Reviews – Once Burned & Twice Tempted by Jeaniene Frost

Posted February 3, 2021 by Carole in Audiobook, Book Reviews / 18 Comments

Once Burned by Jeaniene Frost
Narrated by Tavia Gilbert
Series: Night Prince #1 / Night Huntress Universe #9
Publisher: HarperAudio
Publication Date: June 26, 2012
Date Read: December 28, 2020
Length: 8 hours and 25 minutes
Source: Purchased
★★★★★

She’s a mortal cursed with dark power….

After a tragic accident scarred her body and destroyed her dreams, Leila never imagined that the worst was still to come: a terrifying ability to channel electricity and to see 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, passion ignites, threatening to consume them. It will take everything they have to stop an enemy intent on bringing them down in flames.

My Review

I loved this book!  This was a re-read for me but I remembered much less about the book than I would have expected.  Usually, once I start a reread, the story comes back to me but that wasn’t the case this time.  I probably read the book so quickly the first time that it just didn’t stay in my memory. Or I am going senile.  It could really go either way.  The good news is that I really got to experience this book for the first time all over again.  And what an experience it was!  

Vlad has been a favorite character for me throughout the Night Huntress series so I was really excited to read this book where he takes a leading role.  It was really nice to see another side of this sometimes brutal but usually fair character.  Leila was great.  She is human but has some extra abilities due to a near-death experience with lightning. As a result, she has become a target for a group of vampires who wish to harm Vlad.
I really liked Vlad and Leila.  They are both great characters and they are great together.  Leila does push Vlad further than he has ever allowed but I think that this push-pull behavior helps to bring them closer together.  The chemistry between them was off the charts and I liked the way that they were able to work together to achieve a goal.  Vlad was very protective of Leila and I loved seeing just how far he would go to keep her safe.
Tavia Gilbert nailed the narration once again.  I love the voices she uses for all of the characters in the books set in this world and the fact that she is very consistent.  Vlad’s voice just suits his character and I love the way she brought him and the other characters to life.  I thought that she added a lot of emotion and excitement to the story, which added to my overall enjoyment of the book.
I would definitely recommend this book to others.  Readers who have not read the Night Huntress series could probably jump in here but I do recommend reading this one after the other books set in this world if at all possible just to have the background on all of the characters.  I cannot wait to continue with my re-read of this delightful series!

Twice Tempted by Jeaniene Frost
Narrated by Tavia Gilbert
Series: Night Prince #2 / Night Huntress Universe #10
Publisher: HarperAudio
Publication Date: March 26, 2013
Date Read: January 28, 2021
Length: 8 hours and 16 minutes
Source: Purchased
★★★★☆

Dating the Prince of Darkness has its challenges….

Leila’s psychic abilities have been failing her, and now she isn’t sure what the future holds. If that weren’t enough, her lover, Vlad, has been acting distant. Though Leila is a mere mortal, she’s also a modern woman who refuses to accept the cold-shoulder treatment forever – especially from the darkly handsome vampire who still won’t admit that he loves her….

Like choosing between eternal love and a loveless eternity….

Soon circumstances send Leila back to the carnival circuit, where tragedy strikes. And when she finds herself in the crosshairs of a killer who may be closer than she realizes, Leila must decide who to trust – the fiery vampire who arouses her passions like no other or the tortured knight who longs to be more than a friend? With danger stalking her every step of the way, all it takes is one wrong move to damn her for eternity….

My Review

I had a good time with this book!  After my re-read of the first book in the Night Prince series, Once Burned, I have been very eager to read this book.  It turns out that like the first book, I didn’t remember this story despite the fact that I have already read it.  That is bad for my memory but good for the experience of reading this book since it was like reading this book for the first time.  I really enjoyed my time with this book.

Leila and Vlad survived the events of the last book but things seem a bit different.  Leila has lost her abilities and Vlad seems distant.  There is a bit of a misunderstanding that becomes the breaking point and Leila leaves.  I have to admit that I really like Leila and Vlad together so the time that they were apart in this book wasn’t quite as enjoyable for me.  Things are still pretty exciting while Leila is away and it seems that danger must be following her.  Of course, Vlad happens to be a pretty good problem solver.
I really enjoyed watching the relationship between Vlad and Leila develop over the course of this book.  They learn a lot about each other in this installment and there are a lot of pretty big developments.  I really liked seeing the ups and downs between them and thought that it made their relationship seem a lot more realistic.  I really do think that they are good together and love how they seem to understand each other.  
Tavia Gilbert does a fantastic job with the narration.  I love the voices that she uses for all of the characters and how she is able to put a lot of emotion into her reading.  The story really comes to life with her narration and I found myself listening to this book for hours at a time.  I believe that her narration added to my overall enjoyment of the story.
I would recommend this series to others.  I do believe that this series should be read in order since the events of this book build off the previous installment.  It would be ideal to be up to date with all the books in the Night Huntress universe but not absolutely necessary.  I look forward to reading the next book in the series very soon!

The Night Huntress Universe


Book #1 – Halfway to the Grave – My Review
Book #2 – One Foot in the Grave – My Review
Book #3 – At Grave’s End – My Review
Book #4 – Destined for an Early Grave – My Review
Book #5 – First Drop of Crimson (Night Huntress World #1) – My Review
Book #6 – Eternal Kiss of Darkness (Night Huntress World #2) – My Review
Book #7 – This Side of the Grave – My Review
Book #8 – One Grave at a Time – My Review
Book #9 – Once Burned (Night Prince #1)
Book #10 – Twice Tempted (Night Prince #2)
Book #11 – Up From the Grave – My Review
Book #12 – Bound by Flames (Night Prince #3)
Book #13 – Into the Fire (Night Prince #4)
Book #14 – Shades of Wicked (Night Rebel #1) – My Review
Book #15 – Wicked Bite (Night Rebel #2) – My Review
About the Author

Jeaniene Frost is a New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author whose works include the Night Huntress series, the Night Prince series, and the Broken Destiny series.  To date, foreign rights for her novels have sold to twenty different countries. Jeaniene lives in North Carolina with her husband Matthew, who long ago accepted that she rarely cooks and always sleeps in on the weekends. Aside from writing, Jeaniene enjoys reading, poetry, watching movies, exploring old cemeteries, spelunking and traveling – by car. Airplanes, children, and cook books frighten her. Jeaniene is represented by Nancy Yost at Nancy Yost Literary Agency.

Author Links: Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

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18 responses to “Reviews – Once Burned & Twice Tempted by Jeaniene Frost”

  5. Northwoman

    I own all these on audio but haven't listened to them yet. I hope to get to them soon.

    But I'm really glad you enjoyed them so much!

    Anne – Books of My Heart

  8. Sophia Rose

    Yep, I have those senility moments, too. I've read both these books and haven't gone on to the third and fourth Vlad books, but I can't remember them. Glad they were so good this time around.