Bite Me

by Ariel Dawn

The clock is ticking for Chance Graham. If he doesn’t find his mate by Christmas, he’ll be forced to live life as a giant gingerbread man forever. But finding a mate isn’t as simple as it sounds…

Holly Berryman dreams of a romance like in the movies she loves to watch every Christmas season. When fate brings a chance meeting with a sexy man dressed as Santa, Holly finds herself the star of her very own holiday movie.



Will Chance and Holly make it to happily ever after? Or will Chance’s sweet curse be the death of their snow-kissed romance?

This book is intended for audiences 18+ due to mature scenes.

Genres: Christmas, Novella, Holiday, Romance, Erotica, Paranormal

130 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 8, 2022

About the author

USA Today Bestselling Author Ariel Dawn is a real life mermaid and self-professed geek with a penchant for a good book and a strong cup of coffee (or tea!).

Ariel writes plot driven paranormal romance, monster romance, reverse harem, and urban fantasy featuring feisty heroines, sinfully delicious heroes, and neurodivergent besties.

As a fellow neurodivergent, when she isn't writing, she can be found cosplaying, attending conventions, or creating all sorts of artwork in her studio. She loves hanging out with family and friends as well as playing video games and board games with her retro gamer husband.

Reviews

[Alex Wyatt · Rating 2 out of 5]

this book is like if a Nice Guy met a Nice Girl and they didn’t kill each other on sight. also, i think we have to start using the actual words for things again. “sweet cream” call it cum i’m begging you. “sweet candy” absolutely not

[Ellie Alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ah, silly Christmas novellas - they’re always a fun time. The entire premise of this book was ridiculous (gingerbread shifter… ok, lol) but it was cute and sweet and easy to read 🤣

[Hannah Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall a cute story. I was hoping for more while he was shifted into a gingerbread man that part seemed kinda rushed and not much really happened before he shifted back. But still a good Christmas read and I’ll probably read the others in the series as well

[Kelsey-rose🍉 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A shifter romance where the mmc is a gingerbread man
They are mates
- this was a cute Christmas novella and These two were
Cute
- so they meet when he faints & she takes him to hospital and then takes him home where he gives her hot chocolate from his cafe
- so They eventually go on a date and get to know each other and it’s so cute
- he calls her baby 🥰🥰🥰🥰

Basically the premise of this book is he needs to find a mate by the end of December otherwise he won’t be able to be human again and will be stuck with a Gingerbread man . Lucky for him he meets holly his mate . THEY ARE LIKE SO CUTE TOGETHER .

I think chances ( the mmcs) friend Eddie and Hollys sister get together hehe I wanna see if they have a book. This was enjoyable

This wasnr a spice heavy novella and it didn’t need to be it was. A perfect sweet cute novella .

Oh and when they meet she’s dressed as an angel ( he also calls her angel ) and he’s dressed as Santa cus they meet at a Halloween party when the fmc has to work. .

This is a story of fate

[Carrie West · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ummm…. What?!?!

So, not mad about it. The thing is why was it so corny? Listen, do not come at me screaming that is this is a gingerbread cookie shifter smut novella so I need to calm my tits. If you look at my Goodreads, you can see the weird things I read. Why must it make me cringe at some parts?

For example:

“I involuntarily yelp as I grip my chest, feeling the jiggle of my own cleavage.”

What? No. Mine does not do that for just being startled.

Just… Ugh. Why must it be so awful? 🤦🏽‍♀️

[Crystal Beausoleil · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not what I expected at all, but then again, I'm not sure what I expected. The book revolves around Chance and Holly in this weird gingerbread man shifter rom-com. To me, it felt cringy, and the two main characters lacked a build-up of any romance. Holly kept being the one in charge, while Chance really did nothing. He didn't even give enough credit to Holly that her love was strong enough for his curse… or communicate at all.

[Hanna Karlsson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and fun story to read in one sitting. :)

[Nicole Martinez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun light and fluffy book. I wish we had more time with him shifted but I actually enjoyed this way more than I thought I would. I definitely thought I was going to finish it and be like "wtf did I just read?" But honestly at the end I just had a feeling of Christmas cozy happiness.

[Mary · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another book club read. I wish there was a zero rating.

[Brittanni · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5
Man turns in to a gingerbread man every December. He must find his mate or he will be stuck like that forever.

[Lucy Rosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I was looking for something crazy to try and spark myself back into reading, and I believe that this qualifies. I downloaded this book during a Stuff Your Kindle event, and it was mostly for research purposes, and partly for my curiosity. I’ve seen some wild shifter books, but this is by far one of the wilder ones. Because when one thinks of shifters, the natural tendency is never a gingerbread man.

The book starts with Chance Graham going to a bar with his friend Eddy. It’s Halloween night and Chance is feeling down because as December nears, he worries about his future. Because he is a 27-year-old gingerbread shifter. And apparently, for gingerbread shifting men, if they haven’t found their mate by this age, then they lose their ability to shift back into a human. So Chance is looking for his last hope by going out to a bar on Halloween. Oh, and he’s dressed as Santa.

But fun fact about gingerbread shifters and their mates. Apparently, a gingerbread shifter’s mate has to resist EATING them. These are actual quotes from Chance’s inner monologue:

“But me, I have to transform into a giant cookie and my mate has to resist eating me.”

“When I’m all hard and sweet, I’ll be the most tempting”.

And even though shifters have a fast ability to heal, it’s not fast enough because:

“well, if someone gorges on me…my healing won’t be fast enough to regenerate. If they eat me whole, I’m a fucking goner.”

And this is supposed to be a giant gingerbread man. Who eats that much and that fast??

Holly Berryman (can you believe these names?) works at the bar that Chance and Eddy go to. Holly is dressed as an angel for Halloween, even though Halloween isn’t her thing. (She prefers Christmas.) Chance and Holly make eye contact from across the bar and Chance passes out. When he comes to, he sees Holly worrying over him and starts catching feelings. Holly also feels a pull to Chance and offers to take him to the Emergency Room. Chance is perfectly fine so Holly drops him off at home after and he invites her into the shop. He works at a Christmas themed coffee shop, with so many gingerbread house memorabilia. Chance makes Holly a cup of hot chocolate using his personal stash of Mexican chocolate. And at this point, it’s a little nauseating how literally the author takes sugary, sweet writing to heart because Holly thinks to herself “I can’t keep sexy Santa Chance to myself” (HOLY YUCK), and Chance keeps describing Holly’s eyes as “gumdrop-green”.

Chance’s mother interrupts the two so Chance rushes Holly out the door. Holly finds later, after her sister Joy Berryman points it out, that Chance left his number for Holly on the cup. But she doesn’t use it. Instead, the two don’t do anything about their attraction and I got the absolute pleasure of reading these crazy lines from Chance:

“Just because I’m a man doesn’t mean I don’t like the idea of romance.” (UM?)

“Is it romance though, or are you just trying to quiet the monster in your fucking pants?”

I feel like it needs to be clear that he is not actually referring to his anatomy, but rather to the shifter inside of him.

“Just the thought of her waiting for my sweet cream, ready to devour me whole.”

I thought the whole worry was that she would literally eat you and now he wants that?? I’m so grossed out, it’s crazy.

“How many women do you think would stick around if they watched the man they were dating turn into a giant cookie? Their eyes would turn to saucers and they’d either devour me one piece at a time until I disappeared or run screaming.”

I don’t understand his obsessive worry about Holly eating him. He’s a giant gingerbread cookie, no one can eat that much. Also, why would she want to eat him? She would see him shift. In reality, he has a lot more to worry about than this. I would be worried that she’s say peace out and leave.

After a week of introverted pining, Holly shows up at Chance’s work and asks him out. Both character’s inner dialogue is shy, insecure, and nervous, but when the two of them talk there’s confidence, and flirting, and winking, and it’s giving me whiplash to be honest. For their date, Chance takes Holly to get Thai food and then to a showing of “The Nutcracker” because there isn’t enough Christmas already. After the date, Holly gets bold and invites Chance to her place even though “that makes me about as nervous as a chihuahua on the fourth of July.” (I don’t think I’ve laughed this much because of a book in a minute.) Back at the apartment, things get steamy between the two of them and so do the quotes. Holly describes Chance’s skin as “the color of fresh gingerbread dough before it’s baked”. And at some point during their hook up, Holly describes what Chance is doing:

“His fingernails digging into my skin as he eats me like a prized watermelon.”

A WATERMELON.

WATER

MELON

So Chance and Holly keep dating, but they don’t sleep together, which apparently causes Chance a huge amount of pain because his options are either to hook up or shift. Holly invites Chance over for Thanksgiving dinner and for some reason Eddy also goes. There’s hinting that Eddy and Joy may have a thing for each other. Before Chance gets there, Holly is hanging out in the kitchen with her mom eating a fresh plate of gingerbread cookies because those are her favorite. (-_-) During Thanksgiving, both of them realize that they love each other.

BUT THEN

Chance invites Holly to his place and the intentions of the evening are obvious. Once they are there, Chance starts presenting Holly with odd hypotheticals about gingerbread men and what she would do if there was a giant gingerbread man in front of her. So Holly, completely OUT OF POCKET, says “Is that what you want, Chance? You want to be a sexy gingerbread man and I can be the sugar plum fairy?” At this point, I’ve launched myself out of my seat, hoping my eyes aren’t bleeding and I won’t die of what feels like first-hand embarrassment. Somehow this isn’t the end and they spend the night together.

Now here comes the end

Chance and Holly go on a double date with Eddy and Joy. During the date, they run into a Klause, someone related to Santa. I’m not sure how this happened, maybe it was just random, but Chance starts to shift and he can’t stop it. He runs into the forest and everyone follows him. Chance shifts and what’s the last thing he sees before shifting?

“When I look in Holly’s eyes, I don’t see panic or fright. Instead, they glow, bright green, and all I can see is hunger. And for the first time in my life, I am terrified.”

I’m sorry, what?

We switch to Holly’s POV and she sees Chance shift. And instead of horror, this is what we get:

“I feel a wave of hunger hit. Starving, ravenous hunger.
My stomach feels so empty, and my mouth waters. I crave the sweetness, to be full once again.”

APPARENTLY, she becomes zombie-like possessed and must EAT HIM?? At this point, I’ve fully embraced the comedy of this book. She is pulled to him, even though he’s giant, and he’s described as a bronze superhero-looking cryptid creature. For some reason, he can’t run away from her and hide either. Oh, and no one can stop her because she has zombie-like strength and throws everyone away from her. She reaches Chance and LICKS HIM.

Somehow, she remembers that this is Chance, the man that she loves so she doesn’t eat him. He ends up shifting back and now that his secret is revealed, they can fully commit to each other. Holly leaves us with this thought:

“My boyfriend is a cookie monster. I know it sounds crazy, but I don’t think I’d have it any other way.
Is it normal? No.
It’s different. And as a sexy, delicious man once told me, different is good.”

And it ends as a Happily Ever After.

I knew that this book was going to be bonkers when I started it, but boy was I not ready for the twist of what this author conceived gingerbread shifting to be. I laughed so much reading this book and I can’t quite get over some of the things that the author wrote. I don’t know if I’ll ever get over the watermelon line. I wasn’t sure what I would rate the book. Objectively, it’s fine. It’s a short story, and that itself is a challenge. The concept is wild, and so bizarre that it keeps you detached from the book. And I definitely had some issues with the writing. But the basic scenes between Chance and Holly were classic. And I read the whole thing in 1.5 hours, so I was clearly entertained. So, I would suggest, if you choose to read this book, you should do it for entertainment because I was entertained and that is what I will be taking from this story. I also don’t think I’ll be able to look at any sentient object every again without wondering if there’s some sort of shifter story out there about it.

[Morgane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chance is a gingerbread shifter. On Halloween, he goes to a bar with his friend Eddy. He is a little off because this year is his last year as a human, unless he finds his mate by Christmas. Holly is a waitress in that same bar. All of a sudden, both of them start feeling a pull towards each other. With the shock and the intensity of the pull, Chance faints, so when he wakes up, Holly takes him to the hospital. To thank her (and because he's attracted to her), Chance makes Holly a delicious hot chocolate when she drives him home. Unfortunately, something happens, and he must make her leave in a hurry. Will they see each other again? Will Chance avoid his curse? Read to find out...

This is a cute yet hot short Christmas read. I love this book! Chance is a cinnamon roll, and I identified to Holly being a homebody. They are just adorable together! I felt all the holiday feels while reading this... 🎄🎅
I recommend this book to anyone in need of cheer, and who loves sweet love and romance!

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

“But me, I have to transform into a giant cookie and my mate has to resist eating me.”

Highly entertaining and funny.

When he finds his mate & turns into a gingerbread man, his mate has to resist eating him. What if you’re a gingerbread woman? You just have to bake a cookie and have your mate eat it 😂

This silly, lighthearted novella was surprisingly well done with a well thought out world that I want to know more about.

[Jessica Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

TITLE: Bite Me
AUTHOR: Ariel Dawn
SERIES: Merry Mates, #1
RELEASE DATE: 12/08/2022
GENRE: Holiday Shifter Romantic Comedy Novella
RATING: ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥
SPICE LEVEL: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
------------
I thought this story was really cute! I liked Holly and Chance. I liked how drawn to each other they were when they met, and how nervous they were that they might be too much for the other person, or taking things too fast. I liked watching them date, learn about each other and fall in love. I felt for Chance when he struggled with his predicament and whether Holly would reject him once she found out. Overall I thought this story was very fleshed out for being a novella length book.

If you are still interested in reading holiday (Christmas) romances even though Christmas is over, I definitely recommend giving this book a chance (pun intended lol.)

[Lourene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gingerbread match

This is a very cute short Christmas story. It's filled with Christmas puns and starts with Halloween. We have Chance who needs to find his mate before this Christmas or he will permanently shift into a gingerbread man and forced to live in a forest in Germany. He's lived his life as an introvert watching Christmas movies chilling on his couch.
Holly is a waitress at a popular bar, but she doesn't like to go out. She would rather spend her time off at home curled up on the couch watching Hallmark Christmas movies. She is completely opposite of her twin Joy who loves Halloween, going out and partying. When she meets Chance she feels a pull, but doesn't know what it is.
This story has some absolutely hilarious moments that are laugh out loud, or at least giggle worthy. I really enjoyed this and look forward to possibly Eddy and Joy's story next.

[Vanessa Ouellette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chance is a 6'2" man who happens to be a shifter.....a gingerbread man of all things. This will be his last shift unless he finds his mate, otherwise he'll be stuck in his shifter gingerbread form for the rest of his life. Enter Holly... This paranormal shifter rom-com takes you through this relationship of Chance & Holly b/c Chance knows he's got strong feelings for Holly but isn't fully versed in fated mates so neither of them know what they are doing. Chance struggles to tell Holly the truth until he's left with no choice, cause ready it not he shifts. Holly has to find the strength to resist eating Chance alive.
First part was great, really sucked me in & almost read it in one night (started reading too late) but then the vibe shifts slightly & that energy that was first there was lost by the end. It felt different & quick.

[Devon Conaway · Rating 3 out of 5]

*possible teeny tiny spoiler mentioned*

overall a cute story. i liked that we didn’t just jump into him shifting around her too, and that we got both povs to see his struggles with nearing christmas and the shift as well as how his feelings for holly affected his shifting, and likewise how we saw holly’s feelings develop for chance. i hoped for more time with chance as a gingerbread man to see what his life is like then and how holly would be around him after she got over the hunger like we got to see besides him just shifting back to human (like maybe showing his shift on christmas if it would still happen and chance and holly just riding it out) but beggars can’t be choosers.

3.5⭐️ 2🌶️
*Available on Kindle Unlimited*

[Queerbookdad · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rounding up to 5

I did not expect a book about a gingerbread man shifter to make me feel the way I did but this book is honestly so cute. I love the very original idea, the whole concept is just fun and I love that even though it’s a novella it feels really well developed.

Holly and Chance meet on Halloween and sparks fly, their relationship is a whirlwind that can either go great or disastrous

I also really love the relationship between Eddy and Chance as well as Holly and her sister Joy. I enjoy the whole descendants of the North Pole thing and the whole event at the lights display/Christmas market at the end of the book

[Sydney M Neblett · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little holiday magic

I absolutely love obscure shifters and this has to be one of the best! The story is super sweet, and made just for the holiday magic. The author created this fantastic world where her amazing characters live and love. I enjoyed the sappy love story between the main characters, and the author incorporated the best side kicks who I really hope get love stories of their own. This book is an amazing way to grab that Hallmark feeling and delve right into the holiday spirit.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the book, but… it needed another round (or 2 or 3) of editing and I couldn’t get over it. Not just typos, which there were many of, but weird sentence structures and bad wording (redundant, confusing, etc) throughout. But the characters were so sweet! And their romance was so endearing and just sucked me in! I was mostly reading the book for a laugh because the premise was so ridiculous. But I actually liked the book and kept picking it up over two other books I’m reading right now. With a solid editing, this could’ve been a 4-star book for me, despite the crazy plot.

[Josie Lingard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bite Me by Ariel Dawn
3.5 🌟

A gingerbread shifter who turns into a massive gingerbread man each Christmas, and this is his last chance to find his mate before he is stuck as gingerbread forever. And how does someone prove themselves as his true mate? It's simple, just resist eating him when he's shifted ;) If that sounds like an intriguing premise, then I highly recommend this book for you, especially during the holiday season. It's a fun, quick, Christmassy novella that I read in one sitting, and it's great for getting into the Christmas spirit.

[Natasha Dawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not what I expected

Thoroughly enjoyed venturing into the gingerbread man shifter world. I don't know what I was expecting when I started reading this but I was enthralled and couldn't put it down. For me, I felt like there were some gaps in the back story. I wanted to know and understand more about the gingerbread shifters and have a little more context to apply to this reality.

[Adela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew what I signed up for

The more you read the less you become surprised. And this surprised me a bit. I have read short shifter/mate stories befor but this one was well written and amusing. Sure you got the usual spice that come with short novellas that like to get straight into the action but it wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be. I didn't cringe and that means A LOT. 9/10 would read again.

[Jazi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this story.I ate this up in one day, it was short and sweet. I couldn't put it down! I was laughing for most of the first half of the book. Both the main characters were decently written. It's been a long time since I've liked both main characters, and they actually seemed meant for each other. I don't entirely understand the mechanics of his Gingerbread shifting but that makes it a little more fun. A very easy and enjoyable read.

[Lauren Ruta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay so, this was an odd one! A book about a Gingerbread Man Shifter. It’s an idea that definitely hasn’t been done before and was an interesting one. There were definitely some other chances in this book to make it funnier, but I’m not mad at that!

This was an easy read and a different find but it was a fun little Christmas Novella that was easy to read. Plus, if it’s something a bit different who’s not going to try it out?!

[Bailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Downright bizarre but funny enough to make it worth reading. The fated mate and mate trope was done very well for being a somewhat goofy book. There were some confusing plot points and could’ve been deeper overall, but when you’re reading about a man who turns into a gingerbread cookie, you don’t expect it to be completely life-changing. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Milica]

DNF @ 49%

Halfway through the book, and he still doesn't know that she's his mate. He just feels horny, and not necessarily for her.
What bothered me the most was that she kept chasing him. After he basically pushed her out of his shop, she was the one to go to him and she asked him out on a date. I stopped reading when, after their date, she was the one to walk him to his door. I just can't.

[Shy · Rating 2 out of 5]

is it cringy? bsolutely. is it kinda wacky? yeah. (i mean, it's literally a gingerbread man shifter romance) does it use terrible descriptions for things? yes. (it literally said 'i feast on her sweet candy' and described cum as 'sweet cream -_-) honestly, it's EXACTLY what you'd expect out of this kind of book.

[maskflora · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never thought I would say I read a ginger man smut. but well theirs always a new day and now I can say I have I honestly dont know what compelled me to read this but im oddly not mad...? more like confused? worried? I think I need to seek help after this read.

[Sierra Lewellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something about a cheesy, easy to read shifter romance really hits the spot lol 4.5, would be a five if there was more spice tbh. I dug their relationship tho. I hope Joy and Eddie are meant to be together 🥹