Embraced By Darkness (Riley Jenson Guardian, #5)

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Embraced By Darkness (Riley Jenson Guardian #5)

by Keri Arthur (Goodreads Author)

4.15 of 5 stars 4.15 · rating details · 7,113 ratings · 196 reviews

She's hunting a killer—
and shattering every boundary—
she's ever known.…

Part vamp, part werewolf, Riley Jenson plays by her own rules, whether it’s her stormy love life or her job as a guardian. But when her family’s alpha male demands that she solve the mystery of a vanished girl, Riley can feel a trap closing in around her. Because the job comes with a catch: if Riley fai...more

Paperback, 355 pages

Published July 31st 2007 by Dell

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Dec 28, 2009 I ♥ Bookie Nookie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: genre-pnr-uf, species-vampires, species-weres-and-shifters, zz-reviewed, genre-paranormal, i-love-this-old, a-series

Once again, Keri Arthur pulled it off. The series is still going strong for me. Riley is an awesome heroine!

In this book, she was more of a one man kind of woman--so her sex life was not nearly as outrageous as it normally tends to be. Being book #5 in the series, I think it was a good choice to put Riley at a crossroads of sorts...she is forced to make some tough decisions. Her life is ever-changing and in several ways not as I had expected. The experimental drugs that were forced on her in ea...more

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Jun 04, 2012 Carolyn F. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance, audiobook-and-owned-book

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 12, 2013 Miraphora rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal-romance, vampiri

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Nuooooo. Ma come si fa a scrivere una fine del genere? Non è umano! Non si può, soprattutto alla fine, cambiare le carte in tavola in modo che il senso di soddisfazione da fine lettura venga distrutto, e al suo posto c'è un'ansia tremenda per sapere cosa succederà.
Insomma, non è giusto. La Arthur è cattiva non solo con il lettore ma anche con la povera Riley. Come se non ne passasse già troppe, ci si mette ancora l'ammmore.
No, non sto parlando di Quinn che in questo romanzo proprio non compare...more Nuooooo. Ma come si fa a scrivere una fine del genere? Non è umano! Non si può, soprattutto alla fine, cambiare le carte in tavola in modo che il senso di soddisfazione da fine lettura venga distrutto, e al suo posto c'è un'ansia tremenda per sapere cosa succederà.
Insomma, non è giusto. La Arthur è cattiva non solo con il lettore ma anche con la povera Riley. Come se non ne passasse già troppe, ci si mette ancora l'ammmore.
No, non sto parlando di Quinn che in questo romanzo proprio non compare, sto parlando di altro. La questione amorosa occupa così poco spazio che quando arrivi alla fine ti senti praticamente sicuro, come le ultime 3 pagine non possano cambiare nulla. Tutto il contrario. Ti arriva una bella mazzata, per finire in bellezza.
In questo romanzo la nostra Riley si sta addentrando sempre di più nel suo ruolo di Guardiana, sfruttando e scoprendo i suoi nuovi poteri, attivati dal farmaco iniettato all'inizio della serie. Sembra che ogni situazione pericolosa abbia un effetto stimolante su di lei, tanto da farle scoprire dei talenti veramente fuori dal comune per la sua razza. Tutta la storia è piena d'azione grazie a due casi che si svolgono parallelamente: uno legato al vecchio branco di Riley e Rohan, e l'altro legato ad un caso di smembramento opera di uno spirito. Non c'è un momento di respiro, perché questa volta entra in scena più del solito anche il gemello Rohan che aiuta Riley nelle indagini. Non c'è proprio tempo per pensare all'amore: cioè nemmeno Riley ha tempo di valutare la sua storia con Kellen, perché il suo lavoro - e il suo passato - richiedono il massimo livello di attenzione, se non si vuole finire morti ammazzati. Entrambi i casi sono gestiti molto bene, perché hanno diversi momenti di azione ben fatti e la risoluzione avviene in modo equilibrato e intenso. Non posso certo dire che ci sia stato un momento di tranquillità, figuriamoci un momento morto nella narrazione. E' questo l'urban fantasy che mi piace: quello fast paced, quello che non ti lascia il tempo di farti domande, ma ti trascina nell'azione dalla prima pagina fino all'ultima, quando -però- ti tira una bella mazzata addosso.
Mi sono dovuta sforzare di non prendere in mano il libro successivo, perché è una cosa che mi rovina -been there, done that (maledetta Ward), quindi ho applicato una certa violenza psicologica - e fisica - alla mia persona e ho lasciato il sesto titolo per il futuro. Prossimo, futuro, perché sinceramente non riesco ad aspettare di sapere cosa cavolo succederà!(less)

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May 01, 2012 Ambre rated it 2 of 5 stars

People have such low standards for their heroines, it is really kind of sad. Riley does stupid stuff, treats her boyfriend like crap, and is openly disdainful to her boss. I guess that adds up to totally cool if you have super powers?

I keep thinking she will start to annoy me less, but quite the opposite. Her whining about not being able to sleep with everything with a penis, her constant rudeness to everyone, and the fact that she can't think her way out of a paper bag make me crazy.

The books a...more

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Nov 02, 2009 Melindeeloo rated it 4 of 5 stars

No picket fences yet for Riley.

The thing I love about these books is that Riley is such a capable kick butt heroine. Being a werewolf vampire crossbreed means that the bad guys tend to underestimate her. Even when her equally amazing brother is around to lend a hand, it is still Riley that saves the day. Riley continues to struggle with her love life and search for her soul mate, and she continues to develope amazing new powers as a result of a fertility drug she was slipped in book one. Many o...more

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Mar 04, 2013 Melanie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Embraced By Darkness did not disappoint. My only quam with it, which really isn’t a quam because I still enjoyed it immensely, is that it kept reminding me of the last Night Huntress installment One Grave at a Time. The spirit of this evil man, coming out around Halloween when he is the most strong, to kill women, and if they don’t stop him within the allotted time, they will have to wait another year! But, it was very enjoyable and I actually preferred this story more anyways. The other story l...more

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Apr 20, 2011 Starry rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. riley-main character,half-were;half-vamp,guardian
rhoan-rileys twin brother,half-were;half-vamp,guardian
kellen-rileys lover,werewolf,alpha werewolf
quinn-riley's ex lover,vamp,billionare
jack-boss of directorate,vamp
alex hunter-jack's sister,vamp
blake-werewolf, rhoan and rileys grandfather's second in command in the red pack
liander-rhoan's lover,werewolf
jared-a human at an island
Salliane-jacks assistant,vamp
Cole Reece-clean-up/nvesticate person that works for directorate,werewolf
dia-physcic,female,...more

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Apr 27, 2012 Noodle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance

OK, so I've been harping on about how much sex is in these books, insisting they could stand on their own without the emphasis being on the erotica. Well, I had my prayers answered in this instalment and I am extremely embarrassed to admit that I was disappointed.

I take it all back. Riley does need to have sex like a rabbit, or a horny werewolf, constantly to make these books work.

This instalment she is attempting to go solo with Kellen and it shows. She's grumpy. He's grumpy. Hell, even Rhoan,...more

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Jul 22, 2011 Melliane rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

J'ai bien aimé ce cinquième tome, on retrouve Riley face à des membres de son ancienne meute, j'avoue que j'attendais vraiment de voir ce que ça allait donné et je n'ai pas été déçue. On apprend peu de son passé ce qui est dommage mais on a quand même quelques histoires interessantes qui nous permettent de mieux comprendre ce qu'elle est devenue elle et son frère.

C'était pas mal d'avoir les deux enquêtes menées simultanément mais j'ai trouvé que celle de l'esprit était assez vite expédiée finale...more

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Oct 25, 2010 C rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, read-in-2010

It's strange, but there's something relaxing about reading these books, even though I'm not really that into this series. They're a bit too dark and gruesome for my tastes. I also find them a little boring because Riley thinks so much and keeps repeating things over and over and over... The overriding theme of this particular book is that Riley prefers hazelnut coffee, but several things are almost as good.

I did have an "oh that sucks" moment at the end of the book. It's amazing how often Quinn...more

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Apr 11, 2012 Jilly rated it 4 of 5 stars

I wasn’t fond of the first book (Full Moon Rising). Subsequent books have hooked me in though I think this one is my favorite so far. It isn’t as over-the-top as some have been but still managed to maintain that same feel of a mythical world of good and bad guys.

In the past the outrageousness of the “weres” or “vamps” have been a bit much. The last book had the evil good of death which while making the book interesting also made it very dark and seemingly over-the-top.

This time Arthur has kept w...more

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Apr 06, 2011 Amy A rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: riley-jenson-series

I thought that this was a strong entry in the Riley Jenson series for the most part. I was looking forward to learning more about Riley's pack and the history there, but Arthur didn't really delve into that which makes me wonder if it will be something in books to come. Also, the back cover makes a deal about Riley's mother's life being threatened if she doesn't take on this case, but honestly, I felt that this was the smallest issue in the whole book. We don't even get to meet / see Riley and R...more I thought that this was a strong entry in the Riley Jenson series for the most part. I was looking forward to learning more about Riley's pack and the history there, but Arthur didn't really delve into that which makes me wonder if it will be something in books to come. Also, the back cover makes a deal about Riley's mother's life being threatened if she doesn't take on this case, but honestly, I felt that this was the smallest issue in the whole book. We don't even get to meet / see Riley and Rhoan's mother. It would be different if she was made an actual character on the page, but she's not so therefore, like Rhoan, I don't care. I know that Keri Arthur probably has nothing to do with writing what goes on the back of her novels. It's probably her publisher and they try to make it as enticing as possible so people read it and what to read the rest of the book. I think that it was kind of misleading, so that's one of my complaints, but I can't really tell if it's a compaint about the book itself or just about the back cover blurb.

Other than that, I thought that the storyline was a lot stronger than the previous book, but with that being said, I thought that since there were two cases going on they both felt really rushed. Not a lot of time was spent on developing either and so when we got to the end of each case I was surprised to be there and wanted to know more.

I liked the first case with the murders going on. We really got to see more of Riley's powers of communication with souls. I was really interesting figuring out what the link was between the murders and who / what was commiting the crimes.

The second / parallel case for Riley was supposed to involve her pack, which I almost consider her family however estranged they are from them. Since Riley seemed to not care about the people she was trying to avenge, I really didn't care either. The only reason she actually took the case in the first place was because her mother's life was threatened. If that card hadn't been played I don't think Riley would have taken two glances at the files. With that attitude I didn't really care too much about what was going on. Although as Riley searches more and more into the case she does start feeling a sense of needing to avenge all those killed at the hands of the criminals.

Probably the biggest thing at the forefront of this novel is Riley's love life. I think one of the big things that having two cases to solve in this book accomplished was showing how busy Riley's life is. She was literally running around the whole entire book with barely any time to rest.

As we saw in the last book, Riley asked Quinn to back off, maybe indefinitely. She wanted to focus her attentions to Kellan who, up until this point, we haven't really seen that much. The reason for that was somewhat given in the previous book, and it was because of Quinn's phsycic skills directing Riley. But was that the real reason or was it an excuse? I think maybe a little of both. I felt really bad for Riley, because she's had mates that have turned out to not have her best interest in mind, and she's had Quinn who had been manipulating her mind in order to get her to settle down a little. That can make someone apprehesive. So I can see where she would be a little weary of committing completely to Kellan except I really liked Kellan. He was never anything but understanding and caring for Riley. True, he didn't like her job, but at first he was really willing to get past that. But however much I liked him as a character and a love interest for Riley I really felt (especially in this book) that she almost had to talk herself into wanting to be with him exclusively. It was something that she didn't want, but somehow she discovered that she did want to give Kellan a try exclusively so they could see if they had something more there than just sleeping together. It feels kind of strange to me that this is exactle what Quinn was asking for from her, but because he's a vampire and she definitely would not be able to have children with him she didn't even consider it. Yet the same is true of herself. She may not even be able to bear children, yet she's ready to give Kellan and her a try. I don't know if that's neither here nor there, but it was just something I was thinking about.

The end was really heartbreaking for Riley. I thought that Dia's premonition gives readers much to ponder and think about. I have a few thoughts on that but I will try not to be too spoilerish with this review. I look forward to continuing the series. More than half way finished. I am interested to see how things are made up between Riley and Quinn (you know it's going to happen this is not a spoiler!)Until Then!(less)

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Jan 11, 2011 Ithlilian rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

Unfortunately, this book was the worst in the series so far for me. There are two mysteries in this novel, the disappearance of a pack mate and a string of murders where the victims are left with no hair. Both mysteries felt rushed. The hairless murders was solved quickly and easily, so quickly that I wondered why it was even included. The pack murder was a bit more interesting, but it felt halfhearted. The part of the novel where Riley was exploring the nightclub, and the part where she was cap...more

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Jul 19, 2010 Heather Book Savvy Babe rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: shifters, vamped-out, paranormal-romance

I am a big fan of this series, it just gets better. The main character, Riley is a half-werewolf, half-vampire who is constantly putting her life on the line ridding the world of bad vampires/shifters/demons/crazy humans, etc… Riley is really growing up, learning how to accept and adjust to her circumstances. I have always liked Riley for accepting her nature and having a pretty good self-esteem. So, even though her character is going through massive changes, she rolls with the punches pretty go...more

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Dec 22, 2011 Kelly Clark rated it 2 of 5 stars

My friend asked me why I keep reading the Riley books... Aside from sheer amusement, I like this saucy wolf! I want to see where this whole story goes. Will Riley grow? Will she ever find her mate? Achieve her dreams and stop being an insatiable & flagrant hussy? At least this time she wasn't violated and/or sexually assaulted AGAIN... Sorry, BIG turn off...

More than anything, this book was just a stepping stone for character and story development... Unfortunately, not much more was present....more

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Nov 28, 2012 L-D rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: series, shifters-weres, spies-espionage-agencies, pnr, paranormal-abilities-superpowers, hunters-guardians-protectors

Riley's 6 weeks of R&R from the Directorate have brought her and Kellen closer than ever. Kellen insists, however, that she make a decision soon on whether they want to go solo and she promises to make a decision.

Riley is finding trouble again. After a visit from her old pack's alpha, she is tasked to find his missing granddaughter. Riley's history with her old pack is not good and she is reluctant to help until she finds out that the pack alpha, Blake, is threatening her mother.

Riley goes u...more

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Jun 29, 2011 Sharon rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-paranormal, shifters-weres

Aaaaarrrggg!!! Just when I think I really like this series, Book 5 completely thwarts my plans! First, I planned on really liking the book....well *shrugs* it was just ok for me. (I liked the overall story, but it just didn't grip me) 2nd, I planned on looking forward to a Riley and Quinn showdown.....nothin', nada, zip! Quinn didn't even make an appearance. (even tho he got on my nerves in book 4, I still totally love him.) 3rd, I planned on taking a Riley break, after about half way through th...more

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Nov 10, 2009 Maria rated it 3 of 5 stars

It's hard to like a book when you don't really like the main character: Riley Jenson. All she seems to do (from the 1st book all the way through the 4th book - Dangerous Games) is complain, complain, and COMPLAIN about how she doesn't want to be a Guardian, and how she thinks her lover Quinn is too narrow-minded when he doesn't want her to have sex indiscrimmiantly. "Oh, boo-hoo, my boyfriend doens't want me to have sex with other men!" And the sex scenes are not even that good: there's no real...more

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Feb 06, 2012 Beckyloohoo Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ aka Mrs. Acheron Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reading-romance-challenge

I know others have said that this was not their favorite book in the series, but I really liked it. I think the beginning was a bit slow for me to get settled into, but then I really liked it. In this part of the series we see Riley trying to decide what she really wants to do with herself, professionally and personally. She gets some one-on-one time with Kellen to see if he's the man she could commit to, or if was just another man who could have been great, but wasn't. It's a story about overco...more

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Sep 28, 2009 Lori rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebooks, urban-fantasy

A four-star rating in the middle of a 1-2 star series? Say it isn't so!

I really enjoyed this book, and I think it was in large part due to the fact that the bad guys were actually trying to kill Riley, not sleep with her. (If you've read the first four books, you're probably as shocked as I am.) In fact, there was less sex in general in this book, which forces it to stand on storytelling alone... which, to Arthur's credit, it does quite well. It's also nice to see some character development. (An...more

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Jan 15, 2010 Leslie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Mar 16, 2012 Tilly Slaton rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviews-completed

*sigh*

Perhaps I am in a reading funk. Perhaps I am not giving Arthur's last two books a fair chance.

Nonetheless, I shall write my honest opinion. This book put me to sleep.

Riley Jenson, a Guardian / super non-human cop who is apparently judge, jury and executioner, wiggles her way into ... or out of... the fear of commitment to Kellen, an alpha werewolf yadda yadda ...

He wants to protect her. She doesn't need his protection. He wants the white picket fence. She wants to dig her fingers into he...more

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May 23, 2011 WildAboutBones rated it 5 of 5 stars

In this 5th book in the Riley Jenson Guardian series, Riley is back at it getting into trouble, kicking butt and taking names. Sex in a limo, yowzah!!, sex on the dance floor too. In between all the danger and drama, Riley has the best fun with her wolf.

Then, as usual, bad things happen to her. Someone is always trying to kill her. And suddenly, even though they kicked her and her brother out of the pack, the pack comes to her for mandatory help. She just can't catch a break. Between this case a...more

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Aug 13, 2010 Missyb rated it 3 of 5 stars

Two stories/investigations going on. The one is a great story (The evil spirit), but finishes too soon. Both stories interwined together well, and then the one is dropped (finished/solved) and the rest of the book seemed to lack a little after that. It is also a little sad, she finally finds another packmate that she'd get along with and she's dead, and she finally commits to someone and they break up with her. Interesting about her new abilities,and funny at the same time how she handles it. A...more

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Dec 02, 2012 Katherine Pocock rated it 5 of 5 stars

I love this series, my only complaint is each book seems too short ...sigh. At least there are lots more books to read.

This book follows Riley who is struggling to make decisions with her life. With bad guys appearing left, right and centre, she is in high demand. This only makes thinking about her future a little bit of a side show and her dream of finding her soul mate and having a family is drifting further and further away. to top it off, she is stuck working for the directorate as the expe...more

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Jan 06, 2011 Bronwyn Rykiert rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: vampires, series, paranormal-general, australian

Another great istalment in the Riley Jensen story. Her love life leave lots to be disired in this book though.

Riley has just spent five weeks holidaying on an Island off North Qld and after seeing Kellen she is ready to get back to work. Her work starts though with her taxi being run off the road on her way to the Directorate and her first job.

She is caught up in two jobs - one to find the non-human being who is killing women and the other is for her pack leader, who there love lost between, whe...more

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Jan 29, 2013 Mskchick rated it 3 of 5 stars

What kind of an idiot has an implanted tracker that can send and receive audio, and despite being kidnapped and attacked all the time, leaves it off?! So that the Directorate can't rescue her! I can MAYBE understand or let it go if it was just affecting her, but it keeps putting humans in danger as well as her brother Rhoan, supposedly who she goes thru all this crap for, so you'd think she's be bright enough to get a clue, but no. Riley's so mule-headed, she deserves all the crap that happens t...more

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May 24, 2011 Victoria rated it 5 of 5 stars

Another fine Riley Jenson book. The more I read this series the more I love it. Keri has some of the nastiest villains I've ever read.

This one starts 5+ weeks after the last one left off. Riley is on vacation but Kellan has left to go back to work and she's had about enough downtime but feels guilty if she heads home because of all the money Rhoan and Lysander have spent on this trip.
She has an astal visit from the alpha of her birth pack demanding she find his missing granddaughter or he'll ki...more

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Mar 03, 2011 Lyn rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book started with Riley battling a new evil to fight and then dove right into another evil to confront. It started out great but then started to fizzle out. Again with Riley's attitude to have her cake and eat it to with Kellen got fustrating to say the least. When she finally decides to make a go with Kellen it's too late. I'm glad that Kellen made a stand with Riley and walked out. Maybe now she'll grow up and take a good look at herself and make the best of it. I hope. Maybe now she will...more

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Aug 04, 2011 Amanda s added it

what a great read. even though this is not the usual type that I read I very much enjoyed it. I loved the wondering feelings I would get when i knew something was going to happen and also loved how the romance in this book tied great with the situations in the book. the ending was a bit different though I thought they would manage to .work things out but instead it just kind of let you linger on what was going to happen next and makes you need to read more! but you never know.would def read the...more

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About Keri Arthur

Keri Arthur, author of the New York Times bestselling Riley Jenson, Guardian series, has now written more than 25 books. She's received several nominations in the Best Contemporary Paranormal category of the Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Awards, and recently won RT's Career Achievement Award for urban fantasy. She lives in Melbourne with her daughter and two crazy dogs

More about Keri Arthur...

Books by Keri Arthur

Full Moon Rising (Riley Jenson Guardian, #1)

Dangerous Games (Riley Jenson Guardian, #4)

Tempting Evil (Riley Jenson Guardian, #3)

The Darkest Kiss (Riley Jenson Guardian, #6)

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“My eyes were stinging, my body shaking, and my heart seemed to be just aching deep in my chest. (...)
I should have let myself smash down the rocks. It would have hurt a whole lot less” — 2 people liked it

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Embraced By Darkness (Riley Jenson Guardian #5)

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