Darkness Devours (Dark Angels #3) – Supporting characters save this series

The Vampire Council just won’t leave poor Risa Jones alone.  This time she is forced to investigate a string of murders involving blood-whore addicted vampires.  Sure, she’s got her own problems to deal with, but with an execution order on her life she’ll have to shift priorities and solve this case in order to get it lifted.  She begrudgingly enlists the help of her ex-boyfriend journalist; this only serves to stir the pot even more, bringing up old feelings and nuggets of her past.

Not a lot of progress is made toward the overarching plot of the series, which involves Risa confiscating keys for her father that could potentially open the gates the hell. But I found the mystery to be satisfying enough to keep my interest.  I love vamps so if we were going to get a side plot, I’m glad it was this one. That said, I hope that the next book is heavier on the main plot so that there can be steady advancement of the plot.

I am enjoying the continued development of her dark angel partner in crime, Azriel.  There is progress on the relationship front with Risa as well, but it’s  fragile at best and I have feeling that there will be a hitch.  Not to mention, her current lover Lucian is not quite out of the picture yet, though this relationship hits its own rocky waters. I’m surprised it’s taken this long honestly.  Lucian practically has a red flag stamped to his forehead when it comes to trust.  It’s so obvious that he’s hiding something that I question if this is a red herring;  otherwise, we’re in for a grossly underwhelming revelation of  his true intentions.

When I first started reading Keri Arthur’s Dark Angel series, I wasn’t sure if it would be my cup of tea. I wasn’t really feeling Risa much as the lead and sometimes that can make or break a series for me.  While she’s still not necessarily my favorite, I’m growing more attached to the supporting characters (namely Azriel ), so for now I will continue reading.