Désir mortel

Riley Jenson Guardian #7

by Keri Arthur

Riley, gardienne de choc et de charme, se retrouve de nouveau confrontée à une vague de meurtres monstrueux. Lorsqu'à cela s'ajoute la réapparition de l'arrogant Kye, un chasseur de prime sexy à se damner, Riley se retrouve partagée entre son amour pour Quinn, le vampire, et son désir pour Kye, le loup. Mais céder à ses pulsions pourrait s'avérer mortel car sa traque dans le monde surnaturel va l'amener à affronter ce qui se cache dans les ténèbres, là où même les monstres craignent de se rendre.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Vampires, Paranormal Romance, Romance, Fantasy, Werewolves

352 pages, Paperback

First published March 19, 2009

About the author

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

Reviews

[Julie (jjmachshev) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Half wolf, half vampire and with abilities that are still manifesting, Riley Jenson's work as a Guardian is never boring. Her latest cases involve dead humans and dead vampires. And if that's not enough trouble, it's also coming up on the full moon when her wolf demands sex...and lots of it. Good thing she has her hunky vampire, Quinn, to meet her demands. Of course, nothing is so attractive to her wolf than another wolf, and wouldn't you know it, this case has her running into the same wolf over and over again...and he's emitting some serious pheromones himself.

Keri Arthur's Riley Jenson series is set in Australia and is more urban fantasy than romance; although there's plenty of hot sweaty sex. Riley's story comes out in bits and pieces through the novels in this series. "Deadly Desire" is book seven and Riley faces a decision she's been putting off for quite a while. Wolves have only one mate. Vampires don't necessarily mate but Quinn is old-fashioned enough to resist sharing her. But what happens to someone who isn't only wolf? Can she really have two mates?

I like that Riley's character and life has become more complex and interesting throughout the series. She's kind of a supernatural detective and her work requires her to take on the worst of the supernatural predators. But Riley didn't start out hard, and she's still got a lot of soft parts even when she's kicking a$$.

If urban fantasies with very strong sexual and romantic interests are your cup of tea, then I recommend you get an urn and start on this series. I'm hooked.

[Ithlilian · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Riley Jensen series has been one of my favorites for a while. Unfortunately, the last few novels haven't wowed me. It's feels like Riley is talking about the same issues in every novel. She will be in grave danger and she will never be happy with Quinn because he's not a werewolf. Her thinking is very one dimensional, and she hasn't grown much as a character from novel one. She is still lusting after random strangers when she has a man at home, and frankly it's starting to get old. The series is getting entirely too predictable. I assume in the next novel she will get into danger, somehow manage to get out of it, and Quinn will stick with her. Personally, I'm starting to think he deserves better than Riley, since he will never be enough for her. Even if she were to stop lusting after other men and be with Quinn, I still think she would flirt with her colleagues, and it's just not an attractive trait. I guess I hoped Riley would grow up, but that may never happen. The mysteries and the danger are interesting, and I still enjoy the plots of the books, but there may be a point when my dislike for Riley makes me not want to continue reading.

[Tina (Fantastic Book Review) · Rating 4 out of 5]

So Riley is back at it again, there’s no time for rest and relaxation in her world. This book is another great addition to the series. I always want to hear more about the sexy men in Riley’s life and how the full moon affects her relationships. As for her current lover Quinn, I love how he’s willing to give Riley everything she desires….what a perfect man and how can I find one that’s undead.

Who is this sexy bounty hunter Kye Murphy? If you have been keeping up with the series, he was introduced in the previous installment Darkest Kiss as a bodyguard. With a change in employment, he’s constantly interfering in Riley’s investigation. What is a girl to do? Mmm… who knows when you have the hots for two men. We get a few surprises in this installment and they are to die for. Do you remember that question: “Can two souls have one soul mate? “

I’m always delighted to see what new cases Riley has to solve and wonder how close to home the cases come within reach of her personal life. This was a quick enjoyable read for me. I look forward to the next Riley Jenson adventure.

[Anna 'Bookbuyer' · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know if I'm happy or not that there was a villain in a wheelchair. On the one hand, it shows that disabled people are varied and can be both good and bad. On the other hand, it just seems weird? IDK. I think it's just a change for me.

Now these villains in particular were bad. Poor street girls getting killed along with the vampires. A lot of the crimes seem to be centered around vampires...

Kye is annoying. I wish he would go away. I hate that he is Riley's soulmate. Like really? Why can't she find a nice guy like Liander?

[Saimi Vasquez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un par de asesinos zombies sueltos, y lo mas complicado no es eliminar a los zombies sino descubrir quien los levanto, controla y que quiere lograr asesinando a estas personas. Pero cuando uno de los asesinatos es un vampiro amigo de Jack (su jefe), el caso sube de prioridad inmediatamente.
Cuando se da cuenta que es una bruja, y una muy poderosa, tambien cae en cuenta que no es la unica que las persigue. Kye, un cazador de recompenzas y guardaespaldas, tambien esta buscando a esta bruja para asesinarla. Pero el problema mas grande no es ese, es que la atraccion que siente por Kye es muy grande y no se debe a la influencia de la luna, necesariamente.
Asi que mientras lucha por descubrir el porque de los asesinatos y como detenerlos, tambien lucha por no sucumbir a la tentacion de traicionar a Quinn por la atraccion que siente por Kye, que podria ser mucho peor si resulta que es el "alma gemela" de su lobo.

Este libro tuvo una trama mucho mas interesante que el anterior, porque aqui conocemos un poco mas de algunos de los personajes secundarios que siempre me han resultado interesantes, como Jack, Sal, Colin, Kade, Iktar y Liander. Pero tambien el misterio y la investigacion dieron un par de giros inesperados, que me resultaron super-entretenidos, ademas de que la evolucion de los protas es logica y justo lo que esperaba, por lo que voy a terminar los ultimos dos libros de la serie y ver como el autor logra unir a Riley con su o sus almas gemelas.

[Shera (Book Whispers) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Riley Jenson series covers a lot of magical creatures. The classic zombie and sorceress(es) are up now! Again the mystery wasn't exactly original here, but that's not where this book is drawing it’s “steam” from. It shows the hard part of the law as humans can get away with harsh disgusting crimes, when supernaturals would be simply put down at the first hint of suspicion. It’s chilling, and more then a bit frustrating as Riley frantically tries to get "proof" to put the bad guys away.

As mentioned in my previous reviews Quinn is not a love interest I've liked very much. Arthur's mastery of her world and characters is staggering here, and I can say that I've been converted! That's the power of Arthur's writing. To develop a character, that I kept hoping would get killed off, to a whole new level that if he dies I'll probably stop functioning for a bit. No really, total crying fest. Quinn is amazing and I'm glad I listened to a GR friend who told me that I would be blown away and singing a different tune. Riley and Quinn are beautiful together, and I love how Riley can admit that she never truly gave Quinn a chance. After all it takes two.

Kye was a mysterious figure from Embraced by Darkness, book 5. He comes back and it's amazing that as a reader I only gave him a brief glance and thought, he'd make an interesting love interest. Boy does that come back to bite me in the butt. Riley has an undeniable attraction to Kye and he her. He's a killer, a basic lunatic. A control freak who might actually be able to out best Riley in a fight. Kye is everything Riley fears becoming, and she doesn't want the emotions she feels for him. In the end things end up cruel as fate can't leave Riley in peace, or dish out any happiness.

Emotional torture. Each book ramps up the emotions and I can't help but gleefully follow along. This book is harsh and painful. It grates on the nerves and leaves readers feeling just as hopeless as Riley. No matter what other readers are saying the Riley Jenson books are clearly epic works that both Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance fans are going to love.

Sexual Content: At this point readers should know.


4/5- Great! Really enjoyed it.

Originally reviewed on Book Whispers.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 emotion portrayed in them, and sex without emotion is just whorish, in my opinion. The one with the biggest heart is Quinn, and she expects him to treat her like a princess when she acts like a whore. Sorry, not my cup of tea. Riley seems to try to be more mature in the 5th book (Embraced by Darkness), when she does her best to only have one man as her lover. I don't understand why she was willing to do that for Kellen when she had a cow whenever Quinn suggested she remain faithful to him. I do have to say, that the series redeemed itself with books #6 (The Darkest Kiss), #7 (Deadly Desire), & #8 (Bound to Shadows). Riley stops acting so childish and immature, starts realizing that sex with someone you actually like is important, and starts to restrain herself sexually with other men. She actually matures! Yay! She starts to actually put some EFFORT in her relationships! Instead of expecting only everyone else to put the effort into her. I think there was actually only one sex scene even shown in The Darkest Kiss, which is pretty impressive for this author. The end to book #8 (Bound to Shadows) was fantastic, and now that I actually like the main character, I'm looking forward to book #9 (Mooon Sworn, coming out 2010, and supposed to be the last in the Riley Jenson Guardian series).

[Literary Lusts · Rating 4 out of 5]

So Riley is on yet another case of a serial killer. It starts out where she's already failed to catch the killer once and she's determined not to make that mistake again. However, its near the time of the month where the moon is full. In Riley's world that means her body wants to have A LOT of sex. NOW. This makes keeping her mind serious about the case rather difficult. She tries to overcome her urges and follows her instincts to an old building. There she discovers that she's been following a zombie and that a woman has been raising the dead to do her dirty work for her. Things go much deeper than that and Kye Murphy makes another appearance. This time he's on his own and he's been hired by a friend to catch the killer as well. Riley has issues with him continuously getting in her way of the case and threatens to arrest him. But there's more to Kye than Riley knows and it will shake her to her soul.

Yet another fantastic Riley book. Riley kicked butt as usual and Quinn actually behaved himself while he and Riley tried to date again. There's a biiiiiiig shocker towards the end of the book too. It certainly stunned me. I don't really like it, but I trust Keri Arthur to make me change my mind in the next book. Just thought I'd give warning though.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was a pretty good book

[Lucy Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love that the storylines and mysteries in each novel are getting more complex, definitely helps me keep the page turning! The twists and turns in the last third of the book were great, and I can’t wait to see how things pan out with Quinn and Kye 🥺🥺

[Nichole (DirrtyH) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to admit, I was a little disappointed by this book. I have given all the Riley books 3 stars, but there was always something innately compelling about them that kept me reading. And I probably will still continue to read them, but this one lacked that certain je ne sais quoi.

I gave this a lot of thought while reading, and I think I figured out what it was. It's actually a combination of a few things.

1. While Riley has always been the central focus of the series, there was something about the other books that felt a touch more collaborative. Whereas in this book, she's pretty much by herself the entire time. There's not nearly enough Rhoan, Liander or Quinn in this book, and Kade barely makes a cameo.

2. Quinn and Riley are finally making a go of things. They are attempting to be monogamous, and are so far successful and very happy together. Unfortunately, this doesn't translate very well. As long as we've all been waiting for Quinn and Riley to finally just be together, it's kind of boring. Quinn plays no part in this book other than to satisfy Riley's full moon needs, and I think it would have been a better book if we'd gotten to see a more three-dimensional Quinn.

3. This is kind of embarrassing to admit, but all the things that irked me and rubbed me wrong about the series up until now - namely Riley's rampant horniness and penchant for nudity - are missing from this book, and I felt their lack. Riley's constant nudity was always distracting to me if for no other reason than that I was pretty sure she was going to hurt herself, and being a large chested girl myself, I know that it's not quite that easy to run around and get in fights with the girls loose. But apparently Riley's nakedness and public sex with random strangers added a certain zip to these books that left this one feeling a little lackluster.

4. The mystery itself was kind of blah. Riley's out solving a new crime, and it was sort of interesting at first, but the wrap up was really anticlimactic and predictable and yadda yadda. I did enjoy the zombies, though.

And finally, this isn't one of the things that made the book less than exciting, but it's something that bothered me.

And also why this review contains spoilers. Be warned!

Riley finally finds her wolf soul mate, an assassin named Kye that we apparently met in a previous book but I don't remember. He's kind of hanging around the whole time because he's also working Riley's case, apparently on behalf of a friend who was the father of one of the victims. Riley warns him off the case because he's not Directorate. He doesn't listen.

What bothered me was this. Riley spends the whole book saying how she doesn't like him, and when she discovers that he's her mate, she's really upset because she doesn't want him to be.
Now, the idea of this was great. I think having Riley's soul mate turn out to be someone she has no interest in was really interesting and a great twist to the series. However, Arthur does a piss poor job of explaining why Riley doesn't like Kye. In fact, she never gives a reason at all other than that Riley doesn't like that he's a killer for hire. And in fact, when they're working together toward the end, they make a really great team. So what the heck?
I can understand Riley resisting Kye because she's trying to be monogamous with Quinn. I'm cool with that. But she always told Quinn that she was still looking for her wolf mate, so what's the problem? This was a story element that could have been so much better but just left me kind of scratching my head and saying "but why?"

Overall, a very blah book and a disappointing addition to the series, though I'm sure I'll keep reading.

[Sue Shep · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series just gets better. A dangerous pair of powerful magi are killing wealthy vampires and Riley needs to find out why. A dangerous job has dangerous consequences.

Riley finds her wolf soulmate. Will Quinn continue to fight for her?

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Half-werewolf, half-vampire, Riley Jenson is a Guardian working for the Directorate which polices the nonhuman races, and she's very good at her job. Even though there's a drug in her system that keeps changing her and they're not sure what it'll do to her, she still strives for what every werewolf wants: a soul mate, and kids.

The kids are beyond her now thanks to the drug in her system, but she's still hoping to one day meet her soul mate - who, sadly, can never be Quinn, her sexy, ancient vampire boyfriend, but she is at least willing to give the relationship a go.

Teenage human girls are turning up dead in the city of Melbourne and there seems to be no connection between them. It's not long before Riley finds the zombie that killed them - along with two hellhounds and the sorceress who's controlling the beasties, who can take the form of a crow. That's not all she finds though: Kye Murphy, a werewolf bounty hunter and killer, is on the sorceress' trail as well, and he has a few secret talents of his own.

With attraction and desire sizzling between them, and the full moon approaching, Riley puts all her energy into finding the girls' killer, figuring out who's killing and draining wealthy vampires in the area, and keeping distance between herself and Kye.


This is a series you need to start from the beginning with, if only because of the changes Riley goes through and her history - especially the story between her and Quinn, which is worth reading the series for. The first three are excellent and make a neat trilogy; #5 was disappointing because there was no Quinn in it and the crime/mystery plots were sloppily handled, but overall it's a superb series, very inventive and with a wonderful protagonist in Riley. As different as she is, her concerns are very real and familiar.

The pacing of Deadly Desire is swift but not so fast that you lose the plot - rather, it compels you to read it in one sitting. The tension is great, especially between Riley and Kye, and I absolutely loved the ending.

Really my only complaint is one for the series as a whole, and one that leaves me disappointed: the books are set in Australia - Victoria, to be exact, and Melbourne in particular - but apart from a few place names, you'd never know it. The only word in this book that made it feel at all Aussie was "Macca's" - truly, it could have been set in any American city, and may be designed that way so as not to "alienate" a U.S. audience (I'm guessing here), and I find that to be a real shame. It also does nothing to help with my homesickness.

[Seena Seena · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very strong 4 out of 5

Wow.

That’s what I felt when I finished this book. So much happened. Our Riley finally finds her soul mate being in the form of Kye. I honestly didn’t see him being it. I thought Cole was her soul mate.

Her not liking Kye and him walking out after the realization hit was shocking but I knw he will be back in the next book.

When Riley told Quinn about Kye then told him her Vampire sides feels that Quinn is her soul mate, and when Quinn turned around and he was crying OMG OMG OMG my heart broke. I am a HUGE Quinn fan. And if anything gets in the way of Quinn and Riley I wont be happy.

Now off to read book 8.

[Darcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book, was a little different from the others in the series as for the most part Riley is happy. You gotta love that. I like the twist at the end, but not sure what it will mean for her. I loved seeing more interaction with Riley, Rhoan, and Liander. They are making their little family work. It seems like something is headed her way with her old pack, can't wait to see what happens there.

[✨ Lauren ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really don’t remember the authors writing being so meh. The whole series so far is just…okay?

[Tricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am enjoying this series. In this one they are looking into two cases, one involving dead vampires, another the death of young women by the hands of zombies. Both are linked to a local gentleman's club

Making this one more complex is the arrival of Kye the bounty hunter who we met in an earlier book.

Definitely want to read the next in the series.

[Melliane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mon avis en Français

My English review

Enchainer directement le tome 6 avec le tome 7 a été un réel plaisir. Bien sûr, on retrouve une nouvelle enquête, de nouveaux meurtres effrayants et ainsi que de nouveaux personnages. Un mélange toujours explosif.

Riley se voit confier une affaire mettant en scène des jeunes filles assassinées et des zombies dont on ne comprend pas vraiment l’existence ou même leur but. C’est déjà une affaire assez compliquée en elle-même mais quand à présent des vampires sont aussi tués, dont un des amis de Jack, les choses deviennent beaucoup plus compliquées. Aurais-je oublié de mentionner la présence de Kye, ce loup que nous avions rencontré dans un livre précédent, tout au long de l’histoire ? J’ai été tout de suite intriguée par ce personnage, on apprend un peu plus de choses à son sujet mais cela nous force à nous poser de nombreuses autres questions. Sa nature est des plus compliquées et j’attendais avec impatience de comprendre ce qu’il était vraiment et ce dont il était capable. On se demande dès le début ce qu’il cherche et ce qu’il veut de Riley. Après il est vrai que j’ai compris assez vite les révélations que l’on obtient à la fin du livre à son sujet, mais c’était intéressant de les voir tous deux évoluer tout au long de l’histoire. Surtout leurs joutes verbales.

Ce tome nous montre une facette du directoire que je n’avais pas encore vu. En effet, l’enquête que l’on suit est très vite résolue, et le coupable démasqué dans une des premières parties de l’histoire. Cependant, cette fois, il faut des preuves à notre jeune héroïne et cette recherche est finalement plus difficile à élucider. Je ne m’attendais pas vraiment aux raisons de ces meurtres, mais je trouve que c’est un peu flou. Cependant, de nombreux points m’ont tout de même surprise au travers des chapitres.

J’ai beaucoup apprécié la relation de Quinn et Riley dans ce tome. Ils deviennent un vrai couple et il est très agréable de lire les scènes où ils sont ensemble. On comprend qu’il est difficile pour eux de s’accepter réellement et de faire des concessions mais leurs sentiments les aident finalement à changer leur façon de vivre, chose qui n’était pas possible dans les tomes précédents.

L’histoire m’a vite emporté et je dois dire que ce tome est un grand tournant dans la vie de notre héroïne. Je suis très curieuse du coup de pouvoir lire le roman suivant afin de comprendre comment Riley va pouvoir gérer sa vie à présent. Il faut dire que tout se complique à présent.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Riley has never been particularly happy about her job as a Guardian but she is good at what she does and her skills come in very useful for The Directorate. When a string of teenage girls are found murdered Riley is soon put on the case to find out if there is any connection between them. Things get even more complicated when wealthy vampires start being picked off one by one but are the two cases linked? It is up to Riley to find out but with bounty hunter Kye getting in her way at every turn and the full moon bringing her wolf's emotions to the fore can Riley put aside her need for sex, remain faithful to Quinn and catch the killer?

I've been a fan of the Riley Jenson series from the start so was looking forward to reading Deadly Desire. Although this probably wasn't my favourite book in the series it was still a good read and has definitely set things up well for the last 2 books in the series. As I've come to expect from Keri Arthur there is plenty of action and Riley finds herself in the thick of things. We didn't see as much of some of the other main characters as I would have liked but it was nice to get an update on how things are going for Rhoan and Liander.

I was really pleased that Riley and Quinn seem to be finally getting their relationship back on track, I've had a bit of a love / hate thing going with Quinn throughout the series but I'm definitely in more of a love him phase at the moment. He is finally coming to accept Riley for who she is and has stopped trying to change her which was something that had really bugged me about him in the past. It wouldn't be Riley if everything was going smoothly though and Kye has definitely added a big complication. I'm not quite sure what to make of him yet as we still don't know too much about him but I'm very curious about his abilities and will be interested to see if he appears in the next book.

Overall Deadly Desires was a fun read and one I really enjoyed. If you're new to the series I would definitely recommend reading the books in order so you get the full benefit of Riley's background but if you're an urban fantasy fan then it's a series well worth checking out. Be warned that although this is urban fantasy the series does contain a lot of sex so if that is something you don't enjoy reading then this might not be the series for you.

[keikii Eats Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

To read more reviews in this series and others, check out keikii eats books!

90 points/100 (4 ¾ stars/5)

There is a sorceress who is raising zombies using disenfranchised youth in order to kill vampires. And the killings are throwing chaos into the vampire world. On the personal side, Kye Murphy, bounty hunter and all around killer for hire is back, and Riley is his focus. Only, he doesn't exactly want to kill her.

I didn't truly notice it until now, but the longer this series goes on, the better the individual books seem to get. I didn't realise this when I was younger. The later half of the series really is written much better than the beginning. I enjoyed the beginning for the bizarre aspects the series introduced. Yet, this back half really is an overall better story: the characters are more realistic, the plot is more focused, and everything just feels like it is put together better.

The thing about Deadly Desire is, everything I actually want to talk about is at the end of the book and so deep into the spoiler territory I can't justify talking about it just to squee over it. It is a toss up between this book and Bound to Shadows (the next book in the series) which I actually like more in this series. And it all hinges on the end of the book! What a cruel fate I have.

This was such a fucked up book, too. There are so many little things that when you don't think about it, appear totally normal. And then you think about it and go "wow, that is fucked". Especially the bit about the parents, those poor parents. If you haven't read the book yet, you'll find out what this means when you read it. 

The book is about a sorceress and zombies and dead teenagers and the killing of vampires for personal reasons. It is, to date, the best unveiling of the bad guy so far. They typically follow a really obvious pattern, and you just have to wait for it to unfold. This one is still kind of obvious and they just have to get the necessary information to go after what they already have guess. Yet, the end makes up for it.

This was another hard book for Riley. Each book is systematically stripping every dream Riley has had for life and lighting that dream on fire. This is no different. You just have to prepare yourself, because Riley's fate sucks.

I love it.

[TinaMarie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to audio narrated well by Angela Dawe. Riley is with her vampire lover Quinn now and trying to be as monogamous as she can be. While hunting a someone killing young people and vampires she is repeatedly confronted with a wolf that fires up her senses. While Riley tries to figure out if she's dealing with more than one murderer, Kye keeps insinuating himself in her investigation and getomg Riley very riled up...

HUGE SPOILER ***


I definitely have mixed feelings about this story. I love the characters, the action and the continuation of everyone's story but the twist and turn Riley takes does not make me happy. I know this series takes sexual boundaries and pushes hard against them. This series basis has a lot to do with sexuality being more open and accepting a lot of flexibility in defining sexual relationships. In saying all of that, I truly thought the author was leading us to Riley recognizing Quinn was her mate.

AND THEN she finds a mate she doesn't even like? That they aren't compatible at all except sexually? It's so many kinds of wrong, if the only point of mating is finding the one you can have kids with, but it could be someone your aren't compatible with, why are all the shifters so moon-eyed about finding their mate? I just don't get it, it seems so pointless and we're given no hint of this ugly scenario in previous books. I really hope future books makes this situation better, because I love the Riley Jensen world and the characters but this twist is a bit too ugly for me.

Riley is so bent out of shape to find her wolf mate, so she can have her babies drives me a bit crazy. Quinn is so good for her and to her and she feels so good with him, I'm like what the heck? Why can't you be happy with what you've got but NOOOO!!! She fucks this guy she does not like because they suspect they are each other's mate. And BAM, she found her mate that she can't stand? I hate that the author allows a mating like this, and that even though she doesn't want him, they both will be drawn to each other and pine for each other? This is an ugly turn in my opinion that I absolutely HATE! Grrrr!!! The fact that Quinn didn't lose his every loving mind makes me love Quinn even more.

More of my reviews can be found at https://wyldheartreads.wordpress.com/

[Dorri · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the seventh installment of Keri Arthur's Guardian novels, we find Riley accepting her new role as a Guarding of the Directorate and as a lover to the still mysterious Quinn. Trying to live in the now, Riley is focusing on the case involving zombies. Someones raising them and using them to kill teenage girls, which leads Riley to a shape-shifting sorceress and a small batch of zombies. All of which put Riley in the deep end, until Kye, a werewolf mercenary and general pain in the tush, shows up to pull her out. To put a kink in Riley's plans, she finds out he's been hired to hunt down the same sorceress and he seems to have talents he shouldn't and a way of making her hormones sizzle, which isn't helping her since she's decided to make a go of it with Quinn.

To top it all off, she gets thrown into another investigation where century old vampires are being killed with barely a trace being left behind. Even Riley finds it odd that only a trace of some odd powder is left behind. The evidence from both cases begin mount up and Riley is getting one of her hinky feelings that somethings just not right and both cases might be connected. With Kye constantly showing up, Quinn being way to reasonable and having to go undercover as a stripper, will Riley figure it out before she becomes the next victim?

I drifted through this book with that feeling of doom looming over me. It doesn't start off as fast paced in this book, mainly because Riley seems to be learning more about the detective work she'll have to do for her job as a Guardian, but I think it's the best book by far. Maybe it's because the fates (or Keri as the case may be), seem to be having fun at Riley's expense. Read them all. Enjoy them all.

[Leah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating: 2.5 of 5

My enjoyment of Deadly Desire was definitely hindered by two things: one, I hadn't read any of the previous six books in the Riley Jenson Guardian series; and two, I'm not what you'd call a fan of "paranormal romance."

I bought this book on impulse years ago, not realizing it was the seventh in a series, thinking I might find a story and characters I liked as much as those in Laurell K. Hamilton's books. (Entertainment being the number one reason anyone would read these types of books.) Well, either my tolerance for "romance" is way lower than I first thought or Deadly Desire wasn't very good.

The biggest obstacle was I just didn't like Riley and, since this was the seventh book, there wasn't much in the way of character development. So it was really hard for me to connect with who she was, how I could relate to her, and why she did what she did. Also, there were several brief references to events from the past so I felt I was missing vital history.

Probably, for existing Riley Jenson readers, Deadly Desire would meet all their needs. Unfortunately, for anyone new to the series, it would probably be wiser to start at the beginning, and you most certainly should already love the "paranormal romance" genre.

Please refer to the description of my ratings system in my profile to better understand what I mean by a two-star rating.

[Chiara Cilli · Rating 5 out of 5]

E' inutile, non c'è niente da fare: Keri Arthur è e rimarrà la scrittrice migliore dell'intera galassia! Il suo stile è sensazionale, riesce a trascinarti letteralmente dentro la storia :woot: Le scene d'azione sono incredibili e non so che altro aggiungere per far capire quanto ammiri questa donna! Keri è il mio idolo :wub: Ma analizziamo meglio il settimo capitolo di questa serie sexy e inimitabile:

Finalmente Riley e Quinn hanno un rapporto stabile - e qui non potrei essere più contenta -, ma ecco che il libro si apre proprio con l'ingresso in scena di un personaggio che credevo che avrei odiato fino alla morte (come mi successe con l'arrivo di Kade). Sto parlando del bel lupo sicario che abbiamo già incontrato ne L'abbraccio della notte: Kye Murphy. Perché dico "bel lupo"? Be'... perché anch'io, come Riley, ho lottato con tutte le mie forze per non cadere vittima del suo fascino assassino, ma... diamine, sfogliavo le pagine per sapere quando sarebbe riapparso blush2 Per fortuna, quando c'era Quinn smettevo di respirare e di pensare a qualunque cosa, ma... quando entrava in scena Kye... cacchio, andavo in fibrillazione!
In Desiderio di sangue c'è molto poco sesso e molta azione, ma l'attrazione che veleggia tra Riley e Kye è palpabile e fa sudare letteralmente.
Fino al finale, che mi ha lasciata veramente con un gran punto interrogativo:
Sono felice che Kye abbia levato le tende?
Di una cosa sono certa: amo Quinn, è sempre stato lui fin dal principio, e so che lotterà fino alla fine per la sua lupa. E io lotterò con lui.

[Lunasea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another six star, if not seven star book. Keri Arthur is easily one of my top five favorite authors, maybe even in the top three. Hers is the one universe I want to live most in. Riley is one of the few characters I want to be. She is one of the authors I MUST get the day the book comes out. I even call the bookstore to make sure they got it for me. She's on my list of books I gave the bookstore to get for me.

Now that I've gotten the gushing out of the way, to this book specifically. Donald Maas wrote in Writing the Breakout Novel
"If a novel is really absorbing, I project myself into the story and imagine alternate outcomes, trying to make everything that is going wrong work out right. Do you do that too, or did I just embarrass myself?"

That's exactly what I did for days and nights after reading Deadly Desire. I love to speculate and what happened in DD had me speculating to the point where I couldn't sleep. I'm not saying that the book didn't have a satisfying ending, because it does. I'm just trying to figure out what happened with Kye can do to make Quinn/Riley work out. I have an idea, but can't wait to see what happens.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty ok addition to the series. Not as good as the last two books but for different reasons than the first four. I like to see Riley growing as a character, doing things like wearing sneakers to work instead of stilettos and trying to be--for the most part--a one man gal. What strikes me most about this book is just how boring Quinn has become. He's lost his teeth. Not literally, but... he's a char with a lot of depth and while I have been annoyed in the past by some of his poor choices I also hate to see him turned into a prop.

I have to agree with some of the reviews I've read, though, that one of this series' strengths is its cast of supporting characters. They are very noticeably absent here, and it leaves the whole thing feeling kind of washed out. Faded. I do like Kye, but I love triangles annoy the crap out of me. Will read the next to see how it goes...

[I ♥ Bookie Nookie (bookienookiereviews.blogspot.com) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was a little slow in the beginning, but it got much better at the end. I enjoyed all the little surprises that Keri Arthur threw in regarding Riley. Riley has come a long way since those first books--although her "wolf" is craving the free loving lifestyle she was so comfortable with, her heart is leaning towards being with one man. Of course, she wouldn't be Riley if she was that forthcoming with her lover--so she always keeps her options open.

Although I am glad that Riley has finally found her soul mate, I am sad he is someone she hates--now her wolf will forever crave the feeling she got when she was with him. On the flip side, I am glad to see Quinn back in the picture. Having a paid hitman as her soulmate is not all that conducive to the life she lives.

Only 2 more in the series--can't wait to see her final HEA.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Riley has finally faced the fact that she can never leave the Directorate, especially with affects of ARCI-23 in her body. In book 7, she is on the hunt for someone whose raising zombies and killing off vampires. During her encounter with some gruesome hellhounds, she is saved by Kye, a bounty hunter who loves to kill for profit.

She finally take her next steps in exploring her relationship with Quinn, but making sure that this sexy vampire, fully understands that she is still looking for her soul mate to satisfy her wolfy half. Quinn has definitely stepped up to the plate showering her with romance and his adoring love...he is definitely playing for keeps.

Can two souls have one soul mate? An interesting twist in fate for our love struck wolf.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my new favorite book in the series so far (previously book #4 held that spot). This was 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 because it's my rating based on enjoyability, not on literary award winning content; this is just a PNR novel. And that's despite the fact that part of the storyline was spoiled for me due to (idiotically) having read the blurbs for the next installments in this series (learn from my mistake - DON'T DO THAT). Seriously, go pick up this series. And then try not to judge the series based on the first book - it does get much better lol. I'm so sad that there are only two more books left :(

[Rebecca (Bec) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the second time I have read a Riley Jenson book and though that it is "same old, same old" It is slowly becoming one of those series that you put to the side and only read when you need a filler in a reading challenge.

I was happy to see Quynn in this book and I really liked the romantic twist at the end, even though I just feel the same things happen to Riley in every novel and I am beginning to get bored with it all. I have Bound to Shadows on my bookshelf now, but I don't know if I will be getting the next installment or not.