Reviews for Retribution

Book Blurb:

Anna Strong was a tough-as-nails bounty hunter until the night she was attacked by a vampire – and changed forever…

A newly turned vampire, Anna is forging an uneasy balance between her old human life and her new supernatural one. Still, with her partner out of town, her family abroad and her mentor estranged, she doesn’t have anyone to turn to – which is why she’s keeping a low profile.

But now young vampires are turning up dead, completely drained of their life force. Although Anna worries she might be next, things start getting personal when her shape-shifter friend is found clinging to his life. So when Williams, her former teacher and now the leader of a supernatural enforcement squad, asks for her help, Anna can’t say no.

But soon she’ll wish she had…

My thoughts:

Anna Strong is still adjusting to her life as a vampire, and is sharing her downtime with her gorgeous underwear model and vampire lover, Lance. When her shape-shifting friend Culebra returns to Besa de la Muerte in bad shape, it’s Anna and Frey who come to his rescue.

With Belinda Burke, a powerful and deadly witch to track down, the last thing Anna needs is additional trouble with Williams. Warren Williams is the ex chief of police in San Diego, and a current leader in the local supernatural community. Their relationship has never been what Anna would consider good, but it’s deteriorating to a point that could be dangerous to both of their undead lives. Williams has a score to settle and he has no trouble destroying anyone who gets in his way, but it’s Anna who will ultimately put her life on the line and quite possibly save the supernatural population from a torturous and destructive future.

Retribution is the fifth installment in the Anna Strong Vampire Chronicles series, and follows the ups, and the often deadly downs, in Anna’s life as a bounty hunter and vampire. Ms. Stein has a true gift in storytelling and continues to add exciting new elements to this well-built world. Retribution is an engrossing read, with an action-packed story line and secondary characters that are every bit as intriguing as the heroine. This is a must read for fans of the series!

Kimberly Swan, DarqueReviews.com

By harstan
Retribution
Jeanne C. Stein
Ace, Sep 2009, $7.99
ISBN: 9780441017737

She has been fighting a losing battle to hold onto her humanity, but months old vampire Anne Strong doubts she can much longer. Her parents are sent by Anna’s nemesis to a winery in France with their “grand-daughter” so they cannot be used as hostages by those coming for Anna. She has few friends, but one of them is shapeshifting Culebra who owns a bar in Beso de la Muerte where vampires can feed on willing hosts. He meets her in Mexico her and asks not to visit the bar because he is on vacation and his substitute Sandre wants nothing to do with her. Unable to believe what he is saying, Anna goes to see herbut meets Warren Williams, the former San Diego chief of police and now the chief officer of the supernatural community.
He warns her that six young vampire corpses have been found drained of their blood. Soon after that meaning Sandra summons her to come to the bar because Culebra is ill and may be dying. Before Culebra lost consciousness he mentioned Belinda Burke, an enemy of his, Anna and William. She cast a spell on him and the only way to save his life is to find the witch and kill her. Anna fears she and Culebra will die if she fails to locate the witch. Tracing the path of her enemy, Anna finds more drained dead vampires and a person close to her who is helping Culebra stay alive through magic spells is now near death. Killing Belinda becomes the only sensible RETRIBUTION.
This is a strong vampire urban fantasy entry in a great series (see THE WATCHER, LEGACY, and BLOOD DRIVE) due to the lead professional who has distanced herself for obvious reasons from her family and has joined the supernatural community. Anna continues to explore her new powers as she also treks the dangerous dark world in which beauty is only skin deep is a mantra as the monsters inside are deadly. The world of Jeanne C. Stein is dark, deadly and dangerous; but most critical to readers is her species (vampires, witches, and shapeshifters) seem genuine.
Harriet Klausner

RT Book Reviews Magazine- 

Top Pick for September!

RT Rating: ½
Category: PARANORMAL ROMANCE
Publisher: ACE
Published: September 2009
Type: Urban Fantasy

The fifth book in the exceptional first-person Anna Strong series is a powerful entry in an amazing saga! Fans will also appreciate the appearance of a character from a Stein short story. The creepy factor is way up in this darkly ominous tale.

Summary: A call from shapeshifter friend Culebra sets Anna on a path toward devastating consequences. Because she's been trying to balance her human life with her new supernatural one, Anna has been ignoring requests from Williams, a leader in the supernatural community. Then dangerous witch Belinda Burke brings Culebra to the brink of death. Desperate, Anna agrees to look into the draining of some young vampires in exchange for Williams' help and soon learns her two cases may be linked. (ACE, Sep., 304 pp., $7.99)

—Jill M. Smith