2013 Top Review: Twice Tempted by Jeaniene Frost

Twice Tempted 

by Jeaniene Frost 

Night Prince #2

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.

OMFG. Vlad has push Bones down my yummy list and is quickly catching up to Barrons and Terrible.

You noticed that I rated Twice Tempted as a 2013 Top Read. How do I judge what books get that rating? If a book sucks me from page 1 and I feel everything that the main characters are feeling then it's a Top Read.

Twice Tempted was an emotional roller coaster for Leila and me. I felt every emotion she felt: pissed, depressed, hot and bothered, and finally happy. I was heart broken and crying with her.

The first few chapters punches you in the gut and has your heart in your throat. But we all knew that loving Vlad would not be easy. Don't worry, you get to see another side of Vlad as the story unfolds. Is he a badass alpha? Yes. Can he be cold? Yes Is he loyal? Yes. Is he swoon worthy? HELL YES. Can he be tender? You'll have to read Twice Tempted to find that out.

Leila and Vlad has a tug of war with their relationship. She wants him to say the right words, he wants her to see that he shows more in his actions than any pretty words could show.

As the two fumble their way through the romance area; they know exactly what do in the catch the bad guy area. Vlad fans know that he will do whatever it takes to protect what his. And now that Leila has learned to use her powers, we get to see her be a badass as well. The couple could not be more perfect for each other.

As read Twice Tempted I was reminded of the heart ache that Cat and Bones went through in Destined for an Early Grave. But in true Frost fashion you have to sit back and know that she will make things better. The hardest part of reading Twice Tempted is facing the long wait for the 3rd book. And the fact that we only have that 3rd book left since Frost has stated that Vlad and Leila's story will be a trilogy. I don't want it to end!!

I've added Once Burned and Twice Tempted to my re-read shelf. I highly recommend both books to readers whether you're a Frost fan or just wanting to check out her writing for the first time. While Vlad's books are a spin-off of sorts from the Night Huntress series you can read them without having read that series but I recommend you read it was well. You first meet Vlad in book 3, At Grave's End.


(ARC provided from publisher for review)

Audio Review: Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

Halfway to the Grave 

by Jeaniene Frost

(Night Huntress #1) 

Narrated by Tavia Gilbert

Half-vampire Catherine Crawfield is going after the undead with a vengeance, hoping that one of these deadbeats is her father--the one responsible for ruining her mother's life. Then she's captured by Bones, a vampire bounty hunter, and is forced into an unholy partnership.

In exchange for finding her father, Cat agrees to train with the sexy night stalker until her battle reflexes are as sharp as his fangs. She's amazed she doesn't end up as his dinner--are there actually good vampires? Pretty soon Bones will have her convinced that being half-dead doesn't have to be all bad. But before she can enjoy her newfound status as kick-ass demon hunter, Cat and Bones are pursued by a group of killers. Now Cat will have to choose a side . . . and Bones is turning out to be as tempting as any man with a heartbeat.

This is my 3rd reread of Halfway to the Grave and this time around I checked out the audio from the libary. The narration is good all but for Bones' voice. I HATE it. When I first read Bones I pictured Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It was the British accent and the bleached hair plus his cheeky humor. I'm so glad that I didn't do my first read of this book on audio. Tavia Gilbert's Bones would have killed him for me. Ok that is my only compliant. Let's move on to the book review.....

I first read Halfway to the Grave WAY before I started blogging so I decided it was time to write a review about it and all it's glory. WHY did I reread for a 3rd time? First, why the feck not, it's awesome and it was my first Urban Fantasy read before I even knew that UF was a genre. Second, Christen from Golilox and the Threes Weres and I have been book bullying Laura from Little Read Riding Hood to read the series so I figured I would lend her some support and do a read a long with her.

No matter how many times I read this book it still stays on my favorite shelf with a 5 star rating.

Looking for a great UF read that has a badass heroine in training and a cheeky and sexy brit vamp then you need to read Halfway to the Grave.

Check out Laura and my Q & A discussion on Halfway to the Grave over at Little Read Riding Hood. 

Dual Review: Once Burned by Jeaniene Frost

Once Burned

by Jeaniene Frost

Night Prince #1

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.br />


Jennifer's Thoughts:

I've been a fan of Vlad ever since he step on to the pages of the third Night Huntress book, At Grave's End. I was so happy when Frost announced that he would have his own spin-off series (looks like 3 books in all). After the last two Cat & Bones books being a little on the slow side for me I was ready to read about Vlad and he did not disappoint.

Vlad is the boogie man of the vamp world so no wonder he is the cocky bastard that he is but he has the swagger and power to back it up. Don't make the mistake of calling him Dracula, you just might find yourself bursting into flames.

Speaking of flames, I knew once we got a look into Vlad's bedroom game it would be all heat and fireworks. Have a fire extinguisher handy while reading the smexy scene.

But when Vlad is outside the bedroom he can be a bit cold to the heroine, Lelia. He makes no bones about letting her know that he will never love her (the death of his wife really screwed him up in that dept). But Vlad is very loyal and will protect anyone that he sees as his and he sees Lelia as his.

I really like Lelia, she's tough and can take care of herself. But she still has a soft side to her. Despite not wanting to get her heart broke she still fell for Vlad by the end of the book and she is not going to back down from Vlad vow about not ever loving her. And I can see Vlad breaking that vow by the time the three book series is over.

All in all Vlad's first book was great and I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel, Twice Tempted. I have a feeling that Lelia is going to break Vlad's hard candy coating soon.

Narration Note: 

I own this book both in paperback and ebook but I decided to check the audio out from the library so I could listen to it a work. The narrator was ok but how she pronounced Vlad's name drove me nuts and I didn't care for her voice for Bones. But over all the narration was good but I would prefer to read the next book unless my library has it on audio and I want to make my work day go by faster with a little Vlad in my ear.

Jonetta's Thoughts:

Leila ended up with telepathic and electrical powers following an accident as a young girl that also left her scarred. The experience changed her life forever, relegating her to a life of loneliness and solitude until the night she was kidnapped and asked to channel the world's most famous...and dangerous...vampire, Vlad Tepesh, known as the Prince of the Night.

Vlad is his typical arrogant, intimidating self in this story and as always, he has the goods to back all that attitude up! He becomes intrigued by the innocent but plucky Leila, enough to keep her around until he has a chance to determine her usefulness and if she's being straight with him. Someone is trying to get to Vlad and Leila's powers provide assistance in identifying and tracking the foe. The interplay between these two sizzle with electricity...literally and figuratively and Vlad seems to have found someone up to the challenge of being with him.

I've looked forward to this book since it was announced and it delivered. Leila is an interesting young woman and she seems to be holding her own with the difficult Vlad. He's not sure of his feelings because it's been a long time since he's had to or wanted to care about anyone so Vlad's not on sure footing. Their romance is erotic and charged and I liked them together. The action is exciting and the characters surrounding them are equally interesting (anyone else pulling for a separate story for Maximus?).

This is a great start to this spinoff series and there's promise that there may be more than one or two books going forward. If so, I'm in.

Next book in the series:

March 26, 2013

Once Burned Snippet

I grabbed the below snippet from Frost's BLOG.

Vlad stopped when he was only inches away, still nailing me with that hard, copper-colored stare. Then he held out his hand.

“My ring.”

I put it in his palm, forgetting to switch it to my left hand before touching him. A current sizzled into him with the contact, which I expected, but I didn’t expect what came next.

The gothic hall vanished, replaced by the hazy cocoon of midnight green drapes encircling the bed I was on. I wound my hand into the thick fabric while a moan left my lips, sharpening into a cry at the incredible pleasure shooting through me. My grip on the drapes tightened as I writhed under the erotic combination of wet, deep strokes and lightly chafing stubble against my most sensitive flesh.
“Please,” I gasped.


Vlad lifted his head, his hair like dark silk against my thighs and his gaze lit up with emerald.


“No,” he said throatily. “More.” And he lowered his mouth again.


Vlad’s face crystallized in front of me, but instead of green drapes all around us, we were back in the hall and he was staring down at me, frowning.

“I know you caught a glimpse of something when you touched me. Your mind went silent. Tell me what it was.”

My cheeks flamed with heat. At the same time, disbelief washed over me.

No. Not me and Vlad like…like that!

His frown cleared, replaced by a brow going up. Damn his mindreading. Think of something else! I mentally screamed, avoiding his stare. ANYthing else!

I no longer looked at Vlad, but I could almost feel his gaze roving over me, noting my newly tight nipples, accelerated heartbeat, and probably picking up on that damned lingering throb between my legs, too.

“Not surprising,” he said at last, his voice thicker with things I didn’t want to name. “I predicted the same thing myself.”

This snippet makes me forget all about not liking the cover.

CAN. NOT. WAIT!

Cover Revealed: Once Burned

Once Burned
by Jeaniene Frost

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.

As much as I can't wait to get my hands on this book to read about Vlad. I'm not digging this cover. And I like the stepback even less.

Oh well. I want what's inside not the cover.

What do you think?

REVIEW: One Grave at a Time

One Grave at a Time
(Night Huntress Series #6)
by Jeaniene Frost
Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Avon (August 30, 2011)
BUY: Amazon / B&N/ Book Depo
My copy: Nookbook
RATING: 
Cat and Bones are back at war, this time with the villainous spirit of a witch hunter. Every All Hallows Eve he takes physical form to torture innocent women. This year, Cat and Bones must risk all to send him back to the other side of eternity—forever.


REVIEW:

I have been looking forward to reading One Grave at a Time ever since I finished This Side of the Grave. I am an enormous fan of The Night Huntress series. I have a love/hate relationship with Cat; I love her because she is one of the most kick ass heroines I've ever read but I hate that she gets to have wild monkey sex with Bones. {runs to grab my copy of One Foot in the Grave to re-read Chapter 32}

One Grave at a Time picks up where This Side of the Grave ended. So we get to see Justina, Tate and Don, of course. A plot line gets started with the old team that doesn't get wrapped up but I'm sure we will see more of it in the following book(s).

I'm sad that we didn't get to see Vlad in this one but hey he gets his own books soon. {YES!} I did love seeing Ian in this installment. He was his usual smart ass. And we got a nice healthy dose of Spade and Denise, another great couple. LOVED Spade in this one, especially at the end.

We got introduced to a couple of new characters, one I really liked was Tyler. I really hope he sticks around. While reading his parts I couldn't help but think of Lafayette from True Blood {the show not the book}. He was hitting on all the guys. He was so funny. I almost spit out my drink when I read this line...

"That face. That body. And you know he’s packing. Look at the angle on that dangle."

I don't know if it was just me and my dirty mind, but did anyone else pick up on the underlying kitty jokes. Cat called Helsing, kitty so many times and used the word in different situations that I thought that Frost was trying sit up "That's what she said" moments. LOL

For example: I eased my kitty off my lap, careful not to jostle him since he had to be sore from Sarah's rough treatment, and stood. My dirty mind read ...kitty...sore....rough treatment.

Again, it might have just be my dirty mind. Ok enough of that, back on track here. {pushes thoughts of Chapter 32 and kitty out of mind}

I love it when authors grow their characters; in One Grave at a Time we see how Cat and Bones relationship has matured from their early relationship where Cat would run off to do her own thing thinking it was best way to save Bones. They have truly become a team, letting go of some of their past mistakes. But don't think they have turned into this old married couple. While we didn't get another Chapter 32 there was still some hotness between the couple.

I highly recommend One Grave at a Time to any Night Huntress fan and if you have not started this series yet, what's wrong with you? Go. Get it now!

Night Huntress Series Reading Order:

        

Night Huntress WORLD Series Reading Order:

  

Complete Series Reading Order:

UNBOUND (contains prequel novella “Reckoning” set in Bones’s point of view before he meets Cat*)
HALFWAY TO THE GRAVE
ONE FOOT IN THE GRAVE
HAPPILY NEVER AFTER (ebook novella*)
AT GRAVE’S END
DEVIL TO PAY (ebook novella*)
DESTINED FOR AN EARLY GRAVE
DEATH’S EXCELLENT VACATION (contains short story “One For the Money” featuring Cat and Bones*)
FIRST DROP OF CRIMSON
ETERNAL KISS OF DARKNESS
THIS SIDE OF THE GRAVE
ONE GRAVE AT A TIME

*For information on these and other anthologies, go here.

Jeaniene Frost News: VLAD Book Has Title

*NOT Book Cover*

From Frost's Blog:

"As the subject line implies, after a long process where dozens of ideas were submitted and rejected, Vlad and Leila’s book finally has a title. Leila is a new character, but series readers know that Vlad is a pyrokinetic vampire, so we wanted a title that hinted at this. Leila has some unusual abilities, too, but I can’t say more about those until I’m allowed to release the book description. Until then, I give you…"

"ONCE BURNED, the first book in the new Night Prince series!
And while I can’t share the entire book description yet, I can give you the tag lines from the back cover:
She’s a mortal with dark powers…He’s the Prince of Night…"

*FAN ART: NOT COVER*

"ONCE BURNED is tentatively scheduled to release on March 29th, 2012, assuming I can finish it soon. Cross your fingers for me .
Speaking of that, time for me to get back to the keyboard!"

As much as I LOVE Cat & Bones I can't wait to read Vlad's series. He was the best part of This Side of the Grave, IMHO.

One Grave at a Time Quote of the Day

The gals over at Frost Cemetery is doing their thing and posting a quote a day from One Grave at a Time (Release date August 30th). I'm playing catch up and posted four days. I plan to post each day's on my side bar.

Day 4

Day 3

Day 2

Day 1

I've already pre-order One Grave at a Time and I cannot wait!!!

Here's some of my favorite quotes from previous books:

"If you run from me, I will chase you, and I'll find you...."
— Bones to Cat  (Halfway to the Grave)

"Lucifer's bouncing balls, Kitten, not again!"
— Bones  (Halfway to the Grave)

"Ask me if I sparkle and I’ll kill you where you stand.”
— Bones (This Side of the Grave)

"What the hell was that?” I gasped. “Premature inflammation,” he replied. “Happens sometimes. Very embarrassing. I don’t like to talk about it."
— Vlad (This Side of the Grave)

"The sh*t's gonna splatter, start buggin, yo..." 

— Mencheres to Cat (Destined for an Early Grave)

"Once you go dead, no ones better in bed." 

— Cat (One foot in the Grave)

Book Trailer: One Grave at a Time by Jeaniene Frost

Jeaniene Frost has posted on her blog the book trailer and Chapters 1-3 of One Grave at a Time, the 6th book in her AWESOME Night Huntress series.

Check out the trailer and wallpaper below. 

To read Chapters 1-3 go to Jeaniene Frost's blog.

Is is August 30th yet?!

Will you read the 3 first chapters now? 
I can't do that to myself. I'll probably wait until the day before release day to start it.

Jeaniene Frost FAN ART: Vlad Tepes

I saw this on Facebook and had to share. 

This is how I picture VLAD.

Art work by Smv Grey

News from Frost about Vlad Series

I grabbed this from Ms. Frost's blog after receiving a book recommendation from a Goodreads friend. I thought what's Night Prince about and then I saw the author and Vlad. I ran over to Frost's Facebook page and blog to find out more and this is part of the blog post that has to do with Vlad's books. If you want to read the whole post just click on her blog logo (green image below).

Vlad and Lelia's book still doesn't have a title. I'm kicking around a few possibles with my editor, but we haven't hit an "aha!" moment yet. We did, however, agree on a series title for V & L's books, so I can share the news on that.

*drumroll*

Vlad and Leila’s books will be part of the new Night Prince series.

Okay, why “Night Prince”? For one, the word “Night” will – hopefully – let readers know at a glance that these stories are set in the same world as my Night Huntress series and Night Huntress World novels. Second, contrary to the most popular fictional rendering of Vlad the Impaler, he was not a Count. He was essentially a Prince of Wallachia during his reign (Wallachia now being part of modern-day Romania). So there you have the Prince part of the series title.

Tentative release date for the first book in the Night Prince series is spring 2012. It may be pushed back to summer if (a) I don’t write it fast enough, or (b) what I write needs a lot of revisions. So cross your fingers for me that I will write well, and quickly, lol. I haven’t seen the cover yet for the first book, but as Tom Egner has done such a fabulous job with all my other covers, I’m sure he’s cooking up something very cool.

Before anyone asks, no, this doesn’t mean Cat and Bones stories will be put on a long hold while I kickstart Vlad and Leila’s new series. First, still to come in 2011 for our mayhem-loving vampire couple is One Grave at a Time (August 30th) along with a special holiday novella that’s almost half the size of a regular book in The Bite Before Christmas anthology (October 25th). Vlad and Leila’s book will come, as stated, in early 2012, but then after that, we’ll be onto Cat and Bones #7 (still untitled, but expect the word “grave” in there somewhere).