Riley just wants to live her life normally, well as normal as she can be, because she isn’t normal. She and her twin brother are a rare hybrid mixed.
Riley works as a liaison to the Directorate of Other Races. But fate has another plan for her. Soon, she becomes a Guardian, just like her twin brother. Reluctantly, she braces herself in her new role, solving gory murder cases, avoiding getting killed, and finding her soulmate.
Title: Riley Jenson Guardian
Author: Keri Arthur
Genres: Fantasy > Paranormal > Shapeshifters / Vampires
Read Format: Kindle Edition
Total Pages: 3,466
Reading Date: 08th February 2023 – 22nd March 2023
The Reading Order – How to Read Riley Jenson Guardian Series by Keri Arthur
- 1 Full Moon Rising
- 2 Kissing Sin
- 3 Tempting Evil
- 3.5 Dream (Short story)
- 4 Dangerous Games
- 5 Embraced By Darkness
- 6 The Darkest Kiss
- 7 Deadly Desire
- 8 Bound to Shadows
- 9 Moon Sworn
Full Moon Rising
A rare hybrid of vampire and werewolf, Riley Jenson and her twin brother, Rhoan, work for Melbourne’s Directorate of Other Races, an organisation created to police the supernatural races – and protect humans from their depredations.
While Rhoan is an exalted guardian, aka 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 weeklong 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. For someone is doing some illegal 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…
Riley is a hybrid mix but more inclined to her wolf than the vampire side. She is confident, resourceful, sassy, and on the way to being a badass guardian one day. Her protective twin brother, Rhoan, is gay and portrayed as a valuable guardian member. Meanwhile, the love interest in the story, a multibillionaire Quinn is a powerful vampire but has a horrible history with werewolves.
Jack, the Vice President of the Guardian departments in the Directorate of Other Races, is their boss and overlooks their mission to uncover the organisation behind the clones/genetic engineering. Lastly, Riley’s two mates, Misha and Talon. They both have secrets, with the latter being possessive over Riley and with an evil agenda.
Great book-length, and I liked the objective in this book, not so much the concept of the ‘Moon Heat’. But I will respect the author’s idea of the world and finish this series because plenty of surprises and twists will come from how this story is heading. Besides, plenty of actions and missions to counteract the humping and thumping moments😉. Seriously, it’s for mature audiences only!
Kissing Sin
From Melbourne’s gleaming skyscrapers to its edgy nightclubs, Riley Jenson’s world is raging with danger and desire. A drop-dead-gorgeous werewolf – with a touch of vampire coursing through her veins – Riley works for an organization created to police the supernatural races. But when she wakes up naked and bruised in a deserted alley, she knows only that she must run for her life.
Within moments Riley collides with 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…
The book starts with a scene where disorientated Riley wakes up with a dead body next to her and eight days of lost memory. It’s yet another genetic engineering lab, and fortunately, she meets Kade, a horse shapeshifter who’s also a kidnapping victim; together, they escape from captivity.
The story introduces two new characters – Kade and Kellen. Their background is highly suspicious in the beginning. But later on, Kade’s identity is revealed in this book, but Kellen is still another mysterious figure. Is he Riley’s soul mate?
The ending in this book is quite sad, tho 😢. Yet, I think it’s fitting, and a means to an end. At least now that Riley isn’t tied to the deal, she will be free to be with whom she wants—exploring the possibility with Kade, Kellen and perhaps Quinn.
However, I still cannot accept the concept of the werewolves’ sex life. At first, I thought the ‘Moon heat’ drove them, but now it’s more like a daily occurrence thing.
Tempting Evil
In a world of sorcery and seduction, the night brings out the beautiful, the damned and the desired. Here, Riley Jenson is on her own – half werewolf, half vampire, working for an organisation 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…
Riley is finally in the Guardian team, though not wholeheartedly. As a novice in the daytime division guardian team, her first mission is to go undercover in a secure compound. The task is to get the location of the main lab, Libraska. But of course, nothing will run smoothly, no matter the planning.
The mission this time is hazardous. Seriously, it’s much better and tenser than the previous two books. However, I never thought Deshon Starr would get away with such an easy ending when the story wraps up. It’s not what I envision a powerful foe would be, and honestly, I never thought Gautier would be scarier than Deshon Starr or his two lieutenants, Moss and Merle!
Anyway, we’ll see how it goes in the next book. I know Gautier is strong, but so does Riley; when she finally develops all her talents. I’m excited to read about the extent of her powers! I also hope we read about Claudia Jones and Iktar contributing to the next mission.
Dream
Riley Jensen and her sometimes lover, Quinn, a very old vampire, share dreams and danger.
The short story can be read from The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance. They feature various short stories from different authors.
My thoughts…
As I’m currently reading the Riley Jenson Guardian series, I skipped the other short stories in this book and only read Dreams by Keri Arthur. The story is told from Quinn’s POV, and since the main book is from Riley’s POV, this is a chance to understand what is happening in Quinn’s mind.
The event in this book occurred after book three because it was there that they encountered the Chameleon shifters in the secured compound and the mention of a lab being cleared out. But it could be book two too.
Anyhow, the main point is that it won’t give you any spoilers or interfere with the story in the main book. But it might give you a glimpse of Quinn’s power.
The story is just enough to give you a taste for those who have yet to read the main books on what Riley and the team are facing. There are other types of creatures, lab-engineered mixed with several DNAs. It’s super exciting if you could stomach the constant need for sex by the heroine.
Dangerous Games
In Melbourne’s urban underworld, there’s a nightclub for every fetish, fantasy and desire. But for Riley Jenson, a rare hybrid of vampire and werewolf, one such club has become an obsession. Riley 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…
Riley is playing a dangerous game, indeed. Not only in this book, but she encounters various threats throughout her journey with the Directorate office long before becoming the guardian enforcer. Her unique heritage often paints her as a target.
The three books earlier concentrate more on lab-engineered creations. This time, it’s more to the supernatural side, involving a mage, demons, a hellhound, and a dark lord. Definitely a page-turner.
What to expect from the story? Well, we get to know more about Quinn’s past life and yet another dangerous mission for Riley, plus her showdown with Gautier. The relationship struggles between her and Quinn continue in this book, but things might take a dive when Quinn crosses the line.
By the end of the story, all the original villains we know are gone. With five more books left in the series, who would be the new villains while we get Riley’s love life sorted out? There’s only one way to find out, read the next book.
Embraced By Darkness
He’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 fails, her own mother will die.
Now the stakes are raised, the hunt is on…and when more women vanish, Riley is caught between a lover who demands that she give up her work, a serial killer who knows no boundaries, and a club where humans and supernaturals mix—at their own peril. Thrust into a realm of seduction and violence unlike any she could have imagined, Riley has to battle to save everything she holds dear. But the ultimate hunt has only just begun…
My thoughts…
This book is another page-turner if you can stomach the heroine’s attitude. What I liked the most about all the books so far was the many things happening in the stories. There’s always trouble brewing and different sorts of challenges and varieties of creatures our dear guardians have to face.
In this book, it’s cool that Riley’s other talent is emerging. What else is coming to trouble the whinny Riley besides her relationship problem? I’m also curious to find out and see how Claudia Jones’ vision comes to play in Riley’s life.
The Darkest Kiss
Dark secrets. Dangerous seduction. It all begins with a kiss…
With a werewolf’s uncanny instinct for danger – and vampire blood coursing her through her veins – Riley Jenson is an officer for the Directorate of Other Races, an organisation created to police supernatural beings. Now she’s hunting for a killer who is targeting the rich and the powerful of Melbourne’s society…
But for Riley the case takes a chilling turn when a second killer – a crazed young vamp – starts leaving a trail of mutilated bodies of his own.
Riley knows she’s got the skill and cunning to catch two serial killers at once, until one of them strikes inside her own tight-knit clan – and a sexy beast of a vampire re-enters her life to aid in the hunt. His name is Quinn. He’s lived forever, shed blood and shared pleasure – and he’s the only man over whom Riley has absolutely no control…
My thoughts…
Never a dull moment!
Two alphas cannot shine in the same book. While Kellen took over the previous story, it’s time for Quinn to come back in this book, and no doubt, we will see him again in the next one. Something is different about this book. For a change, there are not much of sex scenes! Yippie…
Just like the previous book, the story this time also contains two villains. Both seem to be resilient, especially the Bakeneko. I had never heard about this supernatural entity, if not because of this book. Thanks for the exposure, dear author.
I wonder which type of supernatural creatures will run amok in the next book. Is Vinny, the emo vampire going to cause a problem in the future after the last hostile interactions? I’m also still waiting for Dia’s vision to shed some light. So far, nothing about it in this book, but perhaps the next one.
Deadly Desire
Guardian Riley Jenson always seems to face the worst villains. And this time’s no different. For it’s no ordinary sorceress who can raise the dead to do her killing. But that’s exactly what Riley expects to find at the end of a trail of female corpses used – and discarded – in a bizarre ritual of evil.
With pressure mounting to catch the fiend, the last thing Riley needs is the heat of the upcoming full moon bringing her werewolf hormones to a boil – or the reappearance of a sexy bounty hunter, the rogue wolf Kye Murphy.
Riley has threatened Murphy with arrest if he doesn’t back off the investigation, but it’s Riley who feels handcuffed by Kye’s lupine charm. Torn between her vamp and wolf natures, between her love for Quinn and her attraction to Kye, Riley knows she’s courting danger and indulging the deadliest desires. For her hunt through the supernatural underworld will bring her face-to-face with what lurks in a darkness where even monsters fear to tread.
My thoughts…
The story is almost over now, with only two more books left. I have yet to comment on how much I loved the world-building in this series. Riley’s world is set probably sometime in the future, with advanced technology and humans knowing about vampires, werewolves, sorcerers etc. It’s exciting, and we learn about many other creatures too.
Unlike the previous book, there is only one case that Riley has to solve. Nonetheless, it’s full of action, mission and dangerous situations. Emotion also runs high, especially when what Riley has been waiting for her whole life has manifested. I’m excited to see what Riley will face next and if she will gain another ability.
Bound to Shadows
At a local vampire club, someone is beheading the clientele, and the peace the Guardians are meant to maintain is getting shaky. Human and vampire fatalities escalate and Riley Jenson – a rare hybrid of werewolf and vampire – finds herself struggling to make sense of the murders and, in particular, her main suspect: the club’s owner Dante Starke and his powerful sexual aura.
And if things weren’t bad enough, she’s also torn between her love for Quinn and her connection with the unpredictable werewolf Kye – her soulmate. With the city on the verge of all-out war, Riley must not only capture the killer, but choose between the man she loves and the man she’s destined to be with.
My thoughts…
Riley pisses me off! How many times had she heard the warning but ignored it? Dammit, now we lose a character we know; it’s sad. I wish the endings were different.
On the other hand, I liked how there were always cases, and they solved them without carrying them forward to the next one. At least, that’s how it’s after the first few books. However, I thought I’d also be seeing more of the heroine’s power development. But, so far, it’s the same old news.
The next book would be the last one in the series; l don’t think there will be significant cases to be solved. It should be the case of tidying the loose end, solidifying Riley’s relationship and fulfilling her promise to Liander and Rhoan. I wonder if Blake or the emo vampire would cause some problem one last time.
Moon Sworn
Some nights never end.
Some desires never die…
Shape-shifting werewolf and vampire Riley Jenson is through with death—causing it, solving it, surviving it. Her soul mate, Kye Murphy, is dead—and at Riley’s own hands. Not even the seductive embrace of her vampire lover, Quinn, can fully ease her mind, for she has begun questioning everything that makes her Riley—including her job at the Directorate.
Now, the ritualistically slain bodies of ex-cons have started turning up. Reluctantly, Riley takes the case, but something even worse is waiting in the wings. A vicious enemy from her past is determined to strip Riley of everything that gives her life any meaning: her lover, her brother—and even her own identity. Can Riley survive this ultimate assault? All she knows is, she must fight one last time to find answers, before everything goes dark forever.
My thoughts…
I love the storyline this time. It’s the best one of all the books in the series! Riley lost her memories and lived as a new person! But, I’m a bit disappointed because, after the introduction of the emo vampire, I thought she would be the force they need to tackle down too. Guess she wasn’t as powerful as the story portrays her to be, and her story ended in the previous book.
Another character was Jack’s boss and also the vampire’s council. I thought they would cause some problems. Just when I thought I could figure out how the story would play out, I was wrong! Perhaps next time! Nevertheless, I look forward to reading the spinoff to this series next and hope to read about Dia’s daughter and Riley’s!
