Huge fan of Ali and all her work. This is insanely readable and bingeable. I’m not a huge romantsy person so this was a struggle for me to get into. Thought it was excellent—loved the world building, characters and pacing but it wasn’t for me.

This was my first novel by Ali Hazelwood and I was very pleasantly surprised by this! I found this to be compulsively readable because I could not put this book down.

There was so much I loved about this -- the varied characters, the suspenseful plot, and an intriguing world. I will be recommending this to my audience!

4.5 (rounded to 5 stars)

Bride was an absolute surprise, such a fun romance focused fantasy standalone!

Misery Lark is the only daughter of the most powerful clan of Vampyres, but has lived a life of isolation with the humans. In a world where there is constant conflict between Weres, Vampyres, and humans, an alliance via marriage is proposed between the Alpha of the Weres, Lowe, and Misery. She has her own motivations for agreeing to the marriage because she is looking for something she can only find in their territory. She has to deal with distrustful husband and Weres who are looking for any reason to tear her apart. As she gets deeper in her search, she also starts to trust Lowe and that there may be more than meets the eye with him.

I really loved this book and as a primarily fantasy reader, I feel like you can tell this book is definitely more focused on the romance aspect. There is some world-building, but you generally don't get all the actual dynamics and explanations of the world. However, I don't think it necessarily needed that since it was pretty simplistic and I loved it anyways!

The main characters were great and I definitely could tell that Misery was written from Ali Hazelwood. She's definitely quite quirky, not afraid to speak her mind and very witty. Lowe on the other hand is very withdrawn, selfless, and definitely more reserved. I loved him as the male love interest and I felt he was fleshed out as well. I do think that Misery's characterization fit more for the story at hand, rather than the traditional contemporary romance the author does. I didn't find her annoying, just had a tendency to give you the occasional cringe. I thought the side characters were really fun and enjoyable, especially Ana. Her relationship with Misery was a true highlight of this book. Keep in mind this is more of a contemporary writing style rather than fantasy, so it's definitely more romance focused and has some tropes that I don't think appeal to everyone.

The romance is amazing, definitely my favorite part, who knew I was still into vampires and werewolves? I loved how sweet and sensitive Lowe was towards Misery and overall I loved when they finally got together.

The plot suffers a bit, but that's primarily because this is romance. Honestly I was just along for the ride, but prepared for the plot slowing down and picking up, and I think I can pick a couple plot holes here and there or just unexplained parts of the overall plot and world. Despite that, I truly felt invested and read this extremely quickly in a couple of hours.

I do think those that like Hazelwood's previous books will like this one! It's definitely familiar to her other work, but I think this is my favorite one so far. Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Historically I have not been a huge Ali Hazelwood fan, however Bride was phenomenal! I read this in two days and the end has me hoping for a sequel

Read if you like:
* Paranormal romance
* Great banter
* Fake marriage
* Twilight vibes (if Bella had a backbone)

Thank you Berkley for the eARC!
Publication date: February 6, 2024

“That there is no world, no scenario, no reality in which I’ll gracefully allow you to leave me. That if I don’t let you go now, five years, five months, five days down the line, I won’t be able to. Every second, I want you too much, and every second, I’m on the verge of wanting you more.”

This has a different vibe than all other AH books and I liked it and enjoyed the paranormal world and characters. This follows the main character Misery who is a vampyre as she agrees to marry the Were alpha Lowe. Misery married him to find out more and investigate her missing best friend and finds herself getting closer to Lowe and the others in were territory.

Once I got through the world building in the beginning and the main characters start interacting I really was into the story, politics between the two factions and the mystery. I loved the Misery, she was chill and I liked her character. Lowe took a while for me to get into but once I did I also really liked him. I would have loved his pov though cause I liked the mini glimpse of his pov at the beginning of the chapters. The romance is a slow burn and it’s not as spicy as some of AH books but the mc’s had good chemistry. Overall once this book gets going it’s a good and interesting read.

Read if you like:
- Paranormal romance
- Opposites attracts
- Vampires/werewolf's politics
- Mates

What just happened? I think this book altered my brain chemistry.

While Bride felt quite different from her other books, this had all the makings of the Ali books we can't get enough of–a smart, witty, heroine and a hero who's a total goner. I mean, he is the Alpha to the largest Were pack in North America, but he's also a softie who says things like “I would take anything she chose to give me— the tiniest fraction or her entire world... But I won't take 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 her."

We also get a mystery plot with a little bit of suspense. Political and family drama. Found family. I absolutely ate it up and need more.

Can we please have more? Cause that ending!

Thank you so much for the ARC, Berkley.

Ali Hazelwood is excellent at making fun characters that you care about. I think she'll always be on my must read list.

I enjoyed this book, her first paranormal, and thought that the society she developed was interesting, that the characters were all pretty loveable, and the story moved at a good pace. There is a part that some books have that's an ick for me, but what can you do.

I would recommend this book to anyone that likes paranormal romance/ Hazelwood.

Thanks for the ARC Netgalley & Berkley.

I'm a fan of Ali Hazelwood (The Love Hypothesis is her best book IMO) and I'm a fan of shifter/werwolf books, and I was really looking forward to this book. Overall this book had great potential.

A solid idea, a wonderful enemies to lovers vibe and a promise of primal sexual attraction.

In the end it didn't deliver in all areas, and I really struggled with the first half of the book.

Bride is definitely a departure from the auhtor's usual rom-coms, and for her first foray into this genre she did an ok job, just not amazing enough for me to rate it higher.

The book was overall just ok for me.
The world building was just ok, I actually skipped some parts and never felt like I missed any information or part of the plot.
The main couple was interesting, and I enjoyed the way they grew together and started to trust each other. But in the end I didn't care enough for them.
I also had an issue with the third act.
And sadly the book was all over the place at times.

But, the cover ♡


In the end it wasn't the OMG SWOON AMAZING read nor the next 5 star read. But I'll definitely be reading whatever else she is coming up with. And I'm glad she is trying out other genres.

If you thought Ali Hazelwood’s stem romances were great then you’ll love this! I swear she is an auto buy author for me for many reasons and I knew the moment I saw she was coming out with a paranormal/fantasy romance that I was going to love it and I definitely did! I was given an ARC for this book and it was one of my most anticipated reads for 2024. Now I can’t wait to see if it will continue on with a book two and book one isn’t even out yet haha

This book had so many tropes that I love and if you like these as well you’ll enjoy this book for sure. The tropes include: found family, arranged marriage, fated mates, forbidden love, secrets and lies, touch her and die, he falls first. From the moment I read the first chapter and realized this was more that just an arranged marriage book I was hooked. There are so many things that are all intertwined with each other that you get to uncover while you read, and those will keep you invested in this book for sure!

What is amazing is the world building isn’t super intense like most fantasy books so it will read more like her contemporary romances and you’ll get that Ali Hazelwood feel that you get from her STEM romances. Also Misery, the FMC, is amazing with computers so you still get that computer sciences stem feel from there as well. I think this is such an amazing book for someone wanting to get into fantasy romances who normal reads contemporary romances. This hits just right in the middle which makes it great for people that enjoy both genres.

I couldn’t get enough of this book and even in the end was wishing I had more to read and stay in this world. There are so many moments where I thought I knew what was going to happen and then it would go a completely different way and that made for such an enjoyable and entertaining read. And watching the main characters not only figure out how to navigate in their own worlds but figuring out how to merge their worlds together was something that had me hooked. The character development was amazing as well and made the book feel so relatable. Lowe is definitely becoming one of my favorite book boyfriends for sure!

This is definitely a must read in my opinion and one you should definitely start the day it comes out!

5/5 ⭐️s
4/5 🌶️s

The scream I scrumpt when I received the notification that I was selected to receive an ARC of Bride by Ali Hazelwood! Thank you so much to Berkley and NetGalley! This was a five star read for me! I was not expecting such an intriguing plot - I was invested in Misery and her friendship with Serena and of course her relationship with Lowe who was just perfection. If you’re on the fence about this one, just read it. It’s so so worth it! Five stars!

Oh my god this was SO GOOD. Thank you Ali Hazelwood and Berkley for the ARC.

First and most importantly, I am in love with Misery. She’s so hot and funny and grumpy and I loooooove her arc through this book. Lowe, my king please nuzzle my neck!

The story was engaging and exciting and fun and HOT all at once and I will forever read whatever Ali Hazelwood writes. Highly recommend!

I received this eARC from Berkley Influencer Program.

It is no secret that I'm a huge Ali Hazelwood fan and I cannot tell you how excited I was that she was writing a Paranormal romance! It is definitely my favorite Ali Hazelwood to date. I instantly fell in love with both the mmc and fmc in the first chapter. Their chemistry was through the roof and definitely one of my favorite pairings to date! I really loved the world she built and her take on the were and vampyre lore, I wished she would have dived a little bit deeper into it though. I loved the fact that her type of humor that she has in her contemporary novels were still very present in this and still worked with all the paranormal elements. I appreciated that the STEM was still there (nerdy vampyres and weres were just what u needed!) I feel like plot wise and character wise, this is her best work to date. I really hope to see more of this world.

I had such a good time with this book. Ali Hazelwood's writing is always so engaging and this book really worked for me. The arranged marriage + missing friend + general mystery really kept me wondering and the pacing felt really good. At no point was I bored, and when I had to take breaks (bc ugh real life) I was itching to get back to this story. This book had the same tension and banter that I've come to love and expect from her writing.

I know nothing about paranormal romance and I thought that there was a good balance of explaining things without it feeling dry or educational or like too in the weeds. This book definitely got me a little more curious about other paranormal romances even though I am a little intimidated by them because I've barely dipped my toe into that world.

Ali Hazelwood is truly so versatile and I've enjoyed everything she's written so far. From her stem romcoms to her chess YA debut to this paranormal romance.

Thank y0u to Berkley for this ARC!

Prepare to be swept away by the intoxicating allure of "Bride," a spellbinding tale by the masterful storyteller Ali Hazelwood. In this paranormal romance masterpiece, Hazelwood weaves a captivating narrative that intertwines the dark elegance of vampyres with the untamed power of werewolf alphas, all within the confines of a marriage of convenience that will leave readers on the edge of their seats.

The story unfolds in a world where the supernatural coexists with the mundane, creating a mesmerizing backdrop for the unlikely union between our enchanting vampyre bride and the formidable alpha werewolf. From the very first page, Hazelwood expertly crafts an atmosphere brimming with tension, mystery, and an undercurrent of passion that threatens to consume everything in its path.

Honestly, I feel like THIS is Hazelwood’s niche and I’m mad that she hasn’t delved into something like this before.

I haven’t enjoyed AH’s contemporaries, but everything I didn’t like about her steminist books, was absent in Bride and I couldn’t put it down. Like the first few chapters were lore heavy, but once it got going?? I was rabid. Absolutely feral to see what happened next.

Do you like arranged marriages for diplomacy? Do you like slow burn romance between two people from opposite species who SHOULD be enemies but find themselves reluctant allies? Do you like political machinations from shady people with an agenda? Bride nailed every single one of those questions with emotional depth I didn’t expect and dry wit that injected a perfect amount of levity.

I loved Lowe and Misery. They can’t help but be drawn together in this very inconvenient marriage and their relationship was equal parts sweet and angsty. And I loved that sex wasn’t a real focus until much later in their relationship! It really gave them time to develop a friendship and an emotional connection without confusing it with physicality. I LOVED that she really took the time to go from enemies to allies to lovers in a timeframe that made sense. No insta love here, folks.

Hazelwood does some REALLY cool worldbuilding stuff that was unique and really gave some depth to Misery’s backstory (and was really effing sad tbh). This world is sort of a modern fantasy-esque situation where Vamps and Weres have come out of hiding and live alongside, but not with, humans. The political machinations are perfectly devious and underhanded and it has the perfect blend of real world references mixed with original worldbuilding that was so cool!

Highly recommend! I hope Hazelwood has more of these babies up her sleeve, because I’ll be knocking y’all out of the way to get in line to grab it.

**Review will be published release week on my site and socials!**

DEVOURED.

Good heavens. This was enthralling. I love Ali Hazelwood’s writing style and moving into urban/paranormal fantasy was an absolute hit for me. The well placed banter and jokes had me laughing out loud and the romance had be utterly swooning.

I loved the slow burn. It dragged out just as it should and kept me itching for more more more (don’t worry, there’s plenty of payoff). I adored Misery and Lowe. Misery was a great heroine who I loved seeing find her home. Lowe was the best grumpy Alpha that held me attention the moment he stepped on page. I LOVED this entire cast. Even the antagonists were fantastic. A truly well written group of characters who all brought this book to five stars.

The plot was engaging and I liked the world building. It’s very light, but just enough that you get a grasp of the different dynamics and politics between Were vs. Vampyre vs. Human. I love that it feels like there’s still plenty of places to explore (hello second book with a couple I can’t wait to read). There’s a nice level of suspense and that driven need to keep those pages flying.

I loved it so much. READ IT. This is my favorite type of escapism read.

Overall audience notes:

Paranormal Romance
Language: some strong
Romance 4+ open door
Violence: moderate
Trigger/Content Warnings: kidnapping, murder, mentions of loss of parents, parental abandonment

Such a departure from Ali Hazelwood's other romances, but in the best way possible. Most people know that Ali Hazelwood got her start writing fanfic and this feels like her editors are finally letting her unleash (pun intended). I love her strong female characters with STEM backgrounds, but every now and then you need to scratch that paranormal romance itch with some shifter romance. I can't wait to see what else she has in store for us. With the epilogue ending how it did, I can't help but hope that we get a second book from this universe.

Bride by Ali Hazelwood
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One woman enters an arranged marriage to form an alliance between two groups. But she has an ulterior motive to this arranged marriage, to find information about something important to her.
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What I liked:
-Fantasy is my jam, so I was all in when I saw that Ali decided to write a paranormal romance.
-I was immediately sucked in. This booked hooked me and hooked me good. We open straight away with the arranged marriage and it was all kind of tense!
-I loved how Ali was able to build the world, give us back story, give us lore, and set up the politics of the world all in one book. Nothing felt rushed, and I was so satisfied with how it all came together.
-The spice was spicy, Misery and Lowe really brought the heat.
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5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I inhaled this book and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it! Ali Hazelwood could write a cookbook and I would read it from cover to cover.

Wow, what another hit from Ali Hazelwood. I had so much fun for her fantasy debut and it is clear to me how much fun she has when she's writing and creating her universe. I love that even though all her characters are the same, every single book is so fun to read. Everyone is really going to love this! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I greedily requested it. Obsessively read it in two days. And now I’m distraught over the fact it’s done.

It’s Ali’s best yet. I absolutely LOVED this vampyre/were interspecies marriage of convenience romance.

I’m truly obsessed. I’ll be reading it again soon