Reviews with content warning for Blood - How to Bare Your Neck and Save a Wreck

An alright read, but certainly not the best that Bryn has written. I loved the MLNB T4T relationship, but the characters were not that loveable. Andres felt almost limp and meh, but was lovely to Shane. And whilst Shane did feel very relatable, I feel he as a character was too similar to Andres in a way. The plot was fun and I loved the way it was a follow on from book 1+2 in the series, but the execution felt too focused on Andres and Shane’s relationship, which was very flawed but still cute. I felt I couldn’t truly appreciate their relationship as I did in the first 2 books, it almost seemed as though there was so much smutty-ness, that I could not get a real feel for their non-sexual affection for each other. Even in moments, like at the end

when they both literally ALMOST DIED

, post-traumatic event, where I perhaps felt there could have been an opportunity for Bryn to explore their tenderness and vulnerability with each other, and to talk about their feelings, it instead is overshadowed by a sexual tension that perhaps could have been missed out until a bit later on.
This is perhaps furthered in the lack of expansion

on Nat’s disappearance. What happened to her is not the point, but rather the fact that Nat was quite literally FAMILY to Andres and arguably Shane also. They briefly mentioned her 2 times

but this is evidently a problem within the book as emotions are not properly explored and almost left me feeling cut-off and separate from the characters.
2.5 as I actually did truly like the premise, just not so much the execution. However, bonus points for the inclusion of previous characters!

Overall, a good plot line but the character and plot execution felt lacking.

Content Warnings

fanboyriot's review against another edition

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dark funny lighthearted 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

5.0

♡ Submission Play

♡ Hidden Identities

♡ Spicy Queer Vampires

The characters and the atmosphere were amazing. I loved the hidden identities so much, the reveal for them was good too!

Truly lovely. The representation was quite nice to read. It had all the queer vampire vibes as well and it did not disappoint. Plus this is the spiciest book yet in the “Guides for Dating Vampires” and it was written really nicely. Also with a t4t main couple it really made me happy to see that kind of rep.

I also liked getting to see some of the other characters from other books in this series make an appearance in this book. It was so cool to see how the stories take place in the same world but all have different perspectives that add to a unique ambience with each book so far.

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ (4/5)

Angst Level: 💧💧 (2/5)

POV: Duel, Third Person

Release Date: 28, April 2024

Rep: Non-Binary (Main Character), Trans (Main Character), Diabetes, PTSD

Content Warnings

sabinehunter's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

purrson's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective 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? No

4.25

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