Bride

Bride is a novel by Ali Hazelwood (2024). While five other novels feature STEM-related relationships, about men and women in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, Bride is Hazelwood’s first foray into paranormal romance. Misery Lark, a Vampyre, is forced to keep an old alliance between the Vampyres and Weres by marrying Lowe Moreland, the handsome alpha of the Weres. Misery has agreed to the marriage to conduct a secret investigation into the disappearance of her best friend, and the single clue points toward Lowe.

This version refers to the 2024 Berkley Romance e-book edition.

Content Warning: The novel and this guide contain graphic sexual content and violence.

Plot Summary

The narrative opens as Misery Lark, a Vampyre (vampire), is about to marry a Were Alpha (leader of the werewolves), though she’s never met him. This will be a gesture to maintain peace between their species. Misery’s brother Owen is snide about her surviving and her father reminds her it’s her duty to complete the marriage. When she finally sees Lowe Moreland, she thinks he’s handsome but his reaction to her is violent; he grabs her and demands why she smells the way she does.

In a flashback, Misery is living in disguise in Human territory, working for a computer company. Her father’s lead guard shows up, blows her cover, and takes her to The Nest, the large building that houses the Vampyre community. Henry Lark, Misery’s father, is the chair of the ruling body of Vampyres. He tells her she will be the bride in the latest round of Collateral exchanges, where the person being traded is known as the Collateral. This imitates the role she played as a child when she was sent to live with the Humans. The idea is that the Collateral is exchanged as a promise that the side giving the Collateral won’t violate the peace; if they do, the Collateral is vulnerable in enemy territory.

Misery objects to marrying the Were Alpha until she learns his name, Lowe Moreland. Misery’s best and only friend Serena has disappeared. The single clue is the name “L.E. Moreland” written in their secret language in Serena’s planner. Misery agrees to the marriage to go undercover and find out what’s happened to Serena.

Back in the present, at the wedding, Davenport, the Human governor, tells Misery that Lowe has a mate, the Were Collateral who will be living with the Vampyres. A mate, as the novel will reveal, changes a Were biologically, and feelings may be one-sided. Misery watches Lowe settle an argument between Were and Vampyre children and is impressed. As she and Lowe dance, he says his job is to protect her. He immediately does so and shields her from an assassin, something Misery has dealt with her entire life. Lowe walks off, bleeding, saying they need to stay away from each other.

On her first day in Lowe’s house, Misery is awoken by a child asking her questions about being a Vampyre. It is Ana, Lowe’s little sister. The Were showing her around, Alex, is nervous in her presence, but they bond over computer coding. An unstable Were named Max finds her alone and attacks. When Misery fights back, the other Weres blame her. Lowe seems tortured by her smell and Misery assumes she’s repulsive to him.

The incident with Alex results in her having an escort everywhere. The only friendly Were guard is named Mick. Misery talks to her brother in Vampyre language about Serena, but Owen has no news. Ana sneaks into Misery’s room again and says Lowe is away dealing with the Loyals, a group that opposes his ascendancy to Alpha. Misery is surprised that she enjoys the little girl’s company. Knowing Lowe is gone, Misery breaks into his room and goes through his things. She finds sketches, including one of her face.

Misery, lonely, watches a barbecue from the house. She notices Max luring Ana away into the woods. She chases him despite having to go into the sun, which she is sensitive to as a Vampyre, and having to run barefoot. She is about to attack when other Weres show up. They’ve set a trap for Max. Misery is burned and has cuts all over her feet. Max won’t talk and Misery offers to hypnotize him (a process called the thrall) so the Weres can get information. The Weres are awed and intimidated by her skill.

Thinking Lowe will be busy, she breaks into his office, but he catches her and demands to know what she’s searching for on his computer. She tells him about Serena. Ana comes in and Misery realizes her name is Liliana Esther Moreland. The name in Serena’s book could have been hers, not Lowe’s. Lowe decides to trust Misery and tells her Ana is half Were, half Human. He is worried that a journalist like Serena was looking for Ana. He also discovers Misery’s guilty secret, that she eats peanut butter for fun.

The pack treats Misery differently after what she did for Ana. She attends a pack dinner and volunteers to go with Lowe to meet Emery, the mate of the former Alpha. They suspect that Emery is the leader of the opposing Loyals. Misery will use her computer skills to plant tracking software.

That night, Misery surprises Lowe on the roof, his usual place to think. He asks why she covers her fangs and persuades her to show them to him. He has a strong reaction when he sees them, one that Misery can’t read. He tells her not to hide her true self. She persuades him to take her to Emery’s, though he cautions her that she will have to be marked.

Lowe flies their plane to California. Before they disembark, he rubs himself on her pulse points and neck, marking her. It turns them both on. They have an awkward meal with Emery’s pack. Lowe sees Misery feed for the first time from prepackaged blood and is astonished by how flushed and sensitive she is after. Lowe says he won’t sleep because of his insomnia, but Misery runs her fingers through his hair and he falls asleep. The next morning, he finds her in the bath after running in wolf form with his friend Koen. They are attracted to each other, but he simply grips her bare ankle and fills her in on the plan for the evening.

At dinner, they excuse themselves and claim that Misery has to feed. Then they break into Emery’s office, where Misery begins to upload tracking software. They hear someone coming and Lowe insists she bite and feed from him. This disgusts the guards, who hurry away. Misery has never fed from a live creature and the experience is sexual for both of them. Emery arrives and is too disgusted by their behavior to suspect anything. Lowe’s friend Koen says they need to return to their pack immediately. Ana is very sick with a human disease. Misery identifies the medicine she needs and Lowe gets it. Ana recovers but Lowe is distraught that he couldn’t fix her.

Misery asks Owen if her reaction while feeding is normal. He says that it creates strong biological bonds that aren’t helpful. He cautions her to stop. Lowe and Misery discuss finding Ana’s real father to find out if he was working with Serena. They are about to kiss for the first time when Misery passes out. The peanut butter she was eating was poisoned. Lowe hardly leaves her side and is in wolf form when she wakes. They curl up together.

Days later she wakes up and finds Lowe prepping for anticipated aggression from the Vampyres over Misery’s near-death experience. She is weak, so he helps her into a bath. They are both turned on and he brings her to orgasm with his hands, then later with his mouth when she’s back in bed. They are interrupted by a call from Owen saying he wants to meet. Serena’s apartment has been broken into. Alex has found someone named Thomas Jalakas who they suspect is Ana’s father. He died mysteriously in a car crash days after meeting Serena. Misery hasn’t fed, and Lowe insists she bite him. Misery asks if they can have sex and Lowe says they are incompatible. When she asks why he shows her that his penis knots during sex.

They go see Davenport, who is now the ex-governor of the Humans. They scare him into confessing that he had Jalakas killed because he’d discovered government embezzlement. They meet with Owen and the Were Collateral, Gabi. Misery is emotional, as she thinks Gabi is Lowe’s mate. However, Lowe shows no signs of being in love with her. Owen says they are working on getting the scrambled security tapes outside of Serena’s apartment fixed. He is also planning on overthrowing and killing his and Misery’s father. Misery is surprised that her playboy brother has become serious and even more shocked when he cites the way their father treated her as motivation. He wants true peace. Lowe gives him the Weres’ support.

In Misery’s old apartment, she and Lowe have sex for the first time, Lowe pulling out before he knots. Misery asks if she is his true mate and Lowe emotionally shuts her down and leaves, saying she got the wrong idea. Misery is devastated. Mick comes to pick her up and instead of taking her home, injects her with something. She wakes up with Serena. Together they trick their guard and break out, thinking they are in Were territory. They are actually in The Nest. They are caught and brought to Henry Lark, Misery’s father. Mick is with him and has been working secretly for the Vampyres because they are holding his son prisoner.

Henry reveals that Serena is half Were, half Human, something Serena was just figuring out when she was researching Jalakas in connection to Ana. Henry feels those who are half Were, half Human are dangerous; he put Serena with Misery when they were children, to keep an eye on Serena. He now wants Ana.

Owen brings in a bound Lowe. Henry found out from Mick that Lowe is bonded to Misery as his mate and tried to distract him by poisoning Misery. Now he will kill her in front of him and see if he will give up Ana, as Mick says there’s no worse pain than losing your mate. Serena tells Misery in their secret language that Serena can shift into Were form, and Misery passes a coded message to Lowe. Owen lets Lowe go at the exact moment he and Serena shift and they destroy the Vampyre guards holding them. After, Owen and Lowe ask Misery if she cares what they do with her captured father and if she wants to put herself forward to succeed him. She says no to both. Serena apologizes for not telling Misery her suspicions about being half Were.

Misery hasn’t seen Lowe for days and wants to know what he truly thinks of her. She also wants Serena to be with Weres. Owen says she can live wherever she chooses as he and the Counsel are going to repeal the Collateral system. Misery takes Serena to Were territory and goes to Lowe’s house. Misery insists on knowing if she’s truly Lowe’s mate. He says she shouldn’t make decisions based on other people’s needs. She tells him she cares for and chooses to be with him. Lowe confesses she is his mate. They have sex and Misery says she wants to try the knotting. It works and they both achieve climaxes. Misery is ecstatic that they are physically compatible and they talk about their future. While in the shower, he asks her to feed on him and they have sex again. Later, they are decorating Ana’s room to welcome her back. Koen, Lowe’s friend, drops her off. He catches Serena’s scent and reveals she is his daughter.