Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐️

THANK YOU @berkleyromance for the ARC of Bride!

For Hazelwood’s first paranormal romance/urban fantasy, I was blown away. The urban fantasy world of vampyres and werewolves that Ali Hazelwood builds is so intriguing. So much so that I actually would’ve welcomed more world building. That being said, the characters are why I just love her writing. Misery is sweet and smart and spunky. Lowe is dreamy and steady and good. Falling in love with them both was a joy. And the plot! I couldn’t put this one down. I NEEDED to know what was going to happen next. Bride is fast paced and keeps you hooked.

The only criticisms I have are that there are:
1. Some choices made by the MCs that didn’t make sense to me, which I think would’ve benefited from further explanation.
3. I didn’t want Bride to end. I just wanted it to keep going.

Overall, Bride is captivating, spicy, and fun and I loved it!

LIKES:
📝 Fun, quirky, yet captivating writing
🌆 Urban fantasy
🐺 Werewolves
🧛🏼‍♀️ Vampyres
🌶️ Spicy!
💻 STEMinist
👻 Paranormal romance
💞 Found Family

I think fans of Ali Hazelwood who don’t read paranormal romance will like this, but fans of paranormal romance who don’t read Ali Hazelwood won’t enjoy this as much. The world building is lacking and I don’t think that’s something her writing has ever needed before. It’s a slow burn marriage of convenience, and the pacing definitely won’t work for everyone, but I was entertained enough to read it in one sitting/day. Also, while there’s a wolf shifter with a knot this is (k)not Omegaverse which I think got a little confused in the marketing.

Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for my copy to review.

Yes I read this spicy paranormal romance and I’m knot mad about it!

𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘦 revolves around the marriage of convenience between Misery, a vampire, and Lore, an Alpha werewolf. Their initial distrust towards each other leads to a slow-burn romance that eventually leads to…well, you know.

Despite their initial animosity, it becomes evident that Lore is actually infatuated with Misery. There’s lots of intrigue and a big cast of characters and the writing is very fast paced. Ali Hazelwood creates a world where supernatural beings coexist, adding an element of mystery to the story. Is 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘦 a life-changing book? No but it’s a fun and often sarcastic paranormal story that’s definitely very unique!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for providing a review copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really wanted to love this so I went in with an open mind. I really enjoyed the set up of the book. Two different species having to form a peace alliance through marriage. I thought it was interesting to see how the author set up the vampire lore and how this affected our main characters way of life.

It was entertaining in the way that something is when you haven’t read much like it. I did enjoy the found family aspects, especially for someone who has never had a real place to call home.

However, it occurred to me that about half way in this book wasn’t for me. I was listening to the audio so it made it easier to finish but I just found this to be way over my spice preferences and could have done without ever knowing the intricacies of werewolf anatomy!

I also didn’t really ever feel like I got to know or connect to either of the main characters and most of the their relationship seemed to be built around attraction and an unseen pull…after that it was wham bam thank you ma’am for the rest of the ride. 😂 not my style. I also am still wondering what the plot of the book was…because werewolves hating vampires is “knot” enough for me.

This rating is personally based on my PERSONAL enjoyment of the book. I know others have loved this!

OMG. This book.


Unique.
Vampires and wolves - major twilight vibes.
Spicy.


QUOTES
My friend told me there was a weird part, and I would know when I got there, and she wanted my opinion on it.
I got to the weird part and the only thing I could say was “What the actual F???” LOL
If you read it, you know.

After entering an arranged marriage with the alpha werewolf, Lowe Moreland, Misery Lark, now trapped with werewolves, must find a way to be accepted amongst Lowe's people and find out the mystery that brought her to this arranged marriage. Now, as the only vampyre in a werewolf territory, she needs to find out who she can rely on and perhaps if Lowe Moreland can help her in her journey.

Bride by Ali Hazelwood was by far one of my favorite novels by her, especially the way she writes Misery. One of the big reasons why I gave Bride 5 stars was how unforgettable this book is. Not only did I read this in about two days, but, for quite a while, I couldn't stop thinking about Misery and Lowe. While this book focuses on Misery and Lowe's developing relationship especially as enemy species, it also holds quite the mystery that grows throughout the book. As this is a spoiler, one thing I'll say is that the way their relationship develops was a huge comfort for me. Ali Hazelwood really made me invested in not only the mystery and plot but loving characters that weren't Misery and Lowe. The side characters were also incredibly important and a big reason why this book was so much fun to read. By being able to experience how everyone, although werewolf, interacted with Misery made it so much more fun. Whether it was enemies to lovers or enemies to friendship, every relationship was such a key part of the story. Without all the involvements with the side characters and the way they played a prominent part to Misery's growth and personality, I think that this story wouldn't have been as captivating.

Next, Lowe. I loved him as a character. I felt like he was the right level of aggression and love. We see so much development throughout the book and how, even though Bride is only through Misery's point of view, we are still able to see his feelings and personality so well. From the start, we see how much he is affected by Misery, whether as his new wife or the fact that Misery is a vampyre and they don't get along with werewolves well at all. I appreciated how much depth he had as a character and as an alpha werewolf, Lowe was really level headed and really shined as a leader. And, as a love interest, I thought he was perfect. He was a huge reason as to why I loved this book so much. I felt that through watching him through Misery's point of view, we saw how much he changed and how Misery changed being with him. Although complete opposites, their chemistry, banter, conversations, and moments together were well written.

Overall, Bride thoroughly caught my attention. I found myself so engrossed with the story and loving the way Ali Hazelwood really brought so much immersion to the story and to the characters. I'm so glad that I was able to read this and enjoy Misery and Lowe and the world of Bride.

I knew that I was going to love this book before I picked it up and it did not disappoint! I absolutely loved this book! LOVED!

This book was a work of ART!!

I've never read a paranormal romance before, and I was a bit nervous going into it. However, I quickly fell in love with this book and the characters. Misery was such a fun protagonist and the romance was so perfectly angsty and full of tension. I loved the world this took place in and I really hope that Ali Hazelwood will revisit it one day in the future! This has inspired me to enter my paranormal romance era <3

Genre: Paranormal Romance

5🌟 - I loved it!

No surprise here, I loved it!! I am a @alihazelwood fan through and through and will read anything she writes!

I hope this becomes a series, because I need more of it! This has such a fun and creative plot, and I loved Misery and Lowe! I loved all the side characters and thought this was so fun on audio! The angst, the slow burn, the banter!!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for this advanced copy.

This was my first Omegaverse AND Ali Hazelwood novel. And, oh boy, was it an adventure! 😂

First of all, it is immediately clear what a talented writer Hazelwood is. I was hooked within the first couple of minutes! For the majority of the novel, the story was not much different from other vampire/werewolf books I’ve read. I don’t mean that in a bad way. I just did not yet understand how the omegaverse was different from other fantasy type novels ….

I patiently awaited THE scene everyyyyyyone was talking about. 🪢 The Joyful Chaos Book Club group chat previously went OFFFFFF with all the joyfully chaotic comments about this scene. When I got to what I assumed was the scene, I thought, “OH! THAT’s how it’s different! 😮 Okay, no biggie.” I mean it was certainly not green pepper spice, but it was nowhere near ghost pepper content like I had heard others refer to it as. I would say it was more jalapeño spicy …

Then, I got to the end of the book. And that’s where I uncovered the omegaverse territory I had been seeking. Y’all … I’m not gonna lie … And I might break a few JCBC hearts in the process (sorry!!) … but … I laughed … audibly. And I’m not sure what that says about me. 😆

Please know, this is not a bad review AT ALL!! I LOVED this book! It was completely hooked all the way through. I’m just not sure the genre is my cup of tea. If you’re at all intrigued, definitely give this one a try!

If anyone was going to get me to be obsessed with a vampyre/were romance, it's my queen Ali Hazelwood. She could literally publish her grocery list and I'm like plz take my money.

This book has everything: forbidden romance, marriage of convenience, fated mates, a missing person mystery, sibling bonds, betrayals, a world with a hierarchal system and centuries of bad blood between societies. And I ate it all up.

I loved Mallory and Lowe, I found their chemistry to be fantastic. Ali knows how to write impactful lust scenes that leave the reader breathless for the two romantic leads to just do it already. But I also loved this world we were immersed in and all of the side characters. I often struggle with paranormal romances because these new worlds don't make sense to me, but this one was easy to grasp. I've heard that there is a second book for this one and I am so damn excited for it.

Thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for this advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

FIRST AND FOREMOST, I DID NOT ANTICIPATE THAT AN OMEGA-VERSE READ WOULD HAVE ME ON MY KNEES LIKE THIS.🧎🏽‍♀️

as a huge lover of the STEMinist series by AH, I was very excited to try something different from her but I really did NOT think it would end up as my FAVORITE work of hers!

Bride is packed with a seamless blend of absolute fun, tension filled/slow-burn spice, and a charming tenderness that Ali has PERFECTED!

Everything we love about Ali’s writing is there — the banter, the broody and pining MMC who genuinely LIKES AND LOVES their FMC, and the incredibly clueless FMC who misses all the signs of said love — with the addition of a juicy mystery unraveling in the midst an unstable, supernatural peace treaty. PERFECTION.

Misery has got to be my new favorite FMC by Ali! Her dedication to her chosen family makes her, even as a Vampire, one of the most relatable and completely grounded characters Ali has gifted us.

Lowe is the perfect blend of moody, broody, and gentle. Everything we love in a big, grumpy MMC! the TENSION 🤌🏾🤌🏾🤌🏾✨

This was such an exciting divergence from what we know and love from Ali that is totally worth the read! I can’t wait to see what everything thinks about it when it’s released!

Paranormal romances are so rarely my jam these days, having read little else during my twenties and thirties, but Ali Hazelwood’s brand of sharp-witted, lovelorn shenanigans is always hard to resist, even more so when her new marriage of convenience romp happens to be of the blood-sucking and howling variety. She takes the star-crossed lovers, fated mates tropes to new heights in this spicy, unputdownable tale of two mortal enemies who agree to marry in order to uphold the peace between their species. I loved the story, the characters, the dialogues, even all the drawn-out miscommunication angst, but Ali Hazelwood had me at knotting, and I’m (k)not embarrassed to admit it. (K)not even a little.

Misery Lark has always known that her life would never truly be her own to live. As the only daughter of a powerful Vampyre councilman, she spent most of her young life being a mere pawn in her father’s political game of chess, and now, at twenty-five years of age, she is to marry the dangerous Alpha of the Southwest pack, as part of a peacekeeping treaty between the Vampyres and their longtime nemeses, the Weres. But what no one knows is that Misery has an ulterior motive to marry the Alpha—her best friend is missing and the only clue to her disappearance leads to wolf territory...

Continue reading review » https://natashaisabookjunkie.com/2024/03/25/review-bride-by-ali-hazelwood/

I received a free digital copy of Bride by Ali Hazelwood to read. I read it two days. It reminded me some of Chloe Neill's Chicago vampire series and of Patricia Brigg's Mercy Thompson series. Misery was always being pawned off for alliances since she was 8. She is a snarky vampire who never fits in. She agrees to marry a werewolf, Lowe to find her childhood friend, Serena. Over the course of the time in werewolf country, she realizes she is actually cares about people. Lowe has a little sister who is also the star of the book. I liked the strength and determination of all main characters. The epilogue set us up for another book in this world. I would recommend this to anyone who likes paranormal romance. It does have sex but the scenes are not dragged out for pages. I would read the next book in this world to see where Ali develops this world

This book was everything!! I have always loved a good vampire or werewolf romance but to have them combined was amazing. I loved misery and Lowe and their chemistry. I loved how loyal protective and caring Lowe was. This was a slow burn romance but was steamy.I also loved the humor in this book and the interaction between the werewolves with Misery. I loved the banter between Misery and Lowe and how she makes fun of him for not knowing how to use the internet lol. I also loved all the characters in the book and can’t wait to see if there will be more books in this universe.

ok so i never had a vampire and warewolf book era when i was younger, but here i am having that era in my mid-twenties. bride was such a good story and had me in knots (if you know, you know)

Misery is the daughter of one of the most powerful vampyres, and unfortunately, she is often used as a tribute to help protect the vampyre community. Only this time, she is being married off to the werewolf alpha as a way to keep the peace. This marriage is forced but Misery is willing to stay in it to help her human friend, the one person in the world she loves. She and Lowe, her werewolf husband ultimately team up to find her missing friend.

I haven’t read a vampyre/werewolf romance since Twilight so this was wayyyyy out of my comfort zone. Since I love Ali Hazelwood and since so many friends loved this book, I went for it, and I was very pleasantly surprised. This book is totally different from the women in STEM romances Ali has previously written, but it still has her signature steam and witty banter. Like I said, I wasn’t sure what to expect since this is very far from my normal read, but after seeing so many rave reviews, I was influenced. I was happy to say it lived up to the hype - there was chemistry, steam, a little mystery, and a lot of fun!

I ended up listening to most of this and loved the audiobook narrated by Therese Plummer and Will Damron. I found myself wanting to keep listening, and completely lost in the story.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the advance copy.

I don't typically gravitate to paranormal romances, but Ali Hazelwood has me convinced! I would love a sequel in this universe. I was really into the world building and politics that Misery and Lowe are caught up in. It made an interesting backdrop to the forced marraige of the pair.

did i have to google knotting? yes! did ali hazelwood knock this omegaverse romance with a werewolf leader and vampire princess out of the freaking park? yes! alexa, play the twilight soundtrack!!

Rating: 4.5 ⭐ / 1 🌶️

"Isn't that what any relationship is in the end? Meeting someone and wanting to be with that person more than with anyone else, and trying to make it work?"

Growing up as collateral in the human territory, vampyre Misery Lark has never felt like she has had a place in this world. Not among the humans or vampyres, and definitely not among the werewolves. But when her best friend and foster sister, Serena, goes missing and the werewolves' alpha is the only clue left behind, Misery agrees to her fathers political scheming and an arranged marriage. After all, what's this marriage but another form of her playing collateral once again? Now she just needs to bide her time and use her hacking skills to find out what happened to Serena. That's if she can stay alive long enough... Misery never expected for the werewolf alpha to be so intriguing though, or for her marriage to him to feel like coming home...

I was so excited to receive an ARC of Ali Hazelwood’s BRIDE from Berkley! Paranormal romance was my first love with reading and it was such a treat to return to that world with this fun and humorous author! The first half of Bride did move slowly, there was a lot of building of the world around them as well as the character's backstories. However, the classic Ali Hazelwood humor and characters was in full force throughout so that I loved every minute of this tale. It was brimming with mystery and suspense, as well as lough out loud moments. I really enjoyed Lowe's POV as the chapter headers as well. I never 100% understood Lowes reluctance to keep his feelings in the dark but I guess that would have been a short book otherwise. I can't wait to see what this author does next in this sub genre! With hints at a sequel I will be keeping my eyes out for more!
"She's not like he imagined. She's more, in every possible way."

✔️ Arranged Marriage
✔️Forced Proximity
✔️ Emotionally Stunted FMC
✔️Political Machinations
✔️Vampires X Weres X Humans
✔️ Knotting
✔️ Loyal BFF's
✔️ Found Family
✔️ Omegaverse
✔️ Slow-Burn
✔️ Little Sister + Cat
✔️ Twilight Vibes
✔️ He Falls First
✔️ Fated Mates
✔️ Enemies to Lovers