Bride

The paranormal romance is a love story with supernatural aspects. It is a vast genre that encompasses a wide range of definitions; it can refer to works with only a small amount of the paranormal or be set in completely fictional worlds. The grounding element throughout are the romantic plot lines.

Bride uses two popular character archetypes from the paranormal genre, the vampire and the werewolf. Both come with established rules, such as the vampire being sensitive to light and the werewolf being abnormally strong. This sets up expectations that Hazelwood both explores and subverts. By pitting the creatures against each other as enemies that become lovers, Hazelwood achieves tension. She capitalizes on these established character types and uses them to drive conflict.

Hazelwood uses tropes from the romance genre, such as the forced marriage and enemies-to-lovers, where rivals discover a romantic connection. This adds an additional layer to the paranormal element. The characters, being from rival species, expect to be incompatible and even hate each other. Their lack of apparent physical compatibility give Misery and Lowe a strong reason to think they shouldn’t fall in love. When they do, their love is seen as both special and thrilling because it’s off limits. Emotionally, it creates a union that is unique to their world. In order to thrive against the expectations of those around them, the relationship requires that they have strength and determination. They must overcome obstacles such as being on opposing sides of generational warfare and being from species that are supposed to clash. Misery and Lowe’s ultimate union is a message of unity and hope, as well as the happy-ever-after ending that is the expected outcome of the romance genre.

Hazelwood blends worlds, even incorporating the human world. The novel’s contemporary pop-culture references are very much a part of the reader’s reality. When characters refer to the Guggenheim Fellowship or Grand Theft Auto, it creates a level of realism, as does the sarcastic and humorous insecurity of the heroine.