Narrator: Lorelei King

Review: First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones

Posted January 10, 2022 by Holly in Reviews | 5 Comments

Review: First Grave on the Right by Darynda JonesReviewer: Holly
First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones
Narrator: Lorelei King
Series: Charley Davidson #1
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: February 1, 2011
Format: eBook
Point-of-View: First Person
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 310
Length: 8 hours and 58 minutes
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two-half-stars
Series Rating: three-stars

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.

First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones is the first book in the Charley Davidson series. I’ve seen this series over the years and considered reading it a number of times, but the comparisons to the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich turned me off. While I liked the first few Plum books, her constant ineptitude and the love-triangle got old fast. When my book club chose this I figured it was an opportunity to see for myself how “Plum-like” the series really is.

The writing was really great. I easily fell into the story, though the “sassy” and “sarcastic” quips of the main character were kind of annoying. That only got worse as the book went on. She had a zinger for everything, and it felt really forced. I didn’t find her charming or cute, but annoying. Did she take nothing seriously? Also, the obsession she had with a boy from her past – after a single brief encounter where he was a total bastard – didn’t make sense. Why was she so interested in him? It had shades of a “fated-mates” type thing, but it didn’t work very well in context.

I enjoyed the investigative parts of the story, but they were few and far between. The majority of this book was her either lusting after a shadowy figure from her dreams or obsessing over this boy she met once as a younger girl.

There were shades of a good story here, but most of it got lost behind the dumb sarcasm and crazy amount of lust/obsession she felt for this total stranger/creepy being. I may try another book in the series to see if it gets better.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Charley Davidson

two-half-stars


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Review: Storm Cursed by Patricia Briggs

Posted May 28, 2019 by Holly in Reviews | 2 Comments

Review: Storm Cursed by Patricia BriggsReviewer: Holly
Storm Cursed by Patricia Briggs
Narrator: Lorelei King
Series: Mercy Thompson #11
Also in this series: Frost Burned , Night Broken, Shifting Shadows, Blood Bound, Fire Touched, Silence Fallen , Moon Called, Blood Bound , Iron Kissed, Bone Crossed , River Marked , Frost Burned, Night Broken, Fire Touched, Storm Cursed, Smoke Bitten
Publisher: Ace
Publication Date: May 7, 2019
Format: Audiobook
Source: Purchased
Point-of-View: First
Cliffhanger: View Spoiler »
Content Warning: View Spoiler »
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 368
Length: 10 hours and 15 minutes
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four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

In this powerful entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling series, Mercy Thompson must face a deadly enemy to defend all she loves...

My name is Mercedes Athena Thompson Hauptman, and I am a car mechanic.

And a coyote shapeshifter.

And the mate of the Alpha of the Columbia Basin werewolf pack.

Even so, none of that would have gotten me into trouble if, a few months ago, I hadn't stood upon a bridge and taken responsibility for the safety of the citizens who lived in our territory. It seemed like the thing to do at the time. It should have only involved hunting down killer goblins, zombie goats, and an occasional troll. Instead, our home was viewed as neutral ground, a place where humans would feel safe to come and treat with the fae.

The reality is that nothing and no one is safe. As generals and politicians face off with the Gray Lords of the fae, a storm is coming and her name is Death.

But we are pack, and we have given our word.

We will die to keep it.

Storm Cursed is the 11th installment of the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs. I listened to the audiobook. It’s my first Briggs audio and I have to say, I loved the narrator. Lorelei King did a wonderful job as Mercy. It was very well done.

Since Mercy claimed the tri-cities as Pack territory some months ago, the Pack is constantly called out to deal with magical creatures. In this book, it’s goblins, pygmy zombie goats and black witches. Adam is away on business quite a bit, so Mercy and the Pack are left to deal with things on their own. Luckily Mercy has strong allies and good friends, because she’s going to need them.

It’s difficult to review Storm Cursed, because of spoilers. I will say, I loved seeing Mercy interact with the pack more, and school some of them on things they should already know. I loved the tender moments between Adam and Mercy. They’re such a strong couple, and I love seeing them interact with each other. We see more of Mercy and Stefan. Their relationship is strained now, but still strong. A lot of our usual players were missing here – No Jessie, no Charles and Anna (which seemed a bit odd, given the circumstances), very little with the rest of the Pack, but I didn’t really notice their absence until I’d finished the novel and thought back on it. I was wrapped up in the story as it was being told.

Creepy, action-packed, full of mystery and suspense, all dosed with sweet, tender moments between Adam and Mercy and spiced with a bit of humor. Briggs did it again. Storm Cursed does not disappoint.

Rating: 4.25 out of 5

Mercy Thompson

four-stars


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