I love the protagonist - Misery. She is a take charge kind of Vampyre who will do whatever it takes to get the answers that she needs. In this story, she has become the forced bride of Lowe, an alpha werewolf, in order to secure a peace treaty between the Vampyres and the Werewolves. Misery might not have agreed to the marriage (as if she really had a choice), but she was hoping to find clues about what happened to her best friend. And she believes that the key lies with the werewolves.
This paranormal romance starts out fast and only gets better as it goes. Be forewarned, this romance has some very spicy parts. Personally, I loved the way that the romance and friendship of Misery and Lowe play out. The driving deeper plot that plays out around the romance involves deep fakes that the Werewolves and Vampyres have engaged in to help bring about the end of each other's realms is very well written and deeply engrossing.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book. I put the sequel to this book - MATE - on hold after finishing BRIDE. Mate was published in October of this year. My copy arrived on the hold shelf just yesterday, and it went to the gym with me this morning. I'm still impressed with myself for not falling off of the elliptical machine while reading. It's a skill!
One last thing - just look at the beautiful art work on this cover. So simple, and yet there's a layer of complexity in the overlay of Misery and Lowe. Kudos to the artist.
Trigger Warnings for this title: graphic violence, blood (including consensual biting/drinking), explicit sexual content (with knotting), kidnapping, war themes, death (parental, off-page), poisoning, arranged marriage, and fantasy racism, plus minor mentions of gun violence, bullying, pregnancy, and emotional abuse.
Note - this book + mocktail. The mocktail is a half and half mix of cranberry juice and sparkling cider. The combination was good! Our group suggested that sugared cranberries would be an excellent addition!
