Bride - Ali Hazelwood (#Review)

Date of Reading: 8/3/2024

Author: Ali Hazelwood

Publisher: Berkley

Publication Date: February 6, 2024

Rating: 5/5

About the book:

A dangerous alliance between a Vampyre bride and an Alpha Werewolf becomes a love deep enough to sink your teeth into in this new paranormal romance.

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.

Review:

       If you are considering hosting a book buffet, look no further for a dessert option; this book fits the bill perfectly. I must admit I practically devoured this book within a single day. Looks like, for once the hype is actually real.

       What did I love the most? Oh, that will be quirky dialogues and the slow-burn romance between Misery and Lowe. I love so many things about the book -- love between siblings, techno-savvy heroine, loyal friends and forbidden romance to name a few -- but these two definitely top the list. 

      The plot follows Misery's point of view with each chapter giving a short preview of what goes through Lowe's head at the beginning. I was drawn to Misery right from the start, particularly her ability to find humour even in the most dire situations. Lowe Moreland provides the perfect counterbalance and I loved the way the author included the idea of mates in this paranormal story set in a modern world. 

       The novel does include a mix of everything. It is part mystery, at times romantic and many thrilling scenes keep you at the edge. Only four months into 2024, I could already see this book becoming my favourite of the year. 

Meet the author: 

Ali Hazelwood is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Love, Theoretically and The Love Hypothesis, as well as a writer of peer-reviewed articles about brain science, in which no one makes out and the ever after is not always happy. Originally from Italy, she lived in Germany and Japan before moving to the US to pursue a PhD in neuroscience. When Ali is not at work, she can be found running, eating cake pops, or watching sci-fi movies with her three feline overlords (and her slightly less feline husband).