Burn Baby Burn!

Well my baby boy turns 13 this week. That means I now have two teenagers in the house, one who is getting ready to drive and one who is sprouting hair in new and different places. Yes it's an exciting time in the Berger household. Thank God I have my make-believe, pretend worlds I can go to to escape the madness that is hormonal teenagers.

This months book club selection was the new Jeaniene Frost book, Once Burned. Now I am pretty sure all of us in the club have read the Cat and Bones series and fell in love with the world that Ms. Frost created, so we were all excited to read Vlad's book. While this is set in the Night Huntress world and we do get a cameo from not only Cat and Bones but Kira and Mencheres as well this is the first in a new spin off series.

Once Burned, Jeaniene Frost, Avon
Night Prince #1
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...
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.

So this is one of those books that I have been waiting for. Vlad is one of those bigger than life characters who was just screaming for his own book. He knew he was better than secondary character status and damn it he deserved more than just a one off, by God he needed  his own series! Well I for one am happy that he got his wish...er demand.

We also knew his heroine was going to have to be able to hold her own or he would walk all over her. Well Leila has been through hell and survived. I liked her immediately and think that she is a great addition the women that live in this world. And how can you not love someone who knows as many bad 80's songs as she does.

Szilagyi makes a great villain. Ruthless and completely irredeemable. And his henchmen were just as despicable. Rend so got what was coming to him.

I was so not surprised that this book ended with no resolution because lets face it this is Jeaniene Frost we are talking about and she is one of the best at the cliff hangers. The only thing that I hope happens in the next book is that we get the story from both Vlad and Leila's point of views. I really want to know what goes on in Vlad's head!


RATING: 4 Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries.