Audiobook Review: Bound by Flames by Jeaniene Frost

Posted February 6, 2015 by Carmel in Audiobook Reviews, Carmel, Paranormal Romance, Reviews / 84 Comments

Audiobook Review: Bound by Flames by Jeaniene Frost
Bound by Flames by Jeaniene Frost
Narrator: Tavia Gilbert
Series: Night Prince #3
Published by HarperCollins
Published on: January 27, 2015
Genres: Paranormal Romance
Length: 8 hrs & 4 mins
Format: Audiobook
Source: Purchased
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Play with fire, pay the price

Leila's years on the carnie circuit were certainly an education. What she didn't learn: how to be a vampire, or how to be married to the most famous vampire of them all. Adjusting to both has Leila teetering on a knife edge between passion and peril, and now the real danger is about to begin . . .

Vlad must battle with a centuries-old enemy whose reach stretches across continents and whose strength equals his own. It isn't like Vlad to feel fear, but he does . . . for Leila, because his enemy knows she is Vlad's greatest weakness. As friend and foe alike align against him—and his overprotectiveness drives Leila away—Vlad's love for his new bride could be the very thing that dooms them both . . .

2015 fav Rocked My World Bad Boy

Jeaniene Frost is renowned the world over for her oh-my-god-is-it-hot-in-here scenes, but she can also rock the dark like nobody’s business, and readers were reminded of that fact with a vengeance in BOUND BY FLAMES. Graphic torture anyone? I’m talking flaying, limb amputation, silver poisoning, starvation, and pseudo rape. This installment was originally intended to be the finale of the NIGHT PRINCE series; however after listening to book 3, I can understand why the author decided to axe that plan. A new super villain has risen, Vlad & Leila didn’t get their HEA, and there’s still plenty of story left to tell!

I’ve had a jumbo crush on Tepesh ever since his character debuted as a secondary in Frost’s NIGHT HUNTRESS novels, and it’s steadily grown into an all out obsession with this spin-off series. He could easily be king of the bad guys if it weren’t for Mrs. Dracula which makes him the ultimate antihero. We got to see a more vulnerable side to Vlad in this installment while as Leila was all steel and resolve. The balance of power in their relationship has been markedly one-sided until now, so I loved the role reversal, and as expected, the author didn’t hold back on the ravishing either. *winks*

Maximus drove me nutso in the best kind of way, and I was happy that Leila’s father finally saw reason after his prolonged silent treatment of his daughter. Marty was as primo as always, and my hankering for a Cat & Bones cameo was quenched, although it’s worth pointing out that their part was somewhat spoiler-y if you haven’t read UP FROM THE GRAVE yet. Mencheres also popped in to say hi which made my character driven self very jubilant. You’ll notice that I’m glossing over the plot, and that’s because it puts to bed the main story arc, so I’m not willing to risk accidentally spilling the beans, but it’s DA BOMB!

This was my first time listening to a NIGHT PRINCE audiobook, however I was already acquainted with Tavia Gilbert as a narrator, so I had zero quibbles about her performance going in. Her renditions of both of the protagonists were on par with those that I had inside my head prior to her voice taking them over. I’m a sucker for accents, and her English (Bones), Romanian (Vlad), and New Orleans (Marie) vernacular left me tickled pink. I’m still trying to determine whether it was the narration or the writing that has me dubbing this as my favourite installment, either way, I loved it!

BOUND BY FLAMES will make you break out into a Snoopy happy dance!

Night Prince Series:

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Owner, designer and main blogger behind Rabid Reads. Avid book reader, snowboard bunny, video gamer and Supernatural fan. I love all things paranormal, werewolves especially. Oh, and I’m Canadian, eh!

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84 responses to “Audiobook Review: Bound by Flames by Jeaniene Frost”

  4. Melanie  

    I loved seeing the softer side of Vlad too. I love Tavia Gilbert’s narration of this series even more than Cat & Bones. I think it is because of how much I love her voice of Vlad. I think she nails the accent (though I don’t know of a real accent to compare to, so I’m speculating. LOL).

    I’m really glad that there will be another book. I wasn’t ready for the end of Vlad’s story. She has promised another book in this world, but has hinted that there will be more, but no timeline. I don’t know what I will do, if I don’t have a Night Huntress World book in my TBR list. It might make me cry.
    Melanie recently posted…Review: California Bones by Greg Van Eekhout

    • Carmel  

      Vlad showed some weakness, but he also demonstrated what a scary place the world would be if he lost Leila. Everything would burn!

      I think I’d lose my reason for living if Frost quit this world altogether. Her New Adult was ok, however not an acceptable substitute for NH.

  8. Lucia from Reading Is My

    I have to admit that I have discovered this author only couple of days ago and immediately added this series to my TBR because it sounds so good! Glad to see it was a 5 stars read for you, it gives me hope that I made a good decision when I added it to my never ending TBR lol
    Lucia recently posted…NO MORE WAITING #2: Addicted series

    • Carmel  

      I’m not sure whether you’ll enjoy Vlad more or less given that this series will be your first encounter with the one and only Dracula. Either way, you’re in the a treat!

    • Carmel  

      Vlad & Leile are beginning to give Cat & Bones a run for their money! If Frost keeps going at this pace, it won’t be long until this series kicks Night Huntress’ ass.

  10. Anita  

    Hi Carmel!
    Amazing cover! I’m surprised by the graphic torture depictions (yikes!) but it sounds like her decision to continue the adventures of Vlad and Leila will lead to a good payoff 🙂 Ahh Mencheres! I miss that guy–he was fun 😉

    And glad to hear you like the way the author does accents!

    PS Would you recommend an Audible subscription for audiobooks? I know you listen to quite a few and I’m thinking I might follow suit and see how that is 🙂

    Happy Friday and have a great weekend!
    –Anita

    • Carmel  

      I was quite taken aback by the torture turn this story took as well. It’s not out of character for this author, but it was intense.

      Audible is the best site price / selection wise for audi0books, so yes, I’d definitely recommend it if you are looking to get started. Go with 1/mo, and see how you like it.

  11. Jenny from Supernatural Snark  

    Vlaaaaaaaaaaaaadddddddddd! I love him so much Carmel! As I do all the characters in this world:) I can’t wait to get my hands in this one and see the role reversal you talked about. And YAY for ravishing. Jeaniene is oh-so good at those scenes 😉

    • Carmel  

      Her famous chapter 32 is what stands out in most peeps’ minds, so it’s easy to forget that Frost is equally apt at describing the other side of the spectrum.

  17. Liza Barrett  

    I actually wasn’t blown away by this one — I think I’m starting to get burned out on the world D:

    I’ve always loved, and always will, Vlad. He was my favorite character from the Cat and Bones books 🙂 And I (mostly) love Tavia Gilbert’s portrayal of Bones.

    I actually struggled with the torture bits, but not because they were “too graphic” or anything. More of a …. I kinda disagreed with Leila’s priorities — this won’t make my review because it comes too close to a spoiler for me to feel comfortable with, but I personally think I would have been WAY more traumatized at being skinned and having my arm wripped off than I would be getting raped. I haven’t experienced either, but I simply can’t imagine how painful it must be to be flayed alive. Especially when that completely takes away any chances you might have had at defending myself. I was kinda hung up on that during that whole chunk of the book. :/

    Great review! I’m glad you enjoyed it 🙂
    Liza Barrett recently posted…Beautiful People: Molly & Ariyan

    • Carmel  

      Personally, I’d take physical pain over the emotional trauma of something like rape, no matter how brutal the former is, you can heal most things, especially if you’re a vampire while as other scars never fully go away.

  21. Melissa (Books and Things)  

    I’m so far behind on the Night Huntress series and I haven’t even started this one. GAH! I love her writing. What is WRONG with me? Wait… don’t answer that.

    I didn’t love Tavia’s narration in the NH series but I’m willing to give her another go. Might have been just me. I hope so because it looks like I seem to catch up to series easier on audio.
    Melissa (Books and Things) recently posted…Steampunk Giveaway!: Karen Memory by Elizabeth Bear

  28. Melliane  

    I keep hearing amazing things about this one. I haven’t read the spin off of the series I confess but I have one… I need to try one day mainly if they’re are that good. Great review!

    • Carmel  

      I don’t really need an excuse to hang with Vlad, but a binge read sounds nice right about now. Or perhaps a listen seeing how I didn’t experience books 1 & 2 in audio.

    • Carmel  

      She’s one of the authors that I discovered thanks to blogging. Now Frost is on my auto-buy list. I was psyched when I got to meet her at RT13, and she recognized my site!

  33. BookaholicCat  

    I wasn’t planning to read this one yet, because of the little issue I’m having with PNR, but after reading your review I want!! I really, really want! What I need to decide is if to read ir or if to listen to the audiobook…. decisions, decisions, decisions. 🙂
    BookaholicCat recently posted…Movie Trailer: Poltergeist

    • Carmel  

      Yes, yes she did! It’s been a while since I’ve listened to an audiobook that was narrated by Tavia Gilbert, and this one definitely reminded me of what I’ve been missing.

  36. Amber Elise  

    Any narrator who can pull off accents gets an A in my book. I love it. I give even MORE kudos to narrators who have to create a lot of new accents in these dystopian worlds that are popping up everywhere.

    Anywhoo. I have like two Frost books on my shelf but I haven’t gotten to them. I don’t know why. But now I really want to get into this particular series. Maybe audiobook is the way to go. Hmm….

    • Carmel  

      I agree, accents sure help distinguish narrators. I couldn’t do one to save my life, so I have the utmost appreciation for their mad skills. This was my fav installment yet. Highly recommended!

    • Carmel  

      Lots of peeps are Team Bones & Ian, but I love me some Dracula. And, when I found out that there was going to be a 4th, and possibly 5th book I was ECSTATIC!

  38. Kim { Book Swoon }  

    I’m SO excited you loved this installment as much as you did Carmel! I’m behind at book two, but Vlad – Oh My, yes. This sounds dark and gritty, but I love it when a hero rises above it all *fingers crossed* so I may have to bump this series up a notch. I’m trying to get back to some of my favorite series this next month and just catch up with them all. This needs to be at the top.
    Thanks for the great review, Carmel! 🙂
    Kim { Book Swoon } recently posted…Young Adult Book Review: Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

    • Carmel  

      Sometimes you just have to ignore your review queue, and make a dent in your someday pile. If any author is worth neglecting your responsibilities for it’s Frost. Just saying. 😀

  39. Danya  

    YAY I love this series! It’s one of my “guilty pleasures” except I don’t feel guilty about it, haha. Marty is hilarious and I’m happy to hear that he’s back for more. I’ll be interested to see how Leila’s relationship with her sister plays out in this one – I’m ready for those two to be back on track. I’m leaving the country next week and I’m thinking this will make a good audiobook for the plane!
    Danya recently posted…Review: A Tale of Two Castles by Gail Carson Levine

    • Carmel  

      Leila’s family is finally coming to terms with her vampirism while as Marty was a bit more serious in this installment, but still lovable. You can’t beat a kickass BFF!

  40. Catherine  

    I read this over the weekend, and I totally agree with you 100% Carmel! :] This book was amazing! That blood feeding scene with Maximus will stay with me for a very very long time… ugh. I love that Jeaniene Frost isn’t scared to push the boundaries of steamy smut, gorey scenes, and truly revolting ideas! I am super glad that this isn’t the last Vlad and Leila book. I really love them. :]

    • Carmel  

      Ooh yeah, that Maximus scene was messed up! In fact, there were a lot of chapters that made me squeamish in this installment, but they just made me adore Frost even more. She pushes the envelope like nobody’s business!