DANCING WITH THE DEVIL by Keri Arthur

Dancing with the Devil
Keri Arthur

Rating: D
Release Date: 07/30/13
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 on the book:

I am a huge fan of Keri Arthur's other series, so I thought I would enjoy the Nikki and Michael series as well. I thought wrong. Apparently, from the research I've done, this is the first series that Arthur ever wrote, and she has obviously grown a lot as an author since this series was written. The writing itself is not very good. The characterization is lacking, and the plot has holes. I was not impressed with this novel, and it was difficult for me to finish the book because of the bad writing. 

Nikki is a pretty boring character, in my opinion, I never connected with her, and she doesn't really seem fleshed out to me. I mean sure we get her back story, but we never feel her emotions. Also, she kind of got on my nerves. She just wasn't very likable. Michael also isn't very likable, and he's another one that just didn't seem real to me. The secondary characters fell flat and were simply fillers. 

The plot was a mystery, but there were a few plot holes. Some things just didn't add up. Also, since I didn't really like the characters, I couldn't make myself care what happened to them, which made it hard to stick with this book. The pacing was off, and I got bored a lot. While the descriptions were good, it was clear that Arthur had not yet mastered the art of showing instead of telling. The world-building was so-so. I understood what was going on, but I didn't feel immersed in the world. 

Overall, I'd say check this one out from the library first. It's easy to see the potential here (which is why it got a D instead of an F), and it's interesting to see how much Arthur has grown as an author. However, the book itself fell flat for me.