I don't usually read books in the romance genre, but decided to give this one a try after seeing how excited the booktok community was for it - I am glad I did, because this was such a fun ride! The story flowed very well, and the characters were endearing and easy to root for. I thought the pacing was also well managed, and liked how the paranormal elements were blended in seamlessly in a modern society. The banter was entertaining, and overall, I had a great time reading this!

Wow! Ali Hazelwood can write anything!

Ms. Hazelwood has written several STEMinist romances, a brilliant YA novel, and now she’s dipping her toe into the paranormal romance pool. And I am totally here for it! She absolutely slays it!

Bride opens up a new world where Vampyres and Weres (wolf shifters) exist alongside humans. There’s currently an alliance between the Vampyres and humans and a shaky cease-fire between the Vampyres and Weres–with a long history of bad blood, literally and figuratively.

To stay at the top of the food chain, Vampyres and Weres decide to create an alliance by marrying a Vampyre–Misery, to a Were–Lowe, Alpha of the Weres. I mean, what could possibly go wrong? Turns out, a lot actually!

The prologue captured my attention and the story held me in thrall until the very end! The characters are diversely and brilliantly crafted. The dialogue is witty, the storyline is engaging, and the chemistry between Lowe and Misery is fierce in its intensity. Nothing gets the blood pumping like a good enemies-to-lovers story.

If it wasn’t Misery’s funny inner (and outer) monologue or Lowe’s heavy alpha workload keeping me entertained, it was the political climate of this exciting new world that had me hungry for more. I was completely engrossed in the politics and subtle (and not so subtle) nuances between the races that were dangerous, deadly, and ever-changing.

And can we talk about Misery? She is a fun character that’s personable, loyal, easily relatable and funny as hell. I absolutely love her!

I LOVE this book!!! I am PRAYING Ms. Hazelwood is developing more stories in this universe. An absolute MUST READ for any paranormal romance lover, or any book lover in general!

I’m running out of words to describe how awesome Bride is so just go git yourself a copy, today!

🐺BRIDE by Ali Hazelwood🐺

📆PUB DATE: Today!
➡️Swipe for synopsis
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Format: Ebook
Read if you like:
🐺Paranormal romance
💨 Fast paced plot
💍Marriage of convenience

Thank you @berkleyromance for letting me be on the book tour for Bride! This book surprised me a ton with how much I enjoyed it! If you like Ali Hazelwood’s signature wit and humor, you will love this. Even if you don’t read a lot of paranormal romance, I encourage you to give this a try! There is a mystery element that kept me turning the pages, and the romance was perfection. I am not a big paranormal romance reader, but I appreciate a fantasy every now and then and love when a great romance has an equally great plot, so this was perfect!

In Bride, Misery, a vampyre, is forced to marry Lowe, a werewolf in order to bring peace to the two groups who have historically been enemies. There’s lots of world building to set the scene, but that doesn’t take away from the central romance or plot. Swipe for the full synopsis! Thank you again @berkleyromance for letting me be a part of this tour and for the #gifted copy of Bride🫶 I highly highly recommend picking this one up today!

4.5/5 stars

I am a big Ali Hazelwood fan. This is her first paranormal romance.

I used to read a lot of paranormal romance. So it’s a genre that I am familiar with. It was very interesting to see Ali write a book that is so different from her other books. I really liked that this book felt more low fantasy/urban fantasy. It seems like our world just with Werewolves and Vampyres.

Misery is a Vampyre who has grown up around humans. She is asked to marry the Alpha Werewolf (Lowe). I loved Misery. She is a fierce heroine. I love that she is a computer hacker. I love that there is a cat. And a little girl.

I was fascinated by this world. I was very interested in Lowe and his pack. I also was really invested in the Vampyre world. Misery’s father is the most powerful Vampyre councilman. I was fascinated by the alliances that the Weres, Vampyres and Humans created.

I loved the premise of the book. Also there is a mystery to solve surrounding Misery’s best friend Serena. And this added so much to the story.

When I started this book I wondered if this was a standalone or a series. At 85% I did not see how everything was going to get resolved by the end. This definitely reads as a standalone. There is no cliffhanger ending. However something happens on the last pages that makes it seem possible that this could end up being a series (most likely with different narrators).

I really did love this book. The romance is very intense. And the last few chapters were mesmerizing and full of action. I really enjoyed them. However it got very sexy. Probably too sexy for me. I definitely enjoyed this book. And it would have been 5 stars except for some stuff with Lowe that didn’t really make sense to me. And their was some sexual knot stuff (that is apparently part of omegaverse) that was too much IMO.

However that said this is such a daring and unexpected book. If you love Ali Hazelwood’s contemporary romances then give this book a chance. You won’t be disappointed.

A big shout out and thank you to the publisher for including me in the blog tour for Bride and providing me with a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

I’m no stranger to Ali Hazelwood. If I’m not wrong, I think I’ve read everything that she’s ever written in the adult category. I think when you’ve read almost everything an author has written, there’s a certain expectation you develop. You understand the patterns, you recognise the style and you generally know where things are going and you expect them. At least that was me with Hazelwood so far. She’s followed a certain template that works for her time and time again and the last time she broke it was in her previous book—Love, Theoretically—which was my favourite book of hers before Bride.

When I walk into a Hazelwood book, I always know what’s to come, what I’ll enjoy, what I’ll likely tolerate and how it’s going to end. Love, Theoretically broke that and I enjoyed it. By stepping out of her comfort zone genre-wise and taking the jump into fantasy/paranormal, I think Hazelwood had me extremely curious about what’s to come, especially when I read the blurb for Bride and wasn’t sure what to expect. I’ve always thought that her writing preferences (how she writes/characterises her heroes, for example) I’ve always felt would be better suited to the fantasy genre and I absolutely wanted to be there for Bride to see if my intuition was right.

Spoiler alert: I. Was. Right.

My favourite thing about this book? Another spoiler: a tall heroine.

I think what fantasy does to a contemporary author is push them out of the typical narrative they have to provide; because in fantasy as much as you have personal problems that share borders with the contemporary genre, all this is usually lesser problems in comparison to the bigger threat in fantasy which is often having to fear for one’s life. Yes, contemporary can have that too, but there’s a otherworldly element added here that makes the stakes and the situation that much more. No shade on contemporary—I love a good contemporary romance myself—but fantasy is my sweet spot and I’ve come to believe it’s Hazelwood’s as well. I do wish to commend Hazelwood for having taken this risky leap, especially after having only worked on contemporary before and having done rather well in that genre as well. I also personally feel this genre (fantasy, I mean) is made for Hazelwood and she should explore further in it.

(Hopefully I’ll never write the word genre again from this point of the review.)

The writing let’s be honest has always been something that from book one Hazelwood has just unalived. Her writing has kept us all with her through every new book she releases. Even if we know what the book is going to have, there’s lots of warmth, love and humour that has us always coming back to her work again and again. Bride is no different. I was hooked from page one and swallowed this whole book in perhaps two sittings.

The world building was done surprisingly well, given that this is the first book in fantasy Hazelwood is writing. The concepts were unique (as unique as they can be with two previously well-explored species) and the set up was done with lots of thought. She started strong and just kept going. It was smart to have a heroine being as clueless about the rules and practices of the culture (a great way to build world, by the way) and the way it was entwined with the FMC’s backstory, emotions and personality was a great plus.

The plot for Bride was both really simple and also extremely complex. I loved all the big plot points and the smaller ones that all work together both in chaos and perfect synchrony. The politics, hierarchy, emotion and roles that were unique to Bride was built from page one and acted as a great booster to our understanding of the world, the primary characters and the situation. I think it’s inevitable to speak about power dynamics, corruption, inequality and injustice as social evils in a fantasy book and Hazelwood does just that. I was very curious to see where the author would take this book and I was so pleasantly surprised with the outcome.

The FMC, Misery, might just be my favourite heroine Hazelwood has ever written. She’s tall (which already inclined me towards loving her, not gonna lie), she’s got humour to offer at really inappropriate times (which we all love), she’s brave—both emotionally and physically, she’s vulnerable and strong and she won’t simper. She’s whip smart, loyal, trusting and my favourite? She’s a grump with a heart of gold. I loved watching her grow and being so brave at the face of hurt and danger. My heart broke at her backstory and I loved the simplicity with which it was written and how it affected her overall personality. Her growth arc of finding her feet and risking her heart was very heartwarming. She was so brave. So brave. I’m so proud. Loved Misery. Loved her. Contrary to her name she brought me a lot of peace.

The MMC, Lowe, was both very unique to himself and shared some similarities to Hazelwood’s previous heroes. He’s big, of course, but it’s not mentioned as much, he’s a gentle giant which is very well-portrayed. His style of being in love—not too different from the previous heroes—works because of the set-up. I was pumping my fists into the air saying, “See? It works in fantasy, Ali!”. All of Hazelwood’s heroes make you feel like you’re wrapped in a hug and Lowe is no different. There’s a lot of emotion he brings to the page, given that as a reader you’re more aware of what he’s doing through than the FMC. It was smart writing to include snippets of his thoughts into the book, it really helped keeping us fairly abreast on what’s happening with him.

The secondary characters are all so very lovely. While some characters stuck to me immediately, the rest of them were introduced all at once so I did take a little time to put them all together. But the relationships Hazelwood writes between all of them, the connections, history and love is so heartwarming and I enjoyed almost every character on scene.

There were two things Hazelwood did in Bride that I’d like to say I didn’t expect. One is little reminiscent of her past writing which honestly I hadn’t even predicted so didn’t mind so much; the other I truly truly didn’t ever think would happen and was honestly little disappointed it did. I won’t knock starts off for it… because I do think it was perhaps written as a plot carry-forward. I wished it hadn’t been there… but I do feel that Hazelwood was also building up to it and I should have expected it. But it broke my heart. Well, that’s probably why she did it. But anyway, no character can be written perfectly and I loved the heroine all the more for the way she dealt with it.

Five stars. Honestly, the way the book ended, I have lots of hope and faith for the future. I can’t wait. Happy reading my friends. Check trigger warnings!

(I think I skirted around using the g-word and I’m going to give myself a pat on the back for that.)

Ali’s paranormal debut is here!! this was such a fun ride.

misery gets sent off to marry lowe, alpha of the werewolf pack. it’s enemies to lovers, hate to love, and marriage of convenience in the best way. while she was sent there by her father, she has other reasons for wanting an inside look at the pack.

this book is full of tension, twists and turns, and was generally such a fun read. I love paranormal romances and ali’s debut was done in such a cute and ali way. and yes, lowe is big and grumpy and hates everyone but her.

misery’s development and learning to trust those she was taught to hate most were some of my favorite parts. I’m a sucker for the found family trope and it was done so well!

lowe is a big grump and misery slowly learning to understand him and the two of them opening up to each other? chef’s kiss.

the tension was soooo good!! and when they finally get together? omfg.

read if you like
✨ marriage of convenience
✨ vamps & werewolves
✨ enemies!!!! to lovers
✨ found family

thank you berkley romance & NetGalley for an early review copy.

I am obsessed with this novel! Her first novel in the paranormal genre and Ali Hazelwood hits a home run. The world building….wow! Vampyre, Humans, and Were live in the world together but in separate, heavily guarded regions. The humans are about to have a shift in leader which jeopardizes their vampyre relationship. When this new pact is made between Vampyre and Were – the first since a previous reunion ended in a massacre, Misery is asked to sacrifice her secret life among the humans to move into the unknown. Coming from a species who has very few emotional expressions, Misery finds the Were’s and their passionate responses dangerous but shows no fear and only increases her sassy, quick witted responses. She was fearless and funny.

Lowe was the perfect contrast to Misery’s coolness. She pretty much ignored his alpha stature and advanced into were life with humor and bravery- and had her own agenda. Lowe was conflicted in wanting to protect this little vampyre and see what she was up to. I loved their interactions and was fascinated with the differences in their species. This was a book where once I got lost in the world and the plot I COULD NOT PUT DOWN. It’s truly been awhile since I’ve said that.

Do you love Ali Hazelwood’s STEM romances? This one is different but there are many similarities too! Misery is smart, sassy, difficult, and brave. Just like the STEM heroines. Lowe is a bit more alpha, but he’s pretty similar to STEM romance heroes. Tall, handsome, in over his head with the female he’s interested in- definitely! It is just a different world that they live in, but everything Ali Hazelwood quirk that you love from her previous books are in this novel too. I am so eager for a second book in this series. We get a hint at the end so there better be one!!!

Bride is everything I could have dreamed of. Combining two of my ultimate loves—Ali Hazelwood's writing and the fantasy romance genre—I honestly did not want it to end.

Lowe is the MC who redefined book boyfriends for me—unbelievably attractive, sensitive, SO attentive, and just all-round swoon-worthy. And Misery was a masterpiece of character development. Her complex backstory and growth throughout the book hooked me in and made her, in my opinion, one of Ali Hazelwood's best characters.

I loved the found family trope in this book, especially the amazing bonds that Misery ends up developing with the Weres. But let's talk about my absolute favourite trope that Hazelwood delivers perfectly: fated mates. Watching Misery and Lowe figure out that they're meant for each other, amidst all the chaos, was adorable, a bit messy, but totally perfect. Their journey from 'just met' to 'meant to be' was the heart of the book.

Hazelwood was so good at maintaining a sense of mystery throughout 'Bride'. The detail and thought put into this world are nothing short of remarkable, leaving the door wide open for more stories about these amazing characters—especially for characters like Owen.

I’m so grateful to Berkeley Publishing for providing me with an ARC via NetGalley.

I really really enjoyed this book! And after reading it, I can confidently say I prefer Ali’s fantasy/paranormal romance compared to her contemporary ones. Misery Lark is the daughter of one of the most powerful Vamprye councilmen. In an effort to create peace between the Vampyres & the Werewolves, she’s been chosen to be wed to Alpha, Lowe Moreland. Misery would be more upset about this but she has her sights set on uncovering a mystery that may connect her best friend/sister’s disappearance with her new hubby.

The writing was superb, and while I did predict a couple things, it was so fun. I was actually surprised to see how heavily plot focused it was, so that’s something to be noted. But I loved both Misery and Lowe as characters and despite not getting Lowe’s POV, I still felt super connected to him through the snippets we did see. It’s a slower burn with the best tension 👏🏼 like this is tension done RIGHT. There was one specific scene where the main characters have to do *something* to go along with their fake marriage, these two barely touched and it was super hot 🔥

And I cannot end this review without mentioning Ana 🥹 Her and misery’s friendship was so sweet to watch! And her and Lowe’s connection is even more special. Some of the best one-liners when Misery’s constant sarcasm goes right over her head.

I loved that the ending kinda left some hints for a potential other book in this world! Really crossing my fingers for it 🤞🏼

When I heard Ali Hazelwood was dipping her toe into romantasy/paranormal romance, I was excited but stoked! I adore all of her STEM romances and since enemies to lovers is my favorite trope ever in romance novels, Bride quickly shot to the top of my list of most anticipated reads of 2024. I was beyond thrilled when I was reached out to by the publisher about an ARC and joining the blog tour, and am happy to say that Bride keeps the trademark Hazelwood wit, humor and writing style with the fun twist of a paranormal, urban fantasy setting (that still incorporates a woman in STEM protagonist!)

The premise of the novel is an age old one in the paranormal romance genre: vampires vs. werewolves. Protagonist Misery (yes, Misery, I too took a second to digest her name) is married off to the Alpha of the werewolves to help broker a peace treaty between their people. Misery is a vampire who doesn’t quite fit in with the rest of her society and is also the daughter of the corrupt head of the vampire council. The love interest, Lowe, is a rather new Alpha who is trying to change vampire-were relations and has a bit of an unorthodox past and approach as an Alpha.

I really liked Misery. She’s truly a loner except for her BFF Serena (who goes missing and is a catalyst for a lot of what drives Misery into this marriage) yet she’s still open minded and not very prejudiced when it comes to the weres, unlike the rest of the vampires. She’s also a woman in STEM, like Hazelwood’s other protagonists, as she is skilled with computers and can do everything from cyber surveillance to pen testing. I liked this nod to Hazelwood’s reputation for writing STEM romances. I also thought her take on vampires was interesting, especially in an urban fantasy setting. They’re definitely the most tech-savvy race, ultra-modern and polished but still do have some of the more traditional vampire limitations (sun sensitivity, etc.). I also found the idea of them having “evolved” past the need or want to feed directly from a person interesting.

I have less experience with shifter romances so I didn’t have a whole ton to compare the weres too (except maybe Twilight, lol). Lowe was fine, he wasn’t my favorite of Hazelwood’s love interests but I appreciated his integrity and natural leadership. I adored his sister. He’s really not a bad guy at all, which made the story feel less like an “enemies to lovers” story and more like a “somewhat suspicious not quite allies” to lovers story. Despite this, I still enjoyed it and really liked seeing Misery integrate slowly into the were world and finally find a place where she feels (somewhat) comfortable after never really feeling at ease among vampires nor humans.

Though this is a paranormal romance with supernatural creatures on the brink of war, and therefore higher stakes than Hazelwood’s contemporary romances, I found the writing to still be pretty funny and snarky. Misery’s vampire nonchalance is honestly hilarious at time, and I loved the things that gave her a flicker of amusement (like baiting Alex when she knows he’s terrified of her, lol). Her dry sense of humor is a good balance to Lowe’s fairness and stoicism, yet didn’t feel like it was overdone in a “not like other girl vampires” way. I also really liked her brother and thought he was hilarious too in his own way in the small bits where we got to see him.

Sometimes the story felt less like a romance and more like a fantasy that includes a romance, which I was totally fine with. I think it suited Misery and Lowe’s personalities well (they both seemed like “quieter” characters who’s presence didn’t need to steal the show on every page, which was refreshing as a romance reader). Honestly, I’d love to see this continue as a series (which the book definitely sets up for in my opinion with another couple) mostly so I can learn more about the politics, alliances, and how the US is split up by territories in this universe (it’s noted that they’re in the Southwest pack and the Northwest pack is brought up too).

Overall: A fun, new foray for Hazelwood into another genre, I will definitely keep reading this if it turns into a series!

Thank you Penguin Random House Audio and NetGalley for this complimentary audiobook.

I need to be honest, I had my doubts about this one and wasn’t sure it was for me. I’m so glad I gave it a chance because I loved it. I guess Ali can’t write a bad story.
A paranormal story with werewolves and vampires that was simply addictive.

𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗲 by Ali Hazelwood releases tomorrow February 6, 2024.

https://www.instagram.com/booksandcoffeemx/

I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH MYSELF RIGHT NOW OTHER THAN SIT HERE IN SILENCE AND THINK ABOUT THIS BOOK FOREVER. It is so exciting to see ali doing new things (first YA, then paranormal romance) and THRIVING. I am genuinely in awe of her writing and how she maintains her very distinct and unique voice across genres and age groups. I love knowing that any book I pick up of her is going to feel so distinctly ali hazelwood. There is something just addicting about her writing.

Bride was absolutely incredible. perfectly executed. 10/10. no notes. This book is tension, banter, and slow burn at its finest. I absolutely DEVOURED it. It was delicious. I am going to be thinking about Misery and Lowe for a very very long time

Spoiler free review!

Four very enthusiastic stars for this book which consumed me. While the book doesn’t have a lot of world building, it does have sexual tension in spades. I adored the early nod to Twilight and was here for all the pure fun and found family. I hope contemporary readers try this light paranormal rom com, especially if you like Ali’s writing. I hope PNR readers go along with the lark it is. I will definitely read more in this world if she writes more.

Bride was such a great romantasy! I was not expecting to enjoy this book since I hadn't clicked with one of Ali Hazelwood's previous books. But Bride blew my expectations out of the water. The world-building was excellent, and I couldn't be more invested in Misery and Lowe's romance. I especially appreciated that there was constant fleshing out of the whole story. It didn't just create the basic premise and then focus only on the romance. The political dynamics and friendships helped pull the story together. I can't wait to try out more of her books and see if the magic I felt when reading this can be replicated.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the opportunity to review Bride. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Ali Hazelwood ventures into the Omegaverse with her latest release, Bride. Misery Lark, daughter of a prominent Vampyre councilman, finds herself in a political marriage of convenience with Were Alpha, Lowe Moreland. She is once again being used as a pawn to keep the tenuous peace between species.

Misery doesn’t quite fit anywhere—not with her own kind, not with the Humans, and not with the Weres—but she finds herself living in Lowe’s house, under his watch (even though he appears to be repulsed by her), and with the dawning realization that he is not what she expected at all.

There’s political and social unrest within and amongst all three species. There are machinations going on behind the scenes. And there are instances where Lowe and Misery must fake being in love as part of the political game. (Oh gosh, moments like that are my catnip.)

I LOVED this one. It has that trademark Ali Hazelwood heroine that is clueless as to how the love interest truly feels about her but with a paranormal bent. Hazelwood delivers a delicious amount of snark, smirks, laughs, tender moments, and, of course, STEAM. (*Stops to fan self*) Are you familiar with the concept of knotting?

You can tell that Hazelwood had fun with this one, and I mean that in the best way. It’s her best book yet.

I received an advance copy from Berkley and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

I will say this is going to be my last time trying an Ali Hazelwood book. The Love Hypothesis was SO great, but I grew tired of her STEM books because it was pretty much the same story, different characters. So I was EXCITED to start this paranormal romance by her. I LOVE a good romance with fantasy ties to it and the prose was right up my alley. But unfortunately, it was not for me.

But just because I didn't vibe with this book, doesn't mean it's not for you.

I couldn't handle the info dump and inner monologues, and this happened so much in the beginning that I felt so disconnected and at times, lost. I also didn't feel any connection towards the MC's. With fated mates as a trope it sure didn't FEEL like it was.

I think this is where I'll stop with my review. I would like to thank Netgalley and Berkley for this e-arc.

Misery Lark is the daughter of a Vampyre councilman. She’s forced into an alliance with their mortal enemies, the Weres, and must marry their Alpha, Lowe Moreland. These two hate each other from the get go, but Misery has to make this work so she can find her best friend Serena, who went missing weeks ago. Can Misery and Lowe work together to find Serena and protect his younger sister?

I don’t read a lot of paranormal romance, but when I saw Ali Hazelwood was writing one I knew I’d have to read it. I’m glad I went outside of my comfort zone and gave this enemies to lovers story a try because I really liked it. The chemistry between Lowe and Misery was great, and I really liked the two of them together, even if their kinds shouldn’t mate.

Fantasy isn’t always for me so I liked that this was more low fantasy and that I could read it without being sent into too much world building. Since the main characters also interact with humans, I found it easier to relate to. I liked the mystery aspect of finding out what happened to Serena, and how that all came together at the end.

There were definitely some steamy scenes in this book, and I learned something new while reading them (iykyk)! I thought the relationship with Lowe and Misery was well done and liked how it was a slow burn progression for them.

Although not my typical genre, I really enjoyed this story and would read more like it written by Hazelwood.

Thank you Berkley Publishing for an advanced copy and including me on this blog tour.

An inter species romance for Valentine’s Day is just what the doctor ordered. Told in hazelwood’s trademark humor, Bride is the first in a paranormal series for her that I think she did extremely well. There’s intricate world building, Savvy heroines, Brody heroes and lots of species tension. I loved the new concepts of vampires and wolves and humans inter mingling through alliances and political spying but also Misery our heroine delivers her opinion on it all through witty barbs. She’s had to toggle between worlds for so long that when her best friend goes missing, she finds herself in a bit of a pickle. Lowe is an interesting hero and the best kind of romance partner with the silent reassurances, the hulking body and also paternal caregiving. The plot also kept me on my toes and i cant wait to dive in for more.

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Read if you like:
▫️urban fantasy
▫️found family
▫️arranged marriage
▫️enemies to lovers

Guys. Ali Hazelwood is a literal queen and can do no wrong. I LOVE all of her books, but this might be my new favorite. All of her heroines are women in STEM, and this one is no different! She is a Vampyre who writes code and is a hacker in her free time. I am obsessed.

First of all, the heroine’s name is Misery. I. Freaking. Love. That. She is so strong and has survived horrible, awful things. But she hasn’t let it make her bitter. She’s loyal and surprisingly sweet, but she is also so so sassy and has no filter. She’s constantly misreading social situations and using humor to deflect. I love her.

Lowe is absolute perfection. He is the Alpha of the Weres, so he is huge, imposing, scary, and badass. But he is also tender and sweet and a total cinnamon roll. He makes his younger sister PB&Js with the crusts cut off. He gives up his whole life and identity to become the Alpha that his people need; he is the most selfless person ever. My favorite part of the entire book was the beginning of every chapter where we got a sentence or two from Lowe’s perspective.

The chemistry in this book is off the charts!!!! Misery and Lowe are forced to live together and be around each other all the time, even though their species hate each other, and it leads to the best tension. The spicy scenes will live rent free in my head for the foreseeable future.

In closing, this book is perfection, read it ASAP.

Thank you to Berkley, NetGalley, and Ali Hazelwood for the ARC. I received an advanced copy for free, and am leaving this review voluntarily.

✨ Review ✨ Bride, by Ali Hazelwood; narrated by Thérèse Plummer, Will Damron

Kudos to Hazelwood for breaking out of her patterns and trying something new with this vampire-werewolf romance. It stretched just a little long for me, but overall, I thought this was fun and binged through it in a day!

Pros:
-the world building was enjoyable
-the instant connection between the characters, even from the prologue, you could feel it
-the slow build enemies to lovers
-naming a character Misery, A++ move
-Anna, the almost-7yo sister of Lowe was a fantastic addition to bring some humor
-Misery's attitude and sass
-Thérèse Plummer's narration sucked me in - I read one or two chapters on ebook and then never went back.
-all of the side characters made this world feel richer

My quips:
-I'm not sure this setup was anything truly revolutionary - the world felt comfortable and familiar (okay, so maybe not a con for me, but will be for some people?)
-Will Damron's narration was FANTASTIC but only occurred in little pieces - I wanted more of the book written from Lowe's POV
-it was a little long maybe? toward the end it felt just a little stretched out.

Overall, I really ejoyed this and am glad Hazelwood is branching out!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: f/m fantasy romance
Length: 12 hrs and 47 mins
Setting: sort of the contemporary world or adjacent to it?
Pub Date: 06 Feb 2024

Thanks to Berkley, PRHAudio, and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!