The Becoming (Anna Strong Chronicles, #1)

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The Becoming (Anna Strong Chronicles #1)

by Jeanne C. Stein

3.48 · rating details · 1,735 ratings · 178 reviews

Anna Strong is trained for anything-until she's attacked one night, only to awaken in a dark world that exists between the living and the dead. Here, Anna struggles with her love for the two men who inhabit the realms of each: Max, a human DEA agent, and Avery, a Night Watcher who joins Anna in pursuit of the vampire who changed her life. Now, as her two worlds collide, fa...more

Mass Market Paperback, 293 pages

Published November 28th 2006 by Ace (first published December 31st 2004)

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Jun 07, 2008

Brownbetty rated it

I gave this book two stars because it was not actually technically flawed, and if you suspect there is a 'but' coming up, you are correct!

Anna, the protagonist, is made a vampire when she bites her rapist back. Then, she is possessed by some sort of vampiric rapturous lust, which Anna, the book, and Avery, the vampire who helps her cope with her new status all feel means that it was not rape. "It's frightening you because you realize you were a participant, not a victim."...more

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Apr 02, 2008

Rachel rated it

Recommends it for: no one

Recommended to Rachel by: stupid amazon.com

Shelves: fantasy

I was pretty disappointed by this novel- it struck me as boring and predictable, and not in any good ways. I found some of the character's actions really surprising and didn't seem logical or fit with the character at all- until I realized that Stein needed them to something in order to move the plot.

The romance was entirely absurd, the sex scenes contrived nearly to the point of being unreadable, the plot didn't make sense, even after the denouement. I was left with all sorts of una...more

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Jan 29, 2009

Jess rated it

Shelves: 2009, urban-fantasy

I thought this was an interesting take on vampires. Anna Strong is a bounty hunter and is attacked one night on the job by a vampire. She ends up in the hospital and eventually discovers what happens to her. Dr. Avery explains that he is also a vampire and he takes her under his wing to teach her all about her new "family".

But meanwhile, the vampire who attacked her is still on the loose, Avery has explained that she must kill him and on top of all of that her partner David...more

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Jan 24, 2011

Natasha rated it

An intriquing read!
I read the first few novels in this series last year, and I only recently remembered them upon seeing the cover for a new novel being released. I was shocked
I forgot about it because it was actually a pretty good read. I think I enjoyed the first two in the series much for the the third, but I'll be re-reading them again to find out why soon.

Anna Strong is anokay herione. She's not my favorite, but she's fun enough that you'll want to read on with he...more

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Jan 20, 2008

Inara rated it

Shelves: novels-vampires, novels-paranormal, novels-urban-fantasy

Title in German:
Verführung der Nacht

Anna and her partner David are bounty hunters and one night while chasing an escaped criminal she gets attacked and accidently turned into a vampire. First she can´t believe what she had become but soon other vampires are getting interested in her. First and foremost the enigmatic Avery who plays his own game regarding Anna..
It´s a fast moving story with action, excitement and a stubborn independent and feisty heroine who doesn´t want t...more

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Oct 18, 2007

Celia Powell rated it

Shelves: didnt-finish, really-awful

Argh, this was just too dreadful, I couldn't get further than halfway. A really awful I-just-got-turned-into-a-vampire story. Honestly, the heroine meets a vampire who says he's going to guide her in the ways of vampires, blah blah blah, she falls in bed with him, wakes up the next morning thinking, "Woops! What about my boyfriend?" Then Mr Hunky Vampire walks past again and all thoughts of boyfriend disappear off the page as they leap into bed together. I didn't believe in this c...more

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Aug 01, 2011

Mlle. X rated it

Shelves: paranormal-urban-fantasy

THE BECOMING starts with a bang - as the book opens, protagonist Anna Strong is only moments away from a violent, but impermanent, death. Stein leads us through the attack, and then skips to the moment when Anna regains consciousness in the hospital. The doctor looking after her, Avery, doesn't seem to have much concern for hospital procedure - Anna has no memory of the attack, but Avery fills her in on all the gruesome details while Anna is still groggy and weak. He sends Anna home that very sa...moreTHE BECOMING starts with a bang - as the book opens, protagonist Anna Strong is only moments away from a violent, but impermanent, death. Stein leads us through the attack, and then skips to the moment when Anna regains consciousness in the hospital. The doctor looking after her, Avery, doesn't seem to have much concern for hospital procedure - Anna has no memory of the attack, but Avery fills her in on all the gruesome details while Anna is still groggy and weak. He sends Anna home that very same day.

...Then shows up at her house later that afternoon, chipper as can be, to tell her what he couldn't before: actually, she's a vampire. He seems surprised that she hasn't already figured it out, and doesn't have any patience for her shock and disbelief. He wants to help her out, tutor her in vampire ways, but he expects her to be excited and happy about her new state pronto.

Avery is a total jerk. But he's suave and good-looking and willing to help, and Anna is completely smitten. She follows him back to his palatial home where he has a pretty easy time getting her into bed with him, despite the fact that she has a boyfriend of two years, Max.

At this point, I put THE BECOMING down. I have no patience for books about supposedly independent, kickass heroines who can't wait to fall into the arms of a big, strong man and let him solve all their problems. But this book had received so many fantastic reviews, and so many of the reviews had praised the twists and turns in Stein's plotting, that after a few days I decided I should pick the book up again and see what happens. Maybe Anna Strong would turn out to be more than just a doormat.

Well, everything I've described happens early on in the book. The plotting does have a lot of twists and turns, and I'm not going to spoil them. The problem that I had at the beginning never quite went away - either because Anna is a little stupid, or the author is a little clumsy, I'm not sure. I'm a little curious to find out what happens in subsequent books; Stein does have an interesting setup here, and if subsequent books are an improvement on the first, they could be very good. But as far as the becoming is concerned, my verdict is a great big, "MEH." (less)

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Jul 09, 2011

Jessica rated it

Anna is a bounty hunter, and one day, an assignment goes wrong, and the person she and her partner are tracking (who should be an easy catch), turns out to be a vampire and attacks them. In the struggle, Anna and the vampire accidentally exchange blood, and Anna starts her transformation. Jeanne C. Stein creates an interesting vampire world. In her vision, vampires are not required to be creatures of the night-they have adapted and evoloved to be able to tolerate sunlight. They do still have to ...more

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Jul 03, 2011

Bell Curran rated it

Shelves: vampires

Wow, Stein really did NOT do her research on what happens in a hospital after a woman is sexually assaulted. When the doctor is telling Anna that she's been in the hospital for about ~24 hours after being raped and having her throat cut, he tells her, "'Because there was evidence of penetration, we had to run pregnancy tests. They were negative. However, there are other tests that will take longer to process. We'll screen for sexually transmitted diseases, hepatitis...' A brief hesitation....moreWow, Stein really did NOT do her research on what happens in a hospital after a woman is sexually assaulted. When the doctor is telling Anna that she's been in the hospital for about ~24 hours after being raped and having her throat cut, he tells her, "'Because there was evidence of penetration, we had to run pregnancy tests. They were negative. However, there are other tests that will take longer to process. We'll screen for sexually transmitted diseases, hepatitis...' A brief hesitation. 'HIV.'"

First of all, if you had sex 24 hours before, you can't be pregnant. It's not physiologically possible. It takes days for the sperm to reach the egg, fertilise it, and then for the egg to migrate to the uterus and implant. Pregnancy is defined as starting with implantation, which is what triggers a series of hormonal changes in the body that doctors can measure. Medical science doesn't generally weigh in on when life begins, but it does define when pregnancy begins, and it's not for at LEAST a week after sex.

So if you go to the hospital after a sexual assault, the only reason they would give you a pregnancy test is to determine whether you were *already* pregnant prior to the assault, which may be important information for women trying to decide whether to have an abortion or carry the pregnancy to term. But it *wouldn't* be for the purpose of telling the woman whether the rape has left her pregnant.

What an ER *would* do for a sexually assaulted woman is offer her emergency contraception (EC), which is essentially a higher dose of the same hormones found in regular oral contraceptive pills (levonorgestrel [+ sometimes ethinyl estradiol]), taken up to 5 days after sex to prevent pregnancy. That's PREVENT pregnancy, not terminate one. EC has no effect on an existing pregnancy. See Princeton's awesome Emergency Contraception website for more info about EC: http://ec.princeton.edu

Second of all, a decent ER wouldn't be taking a passive attitude towards the possibility of HIV infection, either. There's a treatment called post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) that can be started up to 3 days after sex (or exposure to blood, infected needle, etc) to significantly reduce the chance of ending up with an HIV infection. (Like EC, the sooner you start it, the more effective it is.) It's a course of antiretroviral drugs and rather than a one- or two-dose EC treatment, it takes up to 4 weeks and can have some nasty side effects, but it's thought to be fairly effective at reducing the risk of seroconversion.

That's enough Reproduction 101 for today, kids. I'm getting back to the book now that I've got that off my chest.

Update 4 July 2011:

OK I've finished reading it, and maybe I shouldn't be so indignant over Dr Avery's failure to offer emergency contraception and PEP to a rape survivor, since there are a lot of ways that he goes off protocol when handling Anna. That's partly because Dr Avery recognises that she's been attacked by a vampire and is turning into one herself, and partly because (view spoiler)

Overall I liked this book. I'd avoided it for a long time because I hate books that are narrated in first person present tense. (I know everyone raves about the Hunger Games but I just can't get past the first page because of the stupid verb tense!) But once I got a few pages in, I hardly noticed it. I only give it three stars instead of four because I didn't get that feeling of connection with any of the protagonists that makes me want to keep the book on my shelf to re-read in a couple of years. No one is especially unlikeable (except where they're supposed to be), but no one stands out as especially appealing or memorable, either, except for the bad guy, and as he is dispatched at the end, I can't look forward to more of him. Too bad, because he's a really good bad guy -- but for that reason, it's really satisfying when he gets offed. Anna is smart and self-sufficient and not too whiny. However, her relationship with her boyfriend Max is a complete mystery (and not in a "tell me more!" sort of way, more like in a "Huh? How can she love a guy she sees only every couple of months, can never reach on the phone, and cheats on so easily?" sort of way). And several reviewers here have commented on the way the author describes the psychological aftermath of rape, which doesn't ring true for me. (The one author who does this particularly well is Patricia Briggs -- holy moly is that scene ever powerful when Mercy crawls into the bathroom: it makes me feel like I'm going to cry just thinking about it.)

But I digress. Overall the writing was solid, the story moved along at a nice pace, and there was a good mystery that was wrapped up neatly enough to satisfy at the end, but there were enough unsolved mysteries to make me want to read the next book in the series. A solid entry in the UF genre, and I suspect that when I read more books in the series, I'll develop more of a feeling of connection with Anna and crew. (less)

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Jan 21, 2011

Hobart rated it

Shelves: 2011-reads

(3.5 actually, but goodreads won't let me do that) This was just what the doctor ordered, over the last couple of months, I'd tried out a handful of new (to me) urban fantasy series, and had to force myself to finish them. Not this one. A fun ride from start to finish.

It's the kind of start to a series that reminded me of Kitty and the Midnight Hour -- and judging by the fact that of Carrie Vaughn books are now on my shelves at home, that's a good thing. It's very much a start ...more

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Dec 30, 2010

Yolanda Sfetsos rated it

Shelves: urban-fantasy, vampire

WOW! I was very impressed with this book! Honestly, I loved it!

This is another vampire novel, and I know that most people think vampires are overdone and that the market's saturated with them... but I'm definitely NOT one of those people. I love vampire stories, and hope there are always a great selection of them on the market.

Anna Strong is a pretty kick-butt type of chick, even after she goes through a life-changing experience. There was a terrific twist in the end tha...more

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Dec 30, 2010

Karissa Eckert rated it

This is the first book in the Anna Strong Chronicles by Jeanne C. Stein.

Anna is a bounty hunter who is savagely attacked while hunting one of her bounties. When she wakes up from the attack she finds out that she is not quite human anymore. This book details the process of her discovering new found abilities and hunting the one who attacked her.

This book was well-written. Stein has a very straight-forward unembellished writing style. The plot was fast-paced and contained enou...more

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Aug 23, 2010

Paige rated it

I borrowed this book from a friend. The reviews touted it as a cross between MaryJanice Davidson (I love her books) and Laurell K Hamilton (I enjoyed the first few books she wrote). I never saw a relation to MJD at all. The characters aren't quirky or snarky at all; they are serious. I can see the relation to Laurell K Hamilton (luckily it is the first few books rather than when she decided to add near-porn).

This book has the main character (a bounty hunter) attacked by a vampire. Th...more

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Aug 13, 2010

Anita rated it

Shelves: contemporary-urban-fantasy, did-not-finish, didn-t-like-much

I don't understand why so many urban fantasy readers have given this book good reviews. I thought it was cliched and predictable. I literally knew who the bad guy was by the half way point, then skipped to the end to confirm, and I was happy not to have to read the pages in between because I felt most of the pages I read weren't engaging. I didn't feel any connection to the characters, the plot twist wasn't even a little clever, and and I felt that the author recycled too much of what's already ...more

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Feb 18, 2010

Lexie rated it

Shelves: review-blog, genre-urban-fantasy

I tried several times to get into this book over the last few weeks. At first I thought I was fed up with urban fantasies (but then I read Greywalker, so I knew I wasn't). Then I thought it was vampires in general (but then I re-read Once Bitten, Twice Shy and knew I wasn't). Finally I decided that I must just have other things to read that are more pressing, except I don't really. I've had a lot of free time on my hands lately, so I should have had the time if I wanted to really read the bo...moreI tried several times to get into this book over the last few weeks. At first I thought I was fed up with urban fantasies (but then I read Greywalker, so I knew I wasn't). Then I thought it was vampires in general (but then I re-read Once Bitten, Twice Shy and knew I wasn't). Finally I decided that I must just have other things to read that are more pressing, except I don't really. I've had a lot of free time on my hands lately, so I should have had the time if I wanted to really read the book.

So, after finishing Sea of Shadow (for the third time), I sat myself down and told myself to read the book. From what I read on other reviews I was expecting something...different I suppose. Not something worse, or better, but different. Every reviewer is different right?

Unfortunately I found myself disliking the book. Not completely, I did want to know more about the Vampire society that Stein was setting up for the future books and despite myself I was wondering if Anna would have an emotional epiphany about Avery and David sooner rather than later (I like soap operas). The rest falls flat for me. I never quite believed Anna--she felt unreliable at best, admitting to raging hormones and apparently a new sex drive that clouded her 'intense' feelings for her serious boyfriend David whenever Avery was around. The mystery angle confused me and I wanted to stake Avery, a more self-serving man I have yet to read in a novel series!

Anna's apparent infidelity (multiple times) with Avery left a sour taste in my mouth as well. And I didn't even get the sense she did it because she felt like she was drifting from David, or that her feelings had shifted or anything--pretty much Avery came on the scene, Anna waxed poetic about David for a hot second and the next in the bed with Avery. Even after she realized she was being used for whatever reasons. Though even this I couldn't get too worked up about because neither Anna nor David nor Avery seemed to be 'whole' characters. Bits and pieces thrown together with potential that never blossomed.

I wish I had better things to say, but I don't. I will likely give this series another chance with book 2, since sometimes the freshman book in a series is so busy trying to establish itself the book suffers for it, but after that we shall see. (less)

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Feb 02, 2010

Kay rated it

Shelves: urban-fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This was recommended by a friend, and since it's written in the present tense, I thought it would be good research.

I didn't like it. It was written well, but I had serious issues with the main characters, and I discovered that I don't like plots which center around a human discovering they're a vampire or some other supernatural being. That's not the authors fault; just a personal preference I didn't know I had.

So, the character. Anna Strong. She was great except for a f...moreThis was recommended by a friend, and since it's written in the present tense, I thought it would be good research.

I didn't like it. It was written well, but I had serious issues with the main characters, and I discovered that I don't like plots which center around a human discovering they're a vampire or some other supernatural being. That's not the authors fault; just a personal preference I didn't know I had.

So, the character. Anna Strong. She was great except for a few huge things that made me think she was a whore and an idiot. Harsh, I know, but let me explain. (Spoilers below)

1. The blurb on the back of the book makes it sound as if Anna will have to choose between her vampire mentor and a hot DEA agent. It turned out that the hot DEA agent was her boyfriend of two years. They weren't together much because of his job, but that's no excuse for her sleeping with her vampire mentor at the first opportunity. What made it worse, was Anna felt so little remorse. She was like, "Oh, but what about my boyfriend? Hi, vampire Avery. Why, yes, lets shag again!" So, yep, I'm calling her a whore.

2. Okay. Lets say you were just told by a vampire who is also a doctor that you are now a vamp, too. You're having trouble dealing with this, but you have bigger problems, problems like finding the people who abducted your friend. When you get a lead on the whereabouts of said friend, the person you interrogate says, "I don't know where he is, I swear! All I know is he's at some doctor's house!" What conclusion would you jump to? Come on. It's not a huge leap. Got a guess, yet? Yeah, PERHAPS, you should be suspicious of the doctor you just met. Not Anna. She doesn't get it until something like 3-4 pages later when her hostage says, "vamp doctor". Only THEN does she get it. Dense, Anna. Really dense.

3. Now, lets imagine you've just become a vampire. You'e talking to another vampire who's been around a lot longer than you. You instigate a fight and are somehow powerful enough to pin the other vamp. He's terrified he's going to die, so he says, "Avery was right. You are 'the one'." What would be your first question after that? Me? I'd say something along the lines of, "What the hell do you mean, 'the one'?" To Anna's credit, she does ask the pinned vamp, to which he responds, "Ask Avery." She then asks Avery. He acts all weird and says she must have misheard. And Anna is okay with this answer. *head desk* Seriously, if somebody tells you you're 'the one,' you should sit up and listen, especially if you're a paranormal. Don't these characters know anything?

4. Toward the end of the book, Anna is starting to figure out Avery isn't the vamp she thought he was. She discovers her friend bound and nearly drained of blood in a secret room in Avery's house. But she can't put the pieces of the puzzle together. Someone burned down her house. Someone killed her maker and injured her in Mexico. Somebody tipped off the vamp-hunters when she left Avery's house. Why don't the pieces fit, Anna wonders. Then, THEN, when Avery gives her an engagement ring, she's enlightened: AVERY orchestrated everything. WTF? Uh, yeah. I figurd that out when your friend was rolld up in a carpet, Anna. Honestly, you're so dense I can't see why Avery wanted you.

But, the book was very readable. As I said, I just discovered I don't like this type of plot, and Anna was just a little too stupid for my tastes. Other readers may love her. She did have a great attitude, and I was able to finish the book.(less)

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May 26, 2011

Heather Book Savvy Babe rated it

Shelves: vamped-out, urban-fantasy, demon-lovers-review

The Becoming is the first novel from the Anna Strong Chronicles from Jeanne C. Stein. I would classify this book as Urban Fantasy, but there is heat, sex, and chemistry, giving it a touch of the paranormal romance feel as well. In this first book, the story is about how Anna, a bounty hunter, is transformed into a vampire. At first, Anna does not even understand what happened to her. With the help of an old vampire and Night Watcher, Avery, Anna begins to understand what becoming a vampire ...moreThe Becoming is the first novel from the Anna Strong Chronicles from Jeanne C. Stein. I would classify this book as Urban Fantasy, but there is heat, sex, and chemistry, giving it a touch of the paranormal romance feel as well. In this first book, the story is about how Anna, a bounty hunter, is transformed into a vampire. At first, Anna does not even understand what happened to her. With the help of an old vampire and Night Watcher, Avery, Anna begins to understand what becoming a vampire means. Avery is also there to help Anna track down the vampire who attacked her and turned her life upside down. However, as problems continue to follow her, Anna begins to realize that maybe everything is not as it seems and loyalties come into question.
The Becoming is a pretty good first book, even though the beginning was a bit rocky. The attack that causes Anna to become a vampire is violent, and Anna’s reaction doesn’t quite match that of a victim. She says she’s in a relationship with Max, but Max is hardly ever around. There seem to be a few discrepancies with Anna’s character, but I suppose some of them could be a reaction to drastic events. For a character who shows so much loyalty to her bounty hunter partner, David, it seemed odd that no loyalty was shown to her so-called boyfriend. However, these discrepancies manage to give Anna depth and add reality to her character. Anna is the kind of heroine I love, the tough girl trying to make her way in the world. By the second half of the book, I was hooked and very into the world of Anna Strong.
The best way for me to describe The Becoming is to say that it is a promising first book. The characters are engaging, the writing is sound, the setting (San Diego) is fun and provides an entertaining back drop for the series. At the end of The Becoming, there is plenty of room for Anna to move forward, more secrets to uncover, and room for her character to change and grow. I really liked the book, and I am looking forward to reading more of the Anna Strong Chronicles in the future
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Feb 11, 2010

Robin K rated it

The Becoming is unlike any vampire fantasy books I have read to date. One of the first things that threw me was that it is written in first person and in present tense. It took some time to get accustomed to the flow of the writing but once I got going I could not set the book down. I enjoyed that I could really feel and experience the book in a very different manner. Almost like an out-of-body experience. I was observing Anna at the same time I know everything she was thinking and feeling. I ca...moreThe Becoming is unlike any vampire fantasy books I have read to date. One of the first things that threw me was that it is written in first person and in present tense. It took some time to get accustomed to the flow of the writing but once I got going I could not set the book down. I enjoyed that I could really feel and experience the book in a very different manner. Almost like an out-of-body experience. I was observing Anna at the same time I know everything she was thinking and feeling. I can certainly understand why some may be uncomfortable with reading the first person perspective, but as the book went on I could not imagine it written any other way.

The Becoming reads like a great movie that you know there will be a sequel for. Questions are left unanswered and the story basis is left wide open for new Anna Strong books. Jeanne Stein does an awesome job leading the reader into Anna’s world and keeping it engrossing. I believe this is the first vampire mystery book I have read. A true who-done-it book. It is suspenseful, exciting and passionate. The book reminds me of a storm. You know it is coming, there is an intensity and foreboding in the air, but you are helpless to stop it. Anna cannot stop the storm that becomes new life either.

The vampire myths and legends are fun to read in the book as well. There are many concepts that were approached in a different manner then I have previously read. The vampires have no reflections, which yes I have heard of, but all of the other authors I have read did not write it in. There are also hints of the effect of sun and garlic being an issue, but neither is mentioned in any finite fashion. The use of coffins is also addressed, but not in a way you would expect. Because Anne does not know what to except as a newbie vampire, the reader does not either.

I cannot wait to learn more about Anna, her abilities and the mysterious Casper. I encourage anyone with a passion for reading the paranormal to check this read out!(less)

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Mar 15, 2011

Liz rated it

Shelves: urban-fantasy

For those of you who like Charlaine Harris, you will like this series. Yes, it is different, but the style of writing is very similar. (Except with a more up-dated fashion sense. Sorry Charlaine, but your clothes in all your books are very dated.) Unlike most urban fantasy fiction, this series is more on the mystery side, with a case and/or murder to solve. The basic premise is that Anna Strong is a bounty hunter who is attacked, and accidentally turned into a vampire when the attacker is interu...more

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Jan 29, 2010

Eva rated it

Shelves: urban-fantasy

What do you get went you take a splash of Twilight and a handful of (Recent) Anita Blake and smash it together. Apparently you get This Mess! (Warning, I usually try to stay spoiler free but I can't seem to explain the badness of this without details.)

First off, and most frustratingly, I'm tired of writers who use metaphysics to justify rape. The book starts with Anna, a former teacher gone bounty hunter, and her partner David failing to catch a guy jumping his bail. They almost catc...moreWhat do you get went you take a splash of Twilight and a handful of (Recent) Anita Blake and smash it together. Apparently you get This Mess! (Warning, I usually try to stay spoiler free but I can't seem to explain the badness of this without details.)

First off, and most frustratingly, I'm tired of writers who use metaphysics to justify rape. The book starts with Anna, a former teacher gone bounty hunter, and her partner David failing to catch a guy jumping his bail. They almost catch him till he uses his new Vampy powers to fight back. Anna is raped and turned but because she drinks his blood and enjoys it she's ok with it... Wait what!? Yuck and Yikes! I have no problem with writers who write the effects of an assault properly, but to gloss over it like that is repulsive. Being overpowered by metaphysics should make the situation more violating afterwards not less.

So a day later she wakes up in the hospital and the least believable doctor, Avery, is there with her and David. There's a bunch of dialogue that is almost pure exposition. It's inexplicable, she basically spews info to the Dr. that could have just been mentioned in thought. Avery acts rather nosy and un-Dr-ish and there's a whole lot of talk about Anna's gay friend Micheal whom we will never meet in the book.

Anna goes home to be alone and Avery shows up. He's tells her he's a vampire and in this series vamps are all psychic. She whines a bit but isn't too horribly shaken about all that's going on. In fact the only things she ever gets really upset about are her house getting burned down and her partner getting kidnapped. She whines and rambles in her head without blocking other listeners out constantly.

From here things continue on a pretty predictable path. Anna has a 'boyfirend' whom she cheats on with the vampy doc. Instead of examining what her problem is and why she's been settling for a safe distanced relationship with a guy she sees once every month or so and why she's jumped into bed with the Dr, the whole thing is once more glossed over with the occasional 'oh man, that's right I cheated on Max.'

While the second half of the book moves better (I almost stopped half way through which is something I never do) I have to say the only part of the book I found really interesting was when she gabs Lawson, a 'Revenger' (Basically someone who kills vampires) and vamps out on him for answers of David's whereabouts.

Avery gets a bit more Pushy/Possessive as the book goes and Anna keeps misjudging her instincts. When she doesn't trust him but can't find anything she just rolls back into bed with him. Max who?

Honestly the only surprise at the end was the motivation for all the things that happened. I mean I understand the Why, but the method was ridiculous. If you live forever you have, well, FOREVER to convince someone to be yours. If he had waited 50-70 years for all Anna's mortal connections to be dead he would have had what he wanted. Ugh!(less)

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May 26, 2011

Andrea rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 24, 2010

Jael ~ *~ Syhren ~* ~ rated it

I had a hard time getting through the first few pages but things started to pick up real fast. The plot was pretty predictable but I still found myself engrossed in the story. I really enjoy Anna's personality. She is a likable character. The mystery of who Casper is ( I have an idea who it is) will have me picking up the next in this series.

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Aug 10, 2010

Maggie rated it

I tried really hard to get into this book. The author is a wonderfully sweet lady who I've been lucky enough to meet a couple of times but this particular tale just did not rev my paranormal engine much.

A large part of the problem I had with the book was the writing style. It's written in first person PRESENT point of view and I constantly found myself stumbling over that fact. I just couldn't seem to get into the flow of Anna's narrative and that's largely what I attribute my probl...more

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Dec 29, 2009

Peace Love and Reviews rated it

Anna is/was a Bail Enforcement Agent, bounty hunters. Very interesting profession. The first chapters was about the perpetrator, John Donaldson, who was due in court for embezzlement. He jumps bail and ran off with his mistress. Ms. Stein jumped on the gun right away, went straight on how Anna turned vamp. Donaldson turned out to be a vampire, who attacked and raped Anna and acidentally turned her into a vampire. I would have been sad if not for Anna weird recovery and lack of shock on what Dona...moreAnna is/was a Bail Enforcement Agent, bounty hunters. Very interesting profession. The first chapters was about the perpetrator, John Donaldson, who was due in court for embezzlement. He jumps bail and ran off with his mistress. Ms. Stein jumped on the gun right away, went straight on how Anna turned vamp. Donaldson turned out to be a vampire, who attacked and raped Anna and acidentally turned her into a vampire. I would have been sad if not for Anna weird recovery and lack of shock on what Donaldson did to her and if not for the presence of Dr. Avery. I knew something was up as soon as he released Anna from the hospital after 24 hours of being knocked out. Turns out, Avery is not only a hot Doctor but also a Night Watcher, a part of the vampire world who watches over both human and vampire community from psychotic rogue vampires who cannot control their blood lust and a group of humans called the "Revengers" - stereotype really, they are humans who think all vampires are evil. The group's origin dates back from the middle ages when three crusaders were killed during one of the many bloody battles to convert people to Christianity.

Anna Strong's world of vampires can withstand the sun's rays, but does not have a reflection, and have an aversion to garlic? How weird, I don't remember reading something with that effect recently. The first two chapters of the book lead me doubting Anna's capabilities, will I place her as one of my favorite kick ass heroine? She did not even land a blow on Donaldson? Is she going to be some lame vampire in distress? a late bloomer? or Am I just so used to reading the heroines physical, mental and emotional strength on the first two chapters of a book that I grew impatient? Then the moment that I've been waiting for finally came into the picture, it was when she tackled Donaldson outside the saloon in Beso de la Muerte in Tijuana and then there was that situation with Williamson, she just keeps getting stronger, it is interesting how she draws that power from anger, she controls it and somewhat converts it into physical energy/strength, something that you don't read everyday, usually the hero/heroine's down fall is because they couldn't control their raging emotions.

The best part of the book was the last few chapters. It was after Anna found David, it gave me the shock of the week. What a way to betray a heroine; I was not expecting that, it was brilliant. The ending left me hanging, what now? what is in store for Anna? What's up with her boyfriend Max? and is Culebra friend or foe? and who is her mystery friend? (she calls him Casper). Amazon better hurry up and ship my second book...

I shamefully sub this in the absence of Cat & Bones (takes my mind off waiting for book 5), although Anna is not as strong as Cat, she does have enormous potential and the mystery and suspense might be more than what I'm expecting it to be. Recommended to all paranormal junkie.
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Mar 30, 2010

Starling rated it

Shelves: fiction, paranormal

This book does have some first book in a series problems, but I liked it anyway and have already bought the next two books in the series. I recommend it for people who enjoy paranormal, urban fantasy type books.

Anna Strong is already one tough cookie, and on a bounty hunter mission, when a vampire almost kills her, but not quite, and she discovers that she has become a vampire too. She gets taken under the wing of an "old soul" vampire so she can learn the ropes, but that i...more

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Jun 20, 2009

Nozomi rated it

Shelves: vampire

This was a short light read; I finished it in two hours. At first, I wasn't sure if I liked Stein's almost-choppy, present-tense writing, but I got used to it. I did like Stein's new take on vampires, though--evolving to stand the sunlight like any other human, etc.

Still, I felt that there needed to be more, particularly in the character relationship department. I didn't think there was enough spark between Anna and Avery, and it was disappointing when they first "got together."...more

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Dec 07, 2011

mlady_rebecca rated it

Shelves: genre__urban_fantasy, genre_sub__vamps, fiction__speculative, fiction__part_of_a_series, pov__first_person_female, 2011, series_status__abandoned, 2012__gave_to_charity

12/05/2011

I'm not sure I like the writing style. It's in first person, which I usually enjoy, but it's also in present tense. That just makes me want to find a red pen and start editing. Not far enough into the story to comment on characters or plot yet.

12/06/2011

I'm around the half way point. Still can't get into the book. First person is usually very immersive, but I feel like I'm watching the story unfold from behind a glass wall. I'm not connecting with ...more

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Jan 11, 2011

Ithlilian rated it

Shelves: urban-fantasy

Some of my favorite books involve characters learning something new: novice magicians, newly made vampires, people that discover new powers, etc. This is one of those books, with a mystery and a plot twist to boot. I figured out who the bad guy was before they explained it, but thankfully the book ended soon after it, so there was no drawn out nonsense. I loved the ending that hints at what is to come. I can't wait to find out more about Casper, Max, and Anna. The best thing about this book is t...more

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Jun 23, 2009

marlene rated it

after reading all of the reviews i really didn't expect much from this book. i was pleasantly surprised. it was decent. not the best book i ever read but it was good. the plot was easy to follow, and figure out, but it was non the less a quick easy read. a little different take on vampires makes it all a little more interesting. the ending seemed to leave a lot of things unanswered. along the way there were a huge string of odd coincidences that while moved the story along seemed outrage...more

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Feb 20, 2011

Ally added it

Shelves: 2011-read, paranormal, romance

The series turned out to be a good read. But I have to admit ~~sometime~~, ok many times I just want to give the main character a shake at her clueless-ness/obtuseness.
It's one thing being subtle/mysterious but when it seemed something have to like literally spelled out for her so many times. I really have to wonder if obstinate/stubborn is the right adjectives that are being used to describe this character
It made for slower going as at times I just have to step away to so I can continue r...more

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About Jeanne C. Stein

Jeanne C. Stein is an American Urban Fantasy author living in Colorado. She now lives in Colorado, but was raised and educated in San Diego, which is the setting for her contemporary vampire fantasy.

Jeanne is active in the writing community, belonging to Sisters in Crime both nationally and in San Diego and Los Angeles. She also belongs to Horror Writers of America, RWA and Rocky Moun...more

More about Jeanne C. Stein...

Books by Jeanne C. Stein

Blood Drive (Anna Strong Chronicles, #2)

The Watcher (Anna Strong Chronicles, #3)

Retribution (Anna Strong Chronicles, #5)

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The Becoming (Anna Strong Chronicles #1)

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