Tag: ali-hazelwood

Review: Cruel Winter With You

Title: Cruel Winter With You (Under the Mistletoe Collection #1)
Author: Ali Hazelwood
Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Novella
Publisher: Amazon
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Format: Ebook
Release Date: November 12, 2024
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

For two former childhood friends, a blustery winter storm stirs some frosty—and scorching—memories in a delightful short story by #1 New York Times bestselling author Ali Hazelwood.

All newly minted pediatrician Jamie Malek wants is to borrow a roasting pan for Christmas dinner. Unfortunately, that requires her to interact with Marc—her best friend’s troublemaking brother, who’s now a tech billionaire. He’s the one who got away. She’s the one who broke his heart. Outside, a howling blizzard. Inside, a crackling fire. Suddenly, being snowbound with the man she never expected to see again might not be such a bad way to spend a winter’s night.

Ali Hazelwood’s Cruel Winter with You is part of Under the Mistletoe, a stirring collection of December romances that thrill and tingle all the way. They can be read or listened to in one swoony sitting.

Review:

On Christmas Eve, Jamie Malek’s father sends her to her childhood best friend’s house to borrow a roasting pan. When she gets there, her best friend’s younger brother Marc is the only person there. Since it’s a bad storm and too dangerous for Jamie to walk all the way home, she ends up staying the night, allowing them to confess all the romantic feelings they’ve been holding onto all of their lives. 

This was a friends to enemies to friends to lovers romance, and also a bit of a second chance romance. These kinds of romances always feel so emotional to me. The characters and their backstory was well developed in this short novella.

Cruel Winter With You is a perfect holiday novella!

Other books in the series:

  • Merry Ever After (Under the Mistletoe Collection #2)
  • All by My Elf (Under the Mistletoe Collection #3)
  • Merriment and Mayhem (Under the Mistletoe Collection #4)
  • Only Santas in the Building (Under the Mistletoe Collection #5)

Have you read Cruel Winter With You? What did you think of it?

Review: Bride

Title: Bride
Author: Ali Hazelwood
Genre: Romance, Paranormal, Contemporary
Publisher: Berkley
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Release Date: February 6, 2024
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

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.

Review:

Vampyre Misery Lark has spent most of her life living away from her powerful father, in the human world. When her best friend goes missing, she only has one clue to go on: the name L.E. Moreland written in her diary. Her father tells Misery that she must marry the Werewolf Alpha, Lowe Moreland, as part of a Were/Vampyre alliance, and Misery agrees since he must be connected to her best friend’s disappearance. However, Misery must move into the enemy’s territory, where she’s viewed as a threat. Lowe doesn’t trust her so he tracks every move she makes, until she can prove that she’s only there to find her best friend. Lowe and Misery must work together to figure out what’s happening in their territories, until their undeniable attraction gets in the way.

This is my first Ali Hazelwood book and I loved it! I really enjoyed the mystery of what happened to Misery’s best friend that went along with the romance. I was surprised at the twists that subplot took. The romance got pretty spicy towards the end. There was the possibility for a sequel at the end of the story, so I’d love to see two other characters explored in another book!

Bride is a great paranormal romance!

Content warnings: death of parent (off page), poisoning, parental abandonment

Have you read Bride? What did you think of it?