by Jeanne C. Stein
Published by: Ace Fantasy
Publish Date: Nov. 28, 2006
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance

Blurb from Goodreads: 
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, fate plunges Anna into the ultimate battle between good and evil where survival is not just for the living.

4 Flames = Smoking Hot

Review from Book Savvy Babe:
  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 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. Â