The Riley Jensen Series by Author Keri Arthur: A Review

Want to escape and view the world from the perspective of a kick-ass red head heroine? Look to Australian author Keri Arthur as your ideal break. This series shoots out of the gate and now, after reading the last page of her newest installment, I am still as hooked as I was after reading the first sentence of her first book.

This fast-paced fantasy-romance starts with Full Moon Rising, introducing us to part vampire, part werewolf Riley Jenson, who works for Melbourne's Directorate of Other Races, as does her twin brother, Rhoan. When Rhoan goes missing, a naked yet powerful vampire, Quinn, appears on Riley's doorstep and asks for her help. (Are you not reeled in yet?) Riley and Quinn team up to find Rhoan as well as investigate the mysterious deaths of Directorate agents. Not to mention they need to determine who has been creating vampire and werewolf clones. All this action... is interlaced with attraction, Riley's and Quinn's mutual attraction. However, Quinn-still lingering onto the bitterness of a broken heart by a werewolf lover-will never fully trust another werewolf, but that doesn't stop him from helping Riley through the lust that can overwhelm werewolves in the days leading up to the full moon.

Kissing Sin takes us on another stay up all night ride. Riley's escape from an enemy's clutches is how this second installment kicks off. As Riley works to solve mysteries and stop the bad guys, she becomes more entangled with her lovers... yes, lovers. (A vampire with werewolf issues, a werewolf with mixed loyalties, an alpha werewolf, and a horse-shifter) to uncover and derail a nefarious (I mean come on, how often do you get to use this descriptive word and mean it?) plot to create an army of super-beings. In addition to all the chaos in her life, she is faced with the decision we all face... to have or not have children... after the equally soul-searching self-query to want or not want children.

In the third installment, Tempting Evil, Riley is forced to believe more in herself and her ability to make the right choices in both her professional and personal life. Her latest mission: to enter the heavily guarded pleasure palace of a criminal named Deshon Starr-a madman-scientist who has been tinkering with the gene pool for decades. What is it with evil doers and super soldiers or superior beings? Down from four lovers to two in this tale, Riley still must force herself to remain on task and maintain focus. Her life depends on it.

This brings us to Dangerous Games, the fourth Riley Jensen story. In Melbourne's urban underworld, there is a nightclub for every fantasy and desire. Riley must follow a bartender named Jin (!!!) into the dark and steamy side of nightclubs to stop a killer. She must also take down a rogue agent and contend with her feelings for Quinn. This one brings more character to the story and was my favorite.

In Embraced by the Darkness, Riley is hunting a killer- and shattering every boundary- she has ever known.... Riley plays even more by her own rules than before (difficult to imagine... but she does hear her own drummer) Riley must accept the demands of her pack alpha and solve a mystery of a missing girl. However, the stakes are raised, because she is told that if she does not find out the truth... what happened to the girl and if she is alive or dead, then her own mother will die.

'Being thrown out of a tree wasn't my idea of fun' is how The Darkest Kiss starts. Riley has returned and now has to contend with two serial killers. Riley has her own problems: she can no longer sense the spirits of the dead at the murder scenes, and she is nursing a broken heart. Those are some pretty big issues to be dealing with. However, the further she investigates (it is always best to stay busy when mending a broken heart), she realizes that her brother's lover is in danger. And... Quinn returns.

Deadly Desire is the present installment of this series (at the time of this article... the eighth one, Bound by Shadows is set for an October 2009 release) Riley is a Guardian. One who always seems to meet up with some of the worst villains (plot, after all) and this one is a baddy! She takes up with another werewolf to take on a sorceress and overcome zombies.

I love this series!!!!!