Being Human by Patricia Lynne

Being Human by Patricia Lynne

My Rating: ★★★★

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Vampires have been outed, and people fear them more than the legends that have given them a bad reputation. One day, Tommy is lured out of his home and turned by a vampire. As his human emotions and memories quickly leave him, something unusual happens: he has a strong emotional response to his twin brother. He's determined to keep Danny safe and remain close to him even though he can't remember anything about their human life together. His instinct to survive is quickly combined with his instinct to protect his brother, which creates unusual circumstances in a society where vampires are hunted and killed without a second thought.

This is unlike any other vampire novel that I've read before. Instead of following Tommy quickly involve himself in the vampire world, we watch him connect with his brother. Vampires are solo creatures in this book, and they don't get along with humans. They're either eating them or avoiding them, and Tommy is glued to his brother every night. It's a family tale as Tommy and Danny have their brotherly bond tested by society and even family over and over again. I love novels that explore family bonds, so it's really exciting to watch these brothers grow closer and sometimes struggle with their relationship through each phase of their lives.

Lynne tells this story in sections. There's minor time jumps between each section covering Tommy's early vampire life when he and Danny are teenagers, their struggles when Danny reaches college, acceptance as Tommy begins a family, and how history starts to repeat itself once again as Danny continues to age. I really enjoyed watching these two characters bond, test the waters with other people, and keep their connection through every big change in Danny's human life. I often wondered if society's view on vampires would change and if Tommy would ever be accepted by outsiders.

Told through Tommy's perspective, we see everything through his eyes. We feel for him and the characters around him as he struggles to make connections and not hurt his family. It was neat to see him interact with other vampires from time to time. The only thing I didn't care for is the romance that occurs later in the book. It seemed out of place and just strange. Otherwise, it's a wonderful book and I hope to see this character again if Lynne is later inspired to continue the story from a different perspective.