Would the best-selling author of “The Love Hypothesis,” Ali Hazelwood, miss her chance to participate in the romantasy craze? Not at all. From her STEM-focused romances to her new fantasy romance novel “Bride,” Ali shares her own supernatural world-building experience, promising a hell of a ride. If you are looking for the hottest romantasy books, you can find few recommendations in our Top Romantasy Books to Escape the mundane reality.
Her new paranormal romance book is a slow-burn, arranged marriage type of situation, where magical creatures, and sworn enemies come together to form a dangerous alliance. Humans, Vampyres, and Weres are all coexisting in a contemporary setting. A marriage of convenience between a Vampyre and an Alpha Werewolf will spring romance and uncover hidden secrets that will change the dynamic between the species.
This is not your typical Amazon or Goodreads book review/ synopsis, as we will dive deep into the plot, characters, tropes, and themes that entwine the human world with the supernatural. No spoilers will stand in your way, reading through this book summary till the very end.
For our hardcore romantasy fans, you can check our theories in Are Sarah J. Maas’ Books Connected, our analysis of the ACOTAR Characters, or How to Read the Blood and Ash series in Order. Now let’s dive into Ali Hazelwood’s latest bookish gem!
We follow the POV of Misery Lark, the only daughter of the powerful Vampyre councilman, Lark, as she navigates through hard—and some would say miserable—paths in her life. At first, she is the chosen one to be transferred to human territory until her eighteenth birthday as a child collateral. She is called to honor the alliance between the Humans and the Vampyres by attending their school, learning their ways, while a human child would do the same in the Vampyre territory.
Misery forms a strong bond with a girl, living in the same foster home. When they come of age, Serena and Misery will move out, take care of each other, and dream of a life together. Misery wants to forget her life as a Vampyre and tries to blend in with humans. She has a job and a sister she would give her life for.
However, when Serena goes missing, Misery is found in the middle of a twisted turn of events. Her father summons her to his office, after all these years, only to announce that she is obliged to make yet another sacrifice for her people. This time, she needs to strike an alliance with the Weres. And how else she would do that if not by marrying their Werewolf Alpha?
Vampyres and Weres loathe each other. Past bloody events have shown that it is impossible for these two species to co-exist. Misery must be out of her mind when she agrees to proceed with this political marriage. Or is she?
There is a small clue left in Serena’s apartment after her disappearance; a name that will change Misery’s life irrevocably—Moreland.
Now, guess what’s her betrothed’s last name.
Lowe Moreland seems to hate her as much as she does, but he is kind and protective. Fierce but caring—or so Misery imagines by seeing him interact with his wolves. After the fiasco of their wedding, she is moved to Were territory, and she must admit that Lowe’s place reminds her a lot of a real home. Misery has no sense of belonging, her only anchor to life being Serena, and now she is gone too.
As you have already guessed, Misery has an identity crisis, and being around Weres in an unfamiliar place, with different customs and routines, does not help. Her husband being a hot, muscular, alpha male is the cherry on top. She cannot be attracted to him, since this marriage is doomed from the start. However, desire drives her crazy, and as she learns more about him, the pull he has on her intensifies.
Misery struggles under watchful, scared, and hateful Were eyes. She needs to gain their trust, if only to have access to their files and look for any clues about Serena. Strangely, the first person who attempts to approach her is Ana, Lowe’s little sister. The child irritates as much as she amazes her. Misery can tell she is unique, but she would never guess what groundbreaking secret the Moreland family hides behind Ana’s birth.
Misery can tell that Lowe will fight to keep his sister safe at any cost, and admires his strength and resolve. She finds an unexpected ally in her husband, and she decides to strike a deal with him. She will help him protect Ana by exposing the people digging into his family’s history, while Lowe will assist her in finding Serena.
The rest is history… The more they cooperate, the more they can’t get their hands off each other. Their chemistry is out of this world, and Misery starts having dangerous feelings that Lowe will reject the first chance he gets. Misery cannot be fooled, though. She knows Lowe is as much in love with her as she is with him. There is something that does not let him express himself fully; something called a mating bond—a Were thing that Vampyres could never understand. And to make things worse, the Were collateral staying in the Vamp territory after their wedding is heard to be his true mate. Poor Misery…
Anyway, great revelations, heartbreaking betrayals, and plot twists can only bring Misery and Lowe closer. She is willing to enjoy as much time she has with him—naked, preferably—even if they are not meant to be. She will uncover secret groups that undermine Lowe’s leadership, get herself in danger to save Ana, and give up her life to give Lowe a chance to escape her father’s wrath.
She wants to fight for her new-found family, for her home in the Were territory, even if it cannot ever be truly hers.
She is the female main character who gets through family trauma, a difficult adolescence, and has a great fear of abandonment. Naturally, she is self-sufficient, feisty, independent, and an introvert with reserved feelings. She does not trust anyone and she has given up any hope for a better world. Life has failed her, but she is satisfied staying by Serena’s side—until Serena disappears and Misery is thrown into a marriage of convenience. From there on, Misery’s natural initiative and inner power shine, as the only things she can rely on is her wit and resilience. She will fight for the people she cares about most and will embrace her trauma and complexities to open up to a man that she would never have thought she could love.
He is not the typical “alpha male” as the romantic trope suggests, but he is a very competent leader, and he will indeed unalive anyone who would touch his wife. He is not possessive, dark, or toxic in any way. He is funny, caring, respectful, and open-minded. He is trusted by his people, and they are proud to call him their Alpha. He is lethal when it comes to his people’s protection. He is loyal, and has exceptional leadership skills.
Now, to feed your wicked mind, yes… He is as good in bed as his title suggests. By now, all BookTok is talking about this curious knotting process that is described in the book. We won’t spoil the fun for you, though, dear bookworm. Make some space in your already full TBR—the most common bookworm problem—and read the book.
Serena is Misery’s best friend, more like a sister. She supports her, cares for her, and accepts her for who she is. She is a driving force for Misery, who truly loses the ground under her feet when Serena disappears. She is a journalist with a free spirit looking for justice, and the truth behind the political scene.
Misery suspects that Serena was after a big revelation, which put a target on her back. Indeed, Serena managed to confirm the existence of a fourth species in the world; intel that will change the world as they know—maybe for the better.
Serena is an important part of Misery’s growth, and her disappearance is a significant point in the plot. If Serena was not after the Moreland family, Misery would probably have rejected the arranged marriage and ran away.
Owen Lark is Misery’s twin brother—the pampered one. Over the years, the twins have lost their connection, and even Misery finds it difficult to trust him. He is not portrayed as resilient and smart like Misery, but as a man, he is chosen to inherit his father’s chair in the Vampyre Council. He is aware of his father and the council’s bad deeds, but he seems indifferent. He passes as a party boy, nepo baby, who is a shameless flirt, and does not care about anything but having a good time. What if he plays this game too well, though?
Ana Moreland is Lowe’s little sister. She is a thunderstorm of glitter and unicorns. She is always joyful, and has the innocence of a child who knows no differences in species or boundaries in love. Her connection with Misery is a great step towards Misery’s growth and happiness. Her role in the story is significant enough for more than one reason, but we will leave it at that for now.
So, Misery lives in a world where the Humans are aware of the supernatural existence of Weres and Vampyres. Practically, the country is split in three territories, each species running their land and people in their own way, without interfering with the others—as if. Alliances between them are negotiated, formed or even broken depending on how much power a species holds on the other.
Although the Vampyres have been around forever, their political influence and actual physical strength have been undermined through the years. They have low birth rates, and their numbers are considerably getting smaller. That makes them significantly vulnerable to her sworn enemies, the Weres, who are stronger, faster, and deadlier than an average Vampyre.
Vampyres and Humans have been allies for many centuries, making a peace offering to each other; a child collateral. As explained before, a Vampyre child would be adopted in human territory, while a human child would live with the Vampyres until their eighteenth birthday. And they are exactly that; a collateral. Whoever breaks the alliance, in any way, should anticipate the consequences of losing that child. They are not average children, mind you. They come from powerful and influential families. As if this fact makes their bargain any more ethical…
However, Vampyres’ place in the society is threatened when a new Human representative comes forward, who is said to favor the Weres. Apparently, the new candidate is not a fan of children collaterals. The Vampyre Council cannot jeopardize their safety, and decide to make an alliance with the Weres through marriage.
A funny detail about the species is their coloring; Vampyre eyes are lilac by default. They have pointed ears and their blood runs purple. On the contrary, Weres’ blood runs green, but according to Misery it tastes wonderful.
As we were saying, there are some distinct details about this world-building that make it more fun. It is not the romance that drives the plot, but the ongoing action, and turn of events that create a very interesting story of friendship, loyalty, identity, and, lastly, of love. Do not misunderstand this, dear readers, it is a light-hearted, spicy novel, that has some carefully structured plot points.
The eternal inner battle between duty and desire affects our protagonist, but in her case, surrendering to duty is what drives her to find her true self and happiness. By accepting the arranged marriage, she is closer to finding the truth about her best friend’s disappearance and eventually finding true love. Furthermore, she is supposed to be supporting the Vampyres’ interests, and she constantly feels a small pug of guilt when she has a good time with the Weres.
For Lowe, it is clearer that his duty is what he desires. Or so he says… Too stubborn for his own good. He will sacrifice himself for the greater good and to protect his Vampyre wife, even though she is hard to trust. The truth is, to do his duty, he has abandoned a carefree life that he loved very much. He is even willing to let his mate go because he believes it is the right thing to do.
Misery has never felt she belonged anywhere, except with Serena. Her family had given her away as a child collateral without blinking an eye, and then again they sent her to live a married life with the Alpha Werewolf. The most painful abandonment though is Serena’s. Even though Misery knows in her heart that her bestie would not ever leave her, she has doubts as some facts about her disappearance do not make sense. Nevertheless, Misery will never stop looking for Serena.
Misery has spent most of her life among humans, hiding the fact that she is Vampyre, thus hiding her true identity. She always feels like an outsider, whether she is in Vampyre, Were, or Human territory. She pretends she does not care for things when in reality she is too afraid to get hurt by others. Her greatest challenge is to drop the tough act and let her emotions shine. She must reassess her life and choices to find what her heart truly desires.
“Bride” is a battle of trust. Misery has learned not to trust anyone, but Serena. When her friend is not around anymore, though, Misery needs to get herself out there and form new alliances. This path is not easy, and she will be disappointed, and shocked by people’s true motives, and dark secrets. On the other hand, she will learn to trust her instincts, and then open up to others. She will find her courage to fight again for beliefs she had abandoned long ago.
Well, surely Ali Hazelwood’s first time writing a fantasy novel cannot be compared to other romantasy novels like ACOTAR or Fourth Wing, but her signature humor and character development fit just right with her supernatural narrative. This makes “Bride” a super fun read, and it could be a good starting point for newcomers to the supernatural romance subgenre—especially for the bookworms who appreciate a spicy book. The complex character dynamics, blended with the paranormal, create a compelling story that enriches your typical contemporary romance novels. It is one of our favorite books of the year. Make sure you add it to your TBR list or if it is already downloaded on your Kindle, do not waste more time. This blog post is your sign to give it a chance.
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The spoiler-free section ends here, be warned!
Yes, “Bride” by Ali Hazewood has some good spice. It has a unique bonding process, explained during the intimate scenes, that includes some biting, drinking blood, and what is called knotting. It is a Werewolf thing that adds to the lore of the book.
Huge spoiler alert! Misery is Lowe’s true mate, as it is revealed at the very end of the book. The reader gets hints throughout the story about it, but it is never clear till it is blatantly claimed. The reader is waiting with bated breath for the reveal, especially when it is not expected from a Vampyre and Were to be mates.
“Bride” by Ali Hazelwood is rated 18+ or Mature. This is a result of the sexual content, escalating from a slow-burn romance to more explicit scenes, and instances of violence that are addressed to a more mature audience.
Yes. “Bride” by Ali Hazelwood is a slow-burn romance that escalates gradually to a more adult “situationship”, and then concludes with a love declaration.
Nikki Sheryee insists that she’s “up to no good” whenever she’s in the company of books. Armed with a degree in English Language and Literature, she wields the power of words like a mischievous wizard. Her lifelong dream? To be the editor who sprinkles magic dust on manuscripts! To Nikki, a book is more alive than a caffeinated squirrel on roller skates. Readers nurture it, cuddle it, scold it, and occasionally challenge it to a duel! But in the end, a book does its own thing, pulling at our heartstrings and revealing our inner human-ness. Nikki’s favorite pastime? Well, it’s none other than the noble art of daydreaming! And she wears her daydreamer’s badge with pride, sharing this delightful delusion with the crème de la crème of her friends.
