D.N. Bryn has a way with stories that has me hook, line and sinker the SECOND i start reading i adore the dynamics and the characters and the way the romance builds and leaves me hoping and struggling even tho i know how the book ends (because it's extremely predictable (which can be a good thing and D.N. Bryn makes it a good thing)) AND i really appreciate the portraition of physical and mental disability as well as a good acespec character

This is technically a volume 2 but about a different couple. I would still recommend reading volume 1 (How to bite your neighbor & win a wager) before because this one spoils part of the mystery in the first one. Also I have to say I liked that one more. I am not entirely sure why because this time, I could really identify with the characters on different levels. I could relate to how Clementine reacts to phone calls and other stuff, his struggle with romance and sexuality (great demisexual representation), and his whole nerdy self. Justin is very different from that, trying to protect a whole neighborhood himself after feeling indebted to it to a point where he wouldn't allow himself anything else. He also suffers from chronic pain, which is the part I could relate to (even if it obviously was a different kind). So the characters were great and relateable, and their relationship a nice slowburn full of longing (for love and blood and later on physical touch). So why only a 3,5 ☆ rating? Well, the story was generally interesting but too long and dragged out. It was the same "villain" as in the first one, and I was just kinda done with them. It was still interesting but I also missed that mystery from volume 1, there was nothing (beside their relationship obviously) keeping me excited to find out more (I guess only how Clementine was turned but I forgot about that at some point). Also, in the beginning, there were too many repeating phrases/thoughts. Clementine constantly thought about how he liked Justin but not in a sexual way. As I said, great demisexual/grayace representation, but I got that after a few times, and Justin said to himself that he didn't deserve this after anything good happened to him. As a reader, I just felt like I got a constant recap that I didn't need 😅 Well, all in all, I still enjoyed this book a lot, and I love the characters. There will be another one that I will also read, but I just hope the story will circle around something different or be done with it this time.