🍷🍷🍷🍷.5 #Review of Bride by Ali Hazelwood

Title: Bride 

Series: n/a
Author:  Ali Hazelwood
Format: 410 pages, Kindle Edition

Published: February 6, 2024 by Berkley

Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N 
Source: NetGalley

Reviewer: Crystal
Rating:  🍷🍷🍷🍷.5 / 🌶️

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.

Crystal's Thoughts:

"Isn't that what any relationship is in the end? Meeting someone and wanting to be with that person more than with anyone else, and trying to make it work?"

Growing up as collateral in the human territory, vampyre Misery Lark has never felt like she has had a place in this world. Not among the humans or vampyres, and definitely not among the werewolves. But when her best friend and foster sister, Serena, goes missing and the werewolves' alpha is the only clue left behind, Misery agrees to her fathers political scheming and an arranged marriage. After all, what's this marriage but another form of her playing collateral once again? Now she just needs to bide her time and use her hacking skills to find out what happened to Serena. That's if she can stay alive long enough... Misery never expected for the werewolf alpha to be so intriguing though, or for her marriage to him to feel like coming home... 

I was so excited to receive an ARC of Ali Hazelwood’s BRIDE from Berkley! Paranormal romance was my first love with reading and it was such a treat to return to that world with this fun and humorous author! The first half of Bride did move slowly, there was a lot of building of the world around them as well as the character's backstories. However, the classic Ali Hazelwood humor and characters was in full force throughout so that I loved every minute of this tale. It was brimming with mystery and suspense, as well as lough out loud moments. I really enjoyed Lowe's POV as the chapter headers as well. I never 100% understood Lowes reluctance to keep his feelings in the dark but I guess that would have been a short book otherwise. I can't wait to see what this author does next in this sub genre! With hints at a sequel I will be keeping my eyes out for more! 

"She's not like he imagined. She's more, in every possible way."

Trope's You'll Find: 
✔️ Arranged Marriage
✔️Forced Proximity
✔️ Emotionally Stunted FMC
✔️Political Machinations 
✔️Vampires X Weres X Humans
✔️ Knotting
✔️ Loyal BFF's
✔️ Found Family
✔️ Omegaverse
✔️ Slow-Burn
✔️ Little Sister + Cat
✔️ Twilight Vibes
✔️ He Falls First 
✔️ Fated Mates
✔️ Enemies to Lovers