A review by amateur_bookworm
Bride by Ali Hazelwood

dark funny lighthearted 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? No

4.25

My summary: Misery Lark is a vampyre and daughter of the head councilman, which is how she finds herself at the altar for an arranged marriage to a werewolf that she’s never met. Lowe Moreland is an Alpha werewolf willing to enter this marriage as a symbol of peace between their species after centuries of war and distrust. Misery, having been mostly estranged from her family and vampyres almost her entire life, had been living amongst the humans and trying to blend in—until her best friend disappears. With ulterior motives, she agrees to the marriage. As Lowe and Misery unexpectedly fall for each other, true love can’t be possible between species—right? 

My thoughts: 

I read this book in February 2024 and it was a five-star read for me then. It’s delightfully witty and that comes across well in the audiobook. I did overall really enjoy it, I just didn’t enjoy the audiobook *as much* as I enjoyed reading it. 

The story had a totally different vibe for me while listening to the audiobook than it gave me while reading the book. I’m not sure if it was because the female narrator that just didn’t sound the way I imagined Misery to sound. Or if the intonation of the narrator didn’t match how it sounded in my head while I read it. Either way, I’m rating here purely off of vibes and listening to it was just a bit off for me compared to how reading it made me feel. But either format you go with, I think this is still a great read or listen. 

If you enjoy contemporary romance then don’t let the vampire/werewolf aspect deter you from this one. I’m not big on any paranormal romances, but the love story here trumped that aspect and I think it was a fun twist on a forced marriage trope. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings