Laura’s Review of Eighth Grave After Dark (Charley Davidson, #8) by Darynda Jones

Synopsis

With twelve hellhounds after her, pregnant Charley Davidson takes refuge at the only place she thinks they can’t get to her: the grounds of an abandoned convent. But after months of being cooped up there, Charley is ready to pop. Both metaphorically and literally since she is now roughly the size of a beached whale. Fortunately, a new case has captured her attention, one that involves a murder on the very grounds the team has taken shelter upon. A decades-old murder of the newly-vowed nun she keeps seeing in the shadows is almost enough to pull her out of her doldrums.

Charley’s been forbidden to step foot off the sacred grounds. While the angry hellhounds can’t traverse the consecrated soil, they can lurk just beyond its borders. They have the entire team on edge, especially Reyes. And if Charley didn’t know better, she would swear Reyes is getting sick. He grows hotter with every moment that passes, his heat scorching across her skin every time he’s near, but naturally he swears he’s fine.

While the team searches for clues on the Twelve, Charley just wants answers and is powerless to get them. But the mass of friends they’ve accrued helps. They convince her even more that everyone in her recent life has somehow been drawn to her, as though they were a part of a bigger picture all along. But the good feelings don’t last for long because Charley is about to get the surprise of her crazy, mixed-up, supernatural life….

What I Loved

      

    Well Charley is back and in full effect so the better question is, what isn’t there to love?  Words cannot describe how much how awesome Charley Davidson is; she is hilarious, caring, brave and so many other things.  I love complex characters that give you the whole picture and make you fall in love with them.  Not only do we get tons of Charley in this book but we get tons of hot sexy Reyes as well.  It was so much fun watching these two newlyweds trying to make the best out of a bad situation as Charley continues on in her pregnancy. 

          This book skips ahead a little, beginning with Charley at about eight months pregnant, they are still living in the convent with their crazy group of friends always around.  There is a ton going on in this book, and while they are still trying to figure out how to defeat the twelve, new cases once again pop up that only Charley can solve.  I will tell you a lot of questions have been answered in this one, which is nice to see the plot moving along at a good pace.  Reyes and Osh give a lot of good answers and Osh does answer a BIG one by the end and I think that will excite a lot of readers.  By the end of this story the plot has taken another hard turn with all new questions starting rise.  There were definite bittersweet tears in my eyes as I ended this story but also left me looking forward to the next one.

Not So Much

          There are times that Charley frustrates me to say the very least.  There are so many instances where I just wish she thought about herself and what she means to the people around her before she puts her life at risk.  She’s so altruistic, putting everyone else’s safety ahead of her own but she seems to have little care how it would affect the people she loves if she was gone.  I just wish there was a point in her life that Charley started to think more long term then just day by day, not understanding if she dies or gets seriously injured what affect that has on everything else going around them.  I do feel like this plot has matured Charley in more ways than the rest of the stories have so I’m excited to see those changes in Charley as the overall arc goes on.

To Sum It All Up!

          Well, a lot of things we have all been waiting for, for quite some time finally happen in this book.  So if you are an avid Charley Davidson reader than you are going to absolutely love this story.  I couldn’t put this book down, I don’t think I’ve read any of the books in this series as fast as I read this one.  Like I said before a lot of questions are answered and more characters are revealed but of course with all this comes more questions.  From what I can assume the series is taking a turn after this one, and I’m excited to see where the story goes from here.  Of course I had a silly smile on my face at times while other times I had sad tears in my eyes.  I just love Charley so much and my heart broke for her at a certain point.  Although there is tons of hot Reyes we don’t get a lot of sexy time between these two which kind sucks but I get the plot is bigger picture now and not just about them anymore.  I cannot wait to see what is in store next for Charley and Reyes, I absolutely love this series!

Laura’s Review of Seventh Grave and No Body (Charley Davidson, #7) by Darynda Jones

Synopsis

            Twelve. Twelve of the deadliest beasts ever forged in the fires of hell have escaped onto our plane, and they want nothing more than to rip out the jugular of Charley Davidson and serve her lifeless, mangled body to Satan for dinner. So there’s that. But Charley has more on her plate than a mob of testy hellhounds. For one thing, her father has disappeared, and the more she retraces his last steps, the more she learns he was conducting an investigation of his own, one that has Charley questioning everything she’s ever known about him. Add to that an ex-BFF who is haunting her night and day, a rash of suicides that has authorities baffled, and a drop-dead sexy fiancé who has attracted the attentions of a local celebrity, and Charley is not having the best week of her life.

           A tad north of hell, a hop, skip, and a jump past the realm of eternity, is a little place called Earth, and Charley Davidson, grim reaper extraordinaire, is determined to do everything in her power to protect it.

          We’re doomed.

What I Loved

            Charley’s back!  I was so happy to crawl back into Charley’s world and see what crazy crap she is up to.  Once again Charley is causing some trouble, solving some mysteries and making us laugh and cry along the way.  The seventh installment of this series, throws the reader into the mist of chaos as Charley and her friends try to unlock the mysteries that are Charley Davidson, while trying not to get killed by humans or supernatural entities. 

            We don’t walk away with knowing too much more about the hellhounds that have been sent to earth to find and kill Charley, but we finally get really see just how strong she is.  It was so wonderful to watch Charley start to realize her own power and once again see all the cool things she can do, especially when it comes to Reyes.  There is one hot scene that involves her magnificent powers and a one very sexy Reyes reaping the benefits of it.  I can’t say enough of how much I love Charley Davidson and each book I read with her in it, I love her more and more!

Not So Much

            There really isn’t anything negative to say about this one, I really loved it because it was a true roller coaster of laughter, suspense and sorrow.  I guess my only complaint is that there is just so much going on in every single book and I wish there was more focus on finding out about all these prophecies and hellhounds and whatever else Charley needs to learn to fight all these evil entities.  I get she’s a private detective and that’s her thing but I would like more emphasis put on the supernatural.  I will say though that this book definitely explored that side of Charley more than any other book in this series has.

To Sum It All Up!

        

         Wow, I don’t even know where to begin!  This book was freaking awesome, I was cracking up at times while tearing up at others.  So much happens in Charley’s life and we definitely get to a real turning point when it comes to Charley’s powers.  Also we get a ton Reyes and even though he isn’t as mysterious as he once was, actually getting to know him and watch him settle into this life with Charley is awesome.  Charley is definitely up to her old tricks again in this one, and we get tons of her smart mouth and “witty” personality.  The end of this one will definitely throw you for a loop, it had me crying happy tears then sad tears, and then sitting on the edge my seat.  I love that at the end of this one and the last (I think) we get a little bit from Reyes’ point of view and whoa did he drop a bomb!  I cannot wait to see what happens next with these two!

Laura’s Review of Sixth Grave on the Edge (Charley Davidson, #6) by Darynda Jones

If you have read and enjoyed Definitely Dead (Sookie Stackhouse, #6) by Charlaine Harris, Undead & Unemployed (Undead, #2) by MaryJanice Davidson, and Hot Six (Stephanie Plum, #6) by Janet Evanovich then you will LOVE this book!

The Rundown

             

               Few things in life can come between a grim reaper and her coffee, but the sexy, sultry son of Satan is one of them. Now that Reyes Farrow has asked for her hand, Charley Davidson feels it's time to learn more about his past, but Reyes is reluctant to open up. When the official FBI file of his childhood abduction lands in her lap, Charley decides to go behind her mysterious beau’s back and conduct her own investigation. Because what could go wrong?

                Unfortunately, another case has fallen into her lap—one with dangerous implications. Some very insistent men want Charley to hunt down a witness who is scheduled to testify against their boss, a major player in the local crime syndicate. If Charley doesn't come up with an address in 48 hours, the people closest to her will start to disappear. 

                 Add to that a desperate man in search of the soul he lost in a card game, a dogged mother determined to find the ghost of her son, and a beautiful, young Deaf boy haunted by his new ability to see the departed as clearly as he sees the living, and Charley has her hands full. The fact that Reyes has caught on to her latest venture only adds fuel to the inferno that he is. Good thing for Charley she's used to multi-tasking and always up for a challenge…especially when that challenge comes in the form of Reyes Farrow.

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First Impressions

         

       So far so good.  I’m about 25% of the way through and this book definitely fulfills the awesomeness that is Charley Davidson.  The book takes place only a couple weeks after Fifth Grave Past the Light, and Charley picks right up where she started.  Like I suspected Charley hasn’t given Reyes an answer from his Post-It question, which didn’t surprise me at all.  Charley is one again being thrown into the world of private investigating whether she wants to or not.  I especially love a very celestial sex scene, which was a first Charley and I enjoyed every minute of it.  Once again I am sucked into the world that the amazing Darynda Jones has created and I never want to leave.

What I Loved

         

           First I love Charley’s sense of humor, I literally cannot get enough of her quick comebacks and smart ass remarks.  I love how she just runs head long into trouble, and doesn’t give up until she gets the answers she wants.  Even though Charley has a way of finding trouble, I will say that in this book trouble has actually found her.  Amongst all that chaos that is Charley’s life, at the very heart of this story is her love for Reyes and the development of their relationship as a real couple which I literally cannot get enough of.   Once again Reyes in his own way offers his own type of humor when it comes to Charley and there is one scene (that involved a wall) that literally had tears in my eyes I was laughing so hard.  I actually had to stop reading for a couple minutes because I was laughing so hard. 

                Another element I loved was, we got to see some new relationships bloom between some of the supporting characters, and got to meet another interesting character that I am little scared of but definitely intrigued of.  He is not from this world, and definitely has a lot of dark inside of him, but I do feel deep down he couple be very helpful but I wouldn’t turn my back on him in a second.  We also get more of Garrett Swopes in this story and I simply cannot get enough of him, plus an added bonus was that we actually get to visit him at work and see what he does best.  There was some more information given about his family, and a little mystery that came up from the previous book when it comes to Garrett was somewhat solved. 

Not So Much

                There was a lot going on in this book, so much so, that even though I just finished reading it’s hard to remember every single storyline that was addressed.  It was unorganized or chaotic but I would’ve liked a more streamline plot.  I was hoping more things would be solved by the time the book ended but there was a lot left up in the air so I didn’t really feel like there was lot of movement toward the bigger arc in this series.   

                Also there was not a lot of Charley’s family in this one at all.  Uncle Ubie is usually around more and he was in a couple scenes but very few and far between.  We don’t see Charley’s sister at all, and we only see Charley’s father once then nothing.  Her family is mentioned very little and I would’ve liked to have seen more them. 

This Book Was…

                Awesome!!!  Sixth Grave did answer some questions that have come up throughout the series, and we are getting closer to Charley really tapping into her powers as a grim reaper.  Once again when some questions are answered, more questions pop up and this book is no exception.  There was totally a point in this book that my heart almost stopped and there were tears in my eyes.  Throughout this series Charley has a lot of close calls and I always get anxious but I was completely on the edge this time around.  I have to say I love where this series is going, but at the same time I’m very apprehensive for the conclusion because I just have a bad feeling about everything.  This story ended with a HUGE cliffhanger and I cannot wait to get my hands on Seventh Grave and No Body!

Laura’s Review of Fifth Grave Past the Light (Charley Davidson, #5) by Darynda Jones

If you have read and enjoyed This Side of the Grave (Night Huntress, #5) by Jeaniene Frost,  Gone (Dream Catcher, #3) by Lisa McMann, and Dark & Stormy (Sacred Hearts Coven, #1) by Felicia Starr then you will LOVE this book!!!

Basic Summary

               

             Never underestimate the power of a woman on a double espresso with a mocha latte chaser high. – T-Shirt 

            Charley Davidson isn’t your everyday, run-of-the-mill grim reaper.  She’s more of a paranormal private eye/grim reaper extraordinaire.  However, she gets sidetracked when the sexy, sultry son of Satan, Reyes Farrow, moves in next door.  To further complicate matters, Reyes is her main suspect in an arson case.  Charley has vowed to stay away from him until she can find out the truth…but dead women start appearing in her apartment, one after another, each lost, consumed and terrified beyond reason.  When it becomes apparent that her own sister, Gemma is the serial killer’s next target, Charley has no choice but to ask for Reyes’ help.  Arsonist or not, he’s the one man alive who could protect Gemma no matter who or what came at her.  But he wants something in return.  Charley.  All of her, body and soul.  And to keep her sister safe, it is a price she is willing to pay.

            Charley Davidson is at it again in the sexy, suspenseful, and laugh-out-loud funny fifth installment of the New York Times bestselling series.

What I Loved

              

           Wow well, there is so much I love about this book!!! First of all lots of sex with Reyes, and after that even more sex with Reyes.  We not only get naked Reyes but we get to see inside Reyes’ apartment and just what kind of style this hot sexy man has.  Some of the sex scenes include his out the world, state of the art shower and thank you very much for that Darynda Jones. 

            Along with hot sexy Reyes living next store, it seems like he likes not work too far from his house and gets a job that guarantees him being around more and more.  It’s so awesome to not only have Reyes out of jail but to have him around and living an actual life.  Each book I just fall in love with him more and more. 

            In addition to hot Reyes, we get just about 27 random women showing up in Charlie’s room which leads to a search for a serial killer of blonde women.  I was really freaked out at first trying to picture just like 27 women who are almost catatonic crawling around her apartment and I was worried I would have nightmares.  But towards the end of the book when all of this is finally solved it leads to a lot of really touching moments that brought tears to my eyes. 

            I loved that we not only got more Reyes we got more Gemma in this book and it seems that Gemma has a new boyfriend.  I love when the supporting characters get their own lives and you get to experience that trip along with the main character. 

Not So Much

               

             I really don’t have a lot of negatives for this book.  I guess my only negative and it really isn’t one, is that I have a feeling that I’m not going to appreciate the next book.  There were some things left up in the air by the end of this book, and one VERY BIG question at the end as well.  The reason I’m so apprehensive is because I don’t think it will play out how I want to.  I love Charley so much but she is one of the most stubborn characters I have ever read and that means, the answer is not going to be an easy one to get which means that it will be dragged out.  I’m not a fortune teller so the next book can go a  totally different way which mean I will get what I want but I just don’t see that happening.  It wouldn’t be funny and it wouldn’t be Charley as much I would like it to be.

This Book Was…

Amazeballs!!!!  Okay so this book was awesome, let’s just start there!   I cannot get of Reyes Farrow and now that he is out of jail and living next door to Charley is beyond awesome.    There is so much going in this book like every other book in this series, but some questions are answered that came up in Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet which was very nice.  We do find out all about he arsons and if it is Reyes that is setting fire to these buildings or if it’s someone else entirely. 

            Also in this book we finally find out the real reason why Reyes was sent to here to this wonderful place we call Earth!  We finally get answers as far was what exactly is Satan’s plan and if he is after Charley specifically or just wanting a portal to Heaven.  Information is also spilled a little bit more about Charley and her celestial family and just how amazing she truly is.  Once again we get to discover another one of Charley’s amazing powers and what she can do when faced with fire!  All very exciting to finally get more answers, but of course with more answers comes more questions.  So as some questions were answered I started to have a lot more questions, and at the same time starting to realize that maybe Charley’s powers are just so out there, that they’re actually hard to wrap my head around the possibilities.  They keep on saying in the other books, anything imaginable and I feel like after reading this book I’m starting to understand a little bit what that means. 

            The ending leaves you a cliff hanger, and if you hate cliff hangers then I’m sorry and all I have to say is hold on!!!  Like I said before I’m almost not looking forward to seeing this open ending resolved because I might not like the way it goes.  But if all things work out and it does go the way I want it to, then there will be tears of happiness!!!!

Laura’s Review of Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet (Charley Davidson, #4) by Darynda Jones

If you have read and enjoyed Checkmate (Neighbor From Hell, #3) by R.L. Mathewson, Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie , and Three to Get Deadly (Stephanie Plum, #3) by Janet Evanovich then you will LOVE this book!!

Basic Summary

             Welcome to the world of grim reaper extraordinaire Charley Davidison.  Try as she might, there’s no avoiding her destiny.

            Sometimes being the grim reaper really is, well, grim.  And since Charley’s last case went to awry, she has taken a couple of months off to wallow in the wonders of self-pity.  But when a woman shows up on her doorstep convinced someone is trying to kill her, Charley has to force herself to rise above…or at least get dressed.  It becomes clear something is amiss when everyone the woman knows swears she’s insane.  But the more they refute the woman’s story, the more Charley believes it.

            In the meantime, the sexy, sultry son of Satan, Reyes Farrow, is out of prison and out of Charley’s life, as per her wishes and several perfectly timed death threats.  But his absence has put a serious crimp her sex life.  While there are other things to consider, like the fact that the city of Albuquerque has been taken hostage by an arsonist, Charley is having a difficult time staying away.  Especially when it looks like Reyes may be involved.

            Just when life was returning to normal, Charley is thrust back into the world of crime, punishment, and the devil in blue jeans in this hilarious fourth installment in the New York Times bestselling series.

What I Loved

                Wow! I don’t even know where to begin because there so many awesome things about this book.  So far this is definitely my favorite in this series.  I was hysterically laughing at times, and tearing up at others.  Usually this series has me cracking up but I've never wanted to cry before until this book!  So amazing!!!

            First of all the book takes place two months after the Third Grade Dead Ahead, after Charley had been tortured and sliced open several times by a sadist killer, her father trying to have her arrested, and realizing Reyes didn't trust her enough to tell her his plan.  This book opened with Charley clearly suffering from PTSD and that to me was kind of cool because in every other book she was so resilient and quirky but this book really brought her back down to my level.  I didn't pity her or feel bad for her but it made it easier to relate to her as a reader.  To know that at the end of the day she does have feelings and sometimes reacts like normal human beings react; sometimes. 

            The book then progresses onto Charley and Reyes finally have actual reactions as two humans, no more of this incorporeal crap, although he does don his black robe a couple times throughout the story.  Since the beautiful Reyes Farrow is out of jail, we all know what this means, SEX!!! We finally get what we have all been waiting for which is hot sex with Reyes!  Also Charley catches him at a weak moment and he starts to answer some of Charley’s questions about who he is, who she is and what this all means for humankind.  We also get to experience Charley’s powers which become infinitely cooler in this book at one point my jaw was on the floor because what she did was pretty freaking cool. 

Not So Much…

                I guess my only negative at this point would be that I’m kind of tired of all the mysteriousness about what Charley can do and why Reyes is really here.  I don’t doubt his love for Charley and I suspect he was sent here to seduce here then killer her so his father can get into heaven and that’s all good but enough with the alluding to this.  I can only be held captive by all these half-truths, not really answers, beating around the bush crap.   She either needs to figure out already and become the truly powerful being she is or Reyes just needs to sit down with her teach and explain to her what the hell is going on. 

            Also we get to meet more demons in this book; we even get to meet a very powerful demon that grew with Reyes in hell.  That’s great and all but I’m sick of meeting these evil entities and we really haven’t meant anyone from heaven other than Charley.  Reyes has all these evil spirits to deal with and they are trying to kill Charley and now she has Artemis her guardian but I want meet some angels!  If hell can send powerful beings to fight Reyes why can’t heaven send some power beings themselves and help out the fight.  We learn that Charley has a celestial family; well I’m ready to see some of this family!

This Book Was...…

             Legen (wait for it) dary!!!!  This book had so much going on it was awesome.  I feel like this book dealt more with Charley’s personal life than any other books.  She did have a case she was working on that actually ended being kind of heartbreaking at the end and had me tearing up a little.  Charley definitely takes a personal hit when she finally comes face to face with her father who she has ignored for two months.  I loved that finally she stood up to him and called him on always taking her stepmother’s side instead of Charley’s and laid it all out there for him.  Literally when she was screaming at him I felt like I was right there with her yelling at him because he totally deserved it. 

            Although there was definitely hot sex therapy with Reyes and trust me that was awesome, the scene did not end the way I wanted it to, but that’s okay.  There are times when I want to hit Charley on the head and drag her to the courthouse to marry Reyes and have his babies tomorrow!  But she is a stronger female then I am because although I understand her motives I don’t think I would have the strength to carry through with them.  This book was filled with lots of funny antics that always seem to follow Charley around but was also filled with a lot of heart felt moments.  Along with lots of pretty close calls as far as danger to Charley’s life and a battle between demons that I was almost too scared to read.  With all of that the book ended me letting out a little giggle because there is a little bit of a surprise left for you at the end.  Can’t wait to read the next book!!!