How to Bite Your Neighbor and Win a Wager: Guides for Dating Vampires, Book 1

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars | 1,282 ratings

Price: 15.3

Last update: 10-05-2024


About this item

Vincent Barnes has suffered four years as a vampire, and they've been the most miserable years of his pathetic life. Too poor for black market blood, he feeds from sleeping humans to survive. He tries to never intrude on the same prey twice, but after a single delicious taste of a long-lost childhood neighbor, he can't help returning for seconds.

Wesley Garcia has been waking up with fang marks. Lucky for him, he needs a vampire—to use as bait. He's certain Vitalis-Barron Pharmaceutical killed his mother, but to gain access to their covert research labs, he has to bring them a bloodsucker for their experiments.

Step one, a dramatic offer: Stay, and you can bite me.

Vincent leaps at the chance to gobble Wesley up.

Wes's plan is perfect. He'll befriend the vampire, then trick him into coming to the lab. No fighting, no fuss. But Vincent is more than Wesley has bargained for: sweet and shy, with intoxicating fangs that awaken new desires in Wes. As the two bond, Vincent believes he might have finally found someone worth putting his trust in . . . and Wes fears neither of them will survive the betrayal he has planned.

Contains mature themes.


Top reviews from the United States

Brandy
5.0 out of 5 stars Emotional Rollercoaster of The Best Kind
Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2024
Wesley & Vincent will rip your heart out and put it back together again at least a half dozen times in this book. But it is 100% worth it. The take on Vampires and other creatures in this series and world is so fresh and imaginative and draws beautiful parallels to those oppressed in real life today. Its so brilliant. But also funny, charming, wholesome and sweet. The dialog is quick and witty to the point I was laughing to myself while reading. And the romantic tension between the two main characters is so delightful. It will have you talking out loud to your book or tablet. I must have screamed "just kiss already" at least twice. But it is so worth the wait ????

Do yourself a favor and read this book asap. It will put you in such a good mood and restore your faith in romance.
Keating
4.0 out of 5 stars So very cute and satisfying.
Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2024
Short. Cute. Satisfying. Not perfect but I loved it. The story has a good pace and enough detail for me. A nice mix of romance and action etc. The only thing stopping me from giving 5 stars is the editing wasn't perfect. A few words were misspelled or the wrong version used. I think the author might have made up a few words too, but that's fine because I understood what they meant with the context
Aimee Pieper
5.0 out of 5 stars Top Notch Slow-Burn with a Touch of Espionage
Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2023
How to Bite Your Neighbor & Win a Wager is a slow-burn romance novel by D.N. Bryn, that also happens to include side-plots regarding vampire rights and committing espionage against an evil pharmaceutical company.

“Wesley didn’t tell his legs to move, but neither did he tell his lungs to breathe or his heart to beat. They did so because they were born to, and he was born to run into Vincent’s arms.”

This quote occurs very late in the book, but I feel it perfectly describes the dynamic chemistry and slow burn relationship Wesley has with Vincent. Also, I didn’t think it was possible for two characters to be so horny and yet so wildly oblivious.

This book was fantastic. I got the horny, vampire fantasy that I bought the book for, but I also received the gradual build to a true, romantic relationship between Wesley and Vincent, as well as an enthralling mystery about the shady pharmaceutical company, Vitalis-Barron, that pretty much owns the town.

Without spoiling anything, I want to touch on some key things I really liked about the book. For example, I really liked how morally grey Wesley’s character is, as Kendall, his best friend, describes it. His whole character arc as well is very satisfying as he comes to terms with a lot of his trauma and learns to redeem himself.

I liked all of the meta/self-referential moments in the book in the form of comics and video games, and how it was made a part of the world-building instead of being too jokey or fourth wall breaking. The same thing about the true villains, Vitalis-Barron - it wasn’t too jokey, no “dur-hur evil pharmaceuticals” - no man these people are evil and have a deep rooted history in being evil, as most corporations do.

The world-building and the politics about being a vampire in general and how vampires live on thin, marginalized lines on the edge of society was also incredibly well done. I love books that take classic vampire myths and decide what to keep and kill from them, as well as recontextualizing them with what it may look like today in a more modern society. Vincent’s experience being a vampire and a semi-closeted gay man explores a lot of what that would look like, but also draws an excellent parallel that gives poignant insight on what it is like to be disabled and LGBTQIA+ in today’s society. I’m sure this was an on-purpose parallel done by the author, and it was incredibly well done.

One more excellent thing D. N. Bryn does with the storytelling is how the miscommunication as a romance trope is executed in a way that is believable and moves the story along. Each character has an incredibly valid, albeit dubiously ethical reason to not tell each other what they really want to. I never once felt taken out of the romance, the intrigue, or the suspense of the plot by the miscommunication issues. It was so well done, I had to put the book down and calm down at the blowup/reveal point, because of how stressed out I was about it.

Overall this was a fantastic book! I give it 5/5, and I can’t wait to read D.N. Bryn’s sequel to this, How to Sell Your Blood and Fall In Love, when it comes out.
Georgia
3.0 out of 5 stars Slow, sweet, and full of pining.
Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2024
I ended up dnf’ing around 73%. I enjoyed the world building and the writing style and the general idea of this book.

Ultimately though what turned me off was the lack of communication between the MCs, and how slow their romance developed. The first kiss didn’t even happen until about %70 in. A lot of the book was will-they-won’t-they and it just wasn’t what I was looking for. I generally like slowburns but not when it’s due to bad communication.

However if you like slowburns, lots of pining, and more sweetness than spice you’ll probably love this book!

I may continue with the rest of the series but if it’s more of the same then maybe not.
K.B. Broday
4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Read
Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2023
How to Bite Your Neighbor and Win a Wager was a satisfying read. Honestly, who wouldn’t love a BL vampire story? And let me tell you, once you start getting to know Vincent and Wesley you’ll fall in love with how cute and awkward they are.
I loved how D.N. Bryn created this alternate universe and how they portrayed public opinion on vampires. As someone who is chronically ill and disabled, I understand the way Vincent felt about being discriminated against for having different needs and the jealousy he feels towards Wesley, I related to it completely. It was definitely a surprise when I started to identify with him because I thought that this was just going to be a cheeky romance. But it truly was so much more.
This romance was built upon an intriguing plot I didn’t see coming. I think it really gave the characters more depth and helped you understand their decisions and the way they thought things through.
This book is the perfect stand-alone for a lazy day in. It has a satisfying ending (and a very explicit bonus scene) that will have you closing the book with a smile.
Alen
5.0 out of 5 stars I live for the crazy lab experiments, but make it gay and I die for it
Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2024
I didn’t expect it to get that intense. Honestly it’s deals with pretty hard topics and I found myself needing a break in between reading it. It’s handled well, and the writing is nothing short of amazing. Both engaging and had certain lines that I found myself wanting to quote somewhere and remember because they were just written so well. You know when you can’t express the words you want to say? Well this author knows how to write and express those words to the reader in a way I haven’t seen before.

Other than that the characters are adorable and the ending was perfect. Found myself smiling like an idiot after. Highly recommend for anyone who needs to get emotional in a book with a very deserved ending.

Can’t wait to read the rest of the series!
Customer image
Alen
5.0 out of 5 stars I live for the crazy lab experiments, but make it gay and I die for it
Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2024
I didn’t expect it to get that intense. Honestly it’s deals with pretty hard topics and I found myself needing a break in between reading it. It’s handled well, and the writing is nothing short of amazing. Both engaging and had certain lines that I found myself wanting to quote somewhere and remember because they were just written so well. You know when you can’t express the words you want to say? Well this author knows how to write and express those words to the reader in a way I haven’t seen before.

Other than that the characters are adorable and the ending was perfect. Found myself smiling like an idiot after. Highly recommend for anyone who needs to get emotional in a book with a very deserved ending.

Can’t wait to read the rest of the series!
Images in this review
Customer image

Best Sellers in

 
 

Never Have I Ever: Punched My Roommate's V-Card: Never Have I Ever, Book 1

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 2761
29.66
 
 

Dark Moon, Shallow Sea: The Gods of Night and Day Series, Book 1

4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 220
13.62
 
 

Free to Be: Understanding Kids & Gender Identity

5 5 out of 5 stars 12
13.12
 
 

Take Me Apart: Vitale Brothers, Book 1

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 3338
17.46
 
 

The Billionaire's Mistake: Bad Boy Billionaires, Book 4

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 38
17.46
 
 

You're My Home

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 2253
21.83
 
 

Oracle: Chosen Champions, Book Five

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 1305
17.46
 
 

Far from Paradise: Texas Beach Town Romance, Book 3

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 502
17.46