When Ali Hazelwood announced her new paranormal romance novel, Bride, I was sceptical. I’m a big fan of her contemporary romance works and wondered how she would make the switch. But, as is the case with everything I read by this author, I was pleasantly surprised.
I didn’t think I would enjoy a book about vampires and werewolves again, but here I am, in the year 2024, and I am obsessed. Sure, the story follows pretty much the same recipe as all her other books, and no, Hazelwood doesn’t have the most eloquent pros, but that doesn’t make Bride any less enjoyable.
Instagram | @alihazelwood
Summary
The Goodreads summary reads –
“Misery Lark, the only daughter of the most powerful Vampyre councilman of the Southwest, is an outcast—again. Her days of living in anonymity among the Humans are over: she has been called upon to uphold a historic peacekeeping alliance between the Vampyres and their mortal enemies, the Weres, and she sees little choice but to surrender herself in the exchange—again…
Weres are ruthless and unpredictable, and their Alpha, Lowe Moreland, is no exception. He rules his pack with absolute authority, but not without justice. And, unlike the Vampyre Council, not without feeling. It’s clear from the way he tracks Misery’s every movement that he doesn’t trust her. If only he knew how right he was….
Because Misery has her own reasons to agree to this marriage of convenience, reasons that have nothing to do with politics or alliances, and everything to do with the only thing she’s ever cared about. And she is willing to do whatever it takes to get back what’s hers, even if it means a life alone in Were territory…alone with the wolf.”
Supplied | Jade McGee
My thoughts:
I loved this book, but, to be entirely honest, it’s not going to be for everyone. There’s a hint of the Omegaverse, which I still have very little understanding of, and while it doesn’t make any impact on the storyline, some knowledge is needed to visualise certain aspects of a few… spicy scenes.
Other than that though, I found that Hazelwood crafted the world brilliantly. Off the bat, the author thrusts into a new city, with major political players, and yet you don’t feel like you’re being hit with a wall of information. Part of that is due to the simplicity of the language she uses, but it also makes it easy to follow and visualise.
Now, onto our main character, Misery Lark. Like most of Hazelwood’s female protagonists, Misery is a witty, no-nonsense feminist icon with a career in STEM – this time as a coder. Despite having had a relatively miserable life (sorry I couldn’t help it), she doesn’t wallow and takes matters into her own hands.
Her relationship with her love interest Lowe is fun and witty. The epigraphs before each chapter from his Point of View are a stellar touch that helps build the tension between the two. The tagline for Bride states that it’s an enemies-to-lovers, but I don’t really see it as such.
Supplied | Jade McGee
To me, it’s more of a reluctant pairing because their species are “enemies.” There’s no hate or animosity between Misery and Lowe, just, perceived indifference which quickly blossoms into friendship, and then a full-blown relationship. However, some of the spicy scene dialogue was cringe in the worst possible way.
The plot was relatively predictable. As I said, it follows the same recipe as all of Hazelwood’s other novels, and it might not be the perfect read for seasoned paranormal romance readers. Despite this, it was a great palate cleanser after A House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas.
Overall
Bride is a fun read, if you can look past some of the cringe aspects and enjoy it for what it is: a laid-back, simple, and funny paranormal / fantasy romance that makes for the perfect palette cleanser between intense books.
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Featured Image: Supplied | Jade McGee
