April 3, 2013

REVIEW: Twice Tempted (Night Prince #2)

Twice Tempted (Night Prince #2), by Jeaniene Frost
Published March 26, 2013
Publisher:  Avon
Format: e-book - I own
Genre:  Urban Fantasy, Adult Paranormal Romance

 Rating:  5 STARS

(From Goodreads) 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.


I just can't leave Jeaniene Frost's work alone lately! I'm burning through her Night Huntress series, I recently read my first book in her Night Huntress World series. And, the crazy thing is, for me anyway, it all began with the Night Prince series. Once Burned was the very first Frost book that I ever read. So, getting Twice Tempted as soon as it came out was a definite priority for me. For as much as I loved Once Burned, I have to say that Twice Tempted topped it.

Vlad rocks my lady socks. The book starts off with some serious tension between he and Leila. He's been ignoring her a lot lately and she's left wondering why. After a horrific scene and a confrontation that goes badly, they part ways. It's a really emotional scene - Leila is devastated because Vlad is still unwilling to take that leap with her and admit that he loves her. And, sure - why wouldn't she?

I really loved seeing Leila's growth in Twice Tempted. She's been strong ever since the beginning, but she demonstrated here that in addition to being strong, she is also independent and willing to do what she needs to in order to take care of business, even if it physically and emotionally kills her. She's really the perfect mate for Vlad in that respect.

Vlad, however, is the bees' knees. He starts off a flaming jerk and ends an absolute freaking hero. It's awesome to see a many-hundreds of years old vampire who still opens himself up to personal growth. Bravo to Frost for making such a strong guy vulnerable at times. It turns him from being too rigid, unrelatable, and unlikable to being just the perfect mix of hard and soft.

This world that Leila and Vlad live in is just as alive as the Night Huntress world that I love so much. The creatures that exist and the rules that govern them are some of the best, most creative and most realistic of any urban fantasy world I've read. It's one of the reasons I love reading Frost's books.

So, now starts the agonizing wait until the final Night Prince book is released. It's okay - it'll give me plenty of time to re-read. 

2 comments:

Lark @ The Bookwyrm's Hoard said...

OK. I've been avoiding Frost's books because I don't usually like vampires. (Matthew Clairmont of A Discovery of Witches being a notable exception. But judging from your review, it may be time to revisit that decision. Maybe I'll give them a try...

Krista said...

Oh my Lordy. I worship at the alter of Jeaniene Frost. I abhorred all things vampire for a very long time, too, but first Chloe Neill with her Chicagoland Vampires series and then Jeaniene Frost with her Night Huntress series brought me out of my funk. I recommend those two series to anyone who will stand still for two seconds to listen to me. :)

I do recommend that you read the Night Huntress series before the Night Prince series. You will be spoiled a bit if you read them in the opposite order (I should know!).