Bound by Flames

Bound by Flames (2015) Jeaniene Frost

This is the third book in the Night Prince series, Jeaniene Frost’s take on Vlad Dracul and Leila, the woman he came to love–against his better judgment and almost against his will.

First, let’s make this clear–this book is NOT for the faint of heart. Truly, this series isn’t, but in this book a LOT of bad things happen including torture and rape. Those mostly occur off the page, but they are still acknowledged repeatedly. So consider that before delving into this series.

We do get a brief visit with Cat (“save the crushing of your enemies to hear the lamentations of their women for later.”) But most of the action centers on Lelia.

The second thing to get clear is that Vlad is still a product of his times and upbringing. In many ways he is still a sexist pig and a monster (though he is getting better).

“Why do you want to know who he’d like to kill?” I asked.

“I want a hardened man, not a mass-murdering , pathologically vengeful one,” Vlad said. “There’s only room for one of those in my line right now, and that’s me.”

And of course there is boinking.

On the other hand, we seem to have gotten past the stupid misunderstandings, and Lelia and Vlad actually talk to each other about the things that are upsetting them. There is a brief period of misunderstanding, but considering that it comes after torture, it’s an understandable misunderstanding. (Actually, I almost thing the torture and horribleness are gotten past a little too quickly. I’m not saying I want an entire book of PTSD, just that it felt very unrealistic.)

This book does not conclude the series, but it also doesn’t end on a cliffhanger, which is good. The things that aren’t completely resolved are things that wouldn’t be fixed overnight (such as Leila’s relationship with her father) and I appreciate that. I just wish that Leila’s recover from the pretty awful things that happen to her in this series wasn’t glossed over as quickly as it was.

So, Vlad is an ass, but he loves Leila, and is finally learning not to smother her, so he’s not irredeemable.

And once again, let me mention how much I HATE the covers for this series.

As usual, we get a description of Vlad that mentions his conservatism and dress.

Vlad didn’t show off his seething masculinity by wearing fewer clothes. Instead, he wore more to taunt people with what he didn’t allow them to feast their eyes on.

Which must be why we keep getting shirtless hunk in leather pants covers.

So, it’s a nice solid entry into the series, and I’m enjoying the slow growth each is making.
Rating: 7/10

Published by Avon

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