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soniajoy98's review
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Abandonment, Murder, Blood, and Cursing
Moderate: Confinement, Gore, and Kidnapping
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Death of parent
aepompu's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
What does Ali Hazelwood put in her books?! Usually I don’t love single POV, but the way she wove in snippets of Lowe’s POV was genius, and the reader almost has an omniscient POV while still having certain important plot points obscured. It’s incredible.
I looooooved this book. I loved everything about it. I absolutely devoured it in less than 24 hours. My personal and professional life suffered because I could not put it down.
Also, thanks to Ali Hazelwood for finally writing knotting in a way that laypersons (and those who didn’t grow up on AO3 or Wattpad) can understand. I’ve read a few omegaverse books with knotting and always been a little confused, but this book managed to make it understandable and incredibly sexy.
Please, pretty please, read this book.
🌶️🌶️/5
I looooooved this book. I loved everything about it. I absolutely devoured it in less than 24 hours. My personal and professional life suffered because I could not put it down.
Also, thanks to Ali Hazelwood for finally writing knotting in a way that laypersons (and those who didn’t grow up on AO3 or Wattpad) can understand. I’ve read a few omegaverse books with knotting and always been a little confused, but this book managed to make it understandable and incredibly sexy.
Please, pretty please, read this book.
🌶️🌶️/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Cursing and Confinement
Minor: Kidnapping, Self harm, Car accident, and Death of parent
sophie19611's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I really enjoyed the humor in this book. I liked that there was less of a miscommunication trope than Hazelwood’s books tend to have. I mean there was still some but usually that’s the entire plot of their relationship and in this one the conflict was more about the plot and familial conflict which I vastly preferred. More of an Us Against the World vibe.
Also oof this was my first dive into Were romance hahaha that was a TRIP
Also oof this was my first dive into Were romance hahaha that was a TRIP
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Gore, and Confinement
tabea1409's review
adventurous
tense
fast-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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Death, Murder, Gore, Classism, Abandonment, Blood, Death of parent, War, and Cursing
booking_along's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
a very slow build up to the actual story and plot as well as the romance.
some things where just utterly strange in this story that i couldn’t get used to no matter how often it was mentioned: the green or violet blood or that the werewolves blush green? didn’t get used to that at all.
this book felt like a dragged out introduction -to a world, to side characters that will get their own main story…. it didn’t feel like its own individual story that just finished in itself what it wanted to tell but very much like a start to something.
can’t say i am a huge fan of that overall.
also a lot of the things about this world don’t really make a lot of sense to me.
for example of little werewolves and vampires know about each other. it felt like a very forced way to give background into this specific world that Hazelwood build to have the wolves and the vampire basically quiz each other on what’s a myth and what’s real about their behavior and ways -aka asking the vampire if they mind garlic or asking the werewolf if they… i don’t know smell each others butts during the full moon.
while Misery’s and Lowe’s marriage is the first in a few years it is not the first overall so why is there so little known about the other.
also if it’s really your huge enemy shouldn’t you know what can actually hurt them or is just myth and hearsay?
would make more sense if they knew more about each other instead of spending 3/4s of this book being introduced to each other as different species in a world that only separates them by a small river.
i didn’t love the main characters?
lowe was okay but we honestly got very little from him since basically the entire book was told from Misery’s point of view and i didn’t really enjoy her.
i don’t know if it was this forced writing of how unfeeling and uncaring she was supposed to be and clearly wasn’t that at all.
or how she was so unsure about her worth … well anywhere at all, or that she always seems to expect everyone to think the worst of me about her without any actual prove for that?
look i am one of the most self crippling people out there - if i can find something i think someone will dislike about me i am 100% sure that they think about that and hate me. no questions necessary how else could it be!
but misery had serena -which their friendship had good moments and ones where i felt like they had an abusive relationship going on while also feeling like those two despise not really having any page time together had more of a romance going on that the one that was supposed to be building between misery and lowe.
anyways… friendship between serena and misery that they grew up with and supported each other through with for most of their lives - and then i am supposed to believe that misery can’t fandom the thought that anybody could like her?
mhm.
so clearly this book had some pretty big flaws.
and it’s one of my least favorites but this author… but it’s not bad.
<b>
this reads like a fanfic that tries to do too many things at once, but the writing style the why the chapters are separated and the story is told? it feels like reading a fanfic that is updated irregularly instead of a complete and published book. </b>
and here me out i love fanfic! i am reading those for 20+ years now and i will cry ugly you tears if for some reason that could be taking away from me at any time. fanfics are fantastic and some of those are better than a good amount of books i have read in the same time span i read fanfics for! so i am not putting fanfics down.
but some story’s feel a bit disjointed between chapters and feel like the author -half way through the story- decided to add some new plot elements because why not? and while on AO3 that’s completely okay… in a published book? can’t say i am loving it!
i think this could have been better if there wouldn’t have been so much going on at the same time.
if the focus would have been on the marriage and building the romance, trying to bridge the difference of species and the lack of knowledge there would have been great especially with how the characters where behaving and with the relatives and their behaviors that would have made an entire story and book and would have had a romance focus. m
OR if Hazelwood wanted to do something different with her first fantasy- fine! then do the fantasy mystery of where the heck is the best friend and all the intrigue and backstabbing going on with that.
but mixing it all together? it felt like it all fell short in its own ways.
this book was okay.
in some parts it even was good.
but it wasn’t great and i think it could have been if at any point during the publication process someone would have stepped up and said: you know what? let’s just focus on the species stuff and the romance - or on the mystery and what evolves around that and forget the romance! let’s branch out and have the first fantasy hazelwood writes be NOT a romance focused story!
either in of those would have made the book fantastic .
as it is?
it’s okay.
it’s slow paced, sometimes dragged out and sometimes skipping ahead in ways that made me feel like i missed a few pages or a chapter not because i was missing the plot but because i was questioning the timing and moment of the overall story. the main characters aren’t great and the overall story isn’t as fluent and nice to read as it could and should have been.
i think it’s people that don’t know anything about what alpha can mean could be surprised by this and enjoy it.
and for every Hazelwood stan that can’t let even one book of hers out.
but beside those?
let’s face it there is better fantasy romance and even this kind of interspecies romance out there -especially the ones with alpha relations -just try some fanfics to see what j mean if you need to.
this was a nice try but it didn’t quite reach where it tried to go.
some things where just utterly strange in this story that i couldn’t get used to no matter how often it was mentioned: the green or violet blood or that the werewolves blush green? didn’t get used to that at all.
this book felt like a dragged out introduction -to a world, to side characters that will get their own main story…. it didn’t feel like its own individual story that just finished in itself what it wanted to tell but very much like a start to something.
can’t say i am a huge fan of that overall.
also a lot of the things about this world don’t really make a lot of sense to me.
for example of little werewolves and vampires know about each other. it felt like a very forced way to give background into this specific world that Hazelwood build to have the wolves and the vampire basically quiz each other on what’s a myth and what’s real about their behavior and ways -aka asking the vampire if they mind garlic or asking the werewolf if they… i don’t know smell each others butts during the full moon.
while Misery’s and Lowe’s marriage is the first in a few years it is not the first overall so why is there so little known about the other.
also if it’s really your huge enemy shouldn’t you know what can actually hurt them or is just myth and hearsay?
would make more sense if they knew more about each other instead of spending 3/4s of this book being introduced to each other as different species in a world that only separates them by a small river.
i didn’t love the main characters?
lowe was okay but we honestly got very little from him since basically the entire book was told from Misery’s point of view and i didn’t really enjoy her.
i don’t know if it was this forced writing of how unfeeling and uncaring she was supposed to be and clearly wasn’t that at all.
or how she was so unsure about her worth … well anywhere at all, or that she always seems to expect everyone to think the worst of me about her without any actual prove for that?
look i am one of the most self crippling people out there - if i can find something i think someone will dislike about me i am 100% sure that they think about that and hate me. no questions necessary how else could it be!
but misery had serena -which their friendship had good moments and ones where i felt like they had an abusive relationship going on while also feeling like those two despise not really having any page time together had more of a romance going on that the one that was supposed to be building between misery and lowe.
anyways… friendship between serena and misery that they grew up with and supported each other through with for most of their lives - and then i am supposed to believe that misery can’t fandom the thought that anybody could like her?
mhm.
so clearly this book had some pretty big flaws.
and it’s one of my least favorites but this author… but it’s not bad.
<b>
this reads like a fanfic that tries to do too many things at once, but the writing style the why the chapters are separated and the story is told? it feels like reading a fanfic that is updated irregularly instead of a complete and published book. </b>
and here me out i love fanfic! i am reading those for 20+ years now and i will cry ugly you tears if for some reason that could be taking away from me at any time. fanfics are fantastic and some of those are better than a good amount of books i have read in the same time span i read fanfics for! so i am not putting fanfics down.
but some story’s feel a bit disjointed between chapters and feel like the author -half way through the story- decided to add some new plot elements because why not? and while on AO3 that’s completely okay… in a published book? can’t say i am loving it!
i think this could have been better if there wouldn’t have been so much going on at the same time.
if the focus would have been on the marriage and building the romance, trying to bridge the difference of species and the lack of knowledge there would have been great especially with how the characters where behaving and with the relatives and their behaviors that would have made an entire story and book and would have had a romance focus. m
OR if Hazelwood wanted to do something different with her first fantasy- fine! then do the fantasy mystery of where the heck is the best friend and all the intrigue and backstabbing going on with that.
but mixing it all together? it felt like it all fell short in its own ways.
this book was okay.
in some parts it even was good.
but it wasn’t great and i think it could have been if at any point during the publication process someone would have stepped up and said: you know what? let’s just focus on the species stuff and the romance - or on the mystery and what evolves around that and forget the romance! let’s branch out and have the first fantasy hazelwood writes be NOT a romance focused story!
either in of those would have made the book fantastic .
as it is?
it’s okay.
it’s slow paced, sometimes dragged out and sometimes skipping ahead in ways that made me feel like i missed a few pages or a chapter not because i was missing the plot but because i was questioning the timing and moment of the overall story. the main characters aren’t great and the overall story isn’t as fluent and nice to read as it could and should have been.
i think it’s people that don’t know anything about what alpha can mean could be surprised by this and enjoy it.
and for every Hazelwood stan that can’t let even one book of hers out.
but beside those?
let’s face it there is better fantasy romance and even this kind of interspecies romance out there -especially the ones with alpha relations -just try some fanfics to see what j mean if you need to.
this was a nice try but it didn’t quite reach where it tried to go.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Murder, Sexual content, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Gore, and Blood
chronicallybookish's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
- 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
5.0
Baby’s first OmegaVerse!
So this was… an experience
I can genuinely say I’ve never read anything like this. I’ve kind of always known Omegaverse wouldn’t be for me, and even as tame as this was, this book definitely cemented that fact in my mind—however, it is Ali Hazelwood and everything Ali Hazelwood writes I will surely become obsessed with.
I am so in love with her writing and her characters, and I was curious to see how that would translate into world building. The world in this book is sort of our world, in the sense that cities had the names of cities and they had modern technology and some pop culture references, and yet it was wholly distinct in that the geopolitical atmosphere revolved around interspecies relations, countries didn’t seem to exist the way they do in our world, and of course, Vampyres and Werewolves exist. The worldbuilding was a little muddied in terms of real world vs fictional aspects and the why and how of what was the same or different, however I really enjoyed the politics of the world and how Ali explored the science of Weres and Vampyres.
I also absolutely adored Misery—although it took me ages to get over her name because why would you do that—as a character and narrator. She was voicy, relatable, and far too easy to love. She had so much depth and drive and I felt completely sucked into her head the entire time I was reading. Characters who come off as frosty and closed off but are actually the world’s biggest softies are my personal cryptonite—and seeing her interact with Ana? I was obsessed and read their scenes with a huge smile on my face.
I enjoyed Lowe as a hero, though he didn’t feel quite as strong as the heroes in Love, Theoretically or Check & Mate. Though he was far from a cardboard cut out, I still felt he could have used a little more depth to his character outside of Alpha.
The spice in this book is definitely way beyond anything in any of Ali Hazelwood’s previous books. Not only does it venture into the realm of knotting, but there were a lot more scenes than there have been in any of her prior work. The omegaverse aspects didn’t work for me, but I definitely think that’s a personal preference thing. I have no understanding of the trope (genre?), but I do think this is a pretty mild iteration of it. There are some discussions and semi-vague descriptions of knotting, but nothing more than that. I definitely won’t be picking up any OmegaVerse books in the future—with the exception of anything Ali writes. She will always be the exception.
This book ended in such a way that makes me think that there will be further installments in this world (Ali also confirmed she has another paranormal romance coming in 2025 at her recent Seattle event) and I’m actually really looking forward to it. I really enjoyed this world and these characters and would LOVE to see more of them in the future!
I truly just adore everything this woman writes and I was grinning like a fool and laughing out loud throughout the entire book.
So this was… an experience
I can genuinely say I’ve never read anything like this. I’ve kind of always known Omegaverse wouldn’t be for me, and even as tame as this was, this book definitely cemented that fact in my mind—however, it is Ali Hazelwood and everything Ali Hazelwood writes I will surely become obsessed with.
I am so in love with her writing and her characters, and I was curious to see how that would translate into world building. The world in this book is sort of our world, in the sense that cities had the names of cities and they had modern technology and some pop culture references, and yet it was wholly distinct in that the geopolitical atmosphere revolved around interspecies relations, countries didn’t seem to exist the way they do in our world, and of course, Vampyres and Werewolves exist. The worldbuilding was a little muddied in terms of real world vs fictional aspects and the why and how of what was the same or different, however I really enjoyed the politics of the world and how Ali explored the science of Weres and Vampyres.
I also absolutely adored Misery—although it took me ages to get over her name because why would you do that—as a character and narrator. She was voicy, relatable, and far too easy to love. She had so much depth and drive and I felt completely sucked into her head the entire time I was reading. Characters who come off as frosty and closed off but are actually the world’s biggest softies are my personal cryptonite—and seeing her interact with Ana? I was obsessed and read their scenes with a huge smile on my face.
I enjoyed Lowe as a hero, though he didn’t feel quite as strong as the heroes in Love, Theoretically or Check & Mate. Though he was far from a cardboard cut out, I still felt he could have used a little more depth to his character outside of Alpha.
The spice in this book is definitely way beyond anything in any of Ali Hazelwood’s previous books. Not only does it venture into the realm of knotting, but there were a lot more scenes than there have been in any of her prior work. The omegaverse aspects didn’t work for me, but I definitely think that’s a personal preference thing. I have no understanding of the trope (genre?), but I do think this is a pretty mild iteration of it. There are some discussions and semi-vague descriptions of knotting, but nothing more than that. I definitely won’t be picking up any OmegaVerse books in the future—with the exception of anything Ali writes. She will always be the exception.
This book ended in such a way that makes me think that there will be further installments in this world (Ali also confirmed she has another paranormal romance coming in 2025 at her recent Seattle event) and I’m actually really looking forward to it. I really enjoyed this world and these characters and would LOVE to see more of them in the future!
I truly just adore everything this woman writes and I was grinning like a fool and laughing out loud throughout the entire book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Gore, Violence, Child abuse, Blood, and Emotional abuse
indieandajean's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
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
Bride is, in a word, sensational! Ali Hazelwood's grasp of character and world building is unmatched, and there is no denying her skill in Bride which does not suffer for being her first book in the paranormal romance space.
I had long since given up on vampire novels as a reader (being the right age at the right time for the vampire YA craze of the late 00's and early 10's made me avoid vampires for a time) but Bride doesn't really come across as a vampire novel and it doesn't rely on the paranormal to give depth to the plot. This novel is, at its core, amazing enemies to lovers content with just the right amount of spice.
Lowe is magnetic and Hazelwood's decision to include his perspective in snippets at the start of each chapter not only added to his like-ability, but was a fresh take on the two POV romance. Misery is easy to feel a kinship with and her snappy one-liners and intelligence makes her a fun character to read.
I would highly recommend Bride to Hazelwood fans, and also to those who read paranormal romance.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Berkley for the e-ARC of Bride by Ali Hazelwood in exchange for an honest review!
I had long since given up on vampire novels as a reader (being the right age at the right time for the vampire YA craze of the late 00's and early 10's made me avoid vampires for a time) but Bride doesn't really come across as a vampire novel and it doesn't rely on the paranormal to give depth to the plot. This novel is, at its core, amazing enemies to lovers content with just the right amount of spice.
Lowe is magnetic and Hazelwood's decision to include his perspective in snippets at the start of each chapter not only added to his like-ability, but was a fresh take on the two POV romance. Misery is easy to feel a kinship with and her snappy one-liners and intelligence makes her a fun character to read.
I would highly recommend Bride to Hazelwood fans, and also to those who read paranormal romance.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Berkley for the e-ARC of Bride by Ali Hazelwood in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Blood, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Abandonment, Kidnapping, Medical content, and Confinement
Minor: Racism and Death of parent
meganpbell's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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? Yes
5.0
One thing about me: I’ll devour anything Ali Hazelwood has on offer, and as a sci-fi/fantasy reader, I was enthralled by her debut paranormal romance! Can an arranged marriage turn into fated mates between a lone vampire and her Alpha were husband? This giddily scentsual, deeply knotty romance had me by the throat, all the while licking my chops from a satisfying backdrop of fantasy world building, political intrigue, and mystery. This one’s a feast for loyal fans and a welcome banquet for the new ones Bride is sure to sire!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent, Gore, Abandonment, Body horror, Grief, Murder, Car accident, Confinement, Kidnapping, Medical content, and Violence
kristynpittman's review
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
I've always been a huge Ali H fan, but she has TRULY outdone herself with this one. I am begging on my knees for her to ditch the romcoms and exclusively write paranormal romances.
Bride is the vampire/werewolf marriage of convenience romance we've been craving. Misery agrees to be married off to the Alpha of the Southwest pack. But what no one knows is her true motivation. She teams up with some unlikely allies to solve a mystery that ends up a tangled web of politics and deceit that's decades in the making.
Romantic suspense aside, let's talk about the omegaverse of it all. When I first heard this story was a little 'knotty', I was nervous! BUT Ali Hazelwood worked her magic and left us with just the right amount of wolfyness and less of the A/B/O dynamics that can quickly bog down a more contemporary story like this one.
Bride is the vampire/werewolf marriage of convenience romance we've been craving. Misery agrees to be married off to the Alpha of the Southwest pack. But what no one knows is her true motivation. She teams up with some unlikely allies to solve a mystery that ends up a tangled web of politics and deceit that's decades in the making.
Romantic suspense aside, let's talk about the omegaverse of it all. When I first heard this story was a little 'knotty', I was nervous! BUT Ali Hazelwood worked her magic and left us with just the right amount of wolfyness and less of the A/B/O dynamics that can quickly bog down a more contemporary story like this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Abandonment, Medical content, Sexual content, Body horror, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Gore
Minor: Confinement
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