ARC Review: Dancing With the Devil by Keri Arthur

Dancing With the Devil is one of Arthur’s earlier works and while finding this book not as cleanly written as her later titles it was still a very entertaining beginning to her Nikki and Michael urban fantasy series.

Nikki James grew up on the streets. A tough life made even more so by her telekinetic gift. Working as a PI now gives her the opportunity to use her power for good. Accepting a case from a wealthy father looking for his daughter Nikki quickly discovers that she’s passed through a door into a world in which her idea of evil pales exponentially to the reality that threatens to take her mind, body, and soul.

Michael Kelly is a vampire, of the non-human blood drinking sort. Being three centuries old and working endlessly to curb his bloodlust has left him in control of his urges, but in turn viewing the world in dim interest. Hunting down a dangerous and vicious vampire named Jasper was one of the drivers in his existence to keep him going. Working for the Damask Circle, a ruling body over being of a paranormal nature, generally let him be. However seemingly times were changing and he found himself tasked with keeping a particular woman with powerful psychic gifts alive.

Drawn together by danger, duty, and simmering chemistry Nikki and Michael work together to solve the case of the missing girl Monica Trevgard. Both carry their fair share of baggage and trust issues. This plus the several obstacles the outside world throws between these two coming to realize and accept what their feelings for each other mean is a long and arduous process. There are a few moments of sizzle and brief glimpses of emotions that lead me to believe that their romance beginning at a slow burn will grow to something solid and steamy as the series progresses. Personally in urban fantasy laced with romance I prefer the natural build up and though there were several moments when I wanted to scream at these characters to ‘get over it already’ I truly did enjoy reading their journey so far and continue to wish for their happiness in the future.

If you are a fan of Keri Arthur and urban fantasy in general I definitely suggest you check out this book. It’s not as well fleshed out and crisply written as her later works but it was a really good read. Also, it is always a treat for me to see how authors grow in depth and skill throughout their career and for being one of her first I think it is great to get such a sense of potential in early publications. I am looking forward to reading the next installment in this series and see how these characters grow.

**ARC provided by NetGalley**

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