Twice Tempted

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Narrated by Tavia Gilbert

Warning: mild spoilers for Once Burned

I love Jeaniene Frost’s Night Huntress series and last year, I was very happy to listen to Once Burned (the first entry in the Night Prince trilogy) and get to know Vlad a little better. I liked Leila very much and enjoyed the dynamic of the couple together. When we left them at the end of that first book, Leila and Vlad were happy together but trouble was foreshadowed because Vlad had told Leila he was unable to love.

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In Twice Tempted, Vlad’s emotional connection to Leila (or the lack thereof) is the main internal conflict. As is so often the case in the violent Night Huntress world, someone is trying to kill Leila, which creates the external conflict but also ramps up the emotional quotient.

After seeing the courtship in Once Burned, it was with some disappointment that I discovered that Leila and Vlad spend a fair bit of time in this book apart or at odds – I much prefer them fighting the “bad guys” and working out their relationship hiccups together. The best parts of Twice Tempted are those with Leila and Vlad together but that is generally my preference in any romance.

Since Twice Tempted is the second in the Night Prince trilogy, the HEA is not complete and the threat to Vlad and Leila not entirely dealt with either. But the book ends with positive progress toward both as well as some other big changes (my lips are sealed).

The narration is very good. Tavia Gilbert has been narrating Vlad for a long time and the part, in particular, when he says, “I am Vlad the Impaler… I am NOT that man!” (when he’s trying to get Leila to see she’s in love with a fantasy not the real man) was delivered so very powerfully. It feels a bit strange writing that, when I consider that it is a paranormal romance about the original Dracula, but within the confines of the book, the world is real and I felt Vlad’s anger and frustration as he tried to get through to Leila. Ms. Gilbert gives us those emotions as if the book’s world was real and that makes all the difference. As usual, the production quality of the audiobook was excellent and the character differentiation very good – from vampires Shrapnel and Maximus, to the cameo appearances of Cat and Mencheres, not to mention the main characters.

While I think Once Burned was a stronger book, Twice Tempted certainly had its highs, and there is even a chapter which rivals the infamous “chapter 32” featuring Cat and Bones – and when Vlad scorches the sheets, he’s not kidding around.

Breakdown of Grade – Narration: B and Book Content: C

Reviewed by Kaetrin Allen

Grade: B-

Book Type: Audiobook

Sensuality: Hot

Review Date: 13/05/13

Publication Date: 2013/03

Recent Comments …

  1. excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.

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