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Book Reviews of Once Burned (Night Prince, Bk 1)

Once Burned (Night Prince, Bk 1)
Once Burned - Night Prince, Bk 1
Author: Jeaniene Frost
ISBN-13: 9780061783203
ISBN-10: 006178320X
Publication Date: 6/26/2012
Pages: 384
Rating:
  • Currently 4.1/5 Stars.
 170

4.1 stars, based on 170 ratings
Publisher: Avon
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

22 Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

ladyd2206 avatar reviewed Once Burned (Night Prince, Bk 1) on + 50 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 9
Well, considering I finished this book in less than 24 hours after I started it, that should say something... but, if it doesn't, let me just speak plainly... IT. IS. AWESOME.

I am a Jeaniene Frost fan, and have been ever since I picked up the first book in her Night Huntress series. This book does not center around Cat or Bones, but rather Vlad, and a woman he meets named Leila. I loved Vlad from the moment he made an appearance in the NH series, and he did not disappoint here. Being able to see more into him, and who he is made me fall in love with him even more.

Leila is a new comer, a woman who suffered a horrible accident as a teen that left her scarred both physically and emotionally. But beyond her scars, she is also left with some new abilities. She essentially turned into a human taser, and she can see peoples' past, present, and sometimes future when she touches them with her right hand.

The sparks between Leila and Vlad almost burn the pages in your hands. Their chemistry is amazing. Vlad and Leila set out to find the man behind threats on Vlad, and while they're hunting, things most definitely heat up.

This book is book one in a new series, which will remain centered around Vlad and Leila. The way Ms. Frost ends this book leaves me wanting more, and I cannot wait till Spring of 2013, when their next book comes out! Be sure to pick this book up, because it is a MUST READ!
swampmolly avatar reviewed Once Burned (Night Prince, Bk 1) on + 150 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 7
Very good! If I die before I get to read next in series, someone must sit by my ashes and read it to me!!! Lots and lots of action!!!
reviewed Once Burned (Night Prince, Bk 1) on + 3 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
Yes, I agree totally with the 'read it at my grave comment', lol. Loved the book, very action oriented, enthralling story with crystal clear characters! Have always been a fan of Vlad (history papers and all), and was hesitant to read this (although I very much wanted to), as I wasn't sure how well he could be portrayed. Very well done Jeaniene Frost! Bravo! I can't even bring myself to share it yet...couldn't put it down! I am already craving the next. A must read.

Am a fan of The Night Huntress stories, and love the way Vlad is portrayed in the series, exactly as one would imagine him, arrogant, fearless, dangerous, honorable, loyal. Yet this book did just that, such in depth characters, such sparks! Read this one, even if you haven't read her others! Once again a must read.
moondance120 avatar reviewed Once Burned (Night Prince, Bk 1) on + 422 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
I read this book in one sitting. Guess that says a lot right there. I have loved...and lusted after Vlad since he was introduced in the Night Huntress series. i thought his repartee with Cat was interesting until he met Leila. Talk about hot! Pun intended. Excellent read and can't wait for the next book. 4.5 stars
eclecticfirefly avatar reviewed Once Burned (Night Prince, Bk 1) on + 94 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
LOVE, LOVE, LOVED IT!!!

Vlad was awesome.... Leila was fabulous.... Loved when Cat and Bones made a cameo appearance.

I hope this is a long series - I'll be there for all of it!
reviewed Once Burned (Night Prince, Bk 1) on
Helpful Score: 1
I usually read through one of Jeaniene Frost's books in a day or two. Her Night Huntress series is at the top of my list of favorites. "Once Burned" took me a month, and I had to force myself to finish it. If this is the first of a new series, I will not be reading any more of the books. It was a huge disappointment. Vlad is the least likely character in her books I would pick for a new series, and he and Leila have no "spark".
robinmy avatar reviewed Once Burned (Night Prince, Bk 1) on + 2118 more book reviews
After an accident as a teenager, Leila could not touch anyone without discharging electricity that nearly killed them. Another side-effect is her ability to touch an item and see a person's past, present and future. This ability gets Leila kidnapped by a group of Vampires who need her to use her gift to tell them where the famous vampire, Vlad Tepesh, is located. Not only does Leila use her mind to find Vlad at his home in Romania, she contacts him and asks for help. Leila is rescued and taken by Vlad to his home in Romania. He needs her help in figuring out who wants him dead. He is also drawn to Leila and would not mind her staying with him in the future.

When Vlad was introduced in Frost's Night Huntress series, we knew he would eventually get his own book. This book does not disappoint. Vlad is a powerful master vampire who cares for his people. I loved his humor and his relationship with Leila. Leila has finally found a man she can touch without electrocuting him. Together they make the pages sizzle.

The story is action-packed and moves quickly. I liked the discovery of who was wanted Vlad dead. I thought he was a worthy adversary. My only problem was I felt the book ended a little abruptly. I hope to continue with the next book soon to see what happens next. My rating: 4.5 Stars.
reviewed Once Burned (Night Prince, Bk 1) on + 276 more book reviews
Laila is a human with special abilities following a horrible accident.
He's Vlad Tepesh the Prince of Darkness who has amazing abilities other vampires do not.
Together they are one hot irresistible couple.
Great first book in a new series by a reliable author.
Really good read with lots of danger romance, and action.
renegadespiritcat avatar reviewed Once Burned (Night Prince, Bk 1) on + 198 more book reviews
FASSSSST read keeps you enthralled wanting to find out "what next" Read this book in less then 8 hours. If you enjoy mamby pamby vampires like the twilight series this is NOT that kind of book aggressive and powerful but honorable this vamp novel is action packed and insightful. The fabric of the cast of characters is so real you could almost reach out and touch them. I look forward to reading more of this authors works.
reviewed Once Burned (Night Prince, Bk 1) on + 929 more book reviews
Wow! I didn't want the book to end. Vlad (ah, sigh) was just hot especially when he comes to the rescue. Really, I read parts of this book with a starry dumb grin. Leila was an amazing character. She was like Cat but more mature but still as spunky. They were great together and I can't wait to continue reading their adventures.

This reads more like Cat and Bones than the Spade or Kira's stories. Don't be disappointed that things aren't resolved in the end because it seems like it will be a long series.
reviewed Once Burned (Night Prince, Bk 1) on + 9 more book reviews
Love that you can fall in love with a protective vampire, even with the prince of darkness..The store line is easy to follow and has a few twist and turns I did not expect.
KellitaJ avatar reviewed Once Burned (Night Prince, Bk 1) on + 550 more book reviews
Jeaniene Frost is an excellent storyteller. If you like vampires, then this is the usual. The woman character is different and so I bumped it up from 3 to 4 stars. This is the first in her Night Prince novels
reviewed Once Burned (Night Prince, Bk 1) on + 102 more book reviews
Up front let me say I am not a fan of first person books but I am a Jeaniene Frost fan. This story caught my interest with the first chapter, a funny scene in a bar where the circus performers work in the off season. The action starts with Leila immediately and never lets up. The back story of Leila's accidental electrocution and her new abilities plus her circus partner,a vampire named Marty, all set things up nicely for her acceptance of the things that begin to happen to her.

I also would have liked Vlad's perspective although I loved the details of his previous existance that led up to the Dracula legend. Vlad's disgust with Bram Stoker's version is truly laughable. But he is too inscrutable and I would have liked to hear his version of events and his decisions regarding Leila. Also more detail (we were told more then shown what happened) on his background with the villain would have greatly improved the reasons for the conflict and undying hatred between them.

I was intrigued with Vlad in the Cat and Bones books and was really surprised by how little they were in this story. The only scene Cat, Bones, Mancheres and Kira were in seemed like it was thrown in as a token just to tie him to the other Night Huntress books.

Leila and Vlad are a good match as a couple. I liked her "in your face" attitude when dealing with him. And everyone else's amazement that she dared disagree with Vlad. I got a little tired of the kidnap, rescue, kidnap rescue after a while but I like some of the new secondary characters. Obviously, from the ending (or lack of one) there is more coming and I am looking forward to other Night Prince stories. I liked it enought for 4 stars.
sharalsbooks avatar reviewed Once Burned (Night Prince, Bk 1) on + 259 more book reviews
Jeaniene Frost is one of my favorite picks when I want a little bite to my romance. I love her Cat and Bones series. I didnt love Vlad when I first met him in the earlier books. I found him to be very arrogant with an extremely large chip on his shoulder. With Once Burned, readers are given an inside and very in depth look into Vlads life. Hes not the typical vampire hero that readers will instantly fall for, but without realizing that its happening, readers will find themselves drawn to him, wanting to know more and get to know him better. Im still annoyed that Ian has not gotten a story yet and still hoping for one, but by the end of this book, I found myself firmly a fan of Vlad.

Leila is also not your typical heroine. I really liked that she thinks quickly on her feet and makes the most of a bad situation to turn it around. I knew Leila would be an interesting character as soon as she is kidnapped in the beginning of the book, Instead of being a blubbery and withering victim, she turns the tables on her kidnappers. I found her gifts of telepathy and electricity very intriguing as well. Ms. Frost does an excellent job of bringing in the background of both of these characters to give the reader a better idea of who they are without digressing too much from the main story.

A lot of new characters are introduced that I really liked, especially Maximus, a vampire who works for Vlad and who befriends Leila. This story has a great mix of action, passion, intrigue and even some funny moments. Cat, Bones and Mencheres also make an appearance so there really wasnt anything I could complain about too loudly. The story ends with a big unfinished twist that I hope will be addressed in the next book, Twice Tempted.

I found this to be a very good start to an interesting series that should appeal not only to fans of Cat and Bones, but also to all fans of vampire romance. Vlad and Leila are very strong willed characters that I enjoyed getting to know and look forward to what they face next.
ophelia99 avatar reviewed Once Burned (Night Prince, Bk 1) on + 2527 more book reviews
This is the first book in the Night Prince series by Jeaniene Frost. Last I read there were two books planned for this series with the second book, Twice Tempted, scheduled for a March 2013 release. This book is in the same universe as the Night Huntress series but tells Vlads story. While not as excellent as the Night Huntress books it was still a very good read.

I listened to this on audiobook and the audiobook was exceedingly well done. Tavia Gilbert (who has narrated all of Frosts audiobooks) is the narrator again and she does an excellent job. This is a series I can recommend listening to on audiobook if you are a fan of audiobooks.

Leila was hit by lightening when she was younger and it left her with the ability to channel electricity and learn a persons darkest secrets with a single touch. Her inability to control her electrical shocking ability has lead her to a life of solitude as a circus performer. When she is kidnapped by vampires seeking revenge on Vlad Tepish, she is forced to call out to Vlad for help. Of course Vlad is more dangerous (in many ways) than Leila expected.

Leila is an interesting character. The whole thing about her gaining her abilities by being hit by lightening is un-creative and a bit corny...but lets be honest here thats just the back story to get Leila isolated so that Vlad and her can connect. So I am willing to be a bit lenient on the crazy unbelievable back story. That being said Leilas past as an Olympic worthy gymnast and circus performer are interesting and make her a character with an interesting history of experiences to draw upon. I enjoyed Leila, she is more light-hearted and fun than Cat and yet is still one tough cookie.

Vlad is well...hes Vlad. I love him, he is one of my favorite characters of the Night Huntress series and I was thrilled to learn more about him. We do get to learn a lot about Vlads past and what makes him tick. It is an intriguing read. I love Vlads cockiness and love reading about how he controls fire; its an interesting power and watching it mix with Leilas electrical abilities was fun.

The biggest disappointment for me with this book was that the whole book is told from Leilas point of view. Leila is fine and fun to read about but I am more interested in Vlad...and we never get to hear what he thinks. I wish that viewpoints had switched between the two...or even better that the story had been told from Vlads point of view.

The back story is pretty good; basically Vlad and Leila have to figure out who is trying to take out Vlad and why they are using Leila to do it. There are some awesome fighting scenes, torture is referenced, and there is lots of burning and zapping people. The book is fast paced and engaging.

Lets face it though this is mainly a paranormal romance, even more so than the Night Huntress series. The plot is mainly a vehicle to get Leila and Vlad togehter. Most of the story is focused around Leila and Vlad getting to know and trust each other...oh yeah, and have some really steamy scenes together. Frost does an excellent job writing high tension steamy scenes and that holds true for this book as well. The scenes are always very well done, never too much described but always enough. The chemistry between Vlad and Leila crackles and was fun to read about.

The book ends with a couple large issues unresolved and I am eager to read the next book in this series.

Overall a fun read. This is more paranormal romance than urban fantasy. The back story for Leila is a bit corny and the surrounding plot is mainly focused on getting Leila and Vlad together. I was disappointed that none of the story was told from Vlads point of view. Frost writes paranormal romance very well and the chemistry between Vlad and Leila is awesome, as are the sensual scenes between them. I definitely recommend to fans of Frosts Night Huntress series as well as to fans of vampire paranormal romance. I am looking forward to reading Twice Tempted when it releases next year.
reviewed Once Burned (Night Prince, Bk 1) on + 441 more book reviews
Thought the first book was great but this is also can't wait for the next in series. I will absolutely read it.
Bookfanatic avatar reviewed Once Burned (Night Prince, Bk 1) on
This book is a keeper. I won't put my copy for swapping.

I didn't think I could find a vampire hero in this series that I would love as much as Bones, but Jeanine Frost created that hero in Vlad. He is all that Bones is, but so much more. Much deadlier, much scarier, much more alpha, but with all those deadly attributes, he is quite likable. Frost does a wonderful job of presenting a nuanced view of Vlad, the prototype for Dracula. Vlad is not a knight in shining armor. He clearly has a dark side. He doesn't hide the dark side either. If asked to choose between Bones and Vlad, I honestly don't know which male vamp I'd pick. That's how much I enjoyed Vlad's character. He has humor, loyalty and above all else, monogamy! Unlike Bones, this vampire doesn't sleep around. In fact, his "number" of conquests is shockingly low for someone who is several hundred years old. Having said that, the sexy scenes in the book are scorching hot (no pun intended) though not kinky.

I loved the female heroine in the story. She is feisty, very bright, quick witted, and emotionally stable. I can't stand reading some paranormal stories because the heroine is incredibly emotional. This heroine is not a weepy mess who needs rescuing from the big bad alpha vampire male. She has powers that are extraordinary and she is more than equal to Vlad's Master vampire powers. He senses in her a kindred spirit. Mencheres, Kira, Cat and Bones make a brief appearance. I liked the descriptions of those characters from the perspective of this heroine who hasn't seen them before.

I liked that the connection between the two happened slowly and is still in progress well into the next book. I hope Frost continues with Vlad's series. He is one of the most interesting characters in the series. My one complaint is that a first person point of view doesn't allow us to understand Vlad as well as we could have. The sections where the heroine got psychic impressions of Vlad's hidden thoughts were a good glimpse into the complex character he is, but I wished we had more entry into what goes on in that mind of his.
ra7 avatar reviewed Once Burned (Night Prince, Bk 1) on + 1029 more book reviews
Vlad was an intriguing character in previous Night Huntress books. I'm very pleased this layered, tortured man gets his own story (and multiple books to tell that story). I thought Leila was the perfect choice for him. I liked that she had her own abilities (and a difficult past) and was strong; she called bullshit when she needed to.
reviewed Once Burned (Night Prince, Bk 1) on + 70 more book reviews
This book was so great. I love Jeaniene Frost other books and this was so great. This is a new look at Vald. Hope the next is just as good.
danielleraybuck avatar reviewed Once Burned (Night Prince, Bk 1) on + 76 more book reviews
fantastic! finished in it a day
loves2read55 avatar reviewed Once Burned (Night Prince, Bk 1) on
I loved reading Jeaniene Frost's Night Huntress Series and so I love being able to read Vlad and Leila's story in A Night Prince Series. I love the action and the characters. Another great book!
pamgram1 avatar reviewed Once Burned (Night Prince, Bk 1) on + 102 more book reviews
From Amazon.com

Publication Date: June 26, 2012
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...

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.