Review: Bound by Flames

Bound by Flames by Jeaniene Frost

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Frost is one of my top three authors, but Bound by Flames wasn't up to her normal standards. Usually her books not only grip you from the beginning, they are also funny. Not so with this one. There is one other book in the Night Prince series, but that's not due out until 2016. I'll add a spoilers section at the bottom for a quick review.

Bound by Flames starts out with Vlad & Leila hosting a masquerade ball. They have invited all of the top players in the vampire world. With Laila's touch, she will be able to find out which one of them has betrayed them to Mihaly Svilagyi, Vlad's oldest nemesis. Vlad knows that Mihaly is equally as determined to destroy him, but he doesn't fear for his own safety. His concern is for Leila. Though she does have a few gifts that are unique to her, she is still a new vampire and wouldn't stand a chance up against the centuries old Svilagyi. Of course women are headstrong, and hell bent on showing their men they are just as useful in a battle as their spouse. Leila is a bit reckless, and Vlad is more than a bit overprotective. Neither of them see eye to eye on how to proceed, but they will both stop at nothing to protect each other.


***Spoilers***
Vlad uses Maximus to infiltrate Svilagyi's inner circle. Everyone knows that Vlad threw Maximus out of his line, and therefore his protection. Which means they also know that he would never have a chance to earn his way back in. This makes him the perfect person because no one would ever suspect he was actually working for Vlad again. Without Maximus' knowledge, Svilagyi targets Vlad's home while he isn't there, and Leila is captured. Maximus suggests skinning her alive so she won't have a way to access Vlad through his essence trail left on her skin. All of this is recorded, and then mailed to Vlad along with her skin. Leila can't believe that Maximus would betray her. When Svilagyi decides his next form of punishment will be raping Leila on camera, Maximus volunteers for the job, saying that will hurt Vlad more since he was once a friend. He actually pretends to rape her, while telling her that he had her skinned to remove Vlad's protective aura so she could reach him, and gave her the location where she is being held. He is also able to sneak her blood which she has been deprived of. Leila is rescued, but it isn't until the end that Vlad is able to destroy Svilagyi. While trying to link to him, she is spelled with a self destruction spell that makes her want to kill herself. Mencheres isn't able to break the spell, which lets them know whoever made the spell is extremely powerful. In the end the spell backfires, and links the caster to Leila. Killing either of them will break the spell, but if one of them dies, so does the other. They find out that the necromancer who cast the spell is the son of Vlad's brother, and his wife. He knew she cheated, and the kids weren't his because theirs was an arranged marriage. He didn't know that she cheated with his brother. All this time his nephew (stepson?) was raised by Svilagyi, and he has been seething with resentment. He disappears at the end, but not before telling Vlad that he isn't through with him.



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