Memory Zero by Keri Arthur

Title: Memory Zero
Author: Keri Arthur
Series: #1 in the Spook Squad series
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Originally released by ImaJinn Books (June 15, 2004) re-released by Dell (August 26, 2014)
Source: NetGalley
Rating: ☕☕☕☕

Synopsis: MORTAL RECALL

For Sam Ryan, life began at age fourteen. She has no memory of her parents or her childhood. In a decade of service with the State Police, Sam has exhausted the resources of the force searching for clues to her identity. But all mention of her family seems to have been deliberately wiped off the record. Everything changes the night Sam’s missing partner resurfaces as a vampire . . . and forces her to kill him in self-defense. Now Sam is charged with murder. Suspended from the force, and with no one left to trust, Sam accepts some unexpected help from Gabriel Stern, a shapeshifter who conceals startling secrets.

While investigating the circumstances surrounding her partner’s strange behavior, Sam discovers that Garbriel’s been involved with a dangerous organization that’s planning a war on the human race. More immediate, someone is guarding the truth about Sam’s past—someone who’d rather see her dead than risk her knowing too much. To stay alive, Sam must unravel the threads of her past—and find out not only who she is but what she is.

My Thoughts: Being a fan of Keri Arthur's Riley Jensen series I knew I was in for a treat with this one!

The Good and The Bad of it all: A lot of my good points could also be construed as bad so I'm lumping everything together. This book is non-stop action. It takes off from the beginning with Sam meeting her missing partner after a surprise call from him one night and it never lets up until the last few pages. This, for me, was great. It kept me turning the pages. I hated having to put the book down to go to work. I needed to see what would happen to Sam! Too much action can be a bad thing as well. There seems to be a trade-off with the action and developing the characters. Sure things went breakneck fast but perhaps at the expense of getting to know Sam and Gabriel better. I think the mystery of Sam worked out well though. Sam doesn't know who or what she is anymore than we, the readers do. She will become a full fleshed out character in due time. Gabriel is still quite a mystery but I like me some mysterious men!

There is no romance within this book. I like that this book left out sex and romance to focus on the world building and action. Although there isn't a specific timeline listed within this book it had a futuristic feel to it with the types of technology being used. This was cool but left me a little confused as the weaponry was high-tech, as was the communication/wrist units and crime scene locks, yet the cars and other aspects were closer to our current time frame. I think having a futuristic world feel could have been more consistent. Either go full on futuristic (like the JD Robb In Death series) or keep things in the now.

In a Nutshell: Overall, this was a good book, bordering on great. I'm intrigued with Sam and knowing she isn't exactly who she thought she was and is becoming more is motivation to read more in the trilogy.

Dangerous Games by Keri Arthur

Synopsis: In Melbourne’s urban underworld, there’s a nightclub for every fantasy and desire. But for Riley Jenson, one such club has become an obsession. Riley, a rare hybrid of vampire and werewolf, hasn’t come in pursuit of pleasure but of an unknown killer who’s been using the steamy nightspot as his hunting grounds. Leave it to Riley to find the only ticket into the heavily guarded club: Jin, a deliciously hot-bodied bartender who might just provide the key to unmasking a killer unlike any other in the Directorate’s experience. Taunted by a former colleague turned rogue, distracted by an ex-lover’s attentions, Riley follows Jin into a realm of pleasure she could never have imagined. And as danger and passion ignite, a shocking mystery begins to unravel—one where Riley herself becomes the ultimate object of desire....

My Thoughts: While not quite as engaging as the previous installments it still held my attention long past the time I should have gone to bed.

What Worked: I liked the introduction of demons and the Aedh beings in this book. Although we didn't get a whole lot of information about either it was nice to see something other than weres, shifters, vampires and lab creatures. The introduction of an interesting wolf shifter added to the cast of characters nicely and the bane of Riley, Sal, provided a measure of comic relief that the series needs to counter it's darker side. I thought the plot thread of Riley's investigation into the mutilated corpses was well done but a little less primary than I'd have liked.

What Didn't Work: As always I'm going to add the sex to what didn't work. The beginning had Riley acting like a petulant child after a tiff with her main squeeze. When she didn't get her way she responded by running to her second choice to hump like bunnies (or werewolves as it were.) I thought this was pretty ridiculous and immature. So far Keri Arthur has not fully convinced me that her werewolves HAVE to have sex...I concede that they do during the fully moon phase but the other 3 weeks Riley should be able to keep herself under control. She doesn't WANT to though. In addition to the sex I just didn't feel that there was as much action as in previous books. The mystery/thriller plot thread took a back seat to the sexual (dare I say perversions?) aspect. Mostly because the sadistic nature of the killer/s tied in with BDSM. So with so much sex and/or sexual situations I had a harder time setting them aside as I did with the three previous installments. Also, even though there was some recap on what happened in previous books, I don't think enough information was given to allow this book to stand alone or to be read out of order. Since I'm reading the books in order this wasn't an issue for me but as a reader, I should have the option to read a book in publication order or to just grab one off the shelf and start reading without worrying that things won't make sense. I really believe that if I'd started with this book instead of Full Moon Rising I'd have been lost and refused to read any more in the series.

In a Nutshell: With some positives and some negatives the book balanced out to an average read. However, I'm still enjoying the series and am looking forward to continuing on to the next one. I would recommend to new readers that they not start out with this book though. I'm finding with continuing story lines from book to book and not enough of a recap on past happenings a new reader would not find this book as enjoyable as I did. Read them in order people!

Tempting Evil by Keri Arthur

Synopsis: In a world of sorcery and seduction, the nights bring out the beautiful, the damned, and the desired. Here, Riley Jenson is on her own–half werewolf, half vampire, working for an organization created to police the supernatural races. Trusting her superiors and lovers barely more than she trusts her worst enemies, Riley plays by her own set of rules. Her latest mission: to enter the heavily guarded pleasure palace of a criminal named Deshon Starr–a madman-scientist who’s been messing around in the gene pool for decades. With two sexy men–a cool, seductive vampire and an irresistibly hot wolf–vying for her attention, Riley must keep focused. Because saving the world from Deshon Starr will mean saving herself–from the trap that’s closing in around her. . . .

My Thoughts: Jumped right into this book when I finished the second in the series because for some reason I just can't get enough of Riley.

Spoiler Warning: Due to a controversial scene in the book where many readers want to be told about it I'm including a spoiler within my review. I will not give away pertinent plot twists or anything like that but continue with caution.

What Worked: Even though I find Riley very flawed I'm enjoying her immensely. She rarely jumps into trouble without thinking first and I have yet to label her TSTL (if you've read any of my reviews in the past you know this is a major issue I have with many heroines.) Her abilities stemming from her being a Dhampir are notable as are her growing psychic talents. I can't wait to see what is in store for those! What also worked was the ending of a 3 book underlying plot thread. I don't think I would have continued on with a 4th book if the DNA/Cloning plot thread had not ended.

What Didn't Work: While undercover, Riley was given the choice to wear clothes or not while in the Starr complex. She opted to run around naked. As a werewolf she has very few inhibitions but as a reader I found it really weird. Perhaps if I were a nudist it wouldn't have felt so awkward but as I'm not I couldn't get that point to flow well while reading.  (((((SPOILER)))))In addition to the nudism what also didn't work was there is yet another instance of rape in this book. Poor Riley gets knocked out and finds the man she figured she'd have to sleep with to get info from has actually been having sex with her unconscious body for hours. Once again Riley is barely phased other than complaining about how sore she was. I really hope this isn't going to be a trend in these books because even though Riley isn't crying rape that is exactly what happened.((((((END SPOILER)))))

In a Nutshell: Despite what didn't work, I thought, once again, the positives outweighed the negatives. My recommendation, as with the other two books in this series, is to ignore the sex and focus on the action. That is really where this book shined for me. A kick butt woman and some serious nail biting action.

Kissing Sin by Keri Arthur

Synopsis: From Melbourne’s gleaming skyscrapers to its throbbing nightclubs, Riley Jenson’s world is raging with danger and desire. A drop-dead-gorgeous werewolf–with a touch of vamp coursing in her blood–Riley works for an organization created to police the supernatural races. But when she wakes up naked and bruised in a barren alley, she knows only that she must run for her life. Within moments Riley collides with the sexiest man she’s ever seen: steely, seductive Kade, who is fighting a life-and-death battle of his own. With old lovers and enemies gathering around her, Riley knows she is being pursued by a new kind of criminal. Because in Riley’s blood is a secret that could create the ultimate warrior–if only she can survive her own dangerous desires….

My Thoughts: Originally I was going to review this second book in the Riley Jenson series along with the 3rd book all in one review because I read both books back to back making it hard to separate them. I ultimately decided to just go ahead with separate reviews. So.....

Spoiler Warning: While writing my review I decided that I was going to give away a spoiler. It does not effect the balance of the book. I will not give away anything like Col. Mustard in the Library with the Candlestick but this spoiler is necessary to know for many readers.

What Worked: The opening sequence was straight up thrilling. Reminded me of a mystery/thriller which was totally an awesome beginning. Also through the course of the book the lines between friends and enemies are crossed which makes for some really interesting situations. Riley, herself, is proving to be a strong stand up woman who takes no grief from anyone, even her boss. Although still struggling with her path towards becoming a guardian she is finding that it might just be inevitable.

What Didn't Work: Once again we are bombarded with the werewolf needing sex thing. Arthur's werewolves are sensual creatures who have no sexual hang ups what-so-ever. Meaning what we, as humans, might deem morally wrong (like sleeping with a man you just met 15 minutes ago or having sex with a different man every night) werewolves wouldn't. They are all about free love and sex is just sex. No emotional attachment except to their soul mate once they meet them at which point they would become monogamous. To tell the truth I thought about quitting this book 50 pages into it when I'd already read 2 sex scenes, one of which was with a stranger. (((((SPOILER))))))Speaking of sex, a deal breaker for many readers would be rape. More specifically in this book Riley finds out she has been date raped. Although Arthur never came out and labeled it, when a woman is drugged and unconscious and a man has sex with her anyway (or purposely I should say) this is rape. The only reason I was able to just gloss over this while reading was because Riley didn't seem to be effected overly much other than to be pissed off. I chalked it up to her being a werewolf but it nagged at me anyway. Speaking of the sex if you're looking for some sort of meaningful sex this book isn't it. (especially after a date rape...right?) ((((((END SPOILER))))))Since Arthur's werewolves have sex whenever and with whomever without an emotional attachment the sex is just unsexy. Nothing about any of the sex scenes could be considered sensual IMHO.

One more thing that I thought didn't work was the continuing storyline from book 1 to this one. That storyline still had no closure and will continue into book 3.  I prefer books with full and complete story lines only because many people don't read books in order. I actually prefer to read in order but I like the option of doing just the opposite. Continuing story lines make this not an option even though most authors do a decent job of recapping.

In A Nutshell: Despite some really negative points the awesome sauce of a heroine that I believe Riley to be outweighs the bad. I basically had to ignore all the sex and focus on the rest which really made this book a winner for me. Will I read it again? Eh...maybe. Will I read the next...already did. These books are compelling and addicting. Reader beware though on what I've outlined in the What Didn't Work area.

Full Moon Rising by Keri Arthur

Synopsis: A rare hybrid of vampire and werewolf, Riley Jenson and her twin brother, Rhoan, work for Melbourne’s Directorate of Other Races, an organization created to police the supernatural races–and protect humans from their depredations.
While Rhoan is an exalted guardian, a.k.a. assassin, Riley is merely an office worker–until her brother goes missing on one of his missions.
..The timing couldn’t be worse.
More werewolf than vampire, Riley is vulnerable to the moon heat, the week long period before the full moon, when her need to mate becomes all-consuming.… Luckily Riley has two willing partners to satisfy her every need.
But she will have to control her urges if she’s going to find her brother….
Easier said than done as the city pulses with frenzied desire, and Riley is confronted with a very powerful–and delectably naked–vamp who raises her temperature like never before.
In matters carnal, Riley has met her match.
But in matters criminal, she must follow her instincts not only to find her brother but to stop an unholy harvest.
For someone is doing some shifty cloning in an attempt to produce the ultimate warrior–by tapping into the genome of nonhumans like Rhoan.
Now Riley knows just how dangerous the world is for her kind–and just how much it needs her.

My Thoughts: Despite a major downfall (I'll discuss this issue later) this was a very good Urban Fantasy with an interesting female lead.

What Worked: Arthur did a great job of introducing us to the Riley Jenson world. I was never confused by the rules in play which follow some basic known "facts" about creatures like vampires and werewolves but there was enough originality to keep this Urban Fantasy fresh and not tired.

Riley is such a strong force to be reckoned with that I couldn't help but admire her strength and intelligence. Despite her ending up in dire circumstances (multiple times) I never thought she fell into the dreaded TSTL category.

What Didn't Work: The sex. In Keri Arthur's world, werewolves are sensual creatures that do not adhere to the standard morals and values ideal. Therefore they tend to have sex....a lot. AND that isn't even counting the "Full Moon" cycle when they absolutely have to have sex or go ape shit crazy. Like rabid-werewolf-killing-everything-in-sight crazy. They also only become monogamous when they find their soul mate so they often have multiple sexual partners that they use on a regular basis until they find their "forever" mate. So, I get it. Keri decided her werewolves were going to be free loving hippie children. Unfortunately she felt the need to have Riley explain this repeatedly to one of her sex partners who had a problem with all the free lovin' going on. He thinks werewolves are nothing more than whores. A little harsh but maybe not completely out of line. Riley has to tell him that werewolves are not human and should not be boxed into human ideals of sex and morality. My problem with this is that Keri somehow forgot that her readers ARE human and just might have a bit of an issue with a woman who has sex with several different men all in the same night.

In addition to the amount of sex (and sexual partners) that happen within the book it also has to be noted that there was a complete lack of romance surrounding the sex that it made it, well, unsexy. There was so much unsexy sex going on that when Riley did get with someone that she might have more of a connection to the reader is beyond caring and the scene ends up happening with no real fanfare.

In a Nutshell: Despite the HUGE issue surrounding all the unsexy sex and whatnot Riley, truly is a compelling heroine with an interesting background and a budding future as a Guardian in the Directorate.

Dancing With the Devil by Keri Arthur

Synopsis: Private Investigator Nikki James grew up on the tough streets of Lyndhurst and believes there's nothing left to surprise her. All that changes the night she follows teenager Monica Trevgard into the shadows-and becomes a pawn caught in a war between two very different men. One fills her mind with his madness, the other pushes his way into her life-and her heart. Nikki knows how dangerous love can be, but if she wants to survive, she must place her trust in a man who could easily destroy her. Michael Kelly has come to Lyndhurst determined to end the war between himself and another brother of the night. For 300 years he has existed in life's shadows, gradually learning to control the life from death cravings of a vampire. Nikki not only breaches his formidable barriers with her psychic abilities, but makes Michael believe he may finally have found a woman strong enough to walk by his side and ease the loneliness in his heart. But will his love be enough to protect her from a madman hell-bent on revenge? Or will it drive her into his enemy's deadly trap? Only together can they overcome the evil threatening to destroy them both. But the secrets they keep from each other might prove to be the greatest threat of all.

My Thoughts: While the concept of this book was actually to my liking, a psychically gifted PI being caught in the sights of an evil vampire and a vampire hero comes to her rescue, I found the execution was a bit off. Finding the positives to point out has been difficult for me because every instance had both pro and con to it.

What Worked: Our heroine, Nikki, is both determined and strong....yet flawed. This will allow for future character development....and believe me, this character needs some because although I've listed Nikki as a plus she was also the biggest disappointment I had in this book. (more on that later)

In addition to the character of Nikki, her boss, Jake, although completely human with no special abilities is actually the glue that holds Nikki together and essentially the book itself. He lent a calmness and logic to the story that it truly needed it as Nikki seemed to go off half cocked most of the time.

What Didn't Work: The World Building. The addition of the Damask Circle was woefully under-explained. If not for Michael mentioning a few times that he worked for them I'd never know it existed. This was just one example of the lack of world building. Arthur has also failed to provide rules to her world. Nikki has telekinesis but apparently also has psychometry and precognitive skills too. I've never read a book where one person had so many different types of psychic skills. Usually a person is only gifted with one. In addition it is mentioned so many times that while battling vampires or the zombies Nikki had depleted her psychic gift yet a moment later she is pooling more energy to attack or defend again. It is not explained where her reserve is coming from two, sometimes three times after it's mentioned she's essentially empty of her gifts. In addition to this it appears Arthur's vampires have even greater psychic gifts than Nikki as they have telepathy and can control anyone with their minds in addition to having telekinesis. They also can raise the dead and become invisible by blending into the shadows. And can someone tell me how a vampire 1/3 of the age of our hero could be continually best our hero? In every vampire romance I've read, the older the vampire the greater the strength and the speed and the everything....not so much in Dancing With the Devil.

The romance between Nikki and Michael didn't work either as it rang false by basing itself on a psychic connection that readers had to believe in without any actual romantic gestures from either character. When all was said and done I was still wondering how the characters fancied themselves in love.

The biggest flaw of the book would have to be Nikki herself. She came across angry with the world and self sacrificing to the point I really was rooting for the bad guy to kill her and get it over with. I have a hard time liking a character who completely ignores all of her own instincts, runs headlong into danger every other page knowing it was probably not a good idea and practically gift wraps herself for the bad guy to kidnap her (after already having been kidnapped by him once.) She was BTSTL (Beyond Too Stupid to Live!)

In a Nutshell: Despite the numerous negatives I did give this book 3 stars because it has potential and room to grow. Jake was a very interesting secondary character and I'm interested in seeing what the Damask Circle is all about.