The Becoming by Jeanne Stein (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"My name is Anna Strong. I am a vampire. How I became one is the reason for this story. I tell it all the way it happened. It may not be what you expect.

She's a bounty hunter--tough, beautiful, and trained for the unexpected. Until the night she's attacked and left closer to death than she can imagine. She awakens to an indoctrination into a dark new world where vampires walk among us. But this time, a tight grip on a .38 won't stop what she's hunting for.

Existing between the worlds of the living and the dead, Anna is torn by her love for two very different men. Max, a DEA agent, all too human, and vulnerable. And Avery, a Night Watcher who's joined Anna in pursuit of the rogue vampire who changed her life that terrifying night. Now, as her two worlds collide, fate plunges Anna into the ultimate battle between good and evil where survival is not just for the living..."

My Thoughts: 

Books like this are why I still love paranormal and urban fantasy so much!  On a side note:  I am dubbing myself queen of starting books in a series.  I've given up even attempting to track how many series I am currently reading and I don't feel bad about it in the slightest.  But back to this book which languished on my shelves for a ridiculous amount of time.  I bought a copy of this book and then it sat unread which was definitely a mistake.  I am so glad that I finally picked it up because it was really so good!  This book was such an engrossing read and I found myself flying through the pages.  In fact I found myself wishing I could read faster at times because I just wanted to see what was going to happen next.  This book was exactly what I have come to expect with good urban fantasy series: lots of fast paced action scenes that mean I can't stop reading.  Also, add in a great main character who can kick some serious ass and you have a book that I just know that I will enjoy.

In this book we see Anna become a vampire (no that isn't a spoiler as it is in the summary from above).  It was really interesting to see how Anna reacted to having her entire life turned upside down.  The author added enough unique twists to her vampire lore and abilities that I didn't feel like this was the same old vampire book that has been done before.  Anna didn't ask to be turned and now she has to really adjust her life in order to deal with this hand that she has been dealt.  I loved watching how she handled everything and it made for a really great beginning to this new series.  There was some mystery that was hinted at in parts of the book that I am hoping to learn more about in future books in this series.  I feel like Anna will start to grow into her new abilities and only get stronger as the books go on.  I cannot wait to see if I am right!  I liked the way this book ended and found it to be quite intense.  I'm super excited that I already have book two loaded on my Kindle and won't be waiting long to read it!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book.  My one complaint was that I was able to figure out the "bad guy" relatively early on so I really expected Anna to do the same.  Other than that though, I really can't say enough good things about this book and feel like it is a great beginning to this new to me series.  I'm excited to continue on with it and am very hopeful that each book will get better and better.  I loved Anna's character and am eager to dive back into her world so I won't be waiting long to make that happen.  Fans of urban fantasy series should definitely check this book out.  Recommended!

Bottom Line:  A great beginning to this urban fantasy series! 

Disclosure:  I purchased a copy of this book from Borders ( I believe) before they closed.  Definitely worth it!