Of all the books we’ve read in the read-along so far, I was the most excited for this one. Once Burned by Jeaniene Frost is the first book in a spin-off series featuring Vlad Tepesh and following Leila, a human with a unique gift. When Leila is kidnapped by a group of vampires looking for Vlad, she finds herself in a position to reach out to the vampire prince for help. The question is if he will answer.

Leila’s ability to harness energy is more curse than gift. When she touches a person, she sees their worst sin and passes an electrical current to them. If they are human, she can kill them without meaning to. However with vampires, she has to touch them longer to do any damage which is how she winds up tied to a chair in a hotel room. Her gift also gives her the ability to see what a person will do if she touches an object linked to them. This is the mistake the vampires who take her make. It is through this object she contacts Vlad.

I was a little disappointed by Vlad in this book. All our encounters with him to this point has been through Cat. He was always helpful and kind towards her, even if he did it to piss off Bones. But with Leila, he was hard to get a read on. He is instantly attracted to her power and the fact that he seems to be the only one immune to her. I love the encounters between them. There is a palpable tension especially with Leila’s ability to see their future. Yet that has to be put to the side for later. Someone is looking for Vlad, someone who wants to kill him, and that someone is hunting Leila.

Overall, I really enjoyed Once Burned. I liked seeing the vampire world from Leila’s eyes. While she was familiar with it, it was interesting to read about the Night Huntress world from a new character’s perspective. I cannot wait to read more about Vlad’s past and his world. I’m also hoping to get some chapters from his perspective in the next book. *fingers crossed* Full of intrigue and danger, Once Burned by Jeaniene Frost is a fast-paced, exciting paranormal romance.