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theverycraftyvegan's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-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
5/5 for this paranormal romance from Ali Hazelwood!
I absolutely loved Misery. She’s dark and sarcastic and had me howling like a wolf multiple times. Lowe’s level of mystery and broodyness was perfect.
The spice was spicy and the plot sucked me in like a vampire sucks on a vein.
I wish the climax had been more descriptive. Misery’s father monologued forever—which helped Misery and readers understand absolutely everything—but what could have been an epic scene was glossed over in two sentences. I wish there had been more.
The ending was left open for a second book and I hope Hazelwood makes this into a series!!!
I absolutely loved Misery. She’s dark and sarcastic and had me howling like a wolf multiple times. Lowe’s level of mystery and broodyness was perfect.
The spice was spicy and the plot sucked me in like a vampire sucks on a vein.
I wish the climax had been more descriptive. Misery’s father monologued forever—which helped Misery and readers understand absolutely everything—but what could have been an epic scene was glossed over in two sentences. I wish there had been more.
The ending was left open for a second book and I hope Hazelwood makes this into a series!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Confinement, Death, Blood, and Cursing
Moderate: Gore, Murder, Torture, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Death, and Gaslighting
Minor: War, Car accident, and Death of parent
nerd_kind's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Racism, Violence, Death of parent, Classism, Confinement, Blood, War, and Kidnapping
Minor: Classism, Gaslighting, Torture, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Car accident, Vomit, Abandonment, and Grief
zydecovivo's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.75
This book is one I saw on TikTok in a video discussing fan fiction’s effect on the modern publishing industry. Ali Hazelwood is an author known for getting her start in Star Wars Reylo fan fiction. This book in particular discusses knotting (NOTE: this is something explicit and should not be looked into by readers under 18), which is new in a traditionally published romance but is definitely not new in fandom spaces. These were really the only 2 things I knew about the book before putting it on my TBR. I was curious to see what it was about.
In this universe, werewolves and vampyres exist and are known by humans, but the two species have been enemies for a long time. Our main character is named Mercy, a vampyre, and she has been used all of her life as collateral to keep the peace between humans and vampyres. Now, she is forced to marry the new Alpha of the werewolf pack across the river to create a flimsy alliance between the two groups. It is important to note that vampyres and werewolves work a bit differently than our classical concepts of them, but it is explained well at the beginning of the book.
This general premise is not groundbreaking and I think the overall plot, even the big reveals at the end, is predictable. However, I love Mercy and Lowe (the male love interest). I like them both individually and together as a unit. Their personalities and motivations feel very fleshed out and I enjoy watching their story (as predictable as it is). These two make the story worth reading and why the book deserves high ratings (5 stars? No. But more than 4). Mercy gets to learn what it’s like to be part of a loving family and Lowe learns how to be a little selfish because he deserves it. *chef’s kiss*
I do still have some nitpicking to do. Due to Mercy essentially being raised in the human world, she has very little knowledge of vampyres and no knowledge of werewolves due to historical animosity. This fact is a little overexploited (in my opinion) to show the reader the mechanics of this world. Additionally, the knot thing does not become relevant until the very end of the book. Experienced fan fiction readers, as well as regular paranormal romance readers, will probably find the spicy scenes somewhat tame.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. I lost some sleep on a work night in order to finish it in one sitting, so be prepared. It may be a bit overhyped on BookTok, but I think it still deserves hype and praise.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Kidnapping, Sexual content, Blood, and Cursing
Moderate: Death, Stalking, Torture, Vomit, Murder, and Death of parent
Minor: Domestic abuse
lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I have been following Ali Hazelwood for a few years and had to pick up her latest work.
"Bride" follows Misery Lark, the daughter of a very powerful Vampyre councilman. Misery has long ago run away from her father and the world he tries to control, but when her best friend goes missing and the only clue she has leads her to the Werewolfs, she finds herself following her father's request and marrying the Alpha Werewolf, Lowe Moreland. A Vampyre in a Werewolf world is dangerous, but Misery will stop at nothing to figure out what really happened. Hopefully, she can learn to like her new husband along the way...
I did not think I was a big fan of paranormal romance, but this captivated me in a way I was not expecting. The tension between Misery and Lowe because they were different species only added to the heat between them because they are somewhat enemies.
Misery was the perfect blend of strong, self-assured woman, and snarky, attitude-riddled girl. I think most people would not accept the situation Misery was thrown into with such grace, and she certainly did not. But she knew how to handle herself and she gave the Werewolfs hell when they treated her poorly.
Misery and Lowe were such the perfect blend of a couple. They both really do not know much about each other, and their dislike for one another all stems from how they think they are supposed to react. Despite the circumstances, Lowe is fairly inviting of Misery into his home, and he treats her with a level of respect that was beautiful to see. I really loved seeing them thaw out towards one another and slowly realize they have so much more in common than they thought.
The mystery behind what happened to Misery's friend and the political tension between the Vampyres, Werewolfs, and humans were all interesting and helped to keep the story moving along, but I did not feel like it overshadowed the romance. I definitely think this book is first and foremost a romance, and anything else occurring in the background is a subplot point created to help move the romance along in a higher stakes way. I do think the political tensions could be a really interesting story to explore all on their own, if Ali Hazelwood ever wanted to explore that without the romance taking up the majority of the plot.
If you enjoy paranormal romance, I definitely recommend this one, and I am excited to continue to read from Ali Hazelwood in the future.
"Bride" follows Misery Lark, the daughter of a very powerful Vampyre councilman. Misery has long ago run away from her father and the world he tries to control, but when her best friend goes missing and the only clue she has leads her to the Werewolfs, she finds herself following her father's request and marrying the Alpha Werewolf, Lowe Moreland. A Vampyre in a Werewolf world is dangerous, but Misery will stop at nothing to figure out what really happened. Hopefully, she can learn to like her new husband along the way...
I did not think I was a big fan of paranormal romance, but this captivated me in a way I was not expecting. The tension between Misery and Lowe because they were different species only added to the heat between them because they are somewhat enemies.
Misery was the perfect blend of strong, self-assured woman, and snarky, attitude-riddled girl. I think most people would not accept the situation Misery was thrown into with such grace, and she certainly did not. But she knew how to handle herself and she gave the Werewolfs hell when they treated her poorly.
Misery and Lowe were such the perfect blend of a couple. They both really do not know much about each other, and their dislike for one another all stems from how they think they are supposed to react. Despite the circumstances, Lowe is fairly inviting of Misery into his home, and he treats her with a level of respect that was beautiful to see. I really loved seeing them thaw out towards one another and slowly realize they have so much more in common than they thought.
The mystery behind what happened to Misery's friend and the political tension between the Vampyres, Werewolfs, and humans were all interesting and helped to keep the story moving along, but I did not feel like it overshadowed the romance. I definitely think this book is first and foremost a romance, and anything else occurring in the background is a subplot point created to help move the romance along in a higher stakes way. I do think the political tensions could be a really interesting story to explore all on their own, if Ali Hazelwood ever wanted to explore that without the romance taking up the majority of the plot.
If you enjoy paranormal romance, I definitely recommend this one, and I am excited to continue to read from Ali Hazelwood in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Torture
samantical's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A very quick read, fun vibes so even though despite all the trigger warnings it’s a light read. Also it’s not omegaverse, just regular old werewolf knotting which pleased me in my reclusive fandomy heart because I do not want that trope to go public! Some bits were predictable, but overall a good read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Violence, Kidnapping, Abandonment, Body horror, Sexual content, Mental illness, Death of parent, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Eating disorder, Torture, and Car accident
mzquirk's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, and Cursing
Moderate: Bullying, Grief, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Death of parent, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, and Confinement
Minor: Child death, War, Torture, and Murder
things100's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-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
As always Ali hazelwood delivered another amazing book and even though this was a different genre then her normal rom com she did a terrific job with the story, the twists and turns had me on the edge of my seat the entire time
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Alcohol, Blood, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Torture
Minor: Kidnapping and War
goldenleafbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
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? No
5.0
I could not put this book down. I absolutely adored the characters. Misery being naive to Lowe's feelings was truly believable, which is something that I feel like a lot of authors struggle to pull off.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, Confinement, Blood, War, Xenophobia, Torture, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Cursing, Colonisation, Classism, Bullying, and Abandonment
Moderate: Medical content and Gaslighting
toriwatson's review
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, and Sexual content
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Torture and Death of parent
kwthor's review against another edition
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Toxic relationship, and Sexual content
Moderate: Kidnapping and Blood
Minor: Torture