First Grave on the Right (Charley Davidson, book 1) by Darynda Jones
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Edition Reviewed: Hardcover
Amazon: Paperback | Kindle
Goodreads: First Grave on the Right (1)
This whole grim reaper thing should have come with a manual.
Or a diagram of some kind.
A flow chart would have been nice.Charley Davidson is a part-time private investigator and full-time grim reaper. Meaning, she sees dead people. Really. And it's her job to convince them to "go into the light." But when these very dead people have died under less than ideal circumstances (like murder), sometimes they want Charley to bring the bad guys to justice. Complicating matters are the intensely hot dreams she's been having about an entity who has been following her all her life...and it turns out he might not be dead after all. In fact, he might be something else entirely. But what does he want with Charley? And why can't she seem to resist him? And what does she have to lose by giving in?
With scorching-hot tension and high-octane humor, First Grave on the Right is your signpost to paranormal suspense of the highest order.
Review:
“I gotta tell you, Davidson, I'm impressed,” he said, his eyes glued to the screen. “That took balls.”
“Please,” I said with a snort, “That took ovaries. Of which I have two.”
Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance books that are “supposed to be funny” never sit well with me. We don't mesh and I rarely end up laughing. There's very few authors who can pull it off and hit the mark. Molly Harper's Jane Jameson hit the mark, and remained one of my favorite series to make me laugh. Notice the “remained”. Because Second Grave on the Right just blew that out of the water! In fact, I'd put Jones first entry to this series on pare with Nicole Peeler's Jane True books. Yeah, it was that good for me. (Whoa, seems to be a theme with Janes.)
Charley Davidson is my new BBFF (Best Book Friend Forever!). She's genuinely clever, and when she's snarky isn't rude—unless you've ticked her off. She's a well rounded lead and she's been a Grim Reaper for while. So when readers come in she knows what she's doing and we don't have to go through denial and tons of other stupid things. Even though we're coming in late to the game Jones does a wonderful job on blending the current story with what Charley has gone through in the past. That way readers don't miss a beat and can feel completely connected to Charley. It's also charming that despite how strong she is, her flaws are real. Meaning she is very relatable . The life she's led makes me believe what she's thinking and feeling. Even if I don't agree with her on being a failure—mommy issues!
Then there's Reyes. He's the magnetic, enigma haunting Charley's sexed up dreams. (And now currently haunting mine.) I just adore that Charley has a bit of past with him that gives their relationship a foundation. Even better is that the mysterious part is given answers. It bothers me how many series simply let the mysterious man candy go on being that way. Reyes past is given a story. Charley learns about him! Actual answers! Even more answers then I had hoped for. You know what that did? It made Reyes super sexy and an actual person. Thank you Jones. Thank you.
What I enjoy most is that the story starts out simple. Charley is a Grim Reaper. Ghosts are attracted to her and they come to her to move onto the next life. Or tie up lose ends. She's a PI who consults with the police and I love seeing her use that gift. Then as readers get more information about Charley and how her Grim Reaper skills work it naturally ties in to some of the bigger leaps. The simple world that Charley lives in gets even more paranormal. At the end the revelations don't just come out of no where. There's a foundation for them and I was really happy by the end. (I'm being vague so that other readers can enjoy it.)
By page 33 I knew this book was going to be a favorite. Not just a favorite book, but series. It shames me that I took so long to read it. (Though part of it being it was the last book I ever purchased at Borders. Thus making it the last book I have bought in an actual bookstore. The heartbreak.) Part of it was due to heartache, and the other to fear of another “humorous” paranormal read being less than humorous. Jones balances out mystery, the paranormal, sexy fun times, and humor splendidly. If you haven't read this series for shame! I feel that shame and I plan to remedy it fast! This is an excellent addiction—err, addition—to any Urban Fantasy readers' collection.
Sexual Content: Nothing explicit or overly detailed, but there are sex scenes. Some minor dark sexual themes—nothing scary. Plenty of sexual humor!!
5/5- Fabulous, a beautiful obsession!
| Previous book(s) in series: | ||
| Reviewed on BW: | Amazon: | Goodreads: |
| First Grave on the Right (1) For I Have Sinned (1.5) Second Grave on the Left (2) Third Grave Dead Ahead (3) Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet (4) Fifth Grave Past the Light (5) Shimmer (5.5) Glow (5.6) Sixth Grave on the Edge (6) Seventh Grave and No Body (7) Eighth Grave After Dark (8) Brighter Than the Sun (8.5) The Dirt on Ninth Grave (9) The Curse of Tenth Grave (10) Untitled (11) | First Grave on the Right (1) For I Have Sinned (1.5) Second Grave on the Left (2) Third Grave Dead Ahead (3) Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet (4) Fifth Grave Past the Light (5) Shimmer (5.5) Glow (5.6) Sixth Grave on the Edge (6) Seventh Grave and No Body (7) Eighth Grave After Dark (8) Brighter Than the Sun (8.5) The Dirt on Ninth Grave (9) The Curse of Tenth Grave (10) Untitled (11) | First Grave on the Right (1) For I Have Sinned (1.5) Second Grave on the Left (2) Third Grave Dead Ahead (3) Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet (4) Fifth Grave Past the Light (5) Shimmer (5.5) Glow (5.6) Sixth Grave on the Edge (6) Seventh Grave and No Body (7) Eighth Grave After Dark (8) Brighter Than the Sun (8.5) The Dirt on Ninth Grave (9) The Curse of Tenth Grave (10) Untitled (11) |
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