Pet Project: Collared by the Vampire - Bethany Baker

 

 

 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.