Review // Once Burned by Jeaniene Frost

January 27, 2022

Once Burned by Jeaniene Frost

“People frequently bore me, sometimes amuse me, most often irritate me, but rarely intrigue me.” - Vlad

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Once Burned by Jeaniene Frost

Once Burned by Jeaniene Frost


Night Prince #1
Release - June 26, 2012
Genre - Paranormal Romance / vamps
Heroine POV - 1st person
Heat Level - 3.5 out of 5 / a few scenes
Format/Source - ebook borrowed from the library / I own a copy
Length - 223 pages
Publisher - Avon


She's a mortal with dark powers...

After a tragic accident scarred her body and destroyed her dreams, Leila never imagined that the worst was still to come: terrifying powers that let her channel electricity and learn a person's darkest secrets through a single touch. Leila is doomed to a life of solitude...until creatures of the night kidnap her, forcing her to reach out with a telepathic distress call to the world's most infamous vampire...

He's the Prince of Night...

Vlad Tepesh inspired the greatest vampire legend of all—but whatever you do, don't call him Dracula. Vlad's ability to control fire makes him one of the most feared vampires in existence, but his enemies have found a new weapon against him—a beautiful mortal with powers to match his own. When Vlad and Leila meet, however, passion ignites between them, threatening to consume them both. It will take everything that they are to stop an enemy intent on bringing them down in flames.

My Two Cents

3.5 "Not sure what y'all are talking about" stars

I was very interested in reading Vlad's story after meeting him in the Night Rebel trilogy. I wanted to know more about the firestarter who was also fireproof. And I'm so glad I got to read this book because not only was he cold, deadly, and extremely hard to kill, he was someone who had really lived, suffered, and survived.

However, I couldn't really get into this story because of Leila. She was a hard pill to swallow. While reading this book, I kept thinking about all the people who told me that I would love Vlad's story more than Ian's. You were wrong! Leila was no Veritas. There's just no comparison. And we all know how much I absolutely hate single perspective stories, but they're easier to enjoy if I enjoy the voice telling the story. I didn't enjoy Leila's voice.

Here's the thing... single perspectives are like listening to someone tell you a long story in a monotone. There's no inflection, no variety, no excitement. At least most of the time. That's what Leila's voice was like. A solid hum that I wanted to silence so badly!

Even Leila's 'super powers' didn't give me enough. She was delusional, irrational, immature, and I hate saying this... but she was unworthy of someone like Vlad. It also didn't help that I felt absolutely no chemistry between them.

I wish I could get Vlad's side. It would make such a difference. And since the bad guy wasn't caught in this book, I'll be reading the next one, hoping beyond hope that I'll get something different.

Excerpt


About the Author

Jeaniene Frost is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of paranormal romance and urban fantasy. Her works include the Night Huntress series, the Night Prince series, the Broken Destiny series, and the new Night Rebel series. Jeaniene’s novels have also appeared on the Publishers Weekly, Wall Street Journal, ABA Indiebound, and international bestseller lists. Foreign rights for Jeaniene’s novels have sold to twenty different countries.

Jeaniene lives in Florida with her husband Matthew, who long ago accepted that she rarely cooks and always sleeps in on the weekends. In addition to being a writer, Jeaniene also enjoys reading, writing, poetry, watching movies, exploring old cemeteries, spelunking and traveling – by car. Airplanes, children, and cook books frighten her.

Visit https://www.jeanienefrost.com/ for more information

6 comments

  1. Great Review Natalie! I have this on my TBR the reviews I'm seeing are mixed, people either love it or they don't, so I am not pushing it to the top...I'll get to it at some point.

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    1. Thanks Nadine! xox
      Honestly, it wasn't really for me, but I can definitely see why it's a fan favorite. I prefer the Night Rebel trilogy though :)

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  2. Great review, Natalie! I've only ever read some or the Night Huntress series by this author, and I absolutely loved it! I'm sorry you didn't enjoy this one more!

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    1. I wonder if the Night Huntress series is also in singular 1st person perspective. If so, I just might have to pass.
      Thanks Jess! xoxo

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  3. That's disappointing that the female character let you down in this one. I want to love both MCs when I read a romance like this. I wish you could have gotten Vlad's side if it would have made that much of a difference. Great review!

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    1. She was bad. Not the worst, but bad just the same. It definitely would have made a difference if I got someone else's POV. Even if it wasn't Vlad's, it would have broken up the monotony and maybe alleviated some of my irritation with the heroine. Maybe lol.
      Thanks Deanna! xoxo

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