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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
Low/no spice vampire x human book that I overall enjoyed up until the end, which was a huge issue for me.
I'll start with the good things.
The two MCs were sweet, especially Vincent the depressed, clumsy and absolutely ridiculous vampire with a heart of gold. He the squishiest of all cinnamon rolls and I wanted to give him a giant hug. Wes was occasionally a bit of an ass (intentionally and not) but he was so dedicated to getting justice for all the people harmed by The Bad Guys (Vitalis-Barron Pharmaceutical) that he could be a bit blind to other suffering. He is actually really kind and giving though and he cares so much about Vincent. They were very cute together and the epitome of idiots to lovers.
The plot was also a great page turner and I thoroughly enjoyed the level of tension and drama it brought to the book, knowing that Vitalis-Barron Pharmaceutical were out there and the net was closing in on the MCs while Wes also tried to plan to bring the company down himself. It felt like a real cat and mouse game and I just didn't know how it was going to end.
The ending is kind of the issue. This is a romance, so the boys did get their HEA. But overall I'm not sure it was a happy ending as a whole. It was a pretty realistic one all things considered, but I don't come to fantasy romance for realism especially where corrupt corporations are involved and it left a really sour taste in my mouth.
The other thing that I hadn't realised is that this book is basically fade to black. It really surprised me because there is a reasonable amount of tension and it seemed like the book was building towards spice scenes, but other than one each of the MCs having a private jerk off session in the shower (barely described), there is nothing other than some clothes on time which fades to black. There is an optional epilogue which continues the fade to black scene, but if you're reading on Kindle you might well miss it as your app will probably take you to the feedback screen the moment you click on to that page.
Of course many people won't mind the lack of spice and I haven't really marked the book down for that, but I wish the book was marketed as low/no spice!
I'll start with the good things.
The two MCs were sweet, especially Vincent the depressed, clumsy and absolutely ridiculous vampire with a heart of gold. He the squishiest of all cinnamon rolls and I wanted to give him a giant hug. Wes was occasionally a bit of an ass (intentionally and not) but he was so dedicated to getting justice for all the people harmed by The Bad Guys (Vitalis-Barron Pharmaceutical) that he could be a bit blind to other suffering. He is actually really kind and giving though and he cares so much about Vincent. They were very cute together and the epitome of idiots to lovers.
The plot was also a great page turner and I thoroughly enjoyed the level of tension and drama it brought to the book, knowing that Vitalis-Barron Pharmaceutical were out there and the net was closing in on the MCs while Wes also tried to plan to bring the company down himself. It felt like a real cat and mouse game and I just didn't know how it was going to end.
The ending is kind of the issue. This is a romance, so the boys did get their HEA. But overall I'm not sure it was a happy ending as a whole. It was a pretty realistic one all things considered, but I don't come to fantasy romance for realism especially where corrupt corporations are involved and it left a really sour taste in my mouth.
Spoiler
In the end, Vitalis-Barron Pharmaceutical is allowed to continue hurting and killing people, and all that is really accomplished is they stop targeting the two MCs, which was so far from Wes' original goal of taking down the company and getting justice for his mother's death that it left me really deflated. I'm sure it is meant to lead to other people taking them on in future books, but there was no sense of that at the end of this book.The other thing that I hadn't realised is that this book is basically fade to black. It really surprised me because there is a reasonable amount of tension and it seemed like the book was building towards spice scenes, but other than one each of the MCs having a private jerk off session in the shower (barely described), there is nothing other than some clothes on time which fades to black. There is an optional epilogue which continues the fade to black scene, but if you're reading on Kindle you might well miss it as your app will probably take you to the feedback screen the moment you click on to that page.
Of course many people won't mind the lack of spice and I haven't really marked the book down for that, but I wish the book was marketed as low/no spice!
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
OH MY GOD THIS WAS AMAZING. THE SUSPENSE THE LOVE THE LUST I listened to the audio book while doing stuff like walking and cleaning but of my god this is like one of the best books ive read in a while THE ENDING WAS a lil rushed i feel but also perfect!!!
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I first heard of DN Bryn through the Kraken Collective in the ye olde Twiter days of yore. When my partner and I opened a Rainbow Crate box and How to Bite Your Neighbor & Win a Wager popped out, I whooped in excitement.
After being Embraced in not the best of circumstances, Vincent Barnes became well acquainted with loss. His family, his dreams, his health, his home, his sense of safety–they are all transformed or gone. He clings to what remains, mainly his ethics. He feeds from the sleeping, only takes what he needs, and doesn’t feed on the same person twice. On a parallel line runs Wesley Garcia, whose family, dreams, health, home, and sense of safety transformed after the mysterious death of his mother. When Vincent gets caught feeding on Wesley, the two men strike a deal. Wesley allows Vincent to feed, so long as he helps investigate a pharmaceutical company that takes an unusual interest in vampires.
How to Bite Your Neighbor & Win a Wager was everything I wanted it to be, with extra toppings for taking down a mega-corporation. The romance was stellar, with both partners fucking up, learning, and growing together. And fucking again and again, haha. In Rainbow Crate’s edition, Bryn explains that they used vampirism primarily as a metaphor for disability. Vampires-as-disabled worked incredibly well! There was biting (ha!) commentary on how intertwining healthcare and business mucks everyone over.
I cannot recommend this book series enough for Disability Pride/Queer Wrath Month. Perfect book is perfect. I’m hoping Rainbow Crate releases the rest of the series so they can all fit pretty on my shelf.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3⭐
This was okay. Cute and sweet but the plot was sort of messy and the pacing was a bit too slow. Vincent and Wesley read very surface level to me. I also found myself skimming a lot of the last 20% because it wasn't very exciting anymore.
This was okay. Cute and sweet but the plot was sort of messy and the pacing was a bit too slow. Vincent and Wesley read very surface level to me. I also found myself skimming a lot of the last 20% because it wasn't very exciting anymore.
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
After seeing this book multiple times on Instagram/bookstagram I had finally caved and bought the first two book from the guides for dating vampires, How to bite your neighbor is a dual perspective between Wesley Garcia and Vincent Barns, After Vincent gets one taste of Wesley’s blood he keeps coming back for more, this leads to a funny and wholesome yet friendship with lots of tension as we see these two sweet idiots fall in love with each other.
There are plenty of sweet moments between the two and it really makes you feel for them, as Wesley’s plan for betrayal came around I was nervous to see how it would play out but d.n Bryn did an excellent job at showcasing the true feelings and raw emotions from both characters. This story never had any flat/boring moments, I’ve found myself entertained throughout the whole story. Vincent is really a cinnamon roll who deserves the world
There are plenty of sweet moments between the two and it really makes you feel for them, as Wesley’s plan for betrayal came around I was nervous to see how it would play out but d.n Bryn did an excellent job at showcasing the true feelings and raw emotions from both characters. This story never had any flat/boring moments, I’ve found myself entertained throughout the whole story. Vincent is really a cinnamon roll who deserves the world