Darkness Hunts: A Dark Angels Novel [Mass Market Paperback]

Keri Arthur (Author)

Book Description

Release date: November 6, 2012 | Series: Dark Angels (Book 4)

New York Times bestselling author Keri Arthur returns to the enthralling Guardian World—and a twilight realm of danger and desire…

Risa Jones, half-Aedh/half-werewolf, can enter the realm between life and death. She can speak to the dying and the dead, and she can see the reapers, collectors of souls. What she can not yet see is the identity of a stranger murdering women and draining their blood. Now Risa must summon her gifts to find him, even if it means putting her own life in danger. But Risa needn’t look far. The killer knows who she is.

He tells her his victims are infected by darkness and he’s fated to destroy them. Fascinated by Risa, he engages her in a sinister game: the chance to save the life of his next victim by deciphering his series of clues. In a race against time, she enlists the help of the reaper Azriel.

But as an attraction between them grows, so does the fear that the stranger’s motives are only part of a larger, more dangerous stratagem—one that that has lured Risa and Azriel into the dark.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for Keri Arthur

“Keri Arthur’s imagination and energy infuse everything she writes with zest.”—Charlaine Harris

“Sensual and erotic…I urge you to pick up Arthur’s series.”—USA Today

“Keri Arthur skillfully mixes her suspenseful plot with heady romance…Sexy vampires, randy werewolves, and unabashed, unapologetic, joyful sex—you’ve gotta love it. Smart, sexy, and well-conceived.” — Kim Harrison

“Deliciously sexy…[it] pulls you in and won't let go. Keri Arthur knows how to thrill! Buckle up and get ready for a wild, cool ride!”— Shana Abé
 
“Must Read! I love, love, love it!…[It’s] pretty damn hot.”—Joyfully Reviewed

“Risa is an amazing character, she most certainly kicks butt.”—Serendipity Reviews

“You will fall hard for [Keri Arthur’s] Dark Angels series.”—CoffeeTimeRomance.com

“Everything a fan of Romance and Urban Fantasy would enjoy.”—Night Owl Reviews

About the Author

Keri Arthur, author of the New York Times bestselling Riley Jenson Guardian series, has written more than twenty-five books. She’s been nominated in the Best Contemporary Paranormal category of the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Awards and has won the Romantic Times’ Career Achievement Award for urban fantasy. She lives with her daughter in Melbourne, Australia.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Signet Select (November 6, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9780451237125
• ISBN-13: 978-0451237125
• ASIN: 0451237129
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (65 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #62,733 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Keri Arthur has been nominated in the Best Contemporary Paranormal category of the Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Awards, and recently won RT's Career Achievement Award for Urban Fantasy. She lives with her daughter in Melbourne, Australia.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Darkness Hunts - a series that keeps getting stronger November 6, 2012

By Jess

Format:Mass Market Paperback

Risa can't even catch a good night's sleep with all the trouble and danger that finds her. She's still the key to finding the keys that many different people and beings want to get their hands on. The keys control the gates to heaven and hell and in the wrong hands those gates can be closed permanently, not allowing souls to cross and causing devastation when you consider babies being born without souls. Needless to say, the keys needs to be found and destroyed and not fall into the wrong hands. Risa has a way to sense the keys, thanks to her dear old dad, a being who is now completely made of energy, but who finds ways to communicate with Risa whether she likes it or not. On top of this continuing key storyline that has been building since book 1, there's a faceless man tormenting the Directorate. With Rhoan on the case, he brings in Risa as the faceless man is now targeting Risa after they have an encounter in one of the gray realms, a space not on earth, but just...between.

Poor Risa, I'm not sure how she stands upright sometimes. She's run ragged in this book, constantly going from one clue to another, finding herself moving from one dangerous situation into another far worse one. She's run down, everyone thinks she's looks horrible (much to her delight) and she mentions more than once just wanting a big meal and sleep. She gets very little of both as the action comes at her fast and furious from page 1 and doesn't let up until her final, dangerous battle with the faceless monster.

Also happening alongside all the action is her attraction to Lucian and the unnatural compulsion she has around him to never be able to say no to the lust that she feels in his presence. Lucian has seemed like he has an agenda from the first moment we met him back at the start of the series and was just using Risa via sex (to read her mind) to further his own plans. I can't stand this guy and his relationship with Risa finally comes to a head in this story and while I was ready to smack Risa early on for constantly not listening to her own inner warnings about the guy, along with Azriel's clear hatred of him, let's just say with a little spell to help her, she finally comes to her senses and Lucian shows some of his true colors. I have no doubt there will be more to come where he's concerned, but I was finally able to cheer for Risa and how she handled him. It's been a long time coming.

Now, Azriel. I love this guy. He's so full of inner angst and we really don't know the full story on that, but we do learn how his feelings for Risa are impacting him personally and how their connection is not a good thing in his eyes. He's fighting between feeling like he needs to keep his distance so his mission regarding the keys can be seen through, but his feelings for Risa, which he shouldn't have, are becoming hard to ignore. They have a strong connection that we're finally given some details about and with the way this story ends, I can't wait to see how that plays out. Azriel is a reaper, a more energy being than flesh, Risa is half werewolf/half Aedh and a future between them is virtually impossible. But, never say never in this world because Azriel has changed from book 1 to now and who knows what other changes may be happening in the future that would actually give this couple a reason to believe they might have just that, a future. This reader can only hope!

Rhoan, Riley and Quinn all make appearances throughout, especially Rhoan, whose life is put in danger giving Risa all the excuse she needs to go all in against the faceless enemy. I always love seeing my favorites Riley and Quinn in any small way, and I like the way they've become family to Risa. She needs them and they're always there for her.

This is definitely a series that should be read in order. The main missing key storyline keeps building with each book and the relationship between Risa and Azriel is more powerful to have followed them from the beginning. Risa is turning into a strong fighter, even if all she wants to do is be left alone to run her restaurant with her two best friends; that's not a possibility for her right now. She's too unique a character to just sit on the sidelines and she's proving to be a kickass heroine who has to play a lot of different sides to balance all the people in her life who want something from her. I'm enjoying this series more and more with each book and love the direction its heading.

Blog rating: 4.5/5

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars LITERAL ADDICTION's Review of Darkness Hunts November 6, 2012

By LITERAL ADDICTION

Format:Mass Market Paperback

Our Review, by LITERAL ADDICTION's Pack Alpha - Michelle L. Olson:
If you follow my reviews, you know that I'm a huge fan of Keri Arthur's. You also know that I LOVE the DARK ANGELS series. So, when I received an advance reading copy of Darkness Hunts from the Publisher in return for an honest review I was thrilled. I have absolutely devoured every installment of the series thus far with nothing but rave reviews and couldn't wait to see what happened next.

This book was a little different than the ones before. It wasn't quite as action-packed; at least not until closer to the end. It was, however, one of the most emotion filled books I've had the pleasure of reading all year. The over-all feel of the story was incredibly visceral and while immersed in the tale I almost found it hard to breath in sections because it was slightly overwhelming (in a completely wonderful way). I switched rapidly from doubt, betrayal, frustration, yearning, worry, fear, apprehension, and many more. There was something incredibly organic about Darkness Hunts and I thoroughly enjoyed it, though for different reasons than I loved the first three books of the series.

I have to be honest and say that I'm not sure if all fans of the series will like this installment. Keri gifted us all with something we've been waiting long and hard for in Darkness Devours and Darkness Hunts doesn't quite continue that gift giving. It instead pulls back, and in doing so, explores the more human side of the characters. It was beautiful and yet utterly frustrating at the same time.

Risa continues to get herself into bind after bind and Keri takes us, as readers, along with her. There's actually a quote from page 237 of the ARC that I have to share because it's gorgeously written and so encompassing of the series thus far. Risa's dwelling on things that have happened and thinks: "...because I knew, no matter what, there was no going back. This path, this journey, was leading me inexorably into darkness, and I knew with every fiber of my being it was a darkness from which I would not escape."

LITERAL ADDICTION gives Darkness Hunts 5 Skulls for its viscerally organic nature and beautiful prose that literally made my heart ache, as well as for an ending that will have all DARK ANGEL fans clamoring for more!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Marathon January 2, 2013

By Bookaday

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I just completed reading this whole series in the last three days. I have the next one to be released marked in favorites so I can read it the day it's released. I haven't enjoyed a series this much since I found Sherilyn Kenyon or laurel Hamilton. It was smart, New, sexy, funny, and not a single thing annoyed me. Sometimes, droning or whining or just stupid decisions characters make, annoy me. This series had none of those issues which I find highly exciting and refreshing. I CAN'T WAIT FOR UNMASKED.