Bound by Flames by Jeaniene Frost 

Bound by FlamesNarrated by Tavia Gilbert

Bound by Flames is a new personal top Fantasy/Paranormal Romance favorite! Jeaniene Frost and Tavia Gilbert are truly one of the best writer/narrator combinations in this romance sub-genre. Having had the pleasure of listening to Book 2 and 3 back-to-back, I became fully immersed in Vlad’s and Leila’s world again, and I could not put down my earbuds! If you have not yet had the pleasure of listening to the Night Prince spin-off series (or the Night Huntress series), I can’t recommend them highly enough. Creative, witty, romantic, passionate, suspenseful, and funny, this series has a little bit of everything, and when you bundle it all up together with a flawless narration by the amazingly talented Tavia Gilbert, it’s a must listen in my book!

It is important to note that this series must be read in order to understand the background to the primary couple’s relationship, as the events occur sequentially and it is essential that you listen to the prior books first. As a result, please note that this review contains spoilers for prior events that have taken place in Once Burned and Twice Tempted, Books 1 and 2, respectively of the Night Prince Series.

Bound by Flames pretty much picks up where Twice Tempted leaves off. Vlad Tepesh, the man who inspired the notorious Dracula legend (though he despises when he’s called by that name) is now married. Not only are Leila and Vlad adjusting to this dramatic change, but Leila is also learning how to be a vampire, as she was recently turned by Vlad, when her injuries would have otherwise led to her death.

Though they have taken monumental steps forward in their relationship, Vlad’s alpha hero nature and his 15th century chauvinist ways converge to pull a constant strain. If Vlad had his way, he would imprison Leila against her will to keep her safe; whereas Leila, who was born a modern woman, wants to carry her own weight and, moreover, contribute towards defeating the evil that constantly threatens them.

When a compromise between these two extremes leads to Leila being used as a means to destroy Vlad, all hell breaks loose, as they battle to defeat an ancient enemy that rivals both of their powers.

The plot was well developed and creative, the passion explosive, and the weaving in of prior characters from both the Night Huntress and Night Prince series added to the overall effect. I felt like I was sitting back to listen to a high action adventure show in a long running series. The familiarity of these characters that have evolved over countless books, further added to the satisfaction of this listen. I will render one note of warning, however, lovers of this series know that it can be quite violent; I believe this was the darkest book yet, due to the extensive torture and use of black magic. So if these are triggers for you, be forewarned. As many of these elements are tied in to the suspense of this listen, I will not go into further detail. Suffice it to say that there were some very unique, new twists to this seasoned couple’s tale.

Further complementing and, in fact, adding to the explosive, dramatic effect of this great listen, was the marvelous narration by Tavia Gilbert. Amazingly, in this series with an enormous number of characters, some of which have been inherited from yet an even earlier series, Ms. Gilbert manages to maintain consistency across all these books. Sometimes, given the number of months between releases in installments of a series, it is difficult to completely gauge this effect. But as I had just finished Book 2, it was the perfect opportunity to reality check this effect. Well, color me impressed, but I didn’t notice any inconsistencies. Moreover, even Cat and Bones, the hero and heroine from the Night Huntress series, make an appearance in this book and their voices are remarkably consistent with their portrayal in the prior series, the first book of which was first released in audio over five years ago!

There are so many touches that Ms. Gilbert employs to make this a truly remarkable listen that it is hard to list them all. Not only does she create distinctive, personality and background appropriate voices for each of the many cast members in this series, but she also imbues the dialogue of each with the perfect amount of emotion being experienced in the particular scene. Her characterizations are so different from one another that, in many cases, it’s hard to believe that there is only one narrator performing this book.

Perhaps my favorite role is Vlad’s. Infusing his character with just the right amount of old Romanian accent, you could easily envision Vlad being the famous Dracula. Varying his intonation from the action-packed scenes to the romantic ones, Ms. Gilbert comes across as expertly bringing to life a dramatization, rather than a straight reading. Moreover, even the tongue-in-cheek humor is expertly delivered, adding a little levity at just the right time to drive home the punch lines on the comical repartees.

Bound by Flames is Fantasy/Paranormal Romance perfection. Lovers of this sub-genre, as well as longtime fans of this series, are sure to enjoy this third installment to the Night Prince series. The only drawback, is that the yet untitled next installment in this series is not expected to be released until 2016. But I guess the old saying is true, good things come to those that wait.

BJ


Narration:  A+

Book Content:  A

Steam Factor:  For your burning ears only

Violence:  Domestic Violence/Graphic (torture and rape)

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Publisher:  Harper Audio/Blackstone Audio

 

Bound by Flames was provided to AudioGals by Blackstone Audio for review.

7 thoughts on “Bound by Flames by Jeaniene Frost 

  1. I so enjoy the Frost/Gilbert pairing and have enjoyed every entry in the Night Prince series. Bound by Flames was a little too graphic for me though. I still highly recommend it but BJ is right to forewarn listeners.

    But you know? I don’t think I’d be reading Frost just in print. It is Tavia’s narration that makes it magic for me.

    1. Hi Lea, I totally agree with you. There is something just so mesmerizing about the Frost/Gilbert pairing. I found myself listening for hours without stopping. I just couldn’t bring myself to take a break!

      Bound by Flames was definitely the darkest yet. I think if this had been a contemporary romance, it would have been too much for me. When it comes to PNR though, I am willing to brave through a little more violence, perhaps because I can ultimately distance myself from it given the fantasy based driven plot and characters.

    1. I hear you Jennifer. Had I not waited to listen to book 2 until book 3 was out, I don’t think I could have waited for the audio either. And to think we have to wait until 2016 for the next installment!!

  2. I really was intrigued by the first two books and looked forward to this third one. But your warnings should be heeded: the inventive torture in this one got to me – too much, too dark. Not sure I am up for a 4th book.

    1. Thanks Bella. Yes, Bound by Flames definitely has a different level of violence. In fact, I gave it the highest rank on the AudioGals violence ranking system: Graphic (first book I have ever used this label for!). The other books in the Night Prince Series, I believe are all really more akin to the Escalated Fighting rating. Given that this is out of the norm for this series, and even its predecessor series, the Night Huntress Series (which also has an Escalated Fighting ranking), I am hopeful that future books will be back to the usual level of violence that we are accustomed to for this series. I guess only time will tell: )

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