How to Bare Your Neck and Save a Wreck by D.N. Bryn

Kraken Collective

“I only take what’s owed me, and you, my little swan, owe me blood.” A single kiss from a masked vampire during Shane’s last journalistic endeavor has left him with an obsession and a mission: uncover the secrets of the black-market blood trade and find his mystery vampire in the process. But this investigation is dangerous. One knock at the wrong door and he could have fangs at his throat instead of lips. Andres had been trying to forget his kiss with Shane Crowley by drowning himself in his work as a thief for the blood trade. When he finds it’s Shane’s blood his boss has decided to steal, Andres’s only option is to buy him for every drop he’ll ever produce. This act awakens something in Andres—new thoughts of ownership and chains that he believes could only ever be the desires of a monster. Andres needs blood to live though, and he’s going to have it from Shane, even if it means donning a mask once more. Between the strange desires Shane’s life as a part-time blood slave is stirring in him, and his investigations into the cycle of injustice that so many fanged citizens face, and texts with an odd new friend who feels vaguely familiar, Shane feels pulled in all directions. Little does he know all those paths lead back to the same vampire…

Adult • Diversity Representation/LGBTQ+/Own Voices • Fantasy/Romantic and Erotic • Fantasy/Contemporary • Diversity Representation/Neurodiversity/Own Voices

Content Warning: Non-consensual biting, Exploration of consent and boundaries, PTSD, blood loss (with fainting).

Reviewed by Bowqueen on 2025-01-22T17:29:42Z:

I tried to get into the story, but it just left a lot to be desired and I could not follow what was happening at times (writing made it unclear). I did really like the inclusion of a diabetes rep, and how his partner looked after monitoring his blood sugar.

Reviewed by Booksthatburn book blogger on 2024-12-01T02:59:34Z:

Review posts December 25th, 2024.

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