EMBRACED BY DARKNESS

Author: Keri Arthur ISBN: 055358961X 8/2007 PARANORMAL Publisher: FANTASY

She's hunting a killer— and shattering every boundary— she's ever known.… Part vamp, part werewolf, Riley Jenson plays by her own rules, whether it’s her stormy love life or her job as a guardian. But when her family’s alpha male demands that she solve the mystery of a vanished girl, Riley can feel a trap closing in around her. Because the job comes with a catch: if Riley fails, her own mother will die. Now the stakes are raised, the hunt is on...and when more women vanish, Riley is caught between a lover who demands that she give up her work, a serial killer who knows no boundaries, and a club where humans and supernaturals mix—at their own peril. Thrust into a realm of seduction and violence unlike any she could have imagined, Riley has to battle to save everything she holds dear. But the ultimate hunt has only just begun....

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Riley is a part vamp, part werewolf who can really only rely on her twin brother, who has near the same powers she does. Kicked out of their clan when they were grown, they had to make it on their own or not survive. Both the siblings are working as Guardians of the Directorate of Other Races. When Riley is approached by an old clan member needing help to try and track down his granddaughter, Riley does not want to take the case, but she must or her mother will be killed.

So Riley is back from Holiday and sh*t literally begins hitting the fan quickly. Riley finds a much more complicated situation than she was expecting and realizes she is going to need some help on this one.

This is book five for this series, and I believe that each book is getting stronger, complex characters are making sense, and the reader can get a true sense of the danger that Riley faces. On another aspect, Riley is a highly affectionate creature and must have sexual passion. In EMBRACED BY DARKNESS, she only has Kellen. Kellen is putting pressure on her to become exclusive, but it's not something Riley is ready to deal with yet. At the last stage of the book, when Riley is meeting with Kellen and is ready to commit, he backs off. Kellen states that Riley must give up her job in order for their relationship to work. Kellen leaves Riley crying on the floor with a broken heart.

This is my only complaint about this book: Am I going to have to wait an entire year to find out what happens to Riley?

Keri Arthur is fabulous in writing this tale, as she is with all of the others. She has an out-of-this-world imagination and a quick wit that brings the scenes together.

Kym Oetting