The mainstreamification of werewolf fanfiction tropes is not something I knew I needed but now that it has happened I am obsessed. Let's get it straight, I am a werewolf enthusiast and Lowe is NOT the exception, dude had the whole, "attentive alpha" thing solidified (in a wolf sense not a toxic masculinity way), and I am down bad. Meanwhile we have Misery, (which is kinda a baller name), who is in this arranged marriage to merge their people but also has her own reasons for getting involved with this potential catastrophe.

I saw someone say they think you will like this book if you were into the insane ending of Love On the Brain and I would say I liked this book better because the bat shit insanity seemed to have more of a place. I mean it's a marriage to heal a rift between vampires and werewolves. You think that's not going to be chaotic?

Ali Hazelwood DOES love her big, strong, man archetype, which I know some people find repetitive but in the case of a shifter I can fully excuse her choices. I think again, a lot of her writing quirks I have noticed fit better in a fantasy setting. I'm still holding out for a short king but I respect her choices especially in this book.

Overall, I really liked this book, probably my second favorite of her books. Knotting in mainstream fiction was INSANE. She really did that huh? Anyways, thank you to Berkley & Netgalley for the eARC!

Bride by Ali Hazelwood was a very fun book. The romance was well done, but so was the plot. I thought the main character being named Misery was a little bit over the top when I first started reading, but it didn’t bother me by the end. I loved all of the characters, especially Ana, and thought they were all well written. I have loved all of Ali Hazelwood’s previous books, and though Bride was definitely different from those, I loved it too.

Thanks to Berkley for the copy of this book!

I am SO glad that Ali Hazelwood branched into paranormal romance. This book is just so much FUN, with Vampyre / Were / human relationships and politics, mystery, and romance. I love that Ali brought her STEM element into this book with Misery's tech proficiency and truly made it her own. Misery and Lowe are easy to root for and have a great supporting cast of characters. I absolutely love how this book ended, too!

Read if you love:
- Forbidden romance
- Single dad(ish) tropes
- Paranormal romance
- Missing person storylines

This may be my favorite Ali Hazelwood book yet. It combines a paranormal relationship with her usual STEM references. It was unmistakably Hazelwood which was comforting since it was a genre that she had not yet delved into yet. This was a fun, quirky, intelligent and steamy read that I was not expecting given the plot of a vampyre and werewolf romance. Hazelwood would never miss an opportunity to flex her intelligence and I am a better person for reading her work. It makes me wish that she taught me a STEM subject growing up because then maybe I would have enjoyed the subject more in school. I thought she did a great job with her first time and hope she continues writing in this genre, and really hope we get a sequel after that ending!

Right from the start the reader knows that is most likely going on, especially since we get little glimpses into Lowe's thoughts about Misery. With that being said, the way that the story unfolded was still unique and kept you guessing especially with the surprise twist. It was hilarious to see how Misery reacted to Lowe's scent sensitivity thinking that he hated her smell when in reality to was so obvious he was utterly obsessed with her.

Misery is a character that I am surprised I liked as much as I did. At first I though she was going to get a bit annoying, but by the third chapter I ended up being obsessed with her and the way her mind worked. She always had a witty comeback, usually in the form of a STEM reference. She also refused to put up with the bs of other people and their opinions. He backstory is tragic in that she has never felt like she belonged since her own family cast her out at such a young age. She used that trauma though to grow into a strong person who did not give a crap about what other people thought.

Lowe is the definition of looks like he will kill you but is actually a cinnamon roll. The way he treats his sister and Misery is so sweet and had me smiling through out. I also adore how he did not want to tell Misery that they were mates because he did not want her to feel trapped or like she did not have a choice because he knew that she never had choices of her own in life. This was also frustrating though because he was so clearly in love with her. My absolute favorite scene was when he clearly had to stop himself from saying that she was his mate a corrected it by saying wife.

This book had more spice then other Hazelwood books. I felt that it was the perfect amount and was way steamier than I expected from her. Lowe's need to please Misery was so hot and he is now the blueprint for men. Our obligatory third act breakup was quick and not as gut wrenching because these two characters are actually mature adults and it was clear to Misery why it happened and Lowe also explained why he did it.

The side character: Ana, Alex, Owen, Juno, Serena, Koen and more were all enjoyable and likable. I can honestly say that the only characters I disliked were the ones we were meant to dislike.

Overall, I would call this book a huge success and I hope we get to see Hazelwood expand upon her paranormal romance catalogue, especially if it involved werewolves and vamps!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for this arc in a digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts!

A delicious taste of a brand new world. BRIDE was everything I wanted it to be and more. Ali Hazelwood fans will be frothing for more, and new readers will be absolutely enthralled by her style. I can’t wait for more in this series.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for an ARC of Bride by Ali Hazelwood!

Okay going into this book I had no expectations, I knew this was Ali Hazelwood's first adult fantasy so I really wasn't sure what I would be getting myself into. Oh boy was this book a journey! I actually really liked Misery as a main character, she was kind of silly kind of goofy! But was she any different from Ali Hazelwood's other main characters??? Absolutely not. She had the same "I'm different. My family life is bad. I'm an outcast but at least I have my quirky best friend" kind of vibe. Same thing goes for the main male character (whose name I can't remember.) Ali Hazelwood has all of her male MC's fall in love first and has the female MC's kind of "discover" these feelings - and this happens with this book too. I won't get into it too much but it was absolutely obvious to the reader what the "romantic twist" in this book was - and honestly great! That's Ali Hazelwood's specialty. This isn't supposed to be some fantasic, world shattering read - it's a book about vampires and werewolves written by THE Ali Hazelwood (keep expectations low). The only thing I maybe didn't like was the anatomy of the characters - basically the sex scenes confused me lol.

All in all it's a silly book and will probably give you a good little laugh!

Hello reader!

Bride is by my favorite romance author, Ali Hazelwood, and she has switched gears, dabbing into paranormal romance, and friends I am here for it!

So, I’m sure most fans of Hazelwood paused when news broke that her next adult fiction was going to be fantasy/paranormal romance. Where the focus would be on vampires and werewolves, rival factions (akin to Romeo and Juliet), and marriage of convenience, forced proximity, and enemies to lovers tropes. My verdict: I can’t gush enough about Bride! Hazelwood has penned another fun, humorous, deliciously envisioned story about two new characters wanting something more for their species and for themselves.

As the story unfolds, like the sun sinking into the horizon painting the sky pale shades of amethyst dusk to the deep indigo of twilight, it’s filled with quirky humor, uncertainty, and yearning. Readers will be anxious to know if Misery will ever find her best friend AND if she and Lowe are more than a marriage of convenience.

With unseen plot twists, steamy romance scenes, and a sprinkle of mystery, Hazelwood can pretty much pen anything and I’ll read it. And that ending!!!! Can we skip the STEM romance and get into Serena’s story please.

Definitely pre-order this one!

I can’t remember the last time I read a 400+ page book in less than 24 hours, but that was exactly my experience with Bride. I was pretty excited when Hazelwood announced her first foray into paranormal romance. And somewhat hesitant. While I thoroughly enjoyed The Love Hypothesis, I haven’t been able to get into any of her work since. I was hopeful that a shift in genre would change things, and I was absolutely correct. Bride had me in its thrall from the very first page. I couldn’t put it down.

Misery Lark is being used from political gain. Again. As a child, she was made the Vampyre Collateral to the Humans, growing up among a people who hated and feared her kind. Her presence guaranteed her people’s good behavior for the entirety of her childhood. She thought the had aged out, and has been passing for Human in their land because she’s no longer accepted by Vampyres, either. But she is being used for leverage once again, this time being given as a Vampyre bride to the Alpha of the Weres in pursuit of peace between their peoples. Misery seems to be living up to her name.

I really enjoyed the interplay between Misery and Lowe Moreland, her Alpha husband. It took a good while for them to share much space together on the page, but I actually appreciated the slow burn of that. Especially since there was never really a dull moment in terms of plot. But the chemistry between the two leads whenever they were together was through the roof. Often awkward, but through the roof. That would have been enough to keep me reading, but it was the world that had me so invested. Hazelwood created a pretty fascinating set of societies. I was actually reminded of Anne Bishop’s The Others the tiniest bit. In set up, not in tone. I liked that the Vampyres and Weres are born, not created. It’s genetics that sets the three races in this world apart, and that made for a much more interesting story, in my opinion.

I also just really love Hazelwood’s writing style. There’s something easy and addictive about it. And yet, the easy tone in no way meant a sacrifice in depth when it came to her characters. Some writers can tell you all of the secret hopes and fears of their characters in a way that still comes across as shallow somehow. Hazelwood takes the opposite approach. We glean these depths from watching the characters. She does a fantastic job of showing, not just telling. There was plenty of tension here, both in terms of plot and romance. The romantic tension was through the roof. The aforementioned chemistry mixed with the slow burn of said romance made each scene the two shared rife with tension. And while the sex scenes might’ve been a bit messy, they were undeniably hot. As a side note there, this is the first time I’ve read knotting in a mainstream book. So consider yourself warned if that’s not your thing. I’ve not encountered that outside of fan fiction, really, so it was a surprise, to say the least.

Is this a modern masterpiece? No. It’s not going to revolutionize the genre or anything like that. But I enjoyed my time with it immensely. Sometimes a book isn’t trying to be brilliant; it’s just shooting for fun. And this book is the most fun I’ve had reading in a long time. If I could erase yesterday and reread this again for the first time, I would, just for the sheer joy of the experience. I preordered a physical copy for when it releases in February, because I can see this becoming a comfort reread. She also left herself an opening for a sequel, and I really hope she gives us one!

For Hazelwood's first foray into fantasy romance, I have to say that I am impressed! Her ability to develop meaningful characters with complex issues outside of the main relationship continues to impress me and has carried over from novel to novel. Her ability to also allow focus on platonic relationships outside of the main romantic relationship is also commendable.

Entering a new genre with her writing, I was a little disappointed with the world building. The North America that is described here has lots of room for development. It would be useful to have that knowledge of the world seeing that the end of the book implies a continuation of the series with different character set in the same world. The passage of time was also a bit difficult to pick up on which unfortunately resulted in a storyline that felt like "insta-love" between the two main characters. Barring those two things, the plot line was great and did keep my guessing and the romance read as genuine. I'm happy to be able to keep supporting Hazelwood's writing and will continue to enjoy every new story she writes!

Ali Hazelwood, I don't know what powers you have over your books, but I am addicted to all of your books. Every time that I read any of your new releases, it's literally my favorite read. I always have the funnest time reading them. And don't even get me started on your spicy romance scenes!

Bride is bringing Ali Hazelwood back to her roots with her past fanfiction writing. She is literally writing about werewolves and vampires in her spicy romance ways. And I am all for it. I loved reading them in the past and still do today.

Before I say anymore, I will say that there will be spoilers. Be warned. 

Now that that is done, let's talk about the Bride. I have so much to say, but I don't want to spoil it. I am going to keep it brief. We have werewolves and vampires in a romance book. It was literally the best fanfiction writing back in the day. And it's so freaking good!

Misery (vampires) always despises her kind, but she has no choice when she has to marry a werewolf to keep the peace. That's right, the vampires and werewolves are enemies with each other. And the only solution to peace is an arranged marriage between a daughter from a powerful vampire family and an alpha of the werewolves. That's where Misery came to mind. She doesn't like it, but she would rather have peace for her people.

I kind of felt bad for Misery because she always got shorter stickers in her clan, especially from her father. It's definitely not fair that they are forcing her hands since they won't be at peace if she refuses. But there is a silver lining: she gets to be far away from her father and maybe hook up with that grumpy yet deadly werewolf husband of hers. What can you say, enemies to lovers in close proximity? It sounds like the perfect romance read.

Well, well, well…if it isn’t Ali Hazelwood nailing Paranormal Romance. To say that I couldn’t put this one down is an understatement. Read all night, I’m now exhausted, but it was totally worth it. I love how Ali takes the typical Vampire/Werewolf trope and adds her own mythology to it, and makes it work. The characters are great, the dialogue fun and the love scenes spicy. She executes it perfectly. Love it! Now get to writing lady!! I must have the Serena/Koen book STAT!!!!

I liked that this book was different to Ali Hazelwood’s usual romances and I enjoyed the unique take on Werewolf/Vampire lore. the beginning did feel a bit info dumpy, but eventually I was able to connect to the characters and I ended up having fun with this book. I loved Lowe’s tender personality and Misery can be a lot to take on at first, but I thought they were cute together.. even if I wasn’t 100% sold on their ‘love’ for eachother. Id be happy to read future companion books set in this world.

Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy of this book. Wow. I have been a fan of Ali Hazelwood since her debut novel, and when I saw that she was writing a paranormal romance, I had to get my hands on this book. Bride did not disappoint. I was enthralled from the start with the characters, storyline, everything. I don't want to give too much away, but it was a great story that wasn't very predictable (which I love). Hazelwood writes a compelling story of a werewolf and a vampyre who get married to keep the peace between the weres, humans and vampyres. I highly recommend this book for fans of paranormal romances.

Taking a departure from her stem related romances, Ali Hazelwood's newest title is a paranormal romance between a werwolf and a vampyre. I really enjoyed this, her werewolf and vampyre lore is different from any I've ever read before, and she definitely did not skimp on the spice! I loved Misery's voice and often laughed at her inner (and outer) monologue. Also, the ending makes it seem like there could be a second installment?! Please??

4.5 Stars
I don't normally reach for vampire or shifter romances, but I made an exception for Bride because Ali Hazelwood wrote it. I'm so glad I did. I loved the Vampyre/Were/Human world Hazelwood created. Misery was almost as much in the dark as I was about it all, so it was fun to experience the wonder and trepidation she had when she was thrust into Lowe's part of the world. The first scene of the book really hooked me and set the stage in a way that kept my curiosity going.

At first, I found Misery kind of annoying. It was mostly her focus on finding Serena. As she adjusted to her new life, she grew on me. Like I said before, I loved discovering her world through her eyes. Lowe's POV isn't included, so I did a lot of guessing where he was concerned. I loved him, though. He may have been THE Alpha, but he was kind and considerate. The way he treated Misery and what he was willing to do for her was special. I also adored his relationship with little Ana.

Misery's marriage, connection, and relationship with Lowe was very interesting. I wondered how a marriage between a Were and a Vampyre would work out, like they did themselves. It was fun finding out. Their romance was slow burn goodness. I adored the bond they built with each other.

While that slow burn was burning, there was a big mystery going on. I loved how Misery and Lowe worked together to figure out what happened to Serena and who was after Ana. There were some fun surprises along the way to finding out the truth.

All of the side characters were a lot of fun. I especially loved Ana. She was a cute and fun character. I loved the lightness she brought to the book and how Misery bonded with her. I also liked the Weres Misery got to know and Serena.

Overall, this was another great book from Hazelwood. I loved that she tried something new, and it worked out well. I would read more books in this world. It would have been a great fall release, but it will be just as fun to read this winter.

I've always been a huge Ali H fan, but she has TRULY outdone herself with this one. I am begging on my knees for her to ditch the romcoms and exclusively write paranormal romances.

Bride is the vampire/werewolf marriage of convenience romance we've been craving. Misery agrees to be married off to the Alpha of the Southwest pack. But what no one knows is her true motivation. She teams up with some unlikely allies to solve a mystery that ends up a tangled web of politics and deceit that's decades in the making.

Romantic suspense aside, let's talk about the omegaverse of it all. When I first heard this story was a little 'knotty', I was nervous! BUT Ali Hazelwood worked her magic and left us with just the right amount of wolfyness and less of the A/B/O dynamics that can quickly bog down a more contemporary story like this one.

A new vampire/shifter world penned by one of my favorite romance writers? Yes, please! I absolutely loved this new book by Ali Hazelwood! I really enjoyed the world she created—she managed to add some freshness to an established trope. And the main characters’ (especially Misery’s) growth and development was well-crafted. I can’t wait to read Serena’s story next!

What a wonderful and strange book from Ali Hazlewood! It was absolutely unputdownable and I was completely hooked from page one!

Oh my holy GOD. THIS BOOK. WHAT HAS IT DONE TO ME.

Thank you to Ali Hazelwood, Berkley, and Joyful Chaos Book Club for an ARC - all opinions are my own.

I have been craving this book since the moment the blurb was released and having it delivered to my NetGalley shelf was like all the fun holidays in one, plus a winning lottery ticket. And there was literally not a single thing about it that disappointed.

In classic Ali Hazelwood fashion, Misery is a witty, wise-cracking badass woman, an icon for those of us who communicate through sarcasm (but are also hiding our loneliness behind those walls of snark). There is so much incredible growth for her over the course of 400ish pages, but she holds on to the best parts of her personality to the end, and is loved all the more for it.

About Lowe - book boyfriend, book husband, book soulmate, book hottie who transcends logic. I’m obsessed with him, everything he says is perfect, and if he has any flaws I can’t remember them over how down bad I am for him. I’ve read a bunch of fantasy featuring werewolves/shifters, but thought Ali still brought something new to the existing lore and created her own interesting and unique world for them to live in. And I cannot emphasize the “YESSSSSS” I screamed for the knotting enough.

I’m on my way to preorder a physical copy because I have no chill, and this is definitely one of my favorite books of the year. Waste no time in reading when Bride publishes on February 6, 2024!!

You can expect: Vampyre FMC, werewolf alpha MMC, marriage of convenience, “our species are enemies but oh no, we think the other is hot”, forced proximity, knotting 👀, spicy spicy spicy, that ending better be setting up for a second book.

I wasn't sure what to think when I saw Ali Hazelwood and fantasy, but I am so glad I didn't let it throw me off! Though the story starts with a classic war between different species, Hazelwood ties in so much mystery and political intrigue that "Bride" is sure to be different than other vampire vs werewolf stories you've read before. While it's certainly different than other Ali Hazelwood books, Misery's story is full of drama, tension, unforgettable characters, and plot twists to keep you on your toes for days!