Say hello to my first 5 star read of the year!

This is definitely my favorite Ali Hazelwood read BY FAR!

This is quite different from all of her other books and I can’t say enough good things about it!

It is a paranormal romance with the perfect blend of character development and slow burn.
It will make you giggle and blush and want to binge read because you can't get enough of the characters or the story.

I really will miss Lowe and Misery and I cannot WAIT for you to meet them

This one is out February 6th and if you are living your best life in your fantasy era and also love romance like me, you really need to read it!

5 stars

Thank you so much @berkleypub and @netgalley for the early copy!

@alihazelwood you are amazing!

Are you a romance or fantasy fan? Any books you would recommend? How are you doing today?

WOW. JUST WOW. This was the perfect book to end 2023 on. Was a Vampyre + Werewolf marriage of convenience on my bingo card this year? No. Did I absolutely devour it? 100%, yes. This book just confirms that if Ali Hazelwood writes it, I'm going to read it.

I immediately fell in love with Misery and was pulling for her to find herself and love. Lowe was the Alpha Werewolf I didn't know I needed in my life. He is the perfect MMC and shot to the top of my book boyfriend list. I really really hope there are plans for more stories in this world Hazelwood has built. I need more.

*A review will be posted on social at the end of January and again on pub day.*

I truly cannot say enough good things about this book. I was unsure of what to expect going into this but was incredibly intrigued by the premise as a huge fan of paranormal romance.

In this book we have Misery, who is a vampyre that feels like she doesn't belong anywhere. There is an agreement between the humans and the vampyres that requires each species to deliver a collateral to their respective territories to ensure peace between them. Misery is that collateral for 18 years. Not having grown up around her kind, she can't relate to them but that leaves her almost completely alone. After hiding in the human territory for a few years, Misery is called back to her home and told that she will enter into a marriage of convenience with a werewolf to create peace between these two species as well. Meaning, Misery is essentially being used as collateral once more.

Now, to get into the story.

The slow burn was everything I needed and more! The tension between the characters was so well done, the banter was literal perfect and the found family we got with Misery and the wolves was beautifully done. Lowe was the perfect obsessed man that could barely hide his feelings and he just made me so giddy the entire story. Not to mention the relationship between him and his younger sister and the way he took care of her made my heart absolutely melt.

This is one of my new favorite romances and I'm so happy I received an arc from #Netgalley and #berkleypub in exchange for my honest reivew!

This was quite the departure from Ali Hazelwood's normal romances, but many of the things readers love about her books are also present in Bride. Honestly, I was pleasantly surprised by her spin on the paranormal/shifter romance genre. This would be a good gateway book to the genre for readers who haven't read paranormal/shifter romance before, since it reads very contemporary with paranormal elements most of the time.

Tropes you'll find in Bride:
- marriage of convenience
- found family
- enemies-ish to friends to lovers
- touch her and die
- mine/my wife *bites fist*
- single parent-ish
- caretaker
- fated mates
- knotting

I wasn't expecting the romance between Lowe and Misery to be such a slow burn, but it really worked. It gave them time to truly get to know each other and look beyond the Were and Vampyre surface. It also helped crank up the anticipation, making the payoff so much more satisfying. Yes, some parts of the book were predictable and I didn't totally love the final conflict/resolution (it felt very rushed), but overall this was a fun and sexy read.

I mainly listened to the audiobook of Bride and it was so good! I especially loved the narration by Thérèse Plummer. She used a variety of voices to bring all of the characters to life so convincingly, regardless of gender or age. Truly a fantastic performance! I also enjoyed Will Damron's narration, but his voice didn't totally match growly alpha Lowe in my mind. It should also be noted that the book is not truly dual POV. Will Damron only narrates a sentence or two at the start of each chapter and one full chapter in the novel.

Audiobook Review
Overall 4 stars
Performance 4.5 stars
Story 4 stars

CW: death of loved ones, kidnapping, missing loved one, murder and attempted murder, violence, strained and toxic relationship with parent, blood play

*I voluntarily read and listened to a review copy of this book*

Bride follows Misery and Lowe in an arranged political alliance marriage between Vampyre and Werewolves. Given the premise and being a fan of Ali’s previous work, I was really excited for this debut into Paranormal Romance! This book had some elements I really enjoyed! I enjoyed Misery’s character a lot, I appreciated seeing her journey to find a place for herself and the way she opened herself up to love and friendship despite tradition over the course of the book and I loved that she was a taller girl (something small I always love to see in romance novels). I really enjoyed Lowe as at the male lead as well and found the tiny snippets we got his POV to be the highlight of the book for me! Also the spice was top tier.

I had two main issues with this book:
I do really wish it was dual POV! Like I said the snippets we got in Lowe’s POV were SUCH highlights for me that I wish I could have gotten know him more and the way he talked about Misery was everything!
I wish the first 30% was paced differently, I definitely appreciated how this book felt more slow-burn compared to Ali’s other work, but the “world building” felt a smidge too info-dumpy in combination to the slow start of their romantic connection, I feel like I never really fully got into the momentum of the book following the slower start for me personally.

I still would recommend this book as I think it had a lot of positive qualities and I appreciated the chemistry between Lowe and Misery so much! Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for the arc.

This book had me engaged from the first chapter! I haven’t read a book like this before, so I was a little nervous going into it. However, in complete Ali Hazelwood fashion, I LOVED it! It was funny, hot, and had the best banter EVER!

Rating: 4.5/5

Thank you to Berkley Romance, PRH Audio and NetGalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I don't think I fully know how to say how good this book was. As a non-paranormal/fantasy girlie, no one is more surprised than me that I ate this shit up and I'm ready for the next book.

Maybe this was the perfect intro into this world because I devourer just about any marriage of convenience romance, throw in lots of "my wife" moments and I swoon hard. I loved Misery and Lowe together, there was a tenderness while also having all the sass.

Did I love Lowe as a big brother/guardian? So much. He makes her peanut butter sandwiches when she has nightmares.

The ending? Saw some of it coming, but Ali threw in some unexpected twists that earned major points.

Do I love the knotting? nah not my thing, but it worked well in this book and you could FEEL just how into each other they were.

Overall give me more. And thank you sweet lord that there wasn't a pop culture reference every page.

4.75 stars

Thank you NetGalley (and Penguin Random House audio) for the advanced copy!

I enjoyed this one way more than I expected. This was such a delightful paranormal romance, perfect for fans of the marriage of convenience trope and forbidden romance. Misery (a vampyre) and Lowe (a werewolf) enter a marriage of convenience to keep the piece between their respective groups but Misery has motives of her own for agreeing to the arrangement. This book was funny, had a fun mystery that I didn't see coming, and was the perfect tension-building slow burn that I didn't know I needed. What a great paranormal debut for Ali!

As both an Ali Hazelwood fan and a romance fantasy reader, I was all in for Bride, and I was not disappointed! Misery Lark has always felt like an outcast, but to form an alliance between the Weres and her people, the Vampyres, and for her own secret motives, she agrees to a marriage of convenience with the alpha of the Weres, Lowe Moreland. The politics and different societies in this were so cool. I was hooked from page one. Misery is full of spark and sarcasm and I just loved her. And Lowe is all broody and protective and so easy to fall for. It’s a great enemies to lovers / marriage of convenience and paranormal romance. This book just has all my favorite things between the tropes, this possessive alpha, and an independent, smart heroine who isn’t afraid for put the alpha in his place. I loved the Were and Vampyre dynamics and there’s a whole mystery woven in. This book is romantic and fun and so steamy, filled with intrigue and interesting characters. The writing is witty and sharp and sexy. Ali Hazelwood can just do no wrong and I’m so excited for what she does next!

This has got to be my favorite Ali Hazelwood book thus far! I don't know how she does the things that she does, but she DOES them SO very well. Thank you so much Berkley Romance, and Netgalley for the ARC!

This book is 5 stars across the board for me, it's my first omegaverse book in a long time, and in my opinion Ali wrote this so well! I did NOT want to put it down, nor did I want it to end. I loved the enemies to lovers to mates, and the suspensful/mystery side plot that was happening as well. I also love that with such a dark theme, Ali added comedic relief at the very right times. She cracks me up! I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone!

I binged this in two days and it is my new favorite by Ali! This was different enough that it took me out of the reading slump I was slipping into it and it was everything! The chemistry and tension between Lowe and Misery was fantastic and the story as a whole was an adventure I didn't want to leave. I loved all of Misry's relationships with the other characters, but I was most entertained by Ana (a six year old) and Alex (a werewolf who was kind to Misery like a friend, but also deeply afraid of her). This was a beautiful debt into a new sub genre and I absolutely hope we get another book for Serena!

I absolutely loved this book but I would have loved to have seen the big battle scene at the end take place on page. I was ready to read some action!

I'll be sharing my official review on Instagram closer to release day, but have included the link below where I've already started talking about this book and shared the synopsis with my followers.

this book was so freaking good!! i was giggling & kicking my feet like a school girl!!🥰🙈

i went into this book practically blind & i think you should too!! all i’d say is that this follows a vampyre, misery, & the alpha werewolf, lowe, in a romance mixed with a dash of mystery.

tropes are:
⋒ marriage of convenience
⋒ forced proximity
⋒ paranormal romance
⋒ vampyres & werewolves
⋒ rivals to lovers
⋒ opposites attract
⋒ forbidden love

the way i DEVOURED this book is insane!! i will shout it from the rooftops that everyone needs to read this book!! is it different from everything else that ali hazelwood has written? yes. is it still the cutest, fluffiest, & perfect paranormal romcom? yessss!! the vibes, banter, tension, & plot were all so so good!! i haven’t felt this giddy while reading a romance in awhile, but this one takes the cake! i don’t think i’ve stopped thinking about misery & lowe since i finished reading!! feb 6 cannot come sooner so you all can read it!!

thank you so much to berkley romance, netgalley, and ali hazelwood for the eARC in exchange for a completely honest review!🫶🏻

I really enjoyed Bride! Misery was likeable and I was really interested in her story: all the characters were engaging and there was definitely chemistry between them. I really loved Lowe and Anna’s relationship. Anna was really cute. Very fast paced, engaging and entertaining read. I did like the slower burn romance and stronger plot in this book. Excited to read more with these characters!

Once again Ali Hazelwood seems to baffle us with a quirky yet intelligent MC who takes nothing lying down. I was SO EXCITED for this book and I'm so happy I was given the chance to read it early! This gave me everything I wanted and then some. You could definitely walk into this thinking it'll be heavy on the romance but the fantay world building was JUST as sweet if not even better. The modern age mixed with such gothic tales is such a beautiful little setting. Misery stays in the real world with her friend after living the life of someone from the Vampyre world. But we're hit with such a fun and unique marriage of convience, banter, forbidden romance, and heroin-esq story. I really enjoyed the political mystery that takes a heavy forefront at certain parts, it added to the depth and intrigue. You NEEEEEEED to give this a try immediatly.

Note to publishers: more review posts to come closer to release date
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Absolute perfection! I’m jealous of those who still get to read this for the first time.

I will always pick up a romantasy involving wolves/werewolves. ALWAYS. I’m just glad this one was also fantastic!

What I liked:
🐺 I loved the worldbuilding. I loved the different regions inhabited by the vampires, werewolves and humans, seeing how/why different political alliances were made, and exploring the drama and different factions within each territory. It was very thought out and I loved seeing the push and pull of the territories between strategies.

🐺 I tend to like Ali Hazelwood MMCs but am usually torn on her FMCs: some I love, some I can't stand.

For this book, I loved both of our MCs! Lowe was by far my favorite Ali Hazelwood MMC to date, and Misery probably my favorite FMC to date.

Misery was 100% a total outcast in every society she was part of. As a vampire, she was labeled as useless and was thrown away as the contribution to the human/vampire alliance (meaning, if war broke out, she was the first to die). In the human community, she was the vampire who was a weirdo and different from everyone else, never feeling as though she fit in. And in the werewolf community? She was a social pariah just for her genealogy. No matter where she went, she never fit in and she literally had one person she could count on her entire life. Because of this, she was smart, able to develop a high EQ (unlike most vampires), and she was always waiting for the other shoe to drop. She was snarky and hilarious, but also had a huge heart for someone who hadn’t been shown love most of her life. She was amazing.

And Lowe was pure perfection! An outcast himself having been sent away from his home at a young age due to his strength and ability to overthrow the alpha one day, he also had a very high EQ. Not only did he prove time and time again that he was a logical alpha instead of cocky like the many predecessors before him, but he proved that he wasn’t all sharp edges and no feelings. His encouragement of Misery to not hide herself was my undoing and his love for Ana was ADORABLE! I absolutely loved how he had all these people at his disposal to do things for him, and he made Ana peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, sans crust and all! He was an in control alpha when he needed to be, but a sweetie to those close to him otherwise. The perfect MMC!

🐺 This had just the right amount of spice to not detract from everything else. The progression of their relationship felt authentic and real and I loved watching them warm up to each other as the pages went on. The peanut butter inside joke was just so freaking cute!

🐺 Everything just made sense. There were no loose ends, nothing wasn’t explained satisfactorily. The plot and ending were pure perfection.

🐺 I love how the story ended and where book 2 is going to go. This series is going to be an auto read for me.

What could have been better:
🐺 The only thing I can really think of is it would have been nice to delve more into the geography of everything. A map would have been nice, as well as more details on surrounding regions. However, this is really me searching for something additional that could have just fived up more the five-star read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group, and Ali Hazelwood for the opportunity to read this book. The thoughts and opinions expressed above are honest and my own.

Not to be dramatic, but this is one of my favorite things I’ve ever read. I could not physically read it faster if I tried. Ali Hazelwood has. been. holding. tf. back.

Now to get ahead of any “overhyped claims” and before I start gushing about how much I loved this, I’d like to mention that I was predisposed to adore this. I had no choice in the matter actually. Hazelwood is one of (if not my favorite) romance authors, I love romantasy, I love vampires, my love for reading was reborn on the wings of the weird fairy smut(I’m cool with the animalistic stuff), I love the arranged marriage trope, I love reading new fantasy subgenres (this was my intro into omegaverse and there is always something exciting and novel about reading an unfamiliar subgenre).

Bride took everything I love about contemporary rom coms and smashed it together with everything I love about Romantasy. The stakes were higher, the romantic elements heightened, and the world inevitably more interesting to me.

The story starts with a simple (?) concept: a Vampire bride’s politically arranged marriage to the Alpha of a Werewolf pack. These two paranormal species are of course, mortal enemies, and our vampiric bride has of course, secret reasons she agreed to such a proposition.

Alright I’m about to get a whole less intelligible. THIS STORY WAS EVERYTHING. It was SO freaking SLUTTY. I was foaming at the mouth and had to look away from my kindle I was so gagged.

Our romantic leads? Phenomenal. I think I blacked out on everything else I was so invested in them. There is an engaging enough side plot to move the story forward but honestly the romance was the real plot and I was a-okay with that. I’m obsessed with Misery and Lowe and I think Misery was a refreshing fmc for Hazelwood. She’s painful oblivious to the affections of her love interest as usual but she was a little more sad, alone, resigned and wry than what I’ve come to expect from AH and it worked. so. well.

Lowe? I am no longer a girl. I am a plastic chair and I have folded. This Werewolf man is the most iconic simp of all time. Love as divinity is OUT and love as suffering is IN. The way Misery misinterprets his attraction for her as disgust? Sublime. The way Lowe was in physical pain for so much of this story? Utterly fantastic. You also get a snippet of his thoughts at the beginning of every chapter….killed me every time. I am in fact dead on the floor.

Some closing notes:

If you’ve read AH before you know she’s got her cheesy sense of humor full of nerd jokes and banter. That was there in full. This genuinely felt like a fantasy rom com (100% has modern lingo fyi).

If you haven’t read Omegaveree (no I will not be explaining what it is) I think this is a fantastic introduction that eases you into it. Our vampire FMC is also unfamiliar with the mechanics and so, we learn together. :)

Bride is, and I cannot emphasize this enough, the sluttiest AH book to date. This was approaching erotica and the omegaverse stuff was fun as hell. Sue me.

“I took a bath. Did that not make it better?” His stare is blank. “Make what better?” “My scent.” He swallows visibly. His tone is sharp. “The situation hasn’t improved for me.”

Stop it.

Anyway this is my first 5 star of the year. I’d be SHOCKED if this doesn’t end up on my top of 2024 list because I like this more than some of my top of 2023.

Enough said. Omegaverse is now the only form of insta lust I will be accepting. No further questions.

Thank you to NetGalley for this arc! I love you fr.

I question some of the world building but overall I enjoyed the characters and the story.

Misery Lark should be used to being used as a pawn in the politics between Vampyres, Weres and Humans. She spent ten years of her childhood as the Vampyre’s Collateral. In order to keep the peace between Human and Vampyres, they each sent a child of an important family to the other’s territory. That child would be the first collateral damage if things went south between the Humans and Vampyres. Misery’s father is not only on the ruling council but he all but runs it. In a choice between Misery and her twin brother, Owen, Misery was sent off to live among the humans.

It wasn’t all terrible for Misery, at least once another young orphan girl was brought to live with Misery. Serena Paris is the closest thing to a true sister that Misery has ever known, and now Serena has gone missing. That is the only reason Misery has agreed to once again step in as the sacrifice for the Vampyre people, people who–by the way–have never accepted Misery as they said she was tainted by living so long with humans.

The human leader, Governor Davenport, who was Vampyre friendly, has been voted out and is being replaced by Governor-elect Maddie Garcia, who is more Were friendly and has, in fact, refused to meet with Misery’s father on behalf of the Vampyres. Councilman Lark now fears that the Humans and Weres could join forces to obliterate the Vampyres who are lower in numbers than either of the other groups alone. So he has arranged for a marriage between the leader of the Weres and Misery. Misery believes that her new husband-to-be, Lowe Moreland, knows what happened to Serena and Misery will do whatever she needs to to get into Were territory and close to Moreland.

The Weres are no more excited to see Misery in their territory as either the humans once were or her own Vampyre people. In fact, the only friend Misery makes is Lowe’s little sister, Ana, who is the only one not afraid of the big, bad Vampyre.

As Misery and Lowe begin to work together on some of the issues the Weres are facing, fear of Misery turns to begrudging respect and maybe even a little friendship.

THOUGHTS:
I liked the characters, especially the bond between Misery and little Ana. While not extraordinary, this was an enjoyable paranormal romance featuring a sweet, but lonely female lead and an uber-powerful male lead. Misery never felt included in the vampyre world nor the human world. She wasn’t really accepted by the Weres either but Ana’s friendship and a growing bond with Lowe gave her her first taste of home.

I did have issues with the world building, including everyone’s different blood colors: Vampyres have purple, Weres have green and obviously, red for human. Vamps drink blood which they get from the blood bank. Is it red only? Obviously the Weres were not buying her any green but how excited would humans be with being friends with the people who feed off them. Are there any vamps that still partake from the vein? It didn’t seem that way but we really didn’t get into that much and Misery really wasn’t the best vamp, as she didn’t spend most of her childhood with her family. But wouldn’t she have been given vamp lessons for the first 10 years? And wouldn’t families object to losing their kid for so many years. This wasn’t a one or two year exchange. This was a decade long exchange and the adults that come back are now strangers, and apparently unwelcome strangers.

Misery also sleeps in the closet in a “it’s a vamp thing.” While we really don’t see Misery’s residence in the vampyre main-headquarters where her father and brother are, it didn’t seem like the living arrangements were little windowless, coffin-like areas. If they were, wouldn’t Lowe have fixed up the closet for his intended bride with bedding rather than her dragging blankets onto the floor of the closet.

Misery goes into the marriage to get information on her missing friend but since it is only intended to be for one year living among the weres she also tries to blend into the background, just like when she lived among the humans. She knows she isn’t wanted and tries not to start anything but while it might be funny, the only one she seemed rude to was little Ana, who just ignored her attempts to shoo her away. Misery believes that Lowe’s Mate is the woman who is now living with vampyres (another exchange but one that doesn’t require a marriage) but of course, anyone who has ever read a paranormal romance can see the signs that Lowe has recognized Misery as his Mate and is very confused by it. This just acts as a divide between Misery giving into her growing feelings for Lowe.

This certainly wasn’t the best paranormal series that I read but I didn’t hate it either. I really enjoy Ali Hazelwood’s STEM heroines and those stories. Misery is a talented computer coder which puts her in the usual Ali Hazelwood heroine category. I will probably read the next story in the series which was hinted at at the end of Bride, and will keep a wait and see if I will continue on with this series. The world-building might be unique but it is also a bit off-putting in a Really? kind of way.

This is the story I didn't know I needed. It's no secret that I love Ali Hazelwood, a totally normal amount not obsessive or anything, and will read anything and everything she puts out. So naturally I knew when she announced a paranormal story I had to read it. My PNR loving heart stopped I kid you not.

It's classic Hazelwood- tension, lovable characters and easy to follow plot/settings but with vampires and werewolves!

alpha werewolf / F Vampire
omega verse
forced prox
marriage of convenience
enemies to lovers
spicy

If you've read and enjoyed any of Hazelwoods other reads and you enjoy PNR this one is going to become a quick favorite. Even if you don't normally read PNR but love Hazelwood. Or didn't enjoy Hazelwoods contemporary romance reads but enjoy PNR you're going to want to read this one! Seriously read this one asap.

A 3.75 out of 5 star read for me. I haven't read much in the adult shifter romance world but was excited to see something new from Ali Hazelwood. Overall I enjoyed a lot of parts or the story and the way Misery makes fun of herself as a vampire. I also liked the different take on the vampire, shifter, human world. Misery and Lowe were both intelligent characters which ties back to the steminist novels for me. Overall a fun new story from Hazelwood with some new paranormal twists.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for providing me with and E-ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Bride demonstrates Ali Hazelwood's innate ability to create fmcs that are entirely too relatable to the average reader. Misery is a blunt, black cat adjacent, dark humor loving badass. Being in her head was both unlike anything I've ever experienced and so similar to Hazelwood's previous fmcs. I found her backstory extremely intriguing, because though it's similar to other characters in Hazelwood's backlist, it's also so separate because of the fantasy element.

The first 40% is a slog to get through, but once you do it picks up quite quickly. When the plot picked up, I was thoroughly invested to the point that I read 200+ pages before going to bed. The dynamics between vampyres, werewolves, and humans were interesting especially with the addition of a collateral and the political heavy nature of the relationships.

Ali Hazelwood sat down and wrote the horniest scenting scene I've ever read. It truly unlocked a part of my lizard brain. Then throw in the sexual nature of vampyre feeding, I was a freaking mess. Also, I would be remiss if I didn't scream from rooftops about the fated mates twist in here. I thought it was such a unique way to combat the different species understanding of both romance and desire. I'm genuinely so excited to see if she will continue with other standalones in this universe she's created.