Review: Bride by Ali Hazelwood

Title: Bride

Author: Ali Hazelwood

A dangerous alliance between a Vampyre bride and an Alpha Werewolf becomes a love deep enough to sink your teeth into in this new paranormal romance.

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 a historic peacekeeping alliance between the Vampyres and their mortal enemies, the Weres, and she 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 with 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.

What happens when a werewolf and a vamp are forced to marry because of an alliance?

Lets find out!

Firstly let me say that I love that this author has slipped into the fantasy world, and she rocked it!

Misery (vamp) and Lowe (werewolf) are forced into a sham marriage but there’s mystery afoot too! Misery’s bestie has gone missing and Lowe might be involved….gasp!

This book held so much but it was all interwoven so well: being the outsider in your own world, family obligations, finding your mate, enemies to lovers, secrets, marriage of convenience, dastardly villains; fabulous!

Misery was my fave ever, normally I get captivated by the male lead but in this book Misery was EVERYTHING, she was so unique!

Although she isnt in the book a whole lot, I also loved Serena, she was v amusing!

I need more in this world. MORE PLEASE! And I am hoping after that ending we’ll get it! I also want more Owen, loved that guy!

TTT – Ranking Shadowhunters books according to me!

Top Ten Tuesday is featured by That Artsy Reader Girl. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Topic: Ranking Shadowhunters books according to me!

The Shadowhunters series are some of my favourite reads ever, in fact I’m rereading them again this year!

Nephilim, vampires, werewolves, demons, mages – they are all in there and here’s my ranking, top = I loved the most!

The Infernal Devices
Clockwork Angel, Clockwork Prince, Clockwork Princess
1878 London, England: Tessa Gray, Will Herondale and Jem Carstairs.

The Last Hours
Chain of Gold, Chain of Iron, Chain of Thorns
Edwardian London: Cordelia Carstairs, James Herondale, Lucie Herondale and Matthew Fairchild 

The Dark Artifices
Lady Midnight, Lord of Shadows, Queen of Air and Darkness
Modern-day Los Angeles: Emma Carstairs and Julian Blackthorn

The Mortal Instruments
City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass, City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls, City of Heavenly Fire
Modern-day New York City: Clary Fray, Jase Wayland, Alec Lightwood, Isabelle Lightwood, Simon Lewis, Magnus Bane.

What would you choose?

The Sunday Post! Now obsessed with jet washing!

The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted by Caffeinated Reviewer  It’s a chance to share news, a post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received.

Hope you’ve had a good week?

I had a week off work and it was bliss!

We bought a jet washer and we are now obsessed!!! We’ve been washing our patio and long driveway all week….and we still aren’t finished! It’s defo going to need 2 washes because it was filthy!

The clock change really knocked me at the beginning of the week and I felt really slumpy so only one book was read!


New Arrivals

The Hunter’s Gambit by Ciel Pierlot


What I’ve Read

Fangirl Down by Tessa Bailey 
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Look out for my review soon!


You might have missed…..

Unboxing – Fairyloot YA: March 2024
Review – The Fake Mate by Lana Ferguson
Review – Empire of the Damned by Jay Kristoff


What have you read lately?

Review: Empire of the Damned by Jay Kristoff

Title: Empire of the Damned

Series: Empire of the Vampire #2

Author: Jay Kristoff

From holy cup comes holy light;
The faithful hands sets world aright.
And in the Seven Martyrs’ sight,
Mere man shall end this endless night.

Gabriel de León has saved the Holy Grail from death, but his chance to end the endless night is lost. Drawn into an uneasy alliance with the mysterious vampire Liathe, Gabriel must now deliver the Grail to ancients of the Blood Esani, and learn the truth of how Daysdeath might be finally undone.

But the Last Silversaint faces peril, within and without. Pursued by terrors of the Blood Voss, drawn into warfare between the Blood Dyvok and duskdancers of the frozen Highlands, and ravaged by his own rising bloodlust, Gabriel may not survive to see the Grail learn her truth.

And that truth may be too awful for any to imagine.

Back where we left off with Gabe and Dior and now….more of Celene!!!

Like the first book the story that was told was superb, the characters were all on point and it was dark, brutal, heartbreaking but beautiful.

I was so enamoured that I just have a few notes:

~ Again the hate on potatoes!
~ Aching nethers, I chortled alot at this!
~ Sibling squabbles made my day but they were of a more serious note!

For some reason I thought this was a duology so imagine my surprise at that ending!

‘It was the scream of the damned.’

Review: The Fake Mate by Lana Ferguson

Title: The Fake Mate

Author: Lana Ferguson

Mackenzie Carter has had some very bad dates lately. Model train experts, mansplainers, guys weirdly obsessed with her tail—she hasn’t had a successful date in months. Only a year out of residency, her grandmother’s obsession with Mackenzie finding the perfect mate to settle down with threatens to drive Mackenzie barking mad. Out of options, it feels like a small thing to tell her grandmother that she’s met someone. That is, until she blurts out the name of the first man she sees and the last man she would ever date: Noah Taylor, the big bad wolf of Denver General.

Noah Taylor, interventional cardiologist and all around grump, has spent his entire life hiding what he is. With outdated stigmas surrounding unmated alphas that have people wondering if they still howl at the moon, Noah has been careful to keep his designation under wraps. It’s worked for years, until an anonymous tip has everything coming to light. Noah is left with two options: come clean to the board and risk his career—or find himself a mate. The chatty, overly friendly ER doctor asking him to be her fake boyfriend on the same day he’s called to meet the board has to be kismet, right?

Mackenzie will keep her grandmother off her back, and Noah will get a chance to prove he can continue to work without a real mate—a mutually beneficial business transaction, they both rationalize. But when the fake-mate act turns into a very real friends-with-benefits arrangement, lines start to blur, and they quickly realize love is a whole different kind of animal.

I absolutely loved this spicy, wolf shifter romance and have 1 major question – just who is Jessica?!!!!!

Mackenzie and Noah work at the hospital and come to an agreement to solve their problems. But when alphas and omegas are involved, there’s always chemistry!

Fake dating, grumpy/sunshine and a workplace romance all packaged up with banter, steam and a spot of drama! I was totally here for it!

It was fast paced, had great dirty talk (!) and the 3rd act drama was minimal, just how I like it!

I listened to the audio and finished in a day, I just couldn’t put it down!

This is the 1st book by this author that I’ve read and now I can’t wait to read more!


Fairyloot YA: March 24 – Heists and Hustles

Fairyloot YA – March 2024

HEISTS & HUSTLES

Live life on the edge! Come with us on a thrilling journey filled with high stakes action, masters of deception and incredible strategists. From found families to unlikely alliances, we’re ready to join in the hustle and bustle of these adventures!

Items inspired by The Hobbit, Raybearer, Once Upon a Broken Heart, Legends and Lattes, and the book of the month.

🖤 Book Sleeve (with a pocket) designed by @thelolloco inspired by the botm.
🖤 Shoe Charms with art by @bluelyboo from Legends and Lattes
🖤 Letter Opener – Sting from The Hobbit designed by @no0nedesigns
🖤 Ceramic Soap Dish designed by @julie.reinhart inspired by Raybearer
🖤 Tea Tin inspired by OUaBH with art from @bluelyboo

🖤 BOOK OF THE MONTH 🖤

A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal


🖤 An EXCLUSIVE REDESIGNED COVER by @rosiethorns88
🖤 DIGITALLY SPRAYED FORE EDGE WITH ART by @rosiethorns88
🖤 A FOIL DESIGN ON THE FRONT AND BACK OF THE HARDCOVER by @blanca.design
🖤 ARTWORK ON THE ENDPAPERS by @rosiethorns88 (different front and back)
🖤 BONUS CONTENT
This edition will also have an author letter with a digital signature bound into the book.

TTT – April Showers

Top Ten Tuesday is featured by That Artsy Reader Girl. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Topic: April Showers

Oh gawd this was so hard! In the end I sacked off the April showers/rain thing and just went for water type books….and I couldn’t even find 10 🤣🤣

What the River Knows by Isabel Ibanez
Curious Tides by Pascale Lacelle
Catfish Rolling by Clara Jumagai
The Water Witch by Jessica Thorne
The Drowned Woods by Emily Lloyd Jones
A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross

What would you choose?

The Sunday Post –  chocolate everywhere!

The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted by Caffeinated Reviewer  It’s a chance to share news, a post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received.

Hope you’ve had a good week?

Happy Easter! Hope you have been munching lots of chocolate today!!!

We had Easter dinner with the family, I cooked and even made a mini egg cheesecake from scratch, was so delish!

I’ve got this coming week off work and I cannot wait to get some rest!

Only 1 book read this week but it was a 31 hour audiobook – soooo long!


New Arrivals

A Feather So Black by Lyra Selene

(No pic until next week as it’s a bookbox book)


What I’ve Read

🎧 Empire of the Damned by Jay Kristoff
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Look out for my reviews soon!


You might have missed…..

Unboxing – Illumicrate: March 2024
Review – Brothersong by TJ Klune
Challenge – Tackle That TBR
Challenge – Audiobook Challenge


What have you read lately?