Publisher:
Ace Books
Date published: August 28, 2012
ISBN:
978-1-937007-76-8
Urban Fantasy
Paperback
Reviewed by Lynne
Obtained via publisher
Anna Strong is a kick-ass bounty hunter and
vampire who has made a lot of enemies along the way. Her friend, Culebra, is a shape-shifter, a
former assassin and owner of a bar that caters to supernatural clientele,
located at Beso de la Muerte, a ghost town somewhere in northern Mexico.
When Culebra’s past suddenly returns in the
form of an old buddy, Ramon, who is seeking to cash in on a favor, Culebra,
Anna, and her ex, DEA agent Max, soon find themselves involved. Culebra - Tomás - and Ramon had been
members of the same drug cartel. Ramon
is now on a mission of revenge which is why he needs Culebra’s help.
After finding themselves deep in Mexico,
Anna and her friends are quick to encounter betrayal, some missing, abused
young girls, and a secret drug operation, including all the violence, danger,
and drug cartel infighting that goes along with it.
As Anna does what she does best, she soon
finds herself on an adventure she hasn’t expected. But at what price?
HAUNTED:
AN ANNA STRONG, VAMPIRE NOVEL by Jeanne C. Stein is a well-written,
well-plotted story, filled with plenty of action, murder, and mayhem. The eighth book in her vampire series, this
one does not fail to entertain. Anna
Strong is a strong woman with a mind of her own, and plenty of skills to handle
herself in any dangerous situation.
This was my first Anna Strong novel, and I
was thoroughly entertained. Stein has a
knack for superb, suspense-filled, action-filled writing, as well as being
original in her plotting and ideas. HAUNTED
is a page-turner that will keep the reader on the edge of her seat.
Anna Strong is indeed a force to be reckoned
with. Not only is she a strong heroine
but, as a vampire to boot, she uses her supernatural abilities to protect
against evil. She is independent,
intelligent, and decisive in her actions, and is the sort of woman who can
stand on her own two feet and literally bring the house down, if
necessary. I love this
about her.
So gutsy and brave.
Stein does a great job in sharing Strong’s
human side as well as her vampire side.
Her compassion for the missing young girls in HAUNTED is
evidenced by her words and her behaviors. The fact that one of the girls, Adelita,
isn’t even afraid of Anna, after seeing her in vampire mode, is a great part of
HAUNTED. Adelita is so accepting
of Anna, just as she is.
Culebra, Anna’s shape-shifting friend, is a
really cool character. I couldn’t wait
for him to change and was thrilled when he finally did. Despite his dark past, he also uses his gifts
against evil. This is one reason I came to like both Culebra and Anna so
much. Despite the people they are, have
become due to their pasts, overall they are the good guys in HAUNTED.
The bad guys; namely, those of the drug
cartel, are as slimy as one would expect them to be. Stein does a great job in describing them, so
it doesn’t take much to dislike them.
The reader will look forward to seeing what happens to these guys.
The loyalty displayed by Anna, Culebra, and
Max toward one another is a great aspect of HAUNTED. They are great characters. They had initially displayed that toward
Ramon, until he betrayed them, so it was interesting how they dealt with him
later.
Adelita surprised me. As a child, she has the wisdom and patience
of an adult, as one who has grown up way too fast, yet understands the dangers
for others her own age. She is an
intriguing character, and I think it would be interesting to see the sort of
woman she will grow into later. That
would be an interesting book, I think.
There is so much action and adventure in
this novel, it makes me want to read the rest of this series. Anna Strong is a great female character. She is a vampire, yet has all the problems,
and then some, that all humans have, which endears the reader to her.
HAUNTED:
AN ANNA STRONG, VAMPIRE NOVEL is a great read, for anyone interested, and
I look forward to reading not only future books in this series, but also those
that came before HAUNTED.
If you are looking for some fun and fantasy,
then HAUNTED: AN ANNA STRONG, VAMPIRE
NOVEL is definitely where you will find it.
This is an objective review and not an
endorsement of this book.
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