Bride

Misery definitely doesn’t love company in this funny and thoughtful urban fantasy romance from Hazelwood (Love, Theoretically). As the daughter of a leading Vampyre council member, Misery Lark is used to being used. She spent ages eight through 18 as the collateral in an uneasy Vampyre-human alliance, essentially held hostage in the human world. Just when she’s finally free to live her life as a computer security expert, her best friend disappears and Misery is summoned back to her father, who aims to use her as collateral once more, this time in a Vampyre-Werewolf alliance that must be sealed with a marriage. She’s ready to refuse—until she realizes her future husband may be linked to her missing friend and she sees a chance to get answers. Alpha Lowe Moreland isn’t a stranger to duty, but even he’s a bit surprised with this marriage of inconvenience and how much he enjoys having a member of the much-hated Vampyre race in his territory. With the specter of an interspecies war on the horizon as well as threats from within, he has to balance attraction and protection while still holding on to his sanity. It’s a new subgenre for Hazelwood, and she navigates it well, slowly teasing out the sweet and spicy supernatural romance. This is a treat. Agent: Thao Le, Sandra Dijkstra Literary. (Feb.)