Staff Writer: Kimberly
Published Date: February 6, 2024
Number of pages:416
Format (physical book/e-book/audiobook): I read the e-Book, the library has all 3 formats
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Romance, Fantasy
Tags: Romantasy, Vampires, Werewolves, Paranormal, Enemies to Lovers, Spicy, Adult Fiction
Cardigan rating: 3.5 / 5
The theme for this month was “New Year, New Me” and we were all supposed to read a genre that we wouldn’t normally read. I have never read a book by author Ali Hazelwood before, nor had I heard of her. I also don’t typically like paranormal anything, and I’m not into “spicy” books. No judgement whatsoever! I’m happy that spicy books exist for those that love them, and judging from the latest trends, there are plenty of you out there, but I personally tend to skip over those scenes so that I can get back to the story. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started this book, but I was pleasantly surprised- at first.
Bride is an enemies-to-lovers, marriage-of-convenience story between Misery Lark, a Vampyre outcast, and Lowe Moreland, the Alpha of a powerful Werewolf pack. I liked and sympathized with our main character Misery, who made big sacrifices as a young girl for the betterment of Vampyres as a species. Now an adult, she doesn’t feel like she belongs anywhere and lives in secret amongst the humans. I also liked Lowe, the Alpha male, who would have been a studious architect in another life if he wasn’t called to give it all up to thwart an uprising and takeover as leader of his clan. In a plan to create an alliance that will keep the peace between Vampyres, Werewolves, and humans, Misery and Lowe take part in an arranged marriage.
The book is strong in the first half. The peace between the humans, vampyre and werewolf clans is fragile at best. There are human politics involved, family infighting within the packs and councils, and hints of betrayal. Misery’s best friend, who was raised as her sister, has also gone missing, so she is on a personal mission to find her and figure out how, or if, that is tied into all the rest of the issues going on.
Unfortunately, the second half of the book takes a huge downturn because of Misery and Lowe’s relationship. First, it’s a trope we’ve all read before - they are absolutely crazy about each other, but dwell on reasons why they can’t be together. More than that, though, I was absolutely cringing at the spicy scenes in this book - they were awkward, overly detailed, and pulled me entirely out of the story. I was actually embarrassed, specifically at the author’s use of one word in particular. I don’t want to spoil anything, it’s not even a bad word, it’s just used in a way that made my insides shrivel up. One Goodreads reviewer said they were traumatized by the author’s use of the word, which made me laugh, but also I agree. The shift from the overall plotline into the “romance” was disappointing because there is so much potential. Also because I think it could have been handled in a way that still allowed the story to shine, such as in other (better) romantasy series like Twilight or Fourth Wing. Granted, there are many people who probably want to read it specifically for those scenes, and blessings to you. It just wasn’t for me. Having said that, I’ll probably read book two, Mate, and if a movie ever gets made, I’d watch it.