Title: Once Burned
Series: Night Prince #1
Author: Jeaniene Frost (Narrator: Tavia Gilbert)
Genre: Paranormal Romance - Urban Fantasy
Publisher: HarperAudio
Release Date: June 26, 2012
Format: Audiobook
Pages: 8 hours and 25 minutes
Source: Bought

 

 

 

Angela

I was born and raised in Northern Indiana. I’m an outdoor sun loving reader living near San Fransisco. I’m a mother, wife, dog owner, animal, and book lover. I’m the owner, reviewer, and mind behind Angel’s Guilty Pleasures. My favorite animals are horses & dogs. As for reading I love all things paranormal & urban fantasy. My favorite shifters are dragons!

A few decades ago, M. M. Banning took the literary world by storm with her first (and, so far, only) novel, married a movie star just before his career died, and then vanished from the public eye. Her novel is still imposed upon students throughout the country/taught in High School.

Banning's recently hit some financial woes and has reluctantly contracted with her publisher to produce a second novel. To help Banning, her editor sends his personal assistant, Alice, out to L.A. to live with her, digitize her pages, do some minor cleaning, and help out with Banning's son, Frank.

Alice quickly learns that there'll be no discussion of (much less seeing and/or digitizing) the book's progress, but essentially she'll be Frank's caretaker, freeing Banning to work on the novel.

The thing is, Frank's . . . um, a handful. The word "Autism" is never used (I'm 97% sure), nor is any other diagnostic term. But I'd be willing to bet he's on the spectrum somewhere—think Don Tillman (from the Rosie books). He has a lack of affect, trouble sleeping, an almost encyclopedic knowledge of classic Hollywood films (1930s-60s, let's say)—which is where all his slang and fashion sense comes from, an amazing memory for things outside of films, and no sense of humor. Frank's social circle consists of his mother, his school's secretary (he eats lunch in her office and talks movies with her), his therapist, and a piano teacher/handyman who sporadically appears at the house. How Banning made it through the first nine years of his life is beyond Alice's comprehension, and she's not sure how she'll survive however long it'll take Frank's mother to write her book.

Banning herself is pretty socially awkward (whether this is due to constant exposure to Frank, hiding from the rabid public, or just the way she's been her whole life) and rarely treats Alice like anything but a pest. This whole endeavor is a real trial for Alice, who handles it fairly well (better than I would have, I can say with a great deal of certainty).

The novel is essentially about Alice trying to navigate the mine-field that is dealing with Banning and struggling to connect with Frank and help him develop a social skill or three.

I enjoyed Frank's character—he's like Bernadette Fox without the dangerous wit (in a way, so is his mother) mixed with the aforementioned Don Tillman. Banning herself grates a little bit, but I'm almost positive she's supposed to. Alice is a strong character, as well—she's not sure what her role is supposed to be, but she keeps trying to do what's needed. Her response to the imposed social isolation is both realistic, understandable and relatable. I really enjoyed spending time with Alice and Frank, particularly once Frank warmed a little to her.

There's a good deal of foreshadowing throughout the book to a calamitous event, and once it happens the novel resolves fairly quickly. I don't think the novel concludes as much as it stops, and that bothered me (it still does, actually)—I'd prefer a better sense of what will happen to any of the characters after the book ends (whether one day, one year, or a decade after—I'm clueless all around).

Gilbert's narration was impressive—it'd be impressive if only for her delivery of Frank's dialogue. She perfectly grasps his lack of affect, patterns (and speed) of speech, as well as the ineffable charm that's part of his character.

Be Frank With Me is a charming novel that faltered a little at the end, but the pleasures of the journey was still worth the time. I'll keep my eyes out for something else by both Johnson and Gilbert and will gladly give them another try. I expect most readers will enjoy their time with Frank and Alice (and many won't agree with me about the ending).

This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.

I had fun with this re-read. It appears that I did like this one a little more the second time around since I only gave the book 3 stars when I read it in 2012. This isn't the best book in the series but I still found it enjoyable. I hadn't planned to listen to this book when I did but none of the audiobooks I started were working for me but everything seemed to work when I gave this one a try. I ended up listening to the entire audiobook in just a couple of days and enjoyed my time back in the Night Huntress World.

The last two books in the Night Huntress Universe focused on other couples so I was glad to see Cat and Bones back in the lead for this installment. Cat and Bones find themselves in the middle of a conflict between ghouls and vampires. They have to play their cards very carefully in order to get the outcome they hope to see. I really enjoyed seeing a little more in regards to Cat's developing powers and some of the more interesting side effects she encounters in this book. There are some other developments in this story that aren't easy for Cat to deal with.

I love the characters in this series. Cat and Bones are always awesome and together they are amazing. I love the way Bones has no problem telling Cat what he feels and doesn't hesitate to do so. I also have a lot of love for the larger group. I loved getting to see Spade, Denise, Mencheres, and Kira play a part in this installment. Vlad was amazing in this book. I love his scenes with Cat even if he tends to steal a lot of her spotlight. I cannot wait to get to his books as I re-read this series.

Tavia Gilbert does such a fantastic job with this series. I love all of the voices that she uses for the different characters but I think she might deserve some kind of award for the voice she uses for Bones. It is absolutely perfect. I think that one of the reasons that I enjoyed this book more than I did the first time I read it is her narration. She was able to bring this story to life in the most amazing way.

I would recommend this series to others. While I don't think that this is the strongest book in the series, I had a good time with it and can't wait to read more books in this wonderfully crafted universe.

Initial Thoughts
I gave this book 3 stars back in 2012 and I am going to bump it up to 4 with this reading. This is not one of the stronger books in the series though. It felt like filler in some ways. I did think that learning more about Cat's abilities was pretty interesting and it was great to see this group of characters again. Vlad really seems to take the spotlight in any scenes that he is involved in and I just am loving his character more and more. Tava Gilbert did an amazing job with the narration once again.

Book source: Audible purchase

This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.

I had such a good time with this book. I first read this book almost 7 years ago and was pretty eager to revisit it. I didn't remember a lot of the details from this book so it almost felt like I was reading for the first time. I thought that this was a really fun installment in the series even if it wasn't one of my favorites. It was really great to spend a few hours with some of my favorite vampires. 

This book picks up shortly after the events in the previous books. Of course, things will not stay calm for long for Cat and Bones. Cat learns through her ghostly friends that there is a very powerful ghost that is able to commit the same crimes he did during his life but only on Halloween night. They must work to protect his targets as he proves just how strong he really is. 

My favorite thing about these books is the characters. It was great to spend time with Cat and Bones and I love the way they both continue to grow in every book. Their relationship is very strong and it is a lot of fun to watch them interact with each other. I do really enjoy the bigger cast of characters as well and it was great to see Spade, Denise, and Ian playing an important role in this book. I, of course, would have liked to see Vlad make an appearance but I guess I will just have to read his spin-off series to get more of him.

Tavia Gilbert does a phenomenal job with this series. She has been consistent with the character voices from the very beginning so everything just seems to flow easily. I think that she adds a lot to the story and is able to make everything more exciting at times. She has a very pleasant voice and reads the story at a perfect pace. Her narration only added to my enjoyment of this wonderful story.

I would recommend this book to others. This is a series that really does need to be read in order to be fully appreciated since many of the events and character relationships have been developing throughout the series. This was a fast-paced and exciting addition to a much-loved series. I cannot wait to continue my re-read of this series.

Initial Thoughts
This was fun! Not my favorite book in the series but still quite enjoyable. I didn't remember too many details in the story from the first time I read it almost 7 years ago so it was almost like reading it for the first time. The characters are great, there was plenty of intense action, and the narrator did a phenomenal job. 

Book source: Purchased

This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.

I enjoyed this book even more than I did the first time I read it. It is not my favorite book in the Night Huntress Universe but I thought it was a worthy addition to the overall series. I only gave this book three stars the first time I read it and it turns out that I didn't remember much of the book so maybe I was distracted the first time I read it. I had a nice time with Mencheres and Kira's story.

Mencheres is old, like really old, and he has a bit of a death wish. Kira stumbles upon him while he is under attack and makes an effort to save him. As a result, she is pulled into a world of vampires that she didn't know existed. Before everything is settled, she will be put in a lot of danger and her world will be forever changed.

I liked getting to know Mencheres and Kira better. I think that Kira's personality really shined in this book while Mencheres remained more of a mystery. I would have liked to see more of Mencheres's thoughts a bit earlier but before it was over we do get to learn what he is really thinking. I thought that they had good chemistry and I liked them together. I do think that a little more history on the feud between Mencheres and his opponent would have made this book even better.

Tavia Gilbert continues to flawlessly narrate this series. She really has done a great job of bringing this story to life. I love the voices that she uses for all of the different characters and how consistent she has been with them. She has a very pleasant voice that I found easy to listen to for hours at a time.

I would recommend this series to others. I do recommend reading this book after the earlier books in the Night Huntress Universe since many of the events and characters play a part in this book. This was an exciting listen from beginning to end and I cannot wait to continue with my re-read of the series.

Initial Thoughts
I guess I liked this one a little better on this re-read than I did when I originally read it. It's not my favorite in the series though. I liked Mencheres and Kira and loved the parts that Vlad, Cat, and Bones played in the story. I didn't remember much of this book so it felt pretty new to me. I thought that Kira handled everything well all things considered. Tavia Gilbert did a fantastic job with the narration which is probably the biggest reason for the book gaining a star this time around.

Book Source: Library