Thank you, @berkleyromance for the free book! #berkleypartner #berkley

Switching genres is always tricky for an author. Ali Hazelwood has cornered the market on intelligent, STEM-based romances, and I’m pleased to say that her foray into fantasy with Bride is an absolute success. She has created refreshing, smart, complex characters in a new spin on the supernatural world.

Misery Lark has spent her life being the pawn of her father, one of the most powerful vampyre councilmen in the region. Finally escaping her father’s control after a decade of serving as collateral in a bargain with the humans, she chooses to remain in the human world with her human best friend, Serena, rather than return to the Vampyres. Still, she doesn’t truly feel a part of either world. When her father approaches her with a new “request” to serve as the bride in a vampyre/werewolf marriage alliance, she thinks it is ludicrous but ultimately agrees upon learning the groom will be Alpha wolf Lowe, for reasons unknown to her father. The bride and groom meet for the first time during their marriage of (in)convenience ceremony and her new husband is equally unenthusiastic about the situation. Misery is taken to werewolf territory to live out a year-long commitment as Lowe’s wife and quickly discovers that Lowe, and werewolves generally, are not at all what she expected as she embarks on her secret agenda.

This was one of those books where the closer I got to the final pages, the less I wanted it to end because I would miss the world and characters Hazelwood had created. The mystery, action, and politics gave weight and purpose to the story and, like Hazelwood’s STEM-themed books, Bride is smart and complex while also being a spicy, smoldering, slow-burn romance.

This is my third Ali Hazelwood book and I can honestly say that she knows how to write a banger. Yes, some may say that her writing style is formulaic to a point that a few of the story's elements are also used from her previous works but I guess if the formula works then why bother?

Bride is Ali Hazelwood's paranormal romance debut featuring a marriage of political convenience between the heiress Vampyre and the Alpha Werewolf. And unless you're living under a rock during the last decade, you know that these two species are mortal enemies.

I really liked how Ali weaved this story starting with the wedding between Misery Lark (Vampyre) and Lowe Moreland (Alpha Were) - the first chapter instantly caughy my interest knowing how there's always a chance of chaos every time these two species meet at one point.

Of course, the backstory of why Misery and Lowe arrived at the altar together was also presented clearly but not all at once, delivering just the right amount of information at every fee chapters.

The romance, oozing off the pages. The spice, definitely did not hold back. And yes, it may be borderline bestiality but the way Ali wrote Misery and Lowe's spicy scenes will make you think otherwise.

The characters surrounding Misery and Lowe are balanced just right for my taste - some important characters like Serena, Ana, Owen, Alex, Sparkles were given their respective sheet time (book version of screen time) while other supporting characters are introduced fairly.

The writing style worked for me because at first I thought I'd have a hard time reading about a vampire and werewolf falling in love unexpectedly but I found myself breezing past as I read chapters after chapters last night.

And of course, an Ali book will not be an Ali book with a hint of women empowerment and a dash of happy ending. I particularly liked the way both Misery and Lowe decided that the dirty politics of the past will remain there and they'll be the best version of themselves for the sake of their family and the vampyres/werewolves that they govern.

A really enjoyable read that I know will sweep booktokers off of their feet, 5 stars.

I’ve largely stayed away from contemporary romance and thus haven’t read Ali Hazelwood until now. Bride is her first foray into the more fantastical romances and I couldn’t wait to check it out. As you may well know by now, I love a good vampire and/or werewolf story and Bride is the story of a vampire (vampyre in this work) woman being married off to the new alpha werewolf. Classic forbidden romance themes, much like Romeo and Juliet, but no one badly faked their death in Bride.
Misery Lark is used to being traded away for the sake of an alliance. First, she was sent to live with the humans as a child and now, as an adult, to the werewolves. While she may have agreed to being the bride to the werewolf alpha, she did it solely because her dearest and only friend has just gone missing and she has reason to believe Serena was looking into Misery’s soon to be husband, Lowe Moreland. She would do anything to save Serena, even if that meant walking into the den of the enemy to find her.
Misery expects hostility, and she certainly gets it from some of the wolves, but she’s surprised to find Ana, Lowe’s much younger sister, is full of curiosity and a lack of fear for her new vampyre sister-in-law. Ana’s just a kid, but she’s a surprisingly important piece on the political playing field for numerous reasons. And actually, the amount of species politics in this book was both surprising and fascinating. I enjoyed that the plot wasn’t entirely romance centered because it made the romantic moments more exciting when they did happen! The ending was satisfying and definitely had some action (of the non-romantic kind) and plenty of tense moments that kept me turning pages.
Overall, this was an enjoyable read with a decent amount of spice, balanced out by a solid plot that could easily stand on its own. Instead of Lowe having his own POV chapters, each chapter started with a somewhat contextless sentence that revealed a bit of what he was feeling. It was kind of fun puzzling out how they fit with Misery’s point of view and then even more fun when the quotes became a little more obvious. Bride was a great story and I would definitely consider checking out some of Ali Hazelwood’s contemporary romance in the future.

I think this was a great fantasy debut. Ali Hazelwood is one of my favorite authors. The ending may have hinted at further fantasy books & I hope that is the case. I think if you've enjoyed any of Hazelwood's previous books you will feel right at home & happy with Bride.

Our mfc, Misery, is funny and has great banter with other charaters. Our mmc Lowe is a big (alpha) sweetie.

3.5 stars. I have very mixed feelings about this book - I love the premise of a romance with a sprinkling of fantasy. It brought me back to my Wattpad/Fanfic days. This book is very easy to breeze through just like most of Ali’s writing.

However, this is mostly a romance and I felt that this was lacking in this. The main characters don’t really have 1:1 time and I was 50% into the book. It does get better but not enough for a deep relationship (e.g. fun banter that Ali is known for) other than the fact that they are mates who are solving a case together.

I adore Ali Hazelwood. She could step on me and I’d apologize. She could punch me in the face and I’d look up at her and say do it again. I would go to battle for that woman and Bride is a prime example of why. I haven’t read a vampire/werewolf book since about 2011 after I overdosed on Twilight and vampire diaries so much that I had to get away from it completely. So of course, leave it to Ms. Hazelwood to bring me back full force. This book is everything! Its passion and longing and angst and unspoken words. Misery and Lowe have my whole entire heart forever and always. Ali was in her prime when writing these two characters. Misery is so incredibly selfless, she is constantly giving and never getting in return, so when Lowe comes along and moves mountains to make her happy she has no choice but to swoon. Me too, girl, me too. Lowe is the alpha of his pack, but he is not the kind of alpha that makes my skin crawl. He is sweet and caring and the best big brother to little Ana. And the spice…it’s just so good. This was my first step into the omegaverse. I have always been a bit intimidated by it, but Hazelwood does such a good job peppering the characteristics into the story in an easy way. I’m so happy to see that this will be a series! I am counting the days until I can read book 2.

Thank you so much Berkley Romance for giving me an eARC!

*Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for digital copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own!*

I think that this is Ali Hazelwood at her best. I was AGOG at how GOOD! THIS! WAS! I read this like two weeks ago and still am not over it.

Bride is the vampire/werewolf marriage of convenience romance mystery full of political intrigue, moody atmosphere, twists and turns, and humor.

I was skeptical going in, I will not lie, as I have not read a shifter romance book before and that made me a little nervy. I love vamp stories though, and I like to read all of Hazelwood's books, so of course I must read it no matter what! But boy oh boy was this a delight. This book had me giggling, swooning, nail biting, the whole nine.

Something that felt new to me from Hazelwood's previous heroines was just how biting (no pun intended) Misery was. I LOVED that! She had acerbic sass and her commentary was so amusing to me! Her POV was extremely enjoyable and made this book unputdownable for me. Her character is full of contradictions in which she feels like she is unloveable/doesn't belong/can't love, but you can just see on the page how much she loves and cares for those around her and that is the kind of showing I enjoy. Her character development was hard earned and compelling.

I enjoyed how this was a slooooow burn. The tension between Misery and Lowe simmered heavily throughout the story and my gosh it was tantalizing. You just know right away that Lowe is down bad based on his reaction to Misery when they first meet, but I like that it takes them a while to get together, and that they get to know each other through their alliance and situation. It was worth the wait. This, to me, was probably the hottest of all of Hazelwood's books in the spice department. Jaw-droppingly hot I must saw. Like I said, I have not read anything shifter before...this may have awoken something in me I fear? :-)

Lowe is a heartthrob of a leading man. It is always the quiet ones. He is smart and strong, and I like that he takes control of his pack and leadership with such tender love and care; but this is also a double edge sword for him. You get to go with him through this journey of seeing him figure out the balance between being a loyal, fair, and careful leader, but also learning to finally take care of himself, and finding out what it means to find the love you never thought could exist.
On another note, I loved the little glances into his mind at the beginning of each chapter- that was a nice touch!

The mystery going on throughout the story was great and kept me turning the page. There was enough twists and turns that the plot twists felt like they were not crazy obvious, but they kind of had me smacking my head being like ohhhhh! Of course!

Now, I do not know much of anything about the omegaverse/shifter type beat, so I can't speak on that if it is any different, but I do know a thing or two about vampire type stuffs. In my heyday, I was a vampire FIEND! I really, really enjoyed this take on Vampyre lore. It felt different from what I have read before. I really liked the world building, and our atmospherics of our setting- while we did not get a hellacious info-dump that I find hard to digest in new universes like this, I felt like we got just enough to get this world fleshed out for it to feel like the dusty, moody southwest setting it wanted to be, without too much being chucked to you at once. I don't really read a lot of fantasy because my brain does not agree with having to learn everything up front before getting to the action- I liked this style of getting to learn the world as we went through the plot (if that makes any sense). I liked the juxtaposition between the Vampyre lifestyle and the Were lifestyle, and that they coexisted with the humans and the politics of it all. I have not read much paranormal romance since high school, I mostly consume my paranormal media through movies and television, so this felt fun and new and fresh to me. The moody elegance of the Vampyre world against the woodsy compound of the Were's domain was fun to jump between. It was a palatable world build that was still interesting and made me want to know more, without feeling crazy overwhelming.

I cannot say how surprised this book had me. There was so much I loved about it. The characters were some of her best, the plot had me burning through the pages like lightning, and I loved the romance. A solid, foray into the world of paranormal romance by Ali Hazelwood and I cannot wait for more!

I'm not sure if I wasn't in the right head space for this, but this book did not capture my attention the way Hazelwood's books normally do. I don't know if it was the new setting or the strange way of exposition but unfortunately, this books was not for me.

"Maybe you're not meant for me the way I'm meant for you, but I'm going to choose you anyway, over and over and over again."

I'd just like to know what Ali puts in her books because I become absolutely feral and obsessed from the first chapter. I didn't know I needed a marriage of convenience between a vampire and werewolf in my life, but boy oh boy am I glad this exists. It's one of those moments where you ask yourself, "Did I finish the book, or did the book finish me?"

I'm not being dramatic when I say that I was giggling, blushing, kicking my feet and literally barking while reading this book. I was hooked from the start and instantly felt connected to Misery and wanted to give her the biggest hug. She never felt at home or accepted while growing up in any of the three territories (Vampyre, Were and Human) and only has her best friend/foster sister, Serena. They're basically platonic soulmates and I love them. I really enjoyed the mystery and investigating and think that helped drive the story and quicken the pace.

You know what else I really enjoyed? Lowe mf alpha Moreland. I am simply on my knees for that man and if he said to jump, I'd ask how high. The tension between him and Misery is so thick and the banter between them is phenomenal. I swear, Ali always writes amazing banter between the love interests and never disappoints. I've never read an alpha/omegaverse book before, but Lowe is probably one of the softest alphas I've ever read. I absolutely adored his relationship with Ana and loved how quickly Misery warmed up to her, even with her strong dislike of kids.

The last 20% was giving me whiplash (in the best way possible) and I was screaming the whole time! Because what the actual f*ck??? I am like 99% sure there will be a second book following new characters, because that ending?? I need answers yesterday. But if we don't get a second book, I think the ending would be just fine on its own too!

Lastly, the knotting?? That may have convinced me to look into more omegaverse books...so just mind your business, okay?

I could go on and on about how much I love this book and I'm already itching to reread it. Please go pre-order this. This is one you NEED to have on your shelf. Thank you Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the arc for my honest review!

Tropes:
-marriage of convenience / mates
-found family
-"Apologize to my wife"
-THICK tension and witty banter
-"Use me" / "It'll fit" (knotting🥵)
-he wears size 14 shoes (idc, I'm making this a trope)

I have not been conflicted over a book like this in such a long time! I truly struggled with the first 40% of this book and contemplated dnf'ing, BUT once I hit a specific turning point in the book I was HOOKED.

My biggest issue with this one and why I think it took me some time to get into is the fact that the first half is VERY info dumpy instead of character driven. Due to this, I really disliked our main female character. She did grow on me, but for a while she was too "quirky" / "not like other girls" for me.

I loved our main male character and he really shined for me. The found family trope in here was also one of my favorite aspects! I will add that this book has quite a large mystery subplot in it, which I was not expecting. (And when I say large subplot, I mean it was essentially a secondary plot, like 45%:45%)

Even though this was not the highest rated book for me, I did enjoy the second half of this book and am open to read more paranormal romances by Ali Hazelwood in the future!

This was so good?? I knew it was going to be good but fantasy was new for Ali but I should not have had any concern. I really liked the world cause it wasn't a very confusing magic system. I loved Misery and Lowe and their dynamic. When past Hazelwood FMCs sometimes borderline on annoying Misery thankfully was not. I enjoyed all the side plots and I am super excited for the next installment!! I know everyone is going to go feral over this book when it comes out. Vampires and werewolves are just iconic and Bride is added to my list of favorites.

Thanks to Berkeley publishing I was able to read this as an ARC and oh man I’m ready for the next one!

The world building was on point!

The slow burn was perfect!

Oh and don’t even get me started on the knotting !!!

The characters draw you in and hold on to you till the very last page!

I cannot wait for y’all to read this book!!

5/5 ⭐️ rating
Spice Level: Serrano

I really love that Ali Hazelwood is experimenting beyond her usual romance subgenres, this time taking on a paranormal romance between a werewolf and a vampire and all the complex and layered lore that comes with it. The dialog is still snappy and quippy, which I have come to expect of her books, but I really enjoyed the mythology and world that she created that blends the supernatural with the contemporary. The forced proximity romance between Misery and Lowe has the exact kind of slow burn that I love with the right amount of conflict, longing, and fire, and then the added complexities of the were and vampyre politics makes it all the more intriguing.

BRIDE is another entertaining romance from Ali Hazelwood. I love that she's expanding her genres and doing something new. I can't wait to see what she does next!

“You’re not a problem, Misery. You’re a privilege.”

♥️THINGS AND STUFF♥️
-marriage of political convenience
-forced proximity
-forbidden love
-a where in the world is carmen san diego quest
-vampires, wolves, and humans
-magical mind control powers
-pbj with the crusts cut off 🥹
-the smell a la bella swan
-fated mates
-tech skills
-oh no, you’re wounded!
-#IsThisAKissingBook: open door. dm me for content questions. “He leans forward and presses a kiss against my nose. “I’ll have to do it more often.”

thank you berkley romance for an advanced copy!

I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. I was in no way compensated for this review.



Ali Hazelwood's paranormal debut Bride was what I like to call a soft paranormal read!There's great political intrigue, warring factions between the vampires, werewolves, and humans, an arranged marriage, romance, and some attempted murder to spice things up! I obviously had never read one of Hazelwood's novels before but since she was dipping a toe into the paranormal pool, I decided why not?

The beginning sets us up for the world we are dealing with. There are three territories and each one is ruled either by the vampires, werewolves, or humans. Each territory is given a child of another territory to have as sort of living hostage, so to speak.While these groups are not currently at war, they were once and peace remains tremulous between them. Having a vampire child in the human territory is merely a sign of continue peace. It's a weird kind of setup but Hazelwood explains it better than I am so that it makes sense enough to just roll with it.

Misery, because yes, that is her actual name, was a vampire child who was sent to live with humans for ten years. Misery has never really know her own family, other than that when she and her twin brother were born, her birth killed their mother. So you get an idea of the tension that runs between her family. Hazelwood also writes a different kind of vampire, while she sticks to some of the more common rules, she does take creative leave to make her own and I always enjoy this aspect of vampire books. No two vampires are ever the same!

The story really takes off when Misery finds herself being sent to the werewolf territory, but not as the child hostage, this time she's going to be the bride of the Alpha werewolf, Lowe. The wedding was far from the type to bring about emotions as it's purely a marriage of politics. Misery just has to stay one year with her new husband and then she can return home...if she wishes to, as in that her home is actually among the humans where she has her best friend Serena.

This factor is actually something that drives Misery to agree to the marriage in the first place, as we soon learn that Serena has gone missing and Misery is determined to find out what happened to her friend who was writing an article. Among Serena's notes was one name and you can probably figure out whose name that is!

I will admit that things were weird between Misery and Lowe. There's tension for sure, as we strictly get Misery's point of view in this one, with a chapter header that gives insight to Lowe's thoughts. Both of these two have their secrets and will do anything to protect the ones that they love most. It's not too long before the sparks begin to fly and things really heat up, but of course, it's not a fast track to happily ever after after that. There are still a ton of issues they need to work out emotionally, plus the fact that there is something nefarious afoot.

What I enjoyed about this one was how it had a nice blend of quirky and edgy! I've read a ton of paranormal novels and I've loved them all! But there's always something really nice about diving into a paranormal world that is not completely dark and gloom. I suppose that's why I am drawn to the Urban Fantasy genre. I love the edginess, but coming into a paranormal romance with a shade of quirky is like a breath of fresh air! I still get that delightful paranormally goodness but with a plot that is a little lighter.

The pacing was a bit of an up and down affair. At times I felt like it was moving along nicely with some mystery seeds being laid out then it would dip back down into too much normalcy for my taste, but it would pick back up again with other quirks of being a paranormal book. It was never slow enough that I found myself needing to skim. If anything I needed to read fast just so that I could get to that ending that I knew was coming! Lol.

The mystery is naturally resolved, issues are worked through and all ends happily! Although, there was a bit in the epilogue that has my head spinning! I was just about to close the chapter on reading Hazelwood again when I noticed a teeny tiny window for the possibility of more! Time will tell!

All in all, Bride was a quirky kind of paranormal romance! It was sweet, it was cute, it was mysterious, and it had lots of heat! It made for quite the entertaining read. I definitely won't shy away from Hazelwood's name should she choose to write another in this genre!


Overall Rating 4/5 stars


Bride releases February 6, 2024

4.5 stars! I loved this book SO MUCH!! From page one I was invested, excited to see where the story would go. I absolutely loved the 2 main characters. Misery is now one of my favorites!! I adore Lowe and how much he adored Misery. I really enjoyed Ali’s writing in this book. It still felt like her but different enough for a fantasy / paranormal story. The story was fast paced and entertaining with enough twists and turns to keep me guessing and reading. I couldn’t put this one down. I didn’t find the world building confusing or info dump-y, I thought it was all very entertaining and well written. It was all around a good time with an amazing romance, excellent characters, and the best banter!! Absolutely loved this.

4.5 stars
Oh. My. Goodness. I am obsessed. I've really enjoyed Ali Hazelwood's contemporary romances and I was suuuper intrigued when I heard she had written a paranormal romance. I haven't read a paranormal romance in quite some time, but in Ali Hazelwood we trust. And then I saw it was a marriage of convenience and fated mates, and I was completely sold.
From the get go, this book had me completely hooked. I loved learning all about the Weres and Vampryes and how the species exist together with Humans. It was fascinating world building, and still very easy to comprehend all of the politics.
And then there were the main characters - Misery. I love her so much. She has the best sass, the best wit, she might be one of my favorite Ali Hazelwood female main characters I've encountered so far. She made me laugh constantly, and at the same time, twist my heart for the tribulations she's gone through in her life. There is a distinct line between all three species in this book, and Misery is an outcast to all them, but with this deep down desire to have someplace she could belong. I loved seeing her growth over the course of the book, learning about her true desires and finding somewhere that she can call her real home. And that's just what I loved about Misery as an individual.
Then we have her and Lowe together and. Oh. My Goodness. The banter, the chemistry, the attraction between these two. I was flying through the book desperate to see more of their encounters on the page. I was obsessed with the two of them.
All of this rambling to say, that I so thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. This was perfect, fantastic, and hoping she keeps writing more paranormal romances in the future.

*ARC Review- written 1/4/2024*



Do I love Ali Hazelwood? Yes! Are her books my favorite? Yes! Although this book is HIGHLY different from others that she has written (such as "The Love Hypothesis") it was just as addicting. Ali's ability to hook me from the first chapter is still strong. Misery is Vampyre royalty (according to her best friend) who has found herself wed to the Alpha Were, Lowe. The marriage is a way to finally ease some of the tension between the two groups, at least that's the reason everyone thinks that Misery has agreed to the arrangement. Misery has her own reasons to enter Were territory (and a marriage to their Alpha), and soon finds that she may find more than what she's been searching for... and that Lowe may not be who she was taught to believe he is. Although this book is a paranormal romance (Weres and Vampyres) it follows the same flow of her other contemporary romances- lots of tension that is well worth the wait. BUT there is also a lot of mystery that differs from her previous books. I will warn you- there were *some* things that I did not anticipate that kind of threw me for a loop. Not enough to not enjoy the book, but enough for me to later realize I just initially needed more of an explanation. (spice related- *ahem*) Ali was able to balance the romance with world building in a way that had me begging for the book to never end. Can't wait to read what Ali Hazelwood writes next! #NetGalley #NetGalleyARC #Bride #AliHazelwood #Romance #ParanormalRomance

This was a lot different than normal Ali, but the bones still were the same. The grumpy male being completely in love with the FMC and I am here for all of that. Misery is a vampire, but grew up with humans so she is sort of an outcast in her society. Her father is a powerful man and to bring an alliance to the vampires and wares, he marries her off to the alpha, Lowe. Lowe is a leader and has no time for his vampire bride, but as soon as he smells her at his wedding, he knows he's a goner.
Wares find their mates and that is it for them, but vampires don't have this same practice. Misery didn't sign up for this life and he doesn't want to keep her against her will. There is an underlying mystery as Misery's best friend has gone missing. She thinks Lowe has something to do with it and is determined to find her friend. Lowe and Misery were the perfect pair though and I loved how they grew to love one another and all of the sweet things they did.
I really enjoyed this fantasy and I love changing it up with my reads and I am happy that some of my favorite authors write in different genres as well.
Thanks to Berkley, Ali Hazelwood and Netgalley for an early copy.

4.25 ⭑ i present to you: ali hazelwood’s hottest couple

this was so fun!!! the first few chapters were a little slow and some of the mystery element felt a little clunky, but the dynamic between lowe and misery was everything!!! this book is full of tension, pining (our mmc falls first, ofc), and super hot vampy and wolfy activities.

ali really knew what she was doing by giving us a glimpse into lowe’s mind at the start of every chapter..