Book Review: Bride by Ali Hazelwood

Bride by Ali Hazelwood

 Quote:

"But at times, there are decisions that feel right, deep in the marrow of my bones. You are one of them"

Blurb:  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 an historic peacekeeping alliance between the Vampyres and their mortal enemies, the Weres, and 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 wit 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.

Book Tropes: 

• Marriage of convenience
• Forced Proximity
• Paranormal Romance
• Enemies to lovers
• Vampire wife & werewolf husband
• Found Family
• Fated Mates

My Personal Views:  The book Bride started off beautifully, with Misery, our female protagonist, showing that beneath her tough exterior lies a sensitive heart—a character trait I'm a total sucker for. The marriage of convenience trope was working well too, setting up a promising story.

But then came the part where they actually fell in love, and things took a nosedive. Some moments were so cringeworthy they were hard to get through. What bothered me most, though, was the male lead, Lowe. His stubborn denial of their bond and his absurd reasons for not being honest with Misery were frustrating. He started off cool but ended up coming across as clueless, especially when he couldn't see that she was in love with him, despite her practically shouting it at him multiple times. It was exasperating.

While the writing was good and the plot had potential, I couldn't overlook the strange disappearance of Ana, a character whose importance was heavily emphasized in the first half but then practically vanished in the second. This inconsistency was jarring.

Although the book had a strong start, by the end, it felt like just another Wattpad read. The cringey moments and some of Hazelwood's writing choices left me disappointed. 

I do have another Ali Hazelwood book on my physical TBR, and I’m hoping it will offer a better reading experience. 

Ratings: ⭐⭐⭐/ 5