This did not read like an Ali Hazelwood book at all and I normally love a bit of the paranormal. It took me forever to get through when I can normally get through her books in a couple of days.

It was just a chore to read and really disappointing. I had no idea what was going on most of the time. The world building seemed really flimsy and the were-vampire rivalry felt like it had a very shallow foundation.

The mates/not mates thing was confusing and unnecessary.

Why is the MC called Misery when her twin brother is called Owen and literally every other character has a normal name.

The logistics of Lowe and Misery being together in the end seem impractical and not very happily-ever-after. Wondering how they’ll have time for each other when she can’t even leave the house during the day and he’s got were business to handle during the daytime.

The only thing I liked was the quick revelation at the end that Koen and Serena are mates.

Overall it was just horribly cringe but I live laugh love Ali Hazelwood and it will never stop me reading the rest of her books.

Proving Ali Hazelwood can write any genre this paranormal romance was brilliant. It had a compelling story and insatiable characters. I adored the romance so much, it has enemies to lovers, forced proximity, touch her you die.

The spice in this was knot my cup of tea #iykyk but I am here for the romance!

A really fun read.
I much preferred this to Ali’s contemporary romances (I do enjoy them too though!).
The characters were loveable, the plot was interesting. No real notes I loved it!

Loved this all the way through, solely deducting half a ⭐ for that one chapter with that very long monologue from the father because omg did that drag on

Other than that it was 🧑🏻‍🍳💋
Ali Hazelwood (almost) can't do anything wrong in my book 🙌🏻
I'm even okay with her making the lead character unable to tell the difference between Art Deco and Gothic (like what the fuck, how) despite it hurting just a biiiiiiit (ok, a lot)

4.5⭐

Thank you to Little, Brown Book Group UK and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review

I go into every Ali Hazelwood book expecting something romantic, funny, and interesting, and she has delivered yet again! If this sets off a paranormal romance renaissance, I'll welcome it with open arms.

Bride was not what I expected at all. Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this. A rather mixed response from me, though elements of it were great.
Misery, our main character, is a vampire. Having been used to living in the human world for years, she is used to feeling on the periphery of things. Relationships between vampires, humans and weres are increasingly strained. When Misery is tasked with becoming the wife of the alpha were she agrees, only because her best friend is missing and Misery thinks there’s a link between this and her prospective husband.
Thinking this search was going to be the focus of the story, it felt odd that so much of the time was spent on the dynamics between Misery and Lowe. From the outset we can see where it’s headed. There’s attempts to develop our understanding of the world these characters inhabit, but too often we are told there’s no words for it and this was very frustrating.
Though it’s meant to be a passionate relationship, the technicalities of a vampire and were having sex seemed to be the preoccupation rather than making us see their growing feelings.
Perhaps I’m just being picky but this felt like something of an experiment. Interesting enough, but not wholly successful.

I loved the modern twist on this paranormal romance tale, in which a vampire and an Alpha werewolf decide to tie the knot to ease tensions between their species.

Misery Lark, the only daughter of a powerful Vampyre councilman, is used to playing by the rules dictated by her father. Now, she's thrust into another truce agreement, this time a marriage with Lowe Moreland, the Alpha of the Weres. Despite her father's intentions for peace, Misery has her own agenda – uncovering the truth about her missing best friend, who disappeared after arranging a meeting in Were territory.

Post-wedding, surrounded by enemies and separated from her kind, Misery stays focused on her real mission. Even as she develops a puzzling connection with Lowe, one that feels more genuine than of convenience, she refuses to be swayed. There's the complication of Lowe possibly having a Were mate already, but despite their inherent differences, they might just compliment each other.

While Bride is Hazelwood's debut in the paranormal space, it leans enough on common romance tropes to give it a contemporary feel, and it's filled with Hazelwood's trademark humour. This makes the political plot a lot more palatable, and I think it will appeal to many readers, not just those who love a paranormal vibe. The slow-burning romance between Misery and Lowe is captivating enough that I was really eager to come back to their sections.

This was a pleasant surprise, and I really enjoyed it!

Wow! I really enjoyed this one, classic Ali Hazelwood Romance but mixed with fantasy!
The Story about Lowe and Misery was really captivating directly from the beginning on, I really loved their dynamic and their slowly unfolding lovestory.
Especially Lowe, the alpha of his pack, was such a sweetheart that cared more about others than his own safety and happiness.
But also Misery was such an interesting and multicolored protagonist, that at first sight looked really badass and cold, but was actually just a really traumatized and lonely women looking for friendship and belonging somewhere and to someone.
I really hope Ali Hazelwood writes more romantasy and tries out new things, because this was such a delight!

If I divorce my husband... Ali Hazelwood is the culprit!

I loved the characters, the political dynamics and the romance in this book. This wasn't quite a slow burn, but I found the pacing was perfectly timed, the characters fully formed with distinct histories, and the way their stories interweave (marriage of convenience) meticulously planned. The world building was also light enough it didn't overwhelm me, while feeling complete enough to give me a clear idea of this world where humans, werewolves and vampires coexist.

Structure aside, I thought the book was such an enjoyable, easy, relaxing read and felt fully transported into this world. I'm so sad I can't read more of them! Desperately searching for a new book boyfriend that will make me feel like Lowe again now...

Loved it!!! I wasn’t expecting much but I absolutely loved all of it! The plot, characters, the romance, marriage of convenience trope, the twist! I am happy to be back in my vampire/werewolf era, Highly recommend

I’ve read and loved Ali Hazelwood’s previous adult novels and I enjoy vampire and werewolf stories so I was excited to read Bride. I wasn’t sure what to expect and tried not to let my expectations be too high. I needn’t have worried though because this was another brilliant read for me.

Misery is a fantastic main character. I really enjoy how the author’s female protagonists all have complex histories which have shaped them as a person. It makes them relatable and far more interesting than your average romance heroine. The inter-species dynamics and tensions added an extra layer of intrigue. Lowe wasn’t your stereotypical Werewolf alpha and that made him all the more likeable.

The mystery that Misery is trying to solve added a thrilling aspect to the plot which kept me guessing.

Ali’s books get quite steamy at times which I’m all for, but this book kept the chemistry building to boiling point. In fact the hottest scene in the entire book wasn’t one of the sex scenes for me, it was an exquisitely written scene which involved minimal physical contact around the half way mark. There is one aspect of the later sec scenes that some people find uncomfortable but I thought it was handled pretty well and actually showed Lowe’s caring nature.

Every one of Ali’s full length adult novels so far has been a 5 star for me and I look forward to the next one.

⭐️4.5⭐️

Ali Hazelwood never fails to disappoint, this was an amazing paranormal romance. Full of banter and sarcasm between our two main characters and even had a really intriguing sub-plot.

My only issue which is why is this not a full 5 stars is the "knot" scenes, if you know you know...massive ick all round for me 😂

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗙𝗘𝗖𝗧 𝗜𝗙 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗟𝗜𝗞𝗘
▪︎▪︎ single POV
▪︎▪︎ omegaverse
▪︎▪︎ knotting
▪︎▪︎ vampyre & werewolf
▪︎▪︎ marriage of convenience
▪︎▪︎ enemies to lovers


𝗠𝗬 𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗦

Modern day shifters and vampires - where could you go wrong? In all honesty I went into this one completely blind & I think it worked out pretty well. I read this book in ONE SITTING - I ATE THIS UP!!

This is the first time I've ever dabbled in the omegaverse and boy oh boy I was not left wanting. Misery is our FMC and she is one of the most sarcastic characters I have ever read and I loved it. Our single POV is based from Misery - you get snippets of Lowes (our MMCs) thoughts in the chapter headings of every chapter and they are literally gold dust.

Lowe is our protective alphahole who is literally an alpha - so it's in his genes right. I couldn't fault him in any way. Ali gave us her typical romance - the MMC was besotted with the FMC whilst it took her over 75% of the book to even realise it. But I'm okay with this because it all worked out in the end.

I absolutely love everything that Ali Hazelwood has written and I'm so happy she has written a paranormal romance. This book was a lot of fun and I definitely need a second book!

OMG ALI HAZELWOOD!!! There actually needs to be a second book because that can't be it! I need more of Misery and Lowe!!!!!!
Best book yet by Miss A 100%! I am so grateful to have received an early copy as I was so eager to read it and I don't feel I can write anything to do with the story as I don't want to give spoilers for anyone but I LOVE this story with all the special Ali exclusives that make her books so unique and quirky!
I can't wait for Not in Love but PLEASE BE A SECOND BOOK TO BRIDE!!!!

After seeing a lot of mixed reviews, I was a little hesitant to get into this. While it did take me a little while to get into it, once I did I was completely sold and I loved it to bits! I really did enjoy Lowe as a character, and the plot was very engaging. Once again a great Ali Hazelwood in my opinion!

I read this in less than a day, so that should tell you all you need to know! At times cliche, but at all times fun, this is a faced paced romance with witty dialogue and moments of real heart. I enjoyed all the characters, although the male love interest could have been further developed with an additonal POV.

Overall, a fun and sexy time, and my introduction to Ali Hazelwood meaning I'm now very curious about her contemporary romances.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️.5

Unfortunately I have a sad review to post today…I was sooo excited for Bride and unfortunately it just fell a bit flat for me. Which is a shame cause I really enjoyed Check and Mate by Ali. I will say though that Ali writes good smut.

First of all, I am basically a veteran shifter/vampire romance reader so I’ve read it ALL and I just didn’t connect with the characters or believe the romance at all. The marriage of convenience trope was a great idea - a vampire marrying this super dangerous and all fearsome Were alpha…except the Were alpha was as intimidating as a dandelion (in my opinion) and I don’t think it was fully explained why he was so “dangerous”. And I just didn’t believe the romantic connection between them.

I was also very confused at the start of this book, it jumped timelines a little bit and I didn’t really know what was happening. It got better as the book went along but it just jostled me at the start and I found it hard to get into. Also, I found some of the plot twists very predictable and some of the dialogue a bit over the top from the MC and I just didn’t vibe with it. Also, maybe a mild spoiler (I think? Sort of?) I couldn’t wrap my head around why a certain character couldn’t work a computer…like barely…but could all of a sudden fly a plane????

Anyway overall, I didn’t mind it and I did enjoy the smut but it just wasn’t for me. I really hope my review doesn’t put anyone off though cause I feel like my opinion from what I’ve seen is not among the norm 😅

Thank you so much to the publisher for sending me the proof in exchange for an honest review 🖤

This was a lot of fun! I do think there is a fair amount that needed stronger development, but for Ali Hazelwood's first foray into paranormal romance, I think that she did a good job! I really liked the tension of the world, and Misery and Lowe together had fantastic banter and chemistry. I also really enjoyed the various plotlines going on in this book, as they added a lot of emotional stakes to the story, and the side characters all felt fleshed out too.

As I said, there were a few things that felt underdeveloped: the whole "mating" idea with the werewolves felt very all over the place (the reader is led to believe one thing, and then all of a sudden it is something else with little explanation); the love interest acted completely out of line to his personality in one chapter and then it was just brushed over; and finally, why is Misery named MISERY? Were there really no better names Ali could have come up with? (Also as a side note, why do vampires have purple blood and werewolves have green blood? What's that about?)

I am looking forward to reading more paranormal romances from Ali Hazelwood, and hopefully this one just had a bit of a learning curve for her!

My first time reading this author, after a colleague had been singing her praises. So when I saw vampires and werewolves I had to try it and I was not disappointed. There was something wonderfully immersive and layered about the way the story is told. I couldn’t put it down and loved every second.