Reviews tagging 'Cursing'

Bride by Ali Hazelwood

81 reviews

hanreads__'s review

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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

For my first Ali Hazelwood book, I am not disappointed. I can see clearly as to why so many readers love her writing, and I am going to happily join the on the Ali Hazelwood express!

This is the first time I have read a story focusing on vampires and werewolves in a novel format, before I have only ever read them on an interactive app. While a lot was confusing at first, it is something that I have turned out to really enjoy and would happily read more of in the future.

At first, I felt that the story was okay, but it was fairly slow and as though the characters lacked chemistry between them. I understood why the marriage took place, but at the same time, I felt that the marriage was going to be a track wreck. Despite the lack of chemistry, I did guess early on about why Lowe felt a certain way about Misery’s scene, but then proceeded to be confused and intrigued when it was believed he had another mate.

I think something that made the chemistry more clear between Lowe and Misery was Ana. Ana is an absolute sweetheart and I love that she played such a big part in the story, even if her scenes were somewhat limited. You got to see a vampire start to care for someone you’d never expect her to care for, and you got to see this sweet side to Lowe that personally had me slowly falling for him.

With the story progressing and my knowledge growing, I was starting to get into things. I was constantly having questions come to the forefront of my mind while coming up with silly little theories around Serena’s disappeared (yes I got them wrong like usual).

Then came the plot twist! Boy, was I angry! I feel that SOME of the plot twist could come across pointless to some readers but I think all of it was really thought out, and it became hard to know who to trust. Needless to say, the outcome of the plot twist had me 🥺🥺 and super happy. It’s a shame that it did leave a little plot hole for me though in terms of a certain someone!

The first sex scene was a little weird to me, but now I understand it, and as they began to happen more, I was down for them. They were unique to me but I do feel that the whole “knotting” thing could’ve been made a little clearer (especially to those who are new to these kind of books). Truth be told, it makes me desperate to know what’s next for Lowe and Misery as they navigate this life that isn’t known to be normal within their worlds.

Finally, the ending better mean we get another book otherwise I will steal Ali’s laptop and break it, because I need another book. Especially if we can get another werewolf like Lowe, yum!
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kyriannaj's review

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funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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garbage_mcsmutly's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

4.5

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filipa_maia's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I was not expecting to like this book as much as I did. But between the very funny female character, the very cute little sister, and the big bad wolf, this was the only book I kept reading.

I love Misery, I connected with her instantly, I loved the way she, slowly but steadily, softened herself allowing others to get in. I love Lowe. He simply left everything behind to take care of others and put everything and everyone first. They definitely deserve each other.

The overall plot was really good, I love the development of all the different characters throughout the story.

Now, for the really bad things:
* Terrible cover. Ugly.
* The sex scenes: wtf? why? Ok, you can defend that she really needed to explain how things work. Sure. But one time was enough. We don't need to read (in full detail) every single time they have sex. We get it, they are hot and have a lot a sex. There are ways of describing sex scenes that are tasteful and well written. If I know this, Ali Hazelwood definitely knows this. She just choose to ignore them. 
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lizzie_b99's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I didn't like this as much as Hazelwood's last book, but it has lots of great elements in it, but I wanted more depth in some places. It's stated repeatedly that there is extreme animosity between the Humans, Weres, and Vampyres, but where does the blood from the blood banks that Vampyres use come from? Does part of the arrangement between the Vampyres and Humans involve giving some of the blood that would have gone to medical care to Vampyres? Misery and all Vampyres rely on these blood banks for their survival, but how they're operated is never really spelled out in as much detail as I would have liked. 

Part of the epilogue was likely intended to open up the chance for a sequel to this novel, but I wished for more of a conclusion for the main story. The epilogue could have included
Lowe marking Misery and the customs around it; what punishment Lowe and Owen gave Owen/Misery's father and whether Misery ever finds out about it; what happens to the politician who conspired with the father; what the future holds for Serena and Ana and people like them; what Owen does in the early days of his leadership; if Serena finds her parents, etc.
. I get wanting to show that there's the possibility for a sequel, but I felt like there were multiple threads of the novel that needed to be tied up. The discussion about
Serena's background
was a bit confusing too since it sounded like
Misery's father was saying that Ana's parents were Serena's


I really enjoyed the epigraphs at the beginning of each chapter that gave some insight into Lowe's thoughts. Those were definitely some of my favourite passages of the novel. I did enjoy the romance of the novel, but the depth of feelings seemed to develop too quickly for people who have just met.
I know the mate thing invalidates that to some extent, but still, it seemed to be a bit fast, especially since they didn't spend that much time with each other at first. I think the 3rd act breakup speech also needed some work
. I did enjoy this take on Weres and Vampyres and there interactions with Humans, but I felt like some more background info and the Epilogue needed some more work. This is Hazelwood's first novel in this genre, so I'm excited to see how her writing in it develops if she continues in it!
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bookameme's review

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adventurous dark emotional funny tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I Loved Misery 


Quote:📖
I have no friends on the left and only enemies on the right, so I ground myself and look straight ahead at my husband.

Thoughts:💡
Okay, I’ll be honest, I don’t know why I haven’t tried an Ali Hazelwood story sooner because she’s AMAZING! Seriously, this book was crazy good, I mean Berkley published it so I shouldn’t be surprised, but still! I loved it! 
Misery is such a sarcastic and self deprecating character with a propensity to bounce back from difficult things. She’s honestly inspiring and lovable. She’s basically the tall, dark, and snarky sidekick every girl falls in love with in a 20 something female body.
Lowe… is… well… the more typical male lead in a romance novel. Super tall, overly handsome, super buff and masculine, with a sweet side, who’s incredibly accomplished and wealthy with hidden talents and an impressive 🐓. And I want to make fun of this story because of it… but it’s just too good for that. I’ll allow for his All American (shifter) persona because Misery provides a hefty dose of morally gray. What can I say, I just love her. 🤷🏻‍♀️
The plot was seriously perfect. There were bits of mystery, political intrigue, found family, and romance. It was all really well balanced and pieced together to make a fascinating story. (I powered through this book in less than 24 hours.) If you haven’t pieced it together yet, I seriously love these characters. There were detailed back stories and motivations for everyone that inspired a wealth of emotions from sadness and heartbreak, to laughter and happiness, and even a bit of stimulating thrill. It was plot heavy but the latter half had a heafty dose of smut and even some knotting.
Narration for this one was a bit different. It’s technically a dual narration with both a male and female lead, but the male lead only read the chapter headers and epilogue which was fitting because they’re the only bits in the story that were from Lowe’s POV. Which I honestly don’t have a problem with because Thérèse is a wonderful narrator. I loved her voice and her storytelling capabilities were captivating. She had the perfect inflections for each moment and her volume and pace always remained steady. 
In short, I love this book and I can not recommend it enough!

Fun Bits:
⚜️ The Coolest FMC Ever
⚜️ An Adorably Precocious 3-13 Year Old
    (It’s too hard to guess ages) 
⚜️ Knotting!
⚜️ Found Family & Pack Dynamics
⚜️ Hilarious Banter

✨This is a standalone but the epilogue has a teaser/ cliffhanger that strongly suggests there will be more books in this world that focus on other couples.

Full Content Warning:⚠️
Violence, Blood, Gore, & Kidnapping 

Stats:📊
🌶️🌶️🌶️
Characters: 💙💙💙💙💙💙
Audio: 🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧
Narrators: 🎙️🎙️🎙️🎙️🎙️
PNR: shifter vampire romance, arranged marriage, close proximity, enemies to lovers, found family, fated mates📕
Mostly First Person, Present Tense, FMC POV
(Chapter headers & epilogue are Third Person, Past Tense, MMC POV)
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madamenovelist's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

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angeareads's review

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funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Ali can't write a bad book. I will consume them all happily with my stupid grabby hands.

Was this goofy and cheesy? Absolutely. If you are, for some reason, expecting a more serious level of paranormal romance, this isn't for you. It's absolutely a paranormal romcom and it was cute and sweet and fun and still, somehow, a STEM romance—and I am here for that.
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cecurtis89's review

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funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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midnightrose_reads's review

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adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Bride is the first paranormal romance from one of my favorite contemporary romance writers, Ali Hazelwood. A vampire named Misery ‘s friend goes missing and so she agrees to be the ‘Collateral’ in the Werewolves territory in order to find her. This was such a fun read! Funny and sexy!
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