A review by amy_in_the_city
Bride by Ali Hazelwood

medium-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? It's complicated

2.5

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. 
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