Bride

by Ali Hazelwood

#1 Indie Next Pick!
A Hall of Fame LibraryReads pick!
One of People’s Best Books to Read in February

A dangerous alliance between a Vampyre bride and an Alpha Werewolf becomes a love deep enough to sink your teeth into in this new paranormal romance from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Love, Theoretically and The Love Hypothesis.

Misery Lark, the only daughter of the most powerful Vampyre councilman of the Southwest, is an outcast—again. Her days of living in anonymity among the Humans are over: she has been called upon to uphold a historic peacekeeping alliance between the Vampyres and their mortal enemies, the Weres, and she sees little choice but to surrender herself in the exchange—again...

Weres are ruthless and unpredictable, and their Alpha, Lowe Moreland, is no exception. He rules his pack with absolute authority, but not without justice. And, unlike the Vampyre Council, not without feeling. It’s clear from the way he tracks Misery’s every movement that he doesn’t trust her. If only he knew how right he was….

Because Misery has her own reasons to agree to this marriage of convenience, reasons that have nothing to do with politics or alliances, and everything to do with the only thing she's ever cared about. And she is willing to do whatever it takes to get back what’s hers, even if it means a life alone in Were territory…alone with the wolf.

• ISBN10: 0593550404
• ISBN13: 9780593550403
• Publish Date: 6 February 2024
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: Berkley Publishing Corporation,U.S.
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 416
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780593550403

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

Book Summary:

Misery Lark (yes, that’s her real name) may seem like a girl who has it all: riches, fame, and supernatural glory until you take a closer look at her life. She’s the daughter of a powerful vampyre councilman, which essentially means she’s a bargaining chip.

This time, Misery intends to use this for herself. So yes, she will agree to be the vampyre wife to the ruthless werewolf alpha, Lowe Moreland. However, there’s a reason she will do it, and nobody can stop her mission.

My Review:

To say that I’ve heard a lot about Bride would be an understatement. In truth, I’ve been hearing a lot (A LOT) about Ali Hazelwood’s books, but this is the first one I’m really diving into (the fantasy twist got me).

First, there’s a lot to enjoy from this book. We’ve got supernatural politics, alpha lore, an urban fantasy setting, and more. Throw in a character with a traumatic backstory, and you’ve pretty much got a well-rounded story. Oh, and let’s not forget the litany of tropes Hazelwood comfortably played around with fated mates, forbidden romance, opposites attract, and arranged marriage/marriage of convenience.

So you can see why readers have been thoroughly invested in this one! I know I’m late to the game, but I suggest Bride to any readers debating. If you’re like me and have been holding off on Ali Hazelwood’s writing but love a good urban fantasy romance, this is the one you’ve been waiting for.

Highlights:
Fantasy Romance
Paranormal Romance
Vampires & Werewolves
Politics & Planning
Alpha Lore

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[kjnavillus]

Ali ate and left no crumbs with this one

[Hilarye]

All of Ali Hazelwood’s books follow pretty much the same formula. A smart, sassy, accomplished woman with some much-deserved baggage is forced to spend time with an equally smart, slightly grumpy, golden retriever of a man with baggage of his own. They are both, naturally, very easy on the eyes. Mix together a hefty helping of witty banter, some complicated feelings, a dash of angsty longing, and lots of sexual tension until you get a couple that finally realizes they are in love. Sexy time ensues. Introduce a small conflict or misunderstanding, have a brief yet terrible third-act breakup, and then finish it off with a glorious happily ever after. What can I say? Her formula works EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

Misery Lark is a Vampyre - A super smart, slightly nerdy, tech-savvy, drop-dead gorgeous Vampyre. Let’s face it, she’s a blood-bag-drinking, sun-avoiding, cold-blooded STEMinist. She knows her way around a computer and can code like no other - a hacker of sorts. She’s funny, strong, sarcastic, self-deprecating, and exactly the type of Vampyre I could be friends with. If Vampyres were a thing.

Lowe Moreland is a Werewolf - a very powerful, dangerous, ruggedly sexy, Alpha Werewolf. He is fiercely dedicated to his pack, loves his little sister more than anything, and can draw up the plans for your dream home in no time. He’d 100% be my kind of empathetic, artsy, strong, wolfy dude. Again, if Werewolves were a thing.

Unfortunately, Vampyres and Werewolves are mortal enemies. Misery’s father, head of the Vampyre Council, and Lowe, Alpha of the Southwest Pack, agree to an age-old tradition of inter-species marriage in hopes of forming a peaceful alliance between the Weres and the Vampyres. If you think this sounds like the perfect setup for a delicious marriage of convenience turned forbidden love, with some witty banter and tension you could cut with a knife, you’d be correct! If you think this might be a little fishy, a tad too easy, and that there is probably something nefarious going on, you'd also be correct.

But Misery has her own reasons for agreeing to this arranged marriage and moving into enemy territory. Her Human best friend, Serena, has gone missing, and Misery is the only one who cares enough to find her. She finds a piece of paper, torn from Serena’s planner, that seems to have Lowe’s name written on it in their special sister-from-another-mister language. So now Misery's convinced the Weres have kidnapped Serena, and she’s got to get into Were territory to rescue her. 

After an eventful wedding where several fights break out, Misery almost gets stabbed, and the word mate is thrown around quite a bit, Misery and Lowe come to an understanding. 1) They will not kill each other; 2) Lowe will protect Misery while they are married; and 3) Misery will stay out of trouble and out of Lowe’s way.

We can all agree that #3 was never going to happen.

Ali’s books have always been an insta-buy for me, but when I saw that Bride was going to be a paranormal romance, I seriously thought about skipping it. Monster love isn’t usually my thing. I thought about it for approximately 2 minutes (give or take 53 seconds) and decided to give it a shot. I’m delighted I did. Ali had me wanting to be BFFs with Misery by the end of chapter 1, and absolutely smitten with Lowe by the end of chapter 2. There’s a cat named Sparkles, some loveable side characters, an adorable little sister who mixes up words, and a found family anyone would be lucky to have. After another assassination attempt, some major betrayals, and lots of twisty turns, I can safely say I’m a fan of Mrs. Hazelwood's foray into paranormal romance. I could KNOT put this book down (see what I did there? IYKYK).