ARC Review: Dancing with the Devil by Keri Arthur

A lot of the time it’s hard to find something fresh in the genre after having it be around for so long. If you enjoy the tone of Nalini Singh’s writing, but like the tightly-written action scenes of Lara Adrian’s Midnight Breed books, then I think you’ll enjoy this series as much as I have. ~ Under the Covers

DANCING WITH THE DEVIL took me by surprise. As a Keri Arthur fan, I have loved both her Riley Jensen series as well as her Dark Angels series. So when I found out that she was rereleasing this series, I jumped at the chance at reading it.

All of the great characteristics you expect in an Arthur book is present. There’s fabulous worldbuilding, incredible action sequences and strong characters that have a lot of room to grow. However, there was one thing that really stood out for me with this book. It was the writing.

I’ve always that that Arthur was a good writer, but for some reason the writing style resonated with me more in this series. The tone reminds me a little of Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changeling series. It’s a little more serious, especially when in Michael’s POV. More details are explored in terms of descriptions and also, I felt that this book was very tightly written, especially where the action sequences were concerned. Overall, I just thought this book was a very well plotted out and well-written book so kudos to Arthur for that!

Nikki  is a psychic Private Investigator. To be honest, it took about two chapters to warm up to her. I could already tell that she would be independent and kickass, but I was also looking for something that would make me relate to her. As the story progressed, I got that connection that I wanted. After employed to find a missing teenager named Monica Trevgard, Nikki is then thrust into a world that is far more complicated than the job initially let on.

She meets Jasper, a guy who is absolutely crazy and an enigma. A lot of the focus is on her fear for him and I thought that made for an edge-of-your-seat read because if you’re kickass character is scared, then you can sense that as well in your own feelings as you read.

Of course I have to talk about Michael who really intrigued me from the beginning. Arthur spends a little more time with his character, just doing some ordinary things like drinking wine and taking the time to understand his mind a little more. Other times, even when in his POV, she keeps readers in the dark about his intentions. It truly makes for an interesting character that I was dying to know more about. I liked her way of stringing readers as if on a leash, getting us to walk exactly where she intended us too. That being said, I found this book impossible to put down.

If you’re wondering if this Urban Fantasy is worth the shot, I think it is. A lot of the time it’s hard to find something fresh in the genre after having it be around for so long. If you enjoy the tone of Nalini Singh’s writing, but like the tightly-written action scenes of Lara Adrian’s Midnight Breed books, then I think you’ll enjoy this series as much as I have.

Arthur’s take on UF in this series feels totally different than her others, which makes me eager to read the next book, HEARTS IN DARKNESS!

*ARC provided by Netgalley

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[about-author author=”Keri Arthur”]