4.5 
 Vlad's centuries long battle with Szilagyi is heating up (pun intended). It's even worse now that Leila and Vlad are married. Vlad knows that his enemies see Leila as his weakness and will try to use her against him. His solution? Seclude her away from any and all danger. Of course this doesn't sit well with Leila who knows she could be a powerful asset with the powers she wields. Vlad's protective instincts go into overdrive, but when it seems like everything else is coming down around them, will Vlad and Leila hold strong? 
 I've enjoyed this Night Huntress spin-off series immensely. Bound by Flames is no different. I like the dynamics in the relationship between Vlad and Leila. I loved the moments of vulnerability that Vlad only shows Leila and lets readers see how much she really does mean to him. With his vindictive nature sometimes it's difficult to understand where his thoughts / feelings truly lie. When it comes to Leila, though, there's never a doubt. 
 I was surprised at the violence in this one. Frost doesn't pull punches with any of the characters, especially Leila, and I found some of the scene gruesome. It really hit home how evil Szilagyi is and the lengths to which he'll go to bring Vlad down. It's a good contrast to show because despite Vlad's violent reputation (and what we've seen in the previous books) we know he would never do anything to hurt Leila intentionally. Yes, he might hurt her feelings when he tries to protect her from the upcoming war but it's not out of maliciousness, but more his need to protect that which is most important to him. I think Leila (not just readers) needed to see / understand that aspect of Vlad in this book. Frost shows it well. 
 I know that this series has been expanded by one more book and, with how events go towards the end, Jeaniene Frost has set up some very interesting plot twists that I can't wait to see how they play out. For Night Huntress fans we get to see how things are going on that front too.