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lighthearted
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
A paranormal Romeo and Juliet?!? Count me in for anything Ali Hazelwood. It was delightful and interesting. Not sure the knotting was needed and the blood stuff made me queasy but the love between characters was really sweet and their chemistry and smut were great. It’s worth a read!
Content Warnings
Minor: Body horror, Death, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I wasn’t sure what to expect from a paranormal romance written by the Queen of contemporary STEM romance, but I had no reason to fear as Hazelwood’s signature brand of humour, chemistry laden romance and endearing characters were all here. So if you’ve loved all of Hazelwood’s other works, you’ll probably gonna enjoy this just as much.
Our protagonist Misery, much like Hazelwood’s other leading ladies was utterly in a quirky, Jess from New Girl kind of way that I couldn’t help but find endearing. Her loneliness and longing to find connection tugged at my heartstrings and I loved the tentative bond we see form between Misery and Lowe (our sexy alpha werewolf and love interest) as they (not so slowly) begin to give in to their mutually growing attraction.
I really enjoyed the banter too, which was incredibly entertaining,though the plot was a little predictable. But it certainly makes up for it in the romance stakes as the sexual tension was OFF THE CHARTS!
The only thing I wasn’t keen on was then the misunderstanding/ conflict that takes place (which I found a little irksome), but the ending (and those gloriously steamy scenes) definitely more than made up for it!
Overall, a fun and deliciously romantic read that Rom-com lovers currently entering their paranormal romance eras, (or anyone who liked Twilight back in the 2010s) should definitely consider checking out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Blood
Moderate: Racial slurs, Kidnapping
Minor: Death of parent
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I REALLY wanted to love this book. "Paranormal romance? Werewolves and vampires? Count me in!" Is what I said before I picked up the book. Had I known it would be in a contemporary setting and that the pacing would be all over the place, I wouldn’t’ve picked it up. I liked the development of Misery and Lowe's relationship, but the rest of the book was simultaneously too fast and too slow for me. Prepare yourself for long chapters with this one, if that's not your thing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Blood
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Blood, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence
Moderate: Blood
funny
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
I was knot expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did!
Bride is a fast-paced paranormal romantasy with the perfect balance of worldbuilding, mystery, humor, and spice. I really enjoyed the writing style as well as the cast of characters (and their banter) who all showed major growth by the end. While this was an extremely predictable story, it was altogether fun and easy-to-read!
Bride is a fast-paced paranormal romantasy with the perfect balance of worldbuilding, mystery, humor, and spice. I really enjoyed the writing style as well as the cast of characters (and their banter) who all showed major growth by the end. While this was an extremely predictable story, it was altogether fun and easy-to-read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Xenophobia, Blood, Abandonment
Moderate: Confinement, Violence, Kidnapping, War
Minor: Death of parent, Classism
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Blood
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Torture, Death of parent
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I liked this book, even though it's not my usual literature, especially not my usual romance literature.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Blood
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Death of parent
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, Blood
Minor: Death, Death of parent, Abandonment
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I really liked the premise of this book, but I feel like the execution fell short. The couple don't interact much for a good chunk of the book. I don't feel like we ever got to know much about Lowe, and I thought he was kind of boring. I wish he had some more personality and character development, but he spends much of the first part of the book avoiding Misery (the female main character). I couldn't really buy that they loved each other because it felt like they hardly knew each other.
I found Lowe's sister, Ana, to be annoying, and I thought the trouble she had with simple words seemed unrealistic for a 7 year old. It's possible the narrator's voice for Ana made a difference here as while I don't love kids in romance books, I usually don't find them this annoying. It also felt manipulative, like it was added in as a way to show that we should like Misery because she is good with this kid.
I also didn't like that Misery had been told by her friend that she doesn't care about anything except that friend. Misery growing to care for Lowe and Ana is presented as a fix to this perceived problem. It felt like it was implying that caring for your friends isn't good enough, that you also have to be a wife and mother to be a worthy and happy person. This is especially strange because I thought one of the stronger points of the book was when describing the mating bond, Lowe says that mate relationships aren't more valid or important than non-mate relationships, and it's just a different type of connection. Implying it's wrong to care so much about a friend seems to contradict that message. Also, I think characterizing Misery as only caring about this one friend is false. From the very beginning, she is putting the needs of all vampyres in front of her own wants, so clearly she cares about preventing a war. She also had a job she really liked.
I liked that the book avoided the possessiveness that is usually present with the fated mates trope. Lowe says he just wants his mate to be happy, even if it's with someone else. There were also some little things that Lowe does that show he is listening to Misery and cares about her that I thought were really sweet. I also appreciated that there is no message that one should forgive toxic family members just because "they're family."
The main thing that brought my enjoyment of this book way down was the unecessary and cruel third act breakup.Literally right after sleeping with her for the first time (which was also her first time), Lowe tells Misery she means nothing to him and uses her insecurities and trauma against her in order to sell the lie. If he thought he would need to break up with her to protect her, maybe he should have done that before sleeping with her instead of hitting it and quitting it. It's also patronizing to think that she needs to be protected from making her own decisions. We don't even get a good grovel. Lowe doesn't talk to Misery for a couple weeks. She has to eventually go find him. He doesn't really apologize for hurting her, just explains why he was right to push her away. She immediately forgives him, and they decide to be together forever with no need to take any time to rebuild trust. I just thought this was so awful of Lowe and since he didn't seem sorry, I don't believe he won't do something like this in the future. I wanted Misery to leave him and find someone who actually respects her. I shouldn't be rooting against the couple in a romance novel.
I found Lowe's sister, Ana, to be annoying, and I thought the trouble she had with simple words seemed unrealistic for a 7 year old. It's possible the narrator's voice for Ana made a difference here as while I don't love kids in romance books, I usually don't find them this annoying. It also felt manipulative, like it was added in as a way to show that we should like Misery because she is good with this kid.
I also didn't like that Misery had been told by her friend that she doesn't care about anything except that friend. Misery growing to care for Lowe and Ana is presented as a fix to this perceived problem. It felt like it was implying that caring for your friends isn't good enough, that you also have to be a wife and mother to be a worthy and happy person. This is especially strange because I thought one of the stronger points of the book was when describing the mating bond, Lowe says that mate relationships aren't more valid or important than non-mate relationships, and it's just a different type of connection. Implying it's wrong to care so much about a friend seems to contradict that message. Also, I think characterizing Misery as only caring about this one friend is false. From the very beginning, she is putting the needs of all vampyres in front of her own wants, so clearly she cares about preventing a war. She also had a job she really liked.
I liked that the book avoided the possessiveness that is usually present with the fated mates trope. Lowe says he just wants his mate to be happy, even if it's with someone else. There were also some little things that Lowe does that show he is listening to Misery and cares about her that I thought were really sweet. I also appreciated that there is no message that one should forgive toxic family members just because "they're family."
The main thing that brought my enjoyment of this book way down was the unecessary and cruel third act breakup.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Sexual content, Blood, Kidnapping
Moderate: Gore, Violence, Medical content, Abandonment