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Categories: Book Reviews, Paranormal Romance

Ali Hazelwood’s First PNR – Bride by Ali Hazelwood Book Review

Rating: ★★★★★
Title: Bride
Series: N/A
Author: Ali Hazelwood
Page count: 410
Genre: Paranormal romance
Age rating: 18+
Spice: Considerable open door with creative wolf anatomy
Published: February 6, 2024
Tropes: Arranged marriage (marriage of convenience), fated mates, omegeverse-lite, found family
Trigger warnings: Past child neglect, past abuse

“Of all the good things I’ve felt in my fucking life, you are the best.”
― Ali Hazelwood, Bride

Bride by Ali Hazelwood Mini Review

Bride by Ali Hazelwood is her first paranormal romance, and it certainly has all of the charm I’ve come to know across all of her books. It has fantastic dialogue and interesting characters; some parts made me laugh out loud! Let’s dive into my book review of Bride.

Firstly, what I love most about Ali Hazelwood is her characters, and she delivered! All of Misery’s dialogue is engaging, with her snarky banter, wit, and kind heart. Likewise, I love Lowe and his quick wit, selflessness, and his devotion to Misery, Anna, and his pack. Moreover, Misery and Lowe fit together so well, and their relationship is very believable and swoon-worthy.

“You think, but you don’t know. You don’t know anything about what it’s like to find your other half, I would take anything she chose to give me—the tiniest fraction or her entire world. I would take her for a single night knowing that I’ll lose her by morning, and I would hold on to her and never let go. I would take her healthy, or sick, or tired, or angry, or strong, and it would be my fucking privilege. I would take her problems, her gifts, her moods, her passions, her jokes, her body—I would take every last thing, if she chose to give it to me.”
― Ali Hazelwood, Bride

Also, I loved Anna and Sparkles, the cat, and the whole pack, for that matter. Misery’s interactions with them, especially Anna, were entertaining and would sometimes make me laugh out loud. Misery and Owen’s sibling relationship, bickering back and forth but silently caring about each other deeply, was so realistic, as I have a twin sibling of my own. I love seeing girl/boy twin rep.

Conclusion

Overall, this was definitely an Ali Hazelwood experience, and I am BEGGING her to release another PNR romance. She will always remain one of my favorite romance authors for her one-of-a-kind writing style.

Furthermore, all of her characters are so likable and realistic. The plot is so engaging and felt cozy at times. I listened to Bride on audiobook and the narration is top-tier.

In conclusion, It would be a crime not to rate this paranormal romance book anything but 5 stars!

Categories: Alien Romance, Book Reviews

Chef Ramsey Wants a Word – I Married a Lizardman Review

I know I’ve been a bit MIA for a bit. Due to mental health struggles, I haven’t even been reading. However, now that I’m feeling all right again, expect lots of reviews!

I Married a Lizardman by Regine Abel was the first read after my big bout. It’s part of the Prime Mating Agency Series, but each book can be read as a standalone. I wasn’t vibing with the whole Lizardman love interest at first. Reading many books with unconventional love interests such as The Spider’s Mate, I’m not sure why I felt this way.

After reading the raving reviews, I was ready to jump into it. Will this be one of my new favorite alien romance books?

ABOUT THE BOOK

The book starts with Susan, a woman in her mid-twenties with pretty much nothing to lose. Her planet has a matriarchal society with an abundance of farmers. Farming is precisely what Susan loves to do.

However, Susan’s SOL because she’s a third daughter. In families, the first two daughters get the land and the other siblings basically get to pound sand. Our girl, Susan, wants to farm and make a difference. Whatever could her options be? Matchmaking time!

Susan finds an intergalactic matchmaker to find a husband off planet who has land coming out of the wazoo and will let her farm to her heart’s content. She doesn’t want any of the humans on her home planet and honestly, who could blame her? If I were in a sci-fi novel, I’d jump feet-first into a Darth Maul type. Who wants a human such as Luke Skywalker?

Anyway, luckily for Susan, her matchmaker found her the perfect match. Big, scaley, and green lizardman, Olix! An inhabitant of his planet said a prophecy woman will come from stars away and save their planet. Saving them from the colonizers currently sucking the planet and the clans dry. We can’t even escape megacorps in fiction.

What’s more, Olix will take whoever will marry him! What a dreamboat!

MY REVIEW

I know I went a little hard on Olix, but once he and Susan are wedded in holy matrimony (and her undies!), he’s a sweet guy. He truly wants the best for his struggling clan. Olix and the other clan leaders are being hounded by a megacorp to sell their land. Not today, Satan!

Susan is settling into her new home and her new in-laws where she discovers the most fertile lands she’s seen! Our girl asks her mother-in-law why not farm? There’s an obvious food shortage but copious amounts of land to farm their own food. Her mother-in-law gets enraged at Susan for even suggesting that they farm!

Susan, having the audacity to ask about farming

Even though we find out why everyone is vehemently against farming, I can’t say it’s such a reason to not let Susan farm for them.

Susan and Olix’s relationship was very healthy and realistic for an arranged marriage. Although, Olix is so bland! I was more interested in Susan girl bossing the megacorp away. I was getting so bored with Olix, I was hoping Susan would go for his much more interesting sister.

The plot is interesting and it’s a great palate cleanser!

Final thoughts

The plot was interesting but the mmc was blander than a saltine cracker. The fmc and plot carry this book far so I would rate I Married a Lizardman 2.5 stars.

Check out my Ice Planet Barbarians review here!

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Categories: Alien Romance, Book Reviews, Monster Romance

The Spider’s Mate: Ensnared Review

Quick glance

First published on May 26, 2021
Rating: ★★★★★
Genres: Sci-Fi romance, Alien romance, new adult

About the book

He’s spent years as a hunter, but now he’s the one ensnared in a creature’s trap.

Ketahn did not want a mate. Fate has a different plan for him. When the queen he despises declares her intention to claim him, he retreats into the jungle.

What he finds there changes his world.

Small, delicate, and pale skinned, Ivy Foster is nothing like the females Ketahn has known. She’s not of his kind at all. Yet the moment he sees her, he knows the truth in his soul—she is his heartsthread.

And now that he has her, he won’t let anything take her away. Not the jungle, not the gods, not the queen.

My review

Abandoned by all she cared for, Ivy’s life on earth was lonely and cruel. Hence why she signed up to be part of a colony on a new planet in the far future. A fresh start was all Ivy wanted. Her plans went haywire when the spaceship transporting the colonist crash-landed, with only Ivy surviving in stasis, as far as anybody knows. 

Being the object of obsession by the cruel vrix queen to become her mate, Ketahn lives almost isolated and only returns to the village to supply his hunter’s meat portion. Ever since the war, he’s kept to himself in the tangle and only returns to the village to supply his hunter’s meat portion. The last thing the alien wants is a mate, but when he falls down a pit and sees the remains of the spaceship transporting the colonists, unbeknownst to him. This is the first time Ketahn lays eyes on Ivy in stasis and saves her after accidentally triggering the cryogenic chamber open.

I adored Ketahn and Ivy’s relationship. There was a language barrier at first, but both learned each other’s languages quickly. Their relationship was paced super well and I can definitely say Ketahn is my newest book boyfriend.

The danger of the planet, wildlife, and even Ketahn’s own people kept me on edge, as Ketahn taught Ivy how to survive and thrive on the planet. There’s plenty of action that kept me flipping the pages.

Final thoughts

Overall, The Ensnared had lots of slow burn and undeniable chemistry that kept me entranced. The cliffhanger at the end blew my mind and makes me excited to pick up the next book in The Spider’s Mate series!

Love alien romance books? Check out my Ice Planet Barbarians review here!

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Categories: Uncategorized

Queen’s Peril Review – Star Wars: Padme

The 3 things I love the most have been combined into Queen’s Peril. Sci-fi, YA, and Star Wars. Mix in a character I’ve always loved and desperately wanted to know more about and you’ve got yourself a book that could potentially land in my favorites of all time. 

It’s safe to say, this book delivers the high hopes I had for it and much more. 

The handmaiden’s intentionally similar names were a tad tricky to get used to when I first began the novel, but the novel does such a great job at differentiating them, it didn’t take me long to get up to speed with who was who.

I absolutely love the characterization of the handmaidens. The interactions between the handmaidens and Padme are realistic and really drive the point that yes, they have a big role in society but they are teenage girls. They have their quiffs and difficulties that anyone who was or is a teenage girl can relate to. The realism in their interactions and the bond they form really moved me.

Overall, the journey this book took me on was amazing. I felt it did an excellent job of capturing what sisterhood is like between young women.

However, this is a YA book. If YA isn’t the type of genre of books you enjoy, I would skip this book. As a lover of YA novels, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, especially with the added sci-fi and Star Wars elements!

I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of Star Wars, YA, or Sci-Fi. The YA element might be a dealbreaker for fans of other Star Wars novels but I would certainly give it a try if you’re interested in Padme and the handmaiden’s story. 

Read my review on GoodReads here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4627833109

Contact me here: https://whatlivvyreads.com/contact/

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