Pet Project: Collared by the Vampire

by Bethany Baker

Mistress has a puppy—now she wants a kitten.
The most gorgeous couple I’ve ever seen just invited me on a date.
She’s a vampire and professional domme. He’s a bratty shiba inu shifter already wrapped around her finger.
Sitting across from them, sipping wine and listening to their stories, feels like entering a new world. I never thought the silver lining to getting laid off from my dream job would be dating two people at once. I also never thought playing the role of kitten would be so… inspiring.
When he pins me to the wall, I beg. When she sinks her teeth into my neck, I want to give her everything.
But when my old boss begs me to come back, it’s a cold dose of reality. I know the smart decision. The responsible decision. But I’m not so sure what’s a dream and what’s a nightmare anymore. And what if I don’t want to wake up?

PET PROJECT: COLLARED BY THE VAMPIRE is a human (F) x shifter (M) x vampire (F) ménage romance novella (38k words) featuring an anxious FMC, cozy pet play, healthy communication, and a very comfy pillow nest.

Genres: Why Choose

115 pages, ebook

Published June 20, 2025

About the author

Bethany Baker (she/they) writes erotic romance that blends the familiar and the fantastical, the erotic and the emotional, the silly and the sexy—into one downright tasty concoction.

When she's not baking cookies or writing smut, she enjoys collecting weird animal facts and going for walks with her partner. She has two cats, who go by "Disaster Bean" and "Chaos Baby" more often than their actual names.

Content advisories for all works are available on her website.

Reviews

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

As soon as I started reading Pet Project: Collared by the Vampire I was immediately reminded of a book that went somewhat “viral” back in the early 2000’s. While “The Intimate Adventures of a London Call Girl” was non-fiction, this novella seemed, to me, to be just as real and vivid, and if it weren’t for the vampire and shifter characters, it could well be.

After Sym loses her demanding job, she has to take temp work to help ends meet. One of these jobs seems too easy, so she applies immediately. She is to serve drinks and canapes at a private event in one of the city’s “exclusive” clubs, dressed up in some feline accessories. There she meets Ree and Bura as they perform together and she is completely transfixed by them both. It seems they feel the same way as she is given an invitation to meet with them again.

While on the surface this is a fun exploration into bdsm culture and pet play, it goes much deeper than I expected. While yes, the spice is burn your tongue off, no regrets, the focus is on how if we’re willing to let go of our own expectations for ourselves and embrace vulnerability we can find we have so much power and freedom we couldn’t grasp before. It really gave me a lot to consider in that aspect of my life (absolute control freak over here).

Pet play has never appealed to me, and this book didn’t change my stance on it, but I really did enjoy the relationship between the three characters when we take out the fact Sym is dressed up like a kitten and Bura is a literal shiba inu shifter. The dom/sub dynamic was well written and so very sexy and the sharing was adorable and hot at the same time.

The only thing I had issue with really was with Bura’s shift form. I really had to unpack why this bothered me so much and after chatting about it with my other half, I came to the conclusion that I think it’s because a shiba is a domesticated animal. When you think of them, memes and cuteness come to mind, in shifters such as wolves and bears for example you think strength, power, wildness, and while there are no intimate scenes involving Bura in his shiba form, I still couldn’t think of him as a sexual being. Sure his human side may be gorgeous but his shifter side is basically a fluffy potato on legs, and I just couldn’t find myself liking that.

I loved the way the novella was written, as I mentioned before I found it leaning towards an autobiographical style and it was so enjoyable to read. The author really has a talent for just pulling you in, as if you were her confidante and spilling all her dirty little secrets. While I love my cosy fantasy monster romances where magic exists, this little bite of the real world, mingled with the secret world of fetish, as well as monsters. Yeah that’s a good mix right there.

I would bother with Pet Project: Collared by the Vampire. It’s different, it’s well written and it’s a lot of fun.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you, Bethany, for sharing an ARC of Pet Project with me!

This is such a sweet and spicy quickie!

Pet Project is a low-stakes introduction to pet play with lovable characters, plenty of coziness, and a fun twist on vampirism. The setting was easy to immerse into and the characters had more depth than you would expect from 13 chapters.

I absolutely loved these characters and the spin on vampirism. The FMC works through some very relatable challenges, which gives this story and the FMC some depth. I hadn’t read anything with pet play before, but this felt like a pretty cozy, accessible introduction. The attraction between the MCs was instantaneous, and while not straight-up instalove, it did happen pretty quickly. Instalove isn’t my favorite trope, but I knew this was 13 chapters, so I kind of expected it. It didn’t stop me from enjoying the entire story though! The way Bethany writes is descriptive without taking away from the flow, and I was done reading before I realized it.

I’d definitely recommend this story to the pet play curious, the spice lovers, and the omegaverse fans (this is the crossover you didn’t know you needed).

[AshleyReadsSmut · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pet Project ARC Review 🐈‍⬛

I don’t really read a lot of pet play, just nmk. But I took a chance on this one because I love FFM that much and I’m glad I did!
In the few books I have read with pet play, they never got into the ‘why’s’ (especially when it was typically being used as a form of degradation, unlike this story) — but Pet Project did a excellent job of explaining the mentality and thought process behind. It was super interesting to read!

It would have been good to get Adriana and Bura’s POV tho, mostly bc I don’t really feel the chemistry between Sym and Bura like there was with Sym and Adriana.

𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗟𝗟: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
𝗛𝗘𝗔: 💖
𝗧𝗬𝗣𝗘: Standalone
𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗦: Modern Monsters: Sugar and Spice #3

𝗣𝗔𝗜𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚: FFM
𝗟𝗚𝗕𝗧 𝗥𝗘𝗣: 🏳️‍🌈
𝗪𝗛𝗬-𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗢𝗦𝗘: ✅ + 🏳️‍🌈

🏷️ 𝗛𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗟𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗦:
- Why Choose
- Pet Play (but make it cozy)
- Anxious Human FMC
- Professional Domme Vampire FMC
- Bratty Shifter MMC

⛓️ 𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗞𝗦:
- Pet Play
- Praise
- Knotting
- Breeding
- DVP (w/ strap on)

𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄: 𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚛 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙰𝚁𝙲! 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚖𝚢 𝚘𝚠𝚗.

[Bella Reves · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you've never read romance with pet play, or have been hesitant to read it, this is the book to start with. I'm so impressed with the world-building in this novella, and the complex characters inhabiting it. Bethany Baker gives us heat, heart, and an engaging plot, all packed into one spicy afternoon read.

While I could have easily read a full-length novel of these characters, I think the story was the perfect length, it was well paced and never rushed.

The spice? Pure perfection. Bethany built up a glorious amount of heat between the characters, and the spicy scenes flowed wonderfully, and it didn't feel once like smut was just shoved in for smut's sake. The chemistry was off the charts!

I'm so happy I read this, and now I will be making my way through the rest of Bethany's books :)

[ElleBearBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a short but sweet novella about a laid off corporate worker named Symphony who is trying to figure out what she really wants in life. She works a series of temp jobs, stumbling through them all before one lands her in the position to meet Bura and Adriana.

I loved how we were introduced to the couple, and how they allowed Symphony to act on her curiosity. Everything was wonderfully consenting and safe, giving her space to decide what she wanted for herself, even in the throes of anxiety. Her friend Em was a true gem in this story, and I loved how she supported her in finding what she wanted in life.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the author on threads and am a huge fan of Kink, D/s, and Romance but most importantly vampires! While the vampire aspect of the story was prevalent it wasn’t the focus. The focus was the growth and relationship built between the characters. A wonderful character arc for the FMC and very 🌶️ scenes. As an author myself in the genre, I too enjoy enough spice to make Thai food taste mild. This novel hit the spots like a “Needy Kitty”. Well done!!!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Willow A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're curious about submission or want to get some of the feeling you had getting into it, this book is for you. If you're learning to respect and care for yourself or just want to see someone make that turn-around, this is your book. If you like real vampires, real dog shifters (going back and forth on a human-to-dog spectrum), and pretend kitties (pet play), read this book. But most excitingly this is a falling-in-love and falling-in-lust story- hot and sweet.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Rhiannon Cheyenne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished this book and only a couple of hours. I could not put it down. I like the twist on the classic vampire and I also really enjoyed Symphony dealing with her anxiety and overcoming it and her struggle with doing and having a career that makes her happy. I like the complexity with her character. I haven’t read a book like this before and it was very interesting. I’m very glad to be gifted an early copy of this novella.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/ out of 5 stars ⭐️

[Kay - kayreads_romance · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this 🥰 fun monster romance that is SPICY but also really sweet 💕 if you are interested in pet play, BDSM, shifters, kitten/puppy names, vampire hotties, FFM, 🪢, and lovins then you should give this novella a try!!!
Its insta love for sure but isn’t that so fun???
Thank you so much Bethany for this ARC!!

[Riley Crossman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short, sweet, and incredibly spicy read, Pet Project will make you go "aww", make you laugh, and get you hot all at once. I hope to see more of these characters as it was a short read and I couldn't get enough.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Gina Wohlgemuth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a good read, I loved it. It was my first time reading something about pet play and omg I'm hooked.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Smutty Demi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a hot quick read! Really loved the vampire trope in this one. Would definitly recommend! !!.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an ultra-spicy yet heartwarming novella featuring yummy paranormal creatures and well researched BDSM aspects.
I think my biggest pet peeve about kink stories is the potential for them to showcase highly unlikely scenes or general aspects. I am so thankful to report that this particular work did the complete opposite!!! Every page showed readers something unique and jaw dropping about this dynamic and left me personally feeling breathless and in awe of both the characters and the writing.
Great care was given to developing these characters and their bonds even with the short page number, and it shows in their interactions with one another. Granted those spicy scenes are guaranteed to leave you thinking about them long after you're done reading!