His First Bite

Guides for Dating Vampires #0.75

by D.N. Bryn

Maybe a little blood is a fair trade for being wanted...

Vincent hoped the anonymity of college would finally set him free of the outcast, melancholic cloud he'd been living under—but his first party leaves him tucked in a corner, pining for men he can't find the courage to come out to. When the one guy who seeks him out has sharp fangs and an agenda, Vincent finds that vampires scare him far less than loneliness.

This mildly steamy, one-scene short story shows Vincent's first meeting with the alluring but uncomfortably predatory vampire Davis. It takes place four years before the novel How to Bite Your Neighbor and Win a Wager and can be enjoyed on its own or after reading the novel.

Genres: Vampires, Fantasy, Queer, Romance, LGBT, Fiction, Gay

13 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 6, 2022

About the author

D.N. Bryn is a queer, disabled author of speculative fiction and fantasy romance.

Reviews

[Aida]

پایان: ۱۴۰۲/۲/۲۲
وینست رو خیلی دوست دارم ولی اصلا کتابش چیز خاصی نداشت🚶🏻‍♀️🚶🏻‍♀️
تازه فکر میکردم بیشتر باشه صفحاتش

[Elena Rodríguez]

“What kind of mysterious morally-gray monster do you take me for ? ”

Mini relato que cuenta un poco como la vida de Vincent antes de ser vampiro, concretamente su etapa universitaria. No ha estado mal. No me esperaba un gran historia, pero me ha gustado y me ha dado un poco de pena porque ya sabemos cómo va acabar en un futuro no muy lejano.

[diana]

2nd reading - january 2023
in the light of everything i read in the first book, this book turned from "omg toxic vampire bf 💘" into "my poor poor baby vicent". i would like to wrap him in a hug & never let go.


1st reading - november 2022
man, that cover is simply marvelous.
also, apparently toxic relationships with supernatural partners is a type of content i consume now?? why didn't management notify me about this???

[Nora]

oooo backstory

[Victoria ✮⋆˙]

I seriously can't get enough of this writing, this world, these characters! I'll read ANYTHING this author puts out!

[Brittanie]

I grabbed this for free off Amazon during one of the Kindle promotions based solely on the blurb so I wasn't sure if it was going to be worth a read or not. So glad I did! Even though it's just a short prequel story, it did its job getting me invested enough to read the entire series - which I'm now doing because of how much I enjoyed this.

I'm a sucker (ha!) for vampires and I'm interested in different takes on classic lore. While this short story doesn't really explore that too much, you do get a taste that maybe these vampires are somewhat unique without being totally off the rails.

Note: Even though it's marked as #1.5 in the series, I'd say read this before #1.

[Dead Earthling]

Found this in my Kindle library. Very short prequel story to a book series I'll maybe read one day

[Tony]

I loved the idea of seeing how Vincent turned into a vampire but this could’ve been a bit longer instead of one moment than fading to black.

[TeeReads]

4.25 stars

Short and sweet. Here, we get more background into Vincent and how he met the vampire, Davis, who used and turned him. There isn't too much going on here, but it's a fun and simple read, and we get more background to Vincent's character, which I liked. Overall, I enjoyed this for the 15 page short story that it is.

[Wolfie]

4.25 / 5 ★

“He was better than alright. He felt loose, and light, and free - alive - something almost like hope brimming in his chest. Almost like hope, but darker and more consuming.”

Representation:
⟡ M/M

Overall Thoughts:
This was a short and sweet, bite-sized snack. It’s a prequel to “How to Bite Your Neighbor and Win a Wager” and gives background to Vincent’s character 4 years before that story. It left me hungry for more, and I definitely plan to read the book when I get the chance - I need more of Vincent, and I want to know what happens to him next!

What worked for me:
⟡ The character building was really good! Vincent as a character was really sweet, the fact that he just wanted to be wanted (even if it was a vampire) made me really sympathetic for him. He was also deeply relatable to me, as someone who often feels outside of the group and like they blend into the wallpaper or slip through the cracks.

⟡ There was a lot of tension (romantic and sexual) between Vincent and Davis that quickly drew me into the story. Even though Vincent didn’t want him to leave and was enamored by Davis, their encounter also made me uncomfortable at times as Davis was nearly predatory - this was especially true at the end for me.

⟡ The prose was gorgeous, wow. So many beautiful and well written lines! I can’t wait to read more of their writing.

What didn’t work for me:
⟡ I know it’s a short story and it did what it was supposed to - make me interested in Vincent’s character and want to read the book, but… it was soooo short. I do think getting a little bit more background on what the accident was and how he was turned would have been a nice addition! Overall, though, I really enjoyed this for the short story that it is.

I would recommend this book to: readers who enjoy beautiful prose, alluring yet predatory vampires, and anyone who has read HTBYN

⚠️ Content Warnings:
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Self-harm, sexual content

🌶️Spice Level: 2/5 (kissing, sexual tension, kinky biting)

[Smokey]

This was where those myths had come from, it had to be: beautiful boys with beautiful fangs who knew just how to make their prey beg to be eaten with a few glances and a single soft touch. It was intoxicating all on its own.

Rep:
-Achillean, m/m

Highlights:
-Beautiful prose
-Homoerotic themes
-Vampires!

I’ve been wanting to check out this author for a while now, and so once I saw this short story, I knew I had to read it. The prose was phenomenal and I love how the author weaves their words together. Vincent was relatable, and I loved following him as he gets enchanted by a handsome vampire who, for some odd reason, is paying him attention in a world where he’s used to slipping through the cracks. His loneliness and how it influenced his decisions was well written. I LOVED the blood sucking scene. I need more. I’m definitely going to continue this series.

[Ty Michelle]

I wish the ending would have explained what happened. What the accident was and how he turned into a vampire. Otherwise it was a good little back story on Vincent. However, I do hope we get that information somewhere in the series.

[michaela ✩]

“Vincent all the more aware that he lacked whatever made this world feel like home to them.”

now this scene/chapter should have ended up in the final book, it alters the way i perceive vincent completely and is key history to his character.

[Dirty Dayna]

I'm not an expert here but the original story probably didn't need this little novella in between
It didn't really bring much to the story.

[Izzy]

For a random freebie, it was actually pretty good.

[Savleye]

This was a nice short story that gave more insight into Vincent's backstory and how he feels he was somewhat manipulated into becoming a vampire, as the vampire that turned him didn't respect his boundaries. Although I am now wondering why the increased risk of becoming a vampire when the victim is but by more than one vampire at once wasn't brought up in the book? Also considering how short this was I feel it could've easily just been tacked onto the end of the book, rather than being an online exclusive.

[˗ˋˏ mckenna ˎˊ˗]

very short, nothing special. it was nice to get a tiny bit more background into vincents life but honestly it could have been longer, i was ready to read more but then it was over as soon as it started

[Charlotte]

For such a short piece this was an incredible work. I know that I have the benefit of already knowing this character but I really felt a connection. This was quite emotionally significant in this series.

[Dean]

This is a review of all the Guides for dating vampires novellas so far

His first bite:
I love hearing about Vincent's backstory and how he came to be a vampire it also cleared up how vampires actually get turned; I thought it would be a vampire diaries situation were the human needs to drink the vampires blood so its odd how Vincent and Wesley never worried about Wesley turning maybe there needs to be more than one vampire? It was an interesting insight in his human life before he turned

Interrogation Tactics:
very cute and fun I love Kendall and her girlfriend and its so fun seeing Vincent getting to meet her!!!

First time predator:
OMFG SPICYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY YES I love all the "vampire related kinks" this series comes up with ITS SO F*CKING GOOD!!!!! like WOW and there such a cute couple i love them so much

Another kind of game:
OMFGGGGG SO SPICY AND SO ADORABLE when they briefly mentioned in book 1 about drinking blood from Wesley's D I thought that id never get to read about it but OMG wow thats hot I LOVE THE RELATIONSHIP SO MUCH its so spicy and so well written it feels like an incredibly well done Ao3 smut fanfic of how to bite your neighbour SO GOOD and the aftercare!! i love how Vincent wants to be genital with Wesley and all Wesley wants is to be h0rn3y lol its such a good dynamic and I'm obsessed with them!!!!!!!!!!

[Alexx (obscure.pages)]

This is probably be my last book of 2024! This was short and engaging enough, just what I need to wrap up the year I think 😆 I'm looking forward to reading How to Date Your Neighbor and Win a Wager soon/next year, so I think this was a great introduction to the world and the main character Vincent. Have to say, I already find him relatable 😅

Anyway. Happy holidays everyone! This is my last review of 2024! (Literally writing this on Christmas Eve, an hour before midnight 😂

Find me elsewhere: Instagram | Twitter | Blog

Marking this book as part of my reading challenge: #ReadQueerly2024.

[sage]

This cover is beautiful. As a D.N. Bryn fan, I really wanted a physical copy. Unfortunately it's not really a book; based on what I can tell this short story was only released digitally and has 13 pages.

I expected more of a prequel. This is set four years before the main story, but it didn't add much to the character or overall plot of the first book (how could it with such a short runtime). I already knew Vince was turned at a party by some reckless vampires he didn't know that well. The extra details here really could have been added to any chapter of How to Bite your Neighbor and Win a Wager. So why bother with a short story?

That being said I really enjoyed htbyn, so I was excited to read even a small extension of it. It's pretty good too. not mad at it. just wish it was physical and longer

[Kimber]

A Very Good Appetizer...

I adore D.N. Bryn's writing, so I had to give even this little storylette a try. As a setup for the background of the main character in the full novel after this one, I think it's great. It gives us a taste of the main character and what he's about, but makes us want more - or at least it does for me, anyway.
I have already purchased the other two novels in this series, because I knew I was going to enjoy it - as I said, I am a huge fan of D.N. Bryn's work. I can definitely say this is a good appetizer for what is to come after it. Can definitely recommend as such.

[fanboyriot]

Read For:
✓ Gay MC
✓ Vampire
✓ Biting Kink
✓ Short Story

The sad background to how Vincent became a vampire. Heartbreaking, reckless, and lonely. It’s so nice to know things do get better for him eventually in the novel “How to Bite Your Neighbor and Win a Wager” at least because the poor dude deserves a happy ending.

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ (3/5)
Angst Level: 💧💧💧 (3/5)
POV: Third Person
Release Date: 06, November 2022

⚠️ Content Warnings:
Moderate: Blood and Self harm
Minor: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, and Sexual content

[Karina]

Read this as a standalone / my first intro to the author, and was impressed enough in the very short span to download the longer book and give it a go! Hopefully it stays good.

(Totally understandable as a standalone, btw, but I don't necessarily think I'd recommend it because it's not meant to have a happy ending, you know?)

[Kayleigh]

This was fine but I almost wish that there was more. I wish that this went more into Vincent being turned into a vampire as opposed to the well one thing lead to another and this happened that is actually given in this book. I think this would have made a great full novella instead of just one scene. I also think that this series is far better in audiobook format but I understand why this doesn't have an audiobook.

[Tina]

D.N. Bryn always writes piercing (get it? 'Cause we're talking about vampires) stories, and this was no exception. A short, little bite-sized treat, this left me hungry for more stories featuring Vincent. My only gripe with this was the formatting--the spacing could've been better, as I struggled to follow along at times with the story. But other than that, it was fantastic!

[megan]

This is a very short story of how Vincent ended up becoming a vampire.

It was interesting to see a bit of Vincent’s backstory but I do wish it had included the actual event instead of sort of fading to black at the end.

[Moth]

This was a very good novella. There was good chemistry between the main characters, with lots of romantic (and sexual) tension. The character building was great and it made me excited to read the following novel.

[kasiasffrealm]

I read this as an introduction to the series! It seems like between each of the books, the author released a short story related to the main characters, but have no spoilers for the other book(s). This story in particular a really fun boy-meets-vampire!

[Hillary]

Read in the back of Bite Your Neighbor under the title "One Glorious Bite." I'm not sure how well it would work as a standalone story, but as further background to Vincent after reading the main story, it works well. You do have a certain sense of "oh no" though.