Bride

This was such a departure by Ali Hazelwood – from the STEM rom-coms we know and love her for – but an incredible book which somehow told the story of a world of vampires and werewolves in a way that was not even remotely unbelievable. Smart, funny, sexy.

Aaaa this book was so freaking good! I enjoyed every page. It's witty, clever, enticing, and next to impossible to put down. I found myself thinking about this book even when I wasn't reading and couldn't wait to dive back into the pages! Highly recommend to fans of paranormal romance!

Bride is a vampire/werewolf romance, which is not normally my thing, but my book club was reading it so I gave it a try. It's so different from what I expected; it seemed original to me, and not like it copied from other paranormal romances. The hero (werewolf) is the broody leader of his pack who is menacing yet reveals a fluffy side as the story progresses, while the heroine (vampire), who narrates, is snarky and funny. There is a complicated set up with the roles of the characters in their society; basically the protagonists have an arranged marriage, and… show more.

As a person with strong ties to biology, I love that in this book, vampires and werewolves are no more magical or supernatural (and therefore also no more immortal) than any human; they just came from different branches down the evolutionary tree.

What I really liked were the dialogues–the sarcasm, verbal power games, and dry humor. And the character development, where an isolated person learns that opening up and accepting friendship and the feeling of belonging requires courage because it also makes one more vulnerable.