I’ll say one thing for Keri Arthur, she knows how to build and sustain suspense. I just finished reading her latest Riley Jenson title, Embraced by Darkness, and believe it’s the best book in the series — which is rapidly becoming one of my favorites — to date.
At the end of the previous entry, Dangerous Games, Riley was left with a lot of unknowns about her life, professionally and personally, even physiologically. She faces those unknowns head on in Embraced by Darkness and the results aren’t exactly what she, or the even the reader, expects.
Riley, our strong and sassy half-were half-vampire heroine, finds herself embroiled in a pair of mysteries from the outset, one with a connection to her past and another with paranormal origins. She is drawn deeper into the Guardian ranks as she investigates both, seeking to find a member of the pack that banished her and to stop an evil soul committing gruesome acts of homicide. And, to top it all off, she is faced with a choice in her deepening relationship with the sexy Kellen — go solo with him or lose him altogether.
Embraced by Darkness continues the trend of the series with a whiz-bang of a story that makes the reader feel something really is at stake, while Ms. Arthur continues to impress in how she continues to grow Riley as a character. With each page, Riley seems to grow personally in some way, maturing, adapting and evolving — sometimes easily, sometimes painfully — making these books a rather special treat in a genre that sometimes comes up short on that account.
Have you read Embraced by Darkness? If so, feel free to post a comment and let us know what you think.
Rate This Book
(8 votes, average: 3.38 out of 5)
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August 26th, 2007 at 10:45 am
I haven’t read EMBRACED BY DARKNESS. However, I listened to FULL MOON RISING on audio recently. It was excellent! I won KISSING SIN so I’ll read that next. EBD sounds good too.
August 26th, 2007 at 7:38 pm
I glommed the series but am growing a tad tired with the rapes. Also, I fear the Anita-Blakish thing coming on, where the heroine just suddenly gets new powers. This last book, her shifting into a wereseagull had me scratching my head. A bit too deus-ex-machina, and definitely indulgent.
I love the author’s voice, just as I love Laurell K. Hamilton’s voice, but I feel the author has to keep thinking of more violent acts to top her last one in each installment. The rapes made me squeamish. And then, she does the obvious author ploy–first tear away the Number One hero. Now tear away the Number Two hero. They call it character growth. I call it disillusionment. Yes, I am bitter ;-). I hate this “I must be alone” thing by suddenly changing the hero(es). It’s very obvious to this reader that it’s a ploy to part the heroine from them.
Still, the uniqueness of the world really draws me in. Until she shapeshifted into a seagull, anyway ;-).
August 27th, 2007 at 11:36 am
I enjoyed this fourth installment of the Riley Jenson Guardian novels. I was, however, disappointed that Quinn was nowhere to be found. Not even a brief appearance! Even an encounter with Kade, sexual or otherwise, would have gone a long way. Kellen’s character, compared to previous lovers, was a little flat. I hold out hope that Quinn and other exciting love interests will find their way into Keri Arthur’s next novel.
September 17th, 2007 at 3:08 pm
I’m not a big fan of the Riley Jenson novels. I tried the first one, thought “Ok, I’ll give it a second chance”, tried the second one and decided to move on. Like Temper, I too am tired of the rapes. Where’s the romance????? I like to come away from a book feeling good, romantic, maybe even in the mood for something more, but these books leave me feeling a bit jilted.
September 17th, 2007 at 4:24 pm
I think the Riley Jenson series has evolved more into a paranormal mystery/fantasy series at this point. The romance is still there, and I’m still pulling for a Quinn-Riley hook-up, but this last book focused more on Riley’s emergence in the Guardian ranks and the changes she’s undergoing physically and otherwise because of the drugs Talon used on her, and her personal growth.
And that’s one thing I’ll say about Riley: She is not a stagnant character. She’s changing and evolving as a person, as well as physiologically. Some of those changes are a natural progression that many of us undergo as we grow older and more circumspect. Some of the changes, however, are not natural and have been forced upon her by nasty people with nasty agendas.
Overall, I’m impressed with the integrity of the stories and writing in this series. I know I’ve had a few squeamish moments myself with some of the events in the books, particularly in the early ones, but to me, it seems things have moved past the “rapes” that Temper mentioned.
At this point, Riley is coping with unexpected and unwanted changes to her body, trying to decide who her “Mr. Right” is, all the while trying to solve the mysteries surrounding bizzare and brutal paranormal crimes.
Of course, these books may not be everyone’s cup of tea and that’s all right. We all have our likes and dislikes. I just happen to like these books, particularly the last two, and am eager for the next installment as Ms. Arthur knows how to write a mystery that keeps me guessing.