhaudio for an early copy of this!

Short synopsis: In order to maintain alliance with the werewolves, Misery a Vampyre is forced to marry the Alpha Lowe. Meanwhile, she’s searching for best friend that’s gone missing.

My thoughts: I think this is my first paranormal romance since Twilight, and it did not disappoint. I loved the relationship that developed between Misery and Lowe, and cute Ana was such a fun addition to the story bringing a bit “single dad vibes” to the story. This one is quite open door and has a sizzling punch to it.

I’m typical “Ali Hazelwood” fashion she included some great STEM rep and references. I love how she includes such strong intelligent women in all of her books!

I could have used more Lowe POV chapters for sure, it would have been so interesting to get more from his brain as far as the budding romance, the role of the Alpha, and the politics involved. Also, this ending was set up wonderfully for a part 2!

The narrators for the audio totally blew this story away! I loved the male narration at the beginning of the chapters. So well done.

Read if you love:
- Paranormal romance - Vampyre/Were
- Great side characters
- Forbidden love
- Arranged marriage/Fake wedding

Absolutely loooved this book! I'm petitioning for Ali to move into the paranormal world from now on because this was so much fun and done so well. It even had her signature steminist touch! It still reads like a typical romance, so I think its a great intro to paranormal for those that have been hesitant in the past! Highly recommend this one!

What is it about Ali Hazelwood's books that make them just so dang fun to read??? Super strong start to the story, and her chapter headers from Lowe's POV just about made me swoon every time --can we please have his POV? Please? It's hilarious, swoony, and just so addictive. Love the refreshing take on vampyres and weres, and I think she did a fantastic job. Knocking this out of the park yet again. Just keep 'em coming!

4.5 stars. I love a marriage of convenience, even when it’s a political alliance to keep two species from going to war. Bride is a paranormal departure from Hazelwood’s previous books, although Misery is an unabashed tech nerd in addition to being a Vampyre. Lowe the Were is typical of Hazelwood heroes for his (mostly adorable, and baffling only to himself) obsession with the woman in his life. And there’s plenty of steam…plus knotting. I’m curious if we’re going to get another book in this world, given the ending. I hope so!

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

I’ve finished Bride! I’m a bit of a hard sell on romance novels, but I really love them when they’re done well, and I thought that Hazelwood’s debut was done really well. This book is my first return to her work since then, and I didn’t enjoy it quite as much, but I did have fun. A few thoughts:

1) Ali Hazelwood is extremely good at breezy first-person narration—which I know from trying is a lot harder to nail than it seems. Writing that feels effortless rarely is.

2) Hazelwood also knows her audience, and she balances romance with juuuuust enough plot to keep the book rolling forward. The word-building isn’t complex, but it’s not meant to be.

3) The love interest—Lowe—is less compelling than, like, most of the other characters in this book. He more than anyone else feels like an archetype more than a person: the broody, possessive alpha. It makes him just kind of … boring to read about. I feel like I’ve read him a thousand times before.

4) OK, gotta admit, I was NOT expecting this to turn out to be an ABO novel. I guess knowing that Hazelwood came up out of fanfic, I probably should have guessed, but I did not guess, and I was very surprised. That’s not, like, a problem with the book or anything, though. Just know what to expect going in.

5) I’m uncertain whether this book took the “fake marriage” trope as far as I would have liked to see it go. I want deals behind closed doors about how they’re gonna act in public! I want personality clashes about what it even means to have a marriage of convenience and what they’re obligated to do. This book opted for more of a we’re-really-just-not-gonna-address-it approach, and on the one hand, I get that neither of our characters are the “talking about their feelings” type. But on the other hand, the layers upon layers of miscommunication got frustrating.

WOW

What a surprise. I was excited to see Ali break out of the typical contemporary romance, but I didn't expect a new favorite.

I loved how this is a pretty easy entry into omegaverse, but gives a bit of a taste for how it works. I absolutely loved Misery she felt so unique from other FMCs from Ali. Our hero is just as engaging to read from.

Review will be posted on 2/15/24
Misery Lark (yes, that's her name) is the daughter of a big wig in the Vampyre world. She has gone through most of her life being used as a chess piece in various alliances with the Werewolf community. This time her father has arranged her marriage to Alpha Werewolf, Lowe Moreland. At first, Misery gives this whole opportunity a hard pass until she realizes that Lowe may be the key to finding out what happened to her best friend who disappeared in Were territory never to be heard of again. So, Misery enters this marriage of convenience with that mission in mind, but as time goes on, she realizes that there may be something between Misery and Lowe, even though they are vastly different. Also, she is surrounded by enemies, so things start to get difficult for her. Bride by Ali Hazelwood is her first paranormal romance that had me laughing out loud; it was a lot of fun!

Everything that readers have come to expect from Hazelwood can be found in Bride. There's a spicy romance that is a slow burn, witty dialogue, laugh-out-loud moments, and fantastic writing. My only issue was the world-building; I felt readers might have benefited from more setting in order to buy into the "fantasy" world a bit better. I also think I didn't love this book as much as the average romance reader because I am not sure paranormal romances are a genre I still enjoy. I really liked the genre in my twenties, but I think it didn't translate to this point in my life. I prefer Hazelwood's STEM romances, but keep this in mind--if you love paranormal romances, you will love Bride.

I’m a huge fan of Ali Hazelwood’s contemporary romance novels so I couldn’t wait to see what she would do with a paranormal romance, & no surprise at all, she knocked it out of the park!

Bride is a werewolf-vampire romance so there’s all of these forbidden love/enemies to lovers vibes, but then there’s also a missing person storyline with lots of intriguing twists and turns. Lastly, there’s a wonderful found family vibe. I thought this combination of elements made for the most binge-able of reads!

I really loved the premise of the story too and thought it was quite unique, an arranged marriage between Misery Lark, the daughter of a powerful vampire, and Lowe, an Alpha werewolf, to uphold a peacekeeping alliance.

Misery is such a fantastic character. She’s smart, snarky, determined, & she’s a survivor. Her father pays her little attention, aside from when he needs to use her as peacekeeping collateral, which is how she ends up spending her childhood living with humans & now finds herself wedded to a werewolf.

What I also love about Misery is that she has a big heart in spite of her upbringing. She has intense maternal feelings for Lowe’s little sister, Ana, who steals every scene she’s in. Lowe is very protective of his little sister & softens toward Misery when he realizes that Misery is equally protective of Ana. I thought it was so sweet that Misery found what felt like a real family in the most unlikely of places.

The romance is a slow burn and I enjoyed every minute of watching these two try to make sense of the feelings they start to have for one another, feelings that should be impossible. Once they figure it out, be prepared for some spiciness!

Starting off by saying, every new Ali Hazelwood book becomes my new favorite Ali Hazelwood book. Needless to say, the book was perfection. The romance was beautiful written. It had Ali Hazelwood's quirkiness that had me giggling constantly. This last one is new for when I talk about her books but her world-building, nothing short of spectacular. I hope everyone reads this at least once. I will definitely be reading it more than once.

This book is stunning. It's falsely advertised as omegaverse which implies extremely different elements that the story does not have. It still pulls on some aspects of omegaverse which gives this book an edge in the erotica realm of fiction. I enjoyed it, It was great!

This was an absolute delight! I’ve never read a book by this author that I didn’t enjoy and this was no exception. I was so excited to hear that she was writing a paranormal romance so I’ve been hyping this one up for a while and it totally lived up to my expectations. Bride was such a great mix of romance, humor, mystery and action!
Misery was such a great MC to follow. She was so humorous, headstrong, sarcastic and genuine. I loved getting the story from her perspective but I also really enjoyed that the author included little glimpses of Lowe’s perspective at the beginning of each chapter. Lowe was down bad for Misery from the beginning and I loved getting to see their romance blossom.
This book had it all from marriage of convenience to fated mates to forbidden love to found family. I really liked this group of characters and it was so funny but heartwarming to see Misery reluctantly allow herself to be accepted into the world of the Weres and let herself care for them as they started to care for her.
I loved the paranormal/fantasy elements of this book but the only reason this wasn’t a full 5 stars from me was because I wanted a little more from the romance storyline. Earlier on in the book as things were building up, I was hoping for just a bit more romantic tension. There were some small moments but I think it could be pushed a little further in the first half.
I enjoyed this so much and I’ll obviously continue to read anything this author writes!
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!