I was skeptical going into this because a paranormal romcom from a traditionally romcom author? I thought we would get the same tropes with the same kind of story line, but I was wrong, and I’ll own that. This was a delight to read

Quick Synopsis: Misery is a terrible vampire. Raised amongst humans, she doesn’t know much about her species, but she’s been called up by her father to be the vampire collateral to ensure peace between vampires and werewolves. Marrying a Were Alpha will help her people and her family, but when her best friend goes missing, her now husband can’t even pretend to like her, and she’s living with a bunch of werewolves, Misery has to unravel plots, unearth secrets, and also befriend her husband.

This was everything I want in a paranormal with werewolves and vampires. It’s funny, it’s light, it’s witty, but it had enough of a plot to keep me going, and enough character development that I was thoroughly satisfied.

I loved the banter between the characters, I loved the way they grew with each other, and I will say every day of the week that I love the fated mates trope. I just do. And it’s wonderfully done here. And for all of those wondering: yes there is knotting. Yes, it is fantastic.

We are also all set up for a sequel and I am more than ready for it.

🩸 𝘽𝙧𝙞𝙙𝙚 🐺
𝖠𝗅𝗂 𝖧𝖺𝗓𝖾𝗅𝗐𝗈𝗈𝖽

I have read everything Ali Hazelwood has published and loved it, so when I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy of her February 2024 release, Bride, I was ecstatic and couldn’t wait to dive in! This is on a whole different path than her previous STEMinist novels and novellas, diving into the world of paranormal/fantasy!

Misery Lark, the daughter of a powerful Vampyre councilman, faces isolation once more. Tasked with preserving peace between Vampyres and their foes, the Weres, she must sacrifice herself for the historic alliance—again. Misery is to the marry The the Were Alpha, Lowe Moreland and move into his home in Were territory to live. Beyond politics and alliances, Misery has her own reasons for accepting this union, determined to reclaim what matters most to her, even if it means a solitary life in Were territory alongside the enigmatic wolf. The more time she spends with Lowe and the others, the more she feels like she could actually “belong” there. Lowe and Misery might just be destined for much more than either of them could have ever imagined.

This was such a great read! I loved that she still found a way to dive into the fantasy realm, while also sneaking in a little women in STEM details. Misery is a skilled computer hacker of sorts and her skills in that area come in handy a few times throughout this book. Along with the romance and fantasy, there is a bit of a mystery to be solved as well! Get this one on your preorder list now!

Thank you to @berkleyromance @berkleypub and @netgalley for the free eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

FINALLYYYYYY.

Finally.

Ali Hazelwood, we've officially fulfilled the trope of enemies-to-lovers (one-sided). I wasn't a believer before -- in fact, I was a hater --, but now I am and I couldn't be more excited.

BRIDE is the first of Hazelwood's foray away from her known STEM-context romcoms, and I would classify it as an urban romantasy. The stakes in the story are quite high; there's a precarious peace between Vampyres, Weres, and Humans that, for Misery's people, is completely reliant on her marriage to the new Alpha of the biggest pack of the Southwest region, Lowe. Now in a marriage of convenience, Misery hopes to lay as low as possible to disguise her hidden personal agenda. So of course, she just keeps running into the broody Alpha despite her best efforts...

And what ensues is SO FUN! Misery still holds some of Hazelwood's signature quirkiness, but she is fleshed out and her aloofness makes sense and didn't grate on me. This, alongside side characters that didn't feel just like convenient tools to further the plot, allowed me to enjoy my reading experience and the interesting worldbuilding (like, yesss the sciencey POV is still there!) . Overall, I am SO excited for everyone to read this one and to froth at the mouth. :')

If Ali Hazelwood writes it, I’m gonna read it!
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This book was such a surprise! I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about Hazelwood writing paranormal romance, but it worked. It really, really worked!
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Lowe is the alpha of his pack and Misery is the daughter of the vampyre leader. Lowe and Misery are forced into a marriage of convenience to keep up the alliance between the werewolves and the vampyres.
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🖤paranormal romance
🖤opposites attract
🖤marriage of convenience
🖤vampyre and werewolf
🖤spicy
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This book also has a mystery plot line and Lowe is my new favorite werewolf!
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Thank you Netgalley and Berkley for the opportunity to read this book!
It was a joy! 🖤

I had a lot of fun with this book! This was not my first venture into the omegaverse so I was really intrigued to see how Ali Hazelwood was going to put her spin on it. I loved all the supernatural elements, and how it played into the feud and politics going on. Probably my favorite part aside from the romance was Ana and Misery's reluctant love for her. So fun and silly, they made me giggle many times throughout the book. Misery and Lowe were so hot and I loved watching their story play out. They made me giddy, especially the little chapter headings were we briefly see Lowe's pov. Such a fun read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for sending me an early copy of this book! All opinions are my own!

I don't think I've ever been so conflicted about a single book before. On the one hand, it was a very fun read. On the other hand, it will never be touted as a literary masterpiece. Does that mean it deserves a lower rating? Or does my enjoyment and palate cleansing deserve more weight? The eternal question.

The start of the book was *very* rocky. I almost stopped reading because I genuinely had no idea what was happening, and I'd literally just read the synopsis. It was like Hazelwood was trying to create a lot of intrigue and mystery, but all she did was create absolute chaos and confusion.

Once the book got started, however, it was very fun and had a lot to keep the reader interested. Misery is a very relatable character who is hard to not love. She is spunky and strong and really has such a streak of humanity that it's ironic. I did enjoy the romance and thought that it was fairly well developed considering the way the big "plot twist" is predictable from chapter 2.

The world and the plot were also intriguing, and I liked the way it felt different from all the vampire/werewolf things I've read before. I'd definitely be interested to see more of where this world might go, especially given the actual huge plot twists that happened at the end.

All in all, it was a fun read to whisk me away from reality for a few moments.

Wow, this was amazing. This is half a fated mates/arranged marriage story, and half a mystery into the disappearance of someone close to the main character.

Misery has had a tough life. She lives in a world where Vampyres and Werewolves are always at each others throats (quite literally) & also trying to keep peace with the humans. They have three separate territories and have only decided on a reluctant cease fire due to the “collaterals” that they offer to each other, which are children/people who are important being forced to live in other territories. Misery, the daughter of the head of the Vampyre council, was forced to live with humans as a child, and an important human was forced to live with Vampyre’s in exchange. This is how they have brokered “peace”.

As for the Werewolves, they just stay out of each other’s way, at least they did until Misery is forced to marry the Alpha, Lowe. Immediately upon meeting each other Lowe does not want to be anywhere near Misery, so moving in with him in his territory was already an ill advised decision, but Misery has ulterior motives for agreeing to this arranged marriage. The wolves don’t trust her and there are secrets being kept from her.

Misery was fantastic. Her humor was A+ and I was laughing constantly at so many things she said and thought to herself. She was brave, ballsy, sarcastic, and an absolute delight of a female main character. Lowe was sexy, but also infuriatingly stubborn, which is to be expected from an Alpha.

I don’t know what I expected from this book, but I’d like to inject the magic Ali Hazelwood put into this story directly into my veins. I couldn’t get enough of this. This was intriguing, entertaining, spiiiiiicy, and addictive. If there isn’t a second book set in this world I will riot.

If you enjoy paranormal romances, loved Twilight growing up and were super disappointed that all the details we got were that they “broke the headboard”, then read this one immediately. This also reminded me a lot of Lana Ferguson’s newest book “The Fake Mate”, but this had a more intricate plot and wasn’t all about the romance. There was political intrigue, a found family vibe, and then of course, a perfect tension-filled romance going on.

This publishes on 2/6/24 & I HIGHLY recommend this one! Thank you Berkley and NetGalley for this arc!

4.25 ⭐️

I had an amazing time with this book!

Although it's very different from all of Ali's other romances, the writing was still just as addictive and compelling as always.

Bride is a Vampyre / Were shifter, marriage of convenience, enemies to lovers, omegaverse, missing person mystery, political romance and I'm SO here for it!

I wish this book had like 350 more pages because I want more time with the pack and learning about their world— I felt like everything was a bit rushed because the book was trying to fit into a typical “romance book length” but it needed more length to really expand on everything since it is technically a paranormal romantasy, therefore it can be as long as it wants

I will read (and love) anything that Ali Hazelwood writes and I'm already jonesing for her next book! I think her writing for this new genre will only get stronger with time

Listen, I don't know what Ali put in this book, but I devoured this one in just 2 days! Did I think I would be obsessed with a Vampire/Werewolf book? No, I did not have that on my 2023 bingo card, but here we are and I am.

This is hands down my favorite book from her and I am going to scream about how amazing it is now.

Read this for:
- Marriage of convenience
- Forbidden love
- Found family
- Forced proximity
- He's GONE FOR HER and SHE DOESN'T KNOW IT
- All the knotting and spice

Misery Lark must marry the Alpha Lowe Moreland in order to create an alliance between Vampires and Weres. She also is on her own secrete mission to find her missing best friend and only person she cares about.

Misery has long had a history of being the outcast even though she was the Collateral for the Vampires she was not welcome with her own people and then forced to leave among the humans for years. As she develops a sweet friendship with Lowe's younger sister, you as the reader she has a huge capacity for love and caring but has never been given the opportunity.

Misery is funny, witty, smart, and rather strong but she has only ever been cared for and loved by her best friend. As she is forced to live among the Weres, she starts to see what real family and caring is. She also starts to see who Lowe is as an Alpha, a brother, and as just a man and it all stacks up to be one of the most loyal men with so much integrity.

Misery and Lowe being to realize they can trust one another and then they see how both of their missions are tied together in a twisted mystery that they must work together to solve. As they continue to be forced to work together, they open up to one another and their connection continues to grow.

I loved Lowe and how much he was obsessed with Misery. It was really a nice treat to get his POV in the beginning of each chapter and then at the end. There's some romantic suspense in this book because of everything going on with the three different species and everyone wanting to kill one another.

It all unfolded so well and I was hooked to the story from the beginning. The chapters of Misery and Lowe together were so freaking hot! Thank you Ms. Hazelwood!

I am hoping that the ending is leading to the next book focused on Misery's best friend because I am ready for it now and am fully on board for more books in this universe from Ali.

Thank you to Berkley romance and NetGalley for providing the Joyful Chaos Book Club with ARCS in exchange for an honest review.

First, thanks to Berkeley and NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

I will read literally anything Ali Hazelwood writes. But this book far surpassed my expectations. This was such a good, fun, and well written fantasy romance. I really enjoyed the little world Ali created and the political dynamics.

And the romance? Ooooof. The tension was SO GOOD. I was panting. It had a slight hint of enemies to lovers while mostly just having a golden retriever (golden wolf?) MMC who falls first and an oblivious FMC who is just trying to survive. Their romance was so freaking cute. Plus you add in a little girl that the MMC treats as his own child? *Swoons* I’m sold. Immediately.

I’m excited to read more about this world Ali Hazelwood is creating, and I love getting to see this new side of Ali’s writing!

Ali Hazelwood's writing improves with every book and while Bride is a very different genre than her past novels, it still reigns true. I have never read anything even remotely related to the Omega-Verse so this was a fun introduction! Overall, I had fun and knotting is lowkey also fun.

4.5 ⭐️ rounded up to 5!

OK THIS WAS ACTUALLY SO AMAZING!!!

I will say the beginning was a little slow to start for me but once it was going I was LIVING!!!! when the tension was building between misery and lowe I was actually dying (but in a good way!!!) they had me squealing like a little girl!!!!!! you could tell there was an attraction between them but they were trying to fight it SO BAD!!!! miss hazelwood truly wrote the tension between them impeccably!!! like the moment lowe first had to scent her on the plane I was actually deceased!!!!!!! like who knew that would turn me on like a mf LIGHT BULB!!! and the first time lowe called misery “my wife” AHHHHHH!!!! never gets old in marriage of convenience!! seeing lowe and misery slowly open up to one another and trust each other was beautiful 😭 and the spice between them SHEEEEEEESH!!!! that shit was so hot— elemental!!!!! AHHHH I was feral over them and kept wanting more!!!!!

“of all the good things i’ve felt in my fucking life, you are the best.” LIKE COME ON!!!

ana, lowe’s sister, added so much excitement to the story. she was so damn cute and charming and I loved seeing how she helped lowe to lighten up. the scene where lowe was meticulously making a sandwich in the kitchen while talking to misery and then later gave it to ana when she woke up from a nightmare was just too damn sweet. I love when there are side characters that help us to see the softness within a character that’s seen as “hard” and “tough” 🥹 and seeing ana become friends with misery (someone who everyone is trying their hardest NOT to befriend) was so sweet 🥹. loved seeing their friendship grow so much it was too sweet 😫

my other fav side character was alex!! it was so funny how he went from being so scared of misery to becoming good friends w her and genuinely caring about her well being 🫂 we stan an interspecies friendship 🫶🏼

the serena storyline was very interesting! I loved seeing little pieces of that puzzle unfolding throughout the story. I didn’t expect it to lead to where it did but wow was that a cool turn of events!!!

overall I loved this book sm!!! once I got into it around the 20% mark I couldn’t stop!!!! I genuinely had THE BEST time!!! at this point I feel ali hazelwood can do it all! contemporary, YA, and now paranormal!! WHAT’S NEXT!!? 😍

"We’re a seesaw, Lowe and I. Constantly pushing and pulling for a precarious balance on the brink of this . . . whatever this is that we are always about to fall into. Alternating in chaos."

I cannot believe I am about to say this about an alpha shifter romance (because any time a cishet man IRL says the word “alpha,” & especially in a podcast dudebro setting, I vomit a little), but ……. holy shit, this really worked for me!
It’s that tone again. The Alpha one. The one that makes me want to say yes to him, over and over again.
Wtf is this?! ^^ The corniest shit I’ve ever read and yet, I am hot & mf bothered over it…

Before we dive into the sizzling hot chemistry that Misery Lark has with Lowe Moreland, let me just say that this may be AH’s best work purely based on the banter and apathetic humor. The banter between Misery and *everyone* in this book is so delightfully goofy and delectable. Misery’s general malaise with life speaks to my existential-crisis-millennial soul and her glib nature was perfect. And she has a right to be! She spent ~15 years in Human territory as a hostage, and after a tiny taste a reclusive life away from the Weres and Vampyres, she is whisked away to marry the Alpha Werewolf, again acting as a peace offering amongst Weres and Vamps. I’d be resigned to a fate bound to service and lost autonomy too.

The mystery element of her best Human friend Serena Paris going missing was intriguing enough to keep my attention, and I was very satisfied with the investigation and unraveling! If AH makes this an interconnected series of standalone romances, Serena’s romance is next👀

"The hazard, I guess, of being alone in the world: no one to care that she was safe, and healthy, and alive. No one but me, and I didn’t count. I shouldn’t have been surprised, and I wasn’t. But apparently I still had the capacity to feel hurt. Because no one cared whether I was safe, or healthy, or alive. No one but Serena. The sister of my heart, if not of my blood. And even though I’d been plenty alone, I’d never felt so lonely as after she was gone."

The buildup between Lowe and Misery is explosive yet staggering. I was pulled in slowly and then all at once! I can’t describe how enamored I was with their connection. Lowe is your typical broody, mysterious love interest, but Misery peels back those layers of defense slowly and surely. She does so with her straightforward and unimpressed questioning and tone, but also with the way Misery cares for his younger sister, Ana, whose parentage is a major puzzle piece of this story.

"There is something disarming about the way she leans against me, soft and trusting, as though our people haven’t been hunting each other for sport in the last couple of centuries."
Like this^???? So fucking precious and as someone with an ideal, hopeful heart for the state of the world, that shit *touched* me🥹

I have been SO over the “fated mates” trope but I may have been locked back in. I have no idea who is writing this review because only yesterday, I said, “couldn’t be me!” 😅😂 The third-act breakup is a bit rough, *but* very obvious if you’re a seasoned romance reader so just enjoy the ride!

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

If this series of standalone romances continues, you can guarantee I will be eating it the fuck up like I did with Bride!

steam rating: 4/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ at first, I blew a raspberry and whispered, “this is SO CRINGE” when Lowe said he had to *lick* Misery on the plane scene. I was not prepared for how AH turned this seemingly goofy scene into a super hot one. Anyway, from 50% on, it ramps up and it is fantastic. Again, I think her best work.

side note for AH author lore: AH continues her EXTREMELY BIG MUSCULAR HUMONGOUS MAN trope in this — Lowe wears a size 14 in men’s shoes.

read if:
-you were a twilight, true blood, or vampire diaries fan
-you enjoy shifter romance
-you’re curious what “knotting” is in werewolf/mating sex hahaha
-you enjoy unraveling a missing persons mystery
-you are a fan of fated mates, forced proximity, marriage of convenience, found family, paranormal romance, or “my wife” moments hehehehehe

content warnings:
Graphic: Kidnapping, Violence, Sexual content, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, and Confinement
Minor: Death and Grief

Ali truly never misses. To be honest I was a little hesitant when I heard her next book would be omegaverse but I’m so glad I dove right in! Honestly I think it’s a great first read for people that haven’t read the genre before.
Bride follows Misery, the daughter of the leader of the vampyre territory, in an arranged marriage with the Alpha of the Were territory. If you love One Bed, hurt/comfort, fated mates, “who did this to my WIFE”, and love bites you will love Bride. It was so fun to read a classic witty Ali Hazelwood FMC who also happens to be a vampire.
I might be in the minority but I absolutely love a single POV story because I want to follow along with the main character as they are clueless to the motivations of the love interest and that’s what made Bride so good. Each chapter we got a one sentence little sneak peak into Lowe’s mind and that was such a fun little look into what he was experiencing.
Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC! I looooved it!

I have loved all of the Ali Hazelwood books I have read so far, but I am LOVING this dive that she is taking into fantasy. This book was *chefs kiss*.

Misery is a vampire princess who is arranged to marry the local alpha werewolf, Lowe, to create peace between their two species.

Through all the differences in species, politics, personalities, etc…there seems to be a spark between them that is undeniable and it only burns hotter the more they’re together.

THIS BOOK IS EVERYTHING. I already want to reread it.

“Mine. You smell like you’re mine, Misery.”

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was so much FUN to read! Ali Hazelwood shines writing paranormal romance. This book was full of tension, chemistry, and adventure.

This was a fun and campy fantasy book about a werewolf and vampire. I went into it with zero expectations so really enjoyed most of it. Unfortunately, I now know what knotting is which is something I have been afraid to google and could have gone without knowing for the rest of my life.

I was a bit hesitant to read a book about vampires and werewolves but I should NOT have been. Ali Hazelwood truly does it all!! This book is addicting and the characters are so wonderful. I fell in love with this world and already want to reread.

I just want to gush about this book!! Ali Hazelwood has done it again, and she is quickly proving that being at the top of my favorite authors list is well deserved!!

Bride is going to be one that I shove at anyone that I can to recommend. The world building! The characters!! Ali does amazing with all of these things, and I shouldn’t be surprised! (I do have to admit that I had some hesitation since this is her first book that deviates from reality into fantasy/sci-fi. However, she easily proved that this is a genre she can write easily in!)

I adored Misery and Lowe so much! This was like the grumpy/grumpy romance I never knew I needed! And the TWIST AT THE END?! After that epilogue I’m absolutely hoping we get more from this series/world! (Please, Ali!!)

PLS ALI, MAY I HAVE SOME MORE

Let us pray this is not her only venture into pnr romance because this book was so fun. Slow burn, enemies to lovers, lots of 'MY WIFE'. It has a little spice, like any Ali Hazelwood book but not overly explicit. I feel like this book is for the people who grew up with Twilight and wanted her to choose Jacob (aka me). She is clearly a lover of shifter/omegaverse/pnr romances and it shows, in the best way!