Early Review: Darkness Unmasked by Keri Arthur
Darkness Unmasked by Keri Arthur
Dark Angels # 5
The sexy, exciting, suspenseful adventures continue in New York Times bestselling author Keri Arthur's Dark Angels series, starring Risa Jones, a half-Aedh/half-werewolf. She can speak to the souls of the dying and the dead, and can see Reapers, the collectors of souls.
Shortly after her fight on the astral plane, Risa receives a phone call from Madeline Hunter, the leader of the vampire council, ordering her to investigate the death of Hunter's close friend and lover - Wolfgang Schmidt. His body has been discovered wrapped in a web-like substance and has been completely drained. As the body count continues to grow, Risa must summon her gifts to find the dark spirit before it strikes again.
Meanwhile, as the search for the keys that keep the gate to Hell closed grows more intense, Risa begins to unravel mysteries that will have startling consequences for her.
Risa can never seem to catch a break. She hasn't had any time to recover from her last near death experience (and there has been many), yet Madeline Hunter, vamp council leader and complete pain in Risa's side, calls her with a demand that she investigate a murder. This isn't the first time that Hunter has pulled Risa into an investigation, but there's a whole lot more at stake this time around as the deceased was Hunter's lover. To say Hunter is seething would be an understatement. Risa will have to tread very carefully, as Hunter isn't someone to be trifled with. The clock is ticking and Risa must find the killer fast, or even her loyal reaper protector, Azriel may not be enough to protect her from Hunter's wrath.
I have been waiting for what seems like an eternity for the sexual tension between Risa and Azriel to explode and finally turn into more than just a possibility I had thought that once they gave into the fierce attraction between them, they would finally realize that they need one another, and would work to find a way to overcome their massive obstacles to be together. Considering just how many of Keri's books I have read, I honestly don't know what I was thinking as things are never that easy. Sure there are some really hot and steamy moments between the two of them, but things aren't all roses for them. It's obvious that their connection is much deeper than just the physical aspect, yet for some reason they can't seem to get out of their own way long enough to open up to the other. Risa is so fixated on the fact that Azriel originally only stayed with her because of the quest for the keys. Yet it's incredibly obvious that there is so much more going on now. Yet Risa keeps expecting him to act like a normal man, when he isn't even technically a man, but a mostly energy being. That being said, Azriel gets in their way just as much as he continually refuses to open up to her and just give her the truth in words that she so desperately needs. Considering the ending events, I'm not sure whether I'm actually more or less hopeful for the two of them at this point, but only time will tell.
I really love how these books are so intertwined with one another. I mean each installment has its own focus or obstacle to overcome, but the overall issue with the keys is also weaved thoroughly into the story even when it is not the main focus. I think these multiple threads/focuses really help to keep the tension and reader interest really high. That being said, all those threads make reviewing without spoiling a rather difficult thing as I can't really talk about them, but oh how I want to. But suffice it to say that DARKNESS UNMASKED is awesome, and you should definitely read it to find out all the juicy revelations for yourself.
There was so much going on in DARKNESS UNMASKED, it was literally an insane ride from the start to finish. I'm still trying to wrap my head around everything that happened, and what it means for the future. With the way things are, it's hard to imagine that there are only two books left in this series, as I can't imagine how things could possibly be wrapped up in that short of a time. A lot of series start to go stale after multiple installments, but that just isn't the case here, and I wish this series would continue on much longer. But since it's not, I guess that just means the action will only get more intense, and you won't find any complaints here. In fact, I haven't read a Keri Arthur book yet that I haven't loved, and DARKNESS UNMASKED is no exception. I finished this book only wanting more, and while I feel like a broken record when it comes to Keri's books, I am absolutely desperate to get my hands on the next installment!
(Received a copy from the publisher)
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