Review: Blood Bond by Jeanne C. Stein

Blood Bond by Jeanne C. Stein

Anna Strong #9

As a vampire, Anna Strong has an immortal life…but now she’s running out of time.

Anna’s relationship with shape-shifter Daniel Frey has given her hope for a future with him and his son—especially when Frey proposes…

But just when Anna starts to think her life couldn’t be better, she must fly to France to be at the side of her dying mother. There she learns that not every vampire accepts her Chosen One status. And one such vamp is about to go rogue—by leading his followers in a fight to usurp humanity…

Life is finally starting to look up for Anna Strong. She's defeated the competition and stopped the vamp council from going against her choice as the chosen one to preserve humanity. Now she's carving out a somewhat normal life for herself with Frey and his son. But that happiness comes to an abrupt halt when she learns of her mother's ailing health and a split faction of vampires in Europe. Once again she's torn between her old life and her role as the chosen one. As she learns to balance both lives, Anna comes to find what really matters in life and love.

BLOOD BOND had a very different feel to it than the rest of the series, in that it read more like a very long epilogue than an actual action packed installment. Sure there was some bits of conflict and action, but only in small doses that were largely eclipsed by the emotional aspects.  But, even though it caught me off guard, and I kept waiting for the action to really start, I realize that this book was everything it needed to be. Over the previous eight books, Anna struggled with her loss of humanity and life as a vampire. This would have been difficult enough for a normal transition, but when you add in her chosen one status, she really had a lot on her plate. So, that is why I felt the emotional aspects of this book, and the way it more focused on her human side were both very important. After such a long running series it was very enjoyable to get to spend a good bit of time seeing the ending results rather than the typical short last chapter of resolution.

Along those lines of longer happiness and resolution, I have to admit that when I read the blurb for this book I wanted to let out an excited squeal. From the very start of this series, I had wanted Anna and Frey to be together. There is just something about the two of them that you knew they eventually had to circle back to one another despite all the many roadblocks in their path. There are some romances that are hot and steamy, and then there are some that are very sweet and soul reaching, and I have to say that I think these two fall in the latter. Don't get me wrong they were pretty hot together, but I just got the impression of forever when I thought of them. They just fit so well and complemented one another perfectly, the kind of happiness that everyone searches for, and Jeanne portrayed it very well.

It's always hard to say goodbye to a much loved series, which is why I go into reading these books with a bit of trepidation. There always is that worry that things won't end up like you had hoped or that there will be loose ends left untied. I'm happy to say that isn't the case here, as BLOOD BOND ended things in a way that left me completely contented. Sure, there is room for more in the future, but if not, I still would be happy with the end result. Fans of the series will be more than pleased with this conclusion. It, and the rest of the previous installments have earned a solid place on my keeper shelf.

(Received a copy from the publisher)

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Other Reviews:
     Urban Fantasy Investigations
     a GREAT read
     The Irresponsible Reader

Previous Books:
     1. The Becoming
     2. Blood Drive
     3. The Watcher
     4. Legacy
     5. Retribution
     6. Chosen
     7. Crossroads
     8. Haunted

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Chosen

Chosen by Jeanne C. Stein

The Anna Strong Chronicles #6

It's been almost a year since bounty hunter Anna Strong became a vampire, but as she's about to discover, her greatest powers have yet to be unleashed...

Though Anna has become accustomed to the fact that she’s now a vampire, she still enjoys the illusion of being human. So when she suddenly notices that her primitive urges are getting harder to control, she’s worried. Then, she’s attacked, narrowly escaping with her life. The only person with enough motive to want her dead is her old foe—Warren Williams. But another more dangerous enemy lies in wait.

What Anna doesn’t know is that she’s far too valuable to kill. For she’s been chosen to shape the destiny of the vampire race—and all of mankind…

This book caught me completely off guard. Anna's relationship with Lance was really stepped up a major notch. While she never admits it, she is head over heels in love with him, something she never has been with anyone before. I really never saw her truly loving someone because she has such major trust issues. However, for at least a little while she let herself trust him just a little, which put her at a major risk. I do like this vulnerability, as she normally comes off as a closed off unfeeling person. Sometimes strength can be taken too far, so this "softer" side was really nice to see.

Her past experiences are to blame for her trust issues, and unfortunately she is right to not trust most of the people in her life. It seems everyone wants to use her since she is the chosen one. Throughout the book she is still in denial about the prophecy and her need to step up and take control of her duties. I imagine it is was hard enough to handle being changed unwillingly into a vampire, but at some point she just has to give in and accept who and what she is.

I find it very frustrating that she hasn't told David what she is. I love their working relationship, and it is really suffering because she constantly has to hide things from him and is always disappearing. I really think he could handle the truth, and would go a long way towards fixing their friendship. Considering he always seems to be the one everyone targets to hurt her, she really needs to tell him the truth.

Although my review may seem more frustrated than anything, I really did enjoy the book. So much happened in this book that I loved, but I can't talk about without completely spoiling it. So many questions were answered that have been building throughout the series. The twists in this book and the fallout from those events should make the next book really interesting. It definitely lived up to its predecessors, and I can't wait for the next book.


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Chosen (Anna Strong Chronicles, Book 6)

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