Bride

I have heard such good things about Ali Hazelwoods books, but I have never really enjoyed one. I read the love hypothisis and it was okay, I DNFed check and mate and Love Thoreticlly.

When I found out she had relised a fantacy book I decided to give her writing another go.

I liked the idea and what the plot was trying to be. but with her writing style and way she writes characters it just wasnt all that for me personally.

In a surprising turn of events Misery is tall! Can you believe it? Lowe is taller, obviously, but I never felt the overwhelming towering sensation! Overall, the fit was right so... well done Ali!

Another surprising thing: Misery was actually smart and able to figure out things by herself! I really am proud of you Ali!

Bride has more plot than I expected, and readers who enter it expecting a major focus on romance might end up being slightly disappointed. I didn't love the world building, but the story and romance flowed nicely.

This was, above all, a very entertaining read. I have no complaints on the smut side either, which usually is one of my main issues with Ali's books.

I binge read it and it was tons of fun!

💬: "“I would take anything she chose to give me—the tiniest fraction or her entire world. I would take her for a single night knowing that I’ll lose her by morning, and I would hold on to her and never let go. I would take her healthy, or sick, or tired, or angry, or strong, and it would be my fucking privilege. I would take her problems, her gifts, her moods, her passions, her jokes, her body—I would take every last thing, if she chose to give it to me.”

Hazelwood, Ali. Bride (pp. 201-202). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

📖Genres: adult, spicy, romance, paranormal, paranormal romance, urban fantasy

📚Page Count: 402

🎧Audiobook Length: 12h 47min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 - 4.5/5

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TW - <spoiler>Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail</spoiler>

Bride by Ali Hazelwood is a paranormal romance about a Vampyre named Misery who is sent to be in an arranged marriage to an Alpha wolf named Lowe. Misery doesn't just agree to the arranged marriage only to ensure continued peace between the Vampyres and Weres, she also does it because she's determined to get back what's been taken from her. Even if that means being the only Vampyre in Were territory.

I've never read anything by Ali Hazelwood until now and I'm pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book! I think it started a little slow and the world building felt a bit jarring at first because the setting is not exactly explained until around 25% of the way through the book (if I remember correctly). I was feeling very impatient during the first 25% of the way through and the main reason why I continued the book is because it was a buddy read between myself and a best friend. I'm so happy I convinced myself to finish it. I'm not big on political romance stories but this hooked me in once I hit that 25% mark. I think it also helps that this book unfolds into somewhat of a mystery on top of all the politics, romance, and the "enemies to lovers" themes.

I want give this book five stars but there were two things I didn't like. I only liked the first half of the last spicy scene, I didn't like what happened after the stuff I liked (LOL 😂😂). Another thing I didn't like was how the "enemies to lovers" trope was really based on a continual misunderstanding. I honestly don't think this book is "enemies to lovers" at all.

I don't want to spoil anything so I'll just say that the spicy scenes were enjoyable in some parts and then they became "interesting" in other parts. I'll say that I've never read an intimate scene like the last scene, but I'm very hopeful that it'll be the last I read of it's kind. I'm giving it three chilies 🌶️🌶️🌶️ out of five chilies.

"Bride" is my first Ali Hazelwood book and I was not disappointed, I really enjoyed this book and it was honestly so fun to read. I'm giving this book 4.5 stars out of 5.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 - 4.5/5 Stars

I listened to this for free on the library app [Libbyapp.com]

No sé cómo Ali Hazelwood hace que sus libros sean tan adictivos. El vicio que tenía leyendo este libro era increíble, y cada vez que paraba para hacer cosas de adulta funcional tenía un mono tremendo de seguir leyendo. Me alegra verla en otro tipo de libro. Eso no quiere decir que no disfrute de sus novelas de STEM (las disfruto como la que más), pero es refrescante verla en otro tipo de novela. Y ojalá que se adentre más todavía en la fantasía.

Ranking de libros de Ali actualizado:
1. Novia
2. Jaque mate al amor
3. La teoría del amor
4. La hipótesis del amor
5. La química del amor

P.D.: que ganas de que salga “Not in Love”.

This was my first Ali Hazelwood book and I devoured it. I'm looking forward to a sequel if she decides to write one.

The relationship's evolution was so sweet, even in its misunderstandings. It often gets frustrating to read about the communication struggles in romances, but here it felt refreshing. The plot wasn't amazingly complex but it was still well built and grabbed me super fast. I'm usually not too bad at seeing twists happen but not this time, and it was pretty fun

LOVED this is paranormal lite if I have ever read it. Let me tell ya I'm not the biggest fan of this shifting and the entire omegaverse thang BUT this did it for me. I saw someone saying how these people were just real people but with little fantasy sprinkled and yes! they didn't like that aspect but that is what I loved. This wasn't overwhelming like omegaverse had felt for me in the past. It was simple and not what the fuck is happening with little addition of omegaverse sin aspects like heats.

I was so nervous to read Ali hazelwoods writing due to hearing it was a little goofy and truthfully her STEM novels really didn't interest me. I loved the way she wrote banter and the “nerd” things written into it, I got a few good chuckles out of this book. I went to the library today and picked up another book by her that's how much I loved it.

The relationship was entirely too cute and I adored the slow progression. Little mystery plot with arranged marriage and some slight found family moments. Such a easy book to read and it filled the gap I wanted of a romance/character based book with fantastical elements. I was in a slump and I'm pretty damn sure this took me out.

4.5 estrellas

Cómo a alguien no le puede gustar aunque sea un poco este libro? Está muy bueno, es interesante y muy del estilo de Ali, dede el hecho de que más allá de que son vampiros y lobos, hay una explicación científica de como es que existen los vampiros, creo fielmente que este libro es perfecto si alguien busca una lectura de romantasi porque está más centrada en el romance que en otra cosa. Eso sí espero que salga una continuación con Serena como protagonista y donde se explore más la parte de los licántropos y de ese universo.

If you’re looking for an insufferable protagonist, character assassinations to serve a flimsy plot, and book lore that makes no sense—this book delivers. On top of that, if voyeuristic scenes with newlyweds are your thing, you might be in for a treat. For me, it was a cringey read, and frankly, I have more thoughts, but this book isn’t worth the effort. 1 out of 5 stars.

Now that I've had to process my thoughts... this book honestly wasn't very good? I feel like this book suffers from a lack of world-building, a lack of editing, and a pretty flimsy plot with a ton of infodumping or telling instead of showing. I also struggled to like Lowe and his relationship with Misery, as I felt as though they didn't have any chemistry until approximately the 60-70% mark. On the positive side, I really enjoyed Misery on her own and the dry and occasionally dark humor. But overall, this book is missing the charm that Hazelwood's other books have.

P.S. Is the name ‘Misery Lark' in reference to “dorothea” by Taylor Swift, in which she says, “making a lark of the misery”? Or is there another meaning? I know Ali is a Swiftie, so I thought this might be the case.

I really enjoyed this book! I am such an Ali Hazelwood fan!
I really liked the twists and the turn and this had me GASPING while I was listening!!

If you've read The Fake Mate, by Lana Ferguson, this is in that same kind of paranormal/omegaverse kinda book by an author that usually does romcom lol.
I do have to say that I think I liked the spice in The Fake Mate JUST a little bit more. BUT the spice in Bride was very good also.

Read if you enjoy these tropes:

- [ ] Paranormal
- [ ] Vampyre x werewolf
- [ ] Arranged marriage of convenience
- [ ] Grumpy White hat hacker FMC
- [ ] Alpha MMC
- [ ] Fated Mates
- [ ] Found family
- [ ] Slow burn

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Bride” brings a fresh twist to the romantasy genre, blending elements of love and fantasy in a story that's both unique and intriguing. The characters truly shine in this tale, with their depth and charm creating a strong emotional core that carries the narrative. The protagonist's journey through love and magical challenges is engaging, highlighting her growth and resilience in a world brimming with both beauty and danger. The love interest, with a mysterious aura and a complex backstory, adds an intriguing layer to the romance, making their relationship a focal point of the story.

However, despite its strengths, the novel sometimes struggles with pacing and originality in its plot, occasionally veering into familiar tropes that can detract from its overall impact. Additionally, while the world-building is imaginative, it at times feels underdeveloped, leaving readers wanting more depth and clarity in the magical system and the setting's history.

Still, “Bride” offers endearing characters and moments of genuine emotion, making it a worthwhile read for fans of the genre looking for a story with heart and a touch of magic. It's a solid addition to the romantasy shelf, but it may leave some readers desiring a bit more substance and polish to match its promising premise.

Felt like I was reading a fanfiction, but not in a good way, because I've read some top-tier ones.

The plot is basically centred around a forced marriage / forbidden love between a vampire and a werewolf. Maybe could have enjoyed it more if there was more lore building or story behind it (like more high fantasy vibes) but it felt a bit too romance-heavy for me.

Normally, I can storm right through Hazelwood's books, but this one took me a minute (read: days) to get into. I'm glad I persisted.

I think because I was a) not feeling well and b) wasn't used to the world building that this story required. I understand her world-building when it comes to STEM, but Vampyres (with a “y”) and Weres (for Werewolves) threw me for a loop.

However, I like Misery, the main female character, and her snarky approach to everything, her brother, her life, kids, you name it. It's what kept her sane through all the shuttling around in her childhood, where she was sent to live with humans by the Vampyre Council, headed by her father. She was a token known as Collateral in exchange to keeping the peace. It's how she met her best friend, Selena Paris, and the rift between Human, Weres, and Vampyres mostly controlled her adulthood too.

She was donated to be a bride to the head/alpha Werewolves, again as a token of peace between cultures. It wasn't a smooth transition for either Misery or Lowe, the alpha Were and her new husband.

By the time I understood all of this culture swapping, and some of the quirks involved in each, I wholly bought into the story and it went much quicker.

I'm not the vampire/werewolf type when it comes to reading so it surprised me that I enjoyed this book as much as I did. In the end, some of the animosity between cultures reflects what we see in the real world today. However, I think the sex is better in the book than in my real world.

A+. Read it.