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4.48 AVERAGE
4.48 AVERAGE
As with other books by this author, the subtleties to the aspec experience are so well done!
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I love this series so much and this was a beautiful addition to the series.
I really liked the dynamic of the pairing (both smut-wise and romantically).
The way the characters handled and processed their grief was also very vulnerable and raw, which I liked. It added a lot of depth to the characters.
I really liked the dynamic of the pairing (both smut-wise and romantically).
The way the characters handled and processed their grief was also very vulnerable and raw, which I liked. It added a lot of depth to the characters.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
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
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
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
“It’s just that if I die in the process of living, I think I’d rather have done that, then done nothing at all?”
First, thank you to the author for the ARC of How to Flaunt Your Chains and Surrender A Vein!
Flaunt Your Chains is the fourth novel in a loosely connected series of standalone slowburn mm romance books by D.N. Bryn. It’s out now, so if you’re reading this, go buy it!
Wow, what a beautiful addition to the Guides for Dating Vampires series. I truly thought Justin and Clem would remain my favorite characters in this series, but Rahil and Mercer are really in here fighting for that spot.
This book felt like a therapy session (in a really good way). Absolutely wrecking me and then healing me back up pages later. Bryn always manages to write such complex and big feelings into their characters in a way that makes you feel understood and a little less alone in this world. Rahil and Mercer are no exception to this, working together through their grief, trauma, anxiety and low self-esteem. These dads had me experiencing a full gambit of emotions, giggling to sobbing, and I couldn’t have asked for a better addition to this series.
While you can read this as a standalone, I highly recommend reading the rest of the series as well so you can appreciate the little easter eggs and cameos from other characters within the series.
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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 cried, so 5 stars!
There’s something really powerful about stories that let grief and love coexist—not in competition with each other, but side by side, feeding into something honest and healing. This book? It nails that balance.
Rahil and Mercer are both single dads who have struggled with fatherhood, both men who’ve loved deeply and lost hard. Watching them stumble into each other’s orbit, then slowly begin to make space for something new, was genuinely moving. Their relationship isn’t just about chemistry (though there’s plenty of that); it’s about understanding and acceptance. About being seen by someone who gets it. They’ve both been through the kind of pain that leaves a permanent mark, and instead of flinching from each other’s scars, they build something from them. The grief in this book wrecked me. In the best way. I also adored Lydia. Her bond with her father, and her growing bond with Rahil, added so much depth to the story. And I was just as invested in her as I was in the romance. And then there’s the rep: ace and pan, chronic illness, trauma and grief. The found family aspect is strong here and the quiet understanding that love, familial or romantic, takes work and vulnerability.
And the story is so interesting with its vampires and holy silver, and experimental metallurgy. I loved that the characters were older, full of regrets, but still doing their best. I loved that the vampire wasn’t some ancient, brooding figure, just a slightly older guy trying to figure his shit out. I loved the tenderness, the mistakes, the humor, the healing.
And now I absolutely need to go back and read the earlier books in this connected series. And as a final note, when the whale became two whales, I sobbed happy tears. iykyk
Thanks so much to the author for the complimentary copy. This review is voluntary and all opinions are my own.
There’s something really powerful about stories that let grief and love coexist—not in competition with each other, but side by side, feeding into something honest and healing. This book? It nails that balance.
Rahil and Mercer are both single dads who have struggled with fatherhood, both men who’ve loved deeply and lost hard. Watching them stumble into each other’s orbit, then slowly begin to make space for something new, was genuinely moving. Their relationship isn’t just about chemistry (though there’s plenty of that); it’s about understanding and acceptance. About being seen by someone who gets it. They’ve both been through the kind of pain that leaves a permanent mark, and instead of flinching from each other’s scars, they build something from them. The grief in this book wrecked me. In the best way. I also adored Lydia. Her bond with her father, and her growing bond with Rahil, added so much depth to the story. And I was just as invested in her as I was in the romance. And then there’s the rep: ace and pan, chronic illness, trauma and grief. The found family aspect is strong here and the quiet understanding that love, familial or romantic, takes work and vulnerability.
And the story is so interesting with its vampires and holy silver, and experimental metallurgy. I loved that the characters were older, full of regrets, but still doing their best. I loved that the vampire wasn’t some ancient, brooding figure, just a slightly older guy trying to figure his shit out. I loved the tenderness, the mistakes, the humor, the healing.
And now I absolutely need to go back and read the earlier books in this connected series. And as a final note, when the whale became two whales, I sobbed happy tears. iykyk
Thanks so much to the author for the complimentary copy. This review is voluntary and all opinions are my own.