ONCE BURNED by Jeaniene Frost Review + Giveaway

Once Burned
Jeaniene Frost

Rating: A
Synopsis from goodreads.com:
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 thoughts on this book:

I have been waiting for Once Burned since Frost first announced she was writing this book. It hasn't been a patient wait for me, and when I finally got my hands on this novel, I had extremely high hopes for it. I was not disappointed! Like with all of Frost's other books, I was hooked from the first page, and Vlad grabbed onto me and wouldn't let me go until the very end. Okay, I wish it was Vlad who grabbed me... it was actually the action-packed, suspenseful plot; complex, realistic characters, and amazing, descriptive world-building that held my attention. I love  Once Burned l just as much, if not more, than the Cat and Bones books that I adore so much. Frost has outdone herself with this novel. 

I'll be honest here... I was afraid I wouldn't like Leila as much as I like Cat. I figured no character could be as kick ass as Cat (okay, except maybe Elena from the Kelley Armstrong's Otherworld series), but I was pleasantly surprised. Leila isn't as angry at the outside world as Cat is, but she really hates herself. However, when push comes to shove, she stands her ground and fights for herself and those she cares about. She's a very complicated character, and quite a bit darker than Cat the other female leads in the Night Huntress World. I really liked the darkness in her, though. Vlad said he could sense a darkness in her, and I agree with him. That darkness made her all the more interesting. It was fascinating to learn about the world Frost has created through the eyes of someone like Leila, who had some knowledge of vampires, but didn't know nearly enough about them. The more she learns about the world of the vampires, the more she learns about herself. She grows tremendously throughout this novel, and I think I liked her even better at the end than I did in the beginning. 

Vlad... I think he's the fictional love of my life. He's always been my favorite character in the Night Huntress and Night Huntress World series, so obviously I was beyond elated to hear that he was getting, not only his own book, but his own series. He is everything I dreamed he would be and more *cue cheesy sappy music here*. He is also complex and more ruthless than I realized. The fact that he is so violent and his moods are so volatile make it that much more touching when he interacts with Leila and his soft side shows. I really love how his personalty is so extreme, and yet somehow believable. His arrogance is actually endearing, and his honesty and loyalty are honorable. *dreamy sigh* 

The romance between Leila and Vlad is super hot, and not just because of Vlad's firestarting ability. They have a lot of chemistry between them, and I look forward to seeing what's in store for them next. The Epilogue ended on a bit of a cliffhanger, as far as their relationship was concerned, so I'm counting down the days until I can know what happens next with my new favorite vampire/human couple. 

The plot is suspenseful and action-packed. There is a lot going on, but Frost's attention to detail makes it easy to keep up. An air of mystery surrounds the bad guy, and for awhile, no one knows who he is. I would have liked a little more information about Rend, one of the bad guy's "employees," but none was provided. Maybe we'll get to see what exactly he did to lead him to his job with the bad guy. 

This novel is a bit darker than the Cat and Bones novels. Since we are in Leila's head, and if she touches someone she sees horrible things, there is more graphic violence than Frost's previous novels. Also, Leila and Vlad are darker characters than Cat and Bones. However, I liked the darkness, and it added a different feel to this series. I think that the darkness made Once Burned stand out from the Night Huntress and Night Huntress World novels, and that's a good thing. As Frost said at her signing, she didn't want to keep writing the same stories and creating the same characters over and over again. She definitely branched out with this novel, and it worked extremely well. 

Overall, I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys paranormal romance or darker paranormal novels. Once Burned is sure to appeal to Frost's already established fan base, and I'm sure that it will earn her many new readers as well. 

Want to buy Once Burned?

Or you can click read more to enter for a chance to win a signed copy of Once Burned by Jeaniene Frost. 

The Giveaway


As most of you know, I was lucky enough to go to the Jeaniene Frost Q&A session and signing at the Cary, NC, Barnes and Noble this past weekend. While I was there, I got my own copy of Once Burned signed and personalized, and I also got another copy signed, but not personalized to share with you guys.

So, this giveaway is for one signed copy of Jeaniene Frost's Once Burned as well as the winner's choice of two of the bracelets I snagged at the signing. The bracelets have one of the men from the Night Huntress World's name on one side, and then on the other side, there is a saying related to their personality or gift. They read as follows: "Vlad... I like it hot," "Mencheres... I like it mindblowing," "Ian... I like it twisted," and "Spade... I like it romantic." Vlad's writing is in red, Mencheres' is in green, Ian's is in silver, and Spade's is in pink. The bracelets themselves are black rubber and one size fits most.

Unfortunately, I can only afford shipping to the US, so this contest is open to US residents only. Never fear international friends, I will have an international contest as soon as I reach 1,000 followers!

To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter below. I will contact the winner at the end of the contest and the winner will have 48 hours to respond before I choose another winner.

I will be checking the entries to make sure that everyone is keeping things honest, so let's keep it classy guys.

Okay, that's all of the rules. Onto the Rafflecopter!

As always, thanks so much for reading my blog! I love all of you guys! <3

a Rafflecopter giveaway