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niamhstorme's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Grief, Kidnapping, Blood, Emotional abuse, and Medical content
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
madalynn_owens's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
“Then I need to eat you out, it’s a were thing”
The audiobook narrator for this is amazing! I think it makes sense that omegaverse is coming out of fan fic after the popularity of all the fae romances that include mates, scenting, possessiveness, etc. This is a fun addition to the typical Ali Hazelwood book, we still get women absolutely owning some STEM knowledge - but this time we get men that have no idea how to either. Some of the typical tropes (hulking dark haired love interest, awkward main character with no friends except one person that she has strange banter with, etc.) are the same from her previous books but fit nicely into this world.
I didn't really enjoy the random flashbacks to unspecified time beforehand, I don't think it really added much to the book. I also had an issue with the multiple instances of a huge cliffhanger chapter ending, then the next chapter starting without addressing the ending of the previous - until about halfway through. I think Lo's "alpha behavior" went a bit too controlling/authoritative, there's a surprising amount of gaslighting or him just shutting down the conversation with one word answers from him (or none at all).
This was a fun foray into omegaverse but wasn't really my favorite.
The audiobook narrator for this is amazing! I think it makes sense that omegaverse is coming out of fan fic after the popularity of all the fae romances that include mates, scenting, possessiveness, etc. This is a fun addition to the typical Ali Hazelwood book, we still get women absolutely owning some STEM knowledge - but this time we get men that have no idea how to either. Some of the typical tropes (hulking dark haired love interest, awkward main character with no friends except one person that she has strange banter with, etc.) are the same from her previous books but fit nicely into this world.
I didn't really enjoy the random flashbacks to unspecified time beforehand, I don't think it really added much to the book. I also had an issue with the multiple instances of a huge cliffhanger chapter ending, then the next chapter starting without addressing the ending of the previous - until about halfway through. I think Lo's "alpha behavior" went a bit too controlling/authoritative, there's a surprising amount of gaslighting or him just shutting down the conversation with one word answers from him (or none at all).
This was a fun foray into omegaverse but wasn't really my favorite.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Cursing, Death of parent, Confinement, Medical content, Kidnapping, Murder, and Misogyny
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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