Best Fantasy Book: Legacy by Jeanne C. Stein

This enthralling urban fantasy book is part of the Anna Strong Vampire series; book 4 to be exact. In this installment our heroine, Anna Strong, a kick butt bounty hunter, reluctantly agrees to help the girlfriend of her business partner, Dave. Anna’s not a fan of Dave’s pretentious and selfish girlfriend Gloria; she thinks he deserves a better partner. So when Gloria approaches Anna about investigating a wealthy businessman threatening to blackmail her, Anna surprises herself by agreeing. The fact that Gloria was having an affair with this guy (something Anna could potentially use against her) may play a role in her decision.

By the way. Anna is a vampire.

If you’ve read previous books in this series you know that Anna was turned after a violent attack by a rogue vampire. She suffered cruel emotional and physical abuse at the hands of her sire but was eventually able to escape his control. By killing him.

While taking a break from investigating Gloria’s case she’s confronted by a female werewolf who wants to claim her sire’s estate. According to vampire law, when a vampire is killed his/her “children” (the people he/she turned) are entitled to that vampire’s holdings. Although Anna makes it clear she wants no part of her “inheritance” the werewolf insists on challenging her for the estate. Through a series of surprising events Anna soon realizes that:

a) it’s hard to kill something that’s already dead;
b) her vampire sire was much stronger than anyone knew.

This causes problems for Anna because she’s still trying to mainstream and live as a human. Although her vampire mentor makes it clear that she has to put her former life behind her she continues to maintain contact with her immediate family and friends. As we’ve seen in the earlier books, Anna hasn’t totally accepted her new vampire lifestyle.

It becomes increasingly difficult for her to exist in both worlds. While investigating Gloria’s case she learns that her instincts about Gloria are well founded. She not only has to convince Dave of Gloria’s underhandedness (without turning him against her and ruining their personal and business relationships), but she also has to be careful not to display any of her enhanced powers during said investigation. Additionally, although she enjoys spending time with her parents, she’s running out of excuses for not eating her mother’s cooking, something which Anna knows hurts her mother’s feelings.

Legacy is an evenly paced, well balanced urban fantasy vampire book with just the right mixture of action, adventure, and drama. Jeanne C. Stein has created a strong, well developed character in Anna and as a result, she’s a popular heroine in the urban fantasy vampire book genre.

Overall I found the book to be thoroughly engaging and entertaining. If you love a good action adventure with a supernatural backdrop you’ll love Legacy, Book 4 in the Anna Strong Vampire Chronicles.