Book Review: Hearts in Darkness by Keri Arthur

Hearts in Darkness is the second book in the Nikki and Michael series from Keri Arthur. The reprint will be released on August 27 2013, but the book was originally published in December of 2000. This book begins six months after the end of Dancing with the Devil, and I think this is one paranormal romance series that you really should read in order.

Nikki James is a Private Investigator with a lot to contend with. Her lover, who just happens to be a vampire and a investigator in his own way, walked out without so much as a goodbye in order to get control of his blood lust. Michael has spent those six months relearning self control and resolves to stay away from Nikki in order to protect her from his life, his world, his job, and himself. However, their current cases bring them back together. Nikki is searching for a missing teenage boy and a police officer's niece while Michael is trying to discover the truth behind wealthy men going missing at a nearby resort. The must work together, which leads them to surprises of magical and personal nature waiting for them and an entire species depending on them for survival.

Hearts in Darkness already shows how quickly Keri Arthur grew in her writing style and voice. There is immediate action and thrills in the book, much like in Dancing with the Devil, but I found that the characters, their relationships, and the resulting tension were written so much better ion the sequel than in the first book. Nikki has her own skills, and has started to recognize her issues and what is really important to her. Michael is a little too focus on protecting Nikki from himself, but it is part of his nature and key to some of the story. I really liked that the story moved on past vampire lore and included new, and unique elements that I did not expect. The addition of magic and a supernatural creature that I have never seen before were very well done and made me a happy girl. Still not a fantastic book, but the series seems to be getting better with each installment.

I would recommend Hearts in Darkness to readers that have read and enjoyed Dancing with the Devil, and those that are interested to see some of the first published writing from Keri Arthur. Still not my favorite writer or series in the realm of urban fantasy, but I can see how far she has come based on these first couple books. I would not recommend buying the books, unless you are a serious Arthur fan, but a library visit for some light vacation reading might merit checking these out. The next two books, which complete the series, are Chasing the Shadows and Kiss The Night Goodbye.