Sometimes when you miss the first book in the series such as this (which has 11 books so far), it's great to go back and read the books you missed. Somehow I managed to not read book 1! Very odd for me, but it happens!

This series may sound familiar, as I've reviewed books here from it before. It was interesting to go back and see how things actually started, as I apparently started with book 2, and missed a bunch of information! This book, like the other, is a fun, light, sexy read. It's definitely for MATURE adults only, due to the eroticism. BUT having said that, don't be surprised if while reading you snort a hole lot, from trying to hold back your laughter- Charley is snarky, honest, and the friend you really Do want to have! And in a bit of a mystery she's trying to solve, and you have a book perfect for late night reading to make the stress of the day go away! Just don't blame me if you stay up late (early), cause you can't put it down!

The Trouble with Twelfth Grave, the 12th book, comes out on Halloween this year!

This has an interesting premise, but somewhat graphic and dragged a bit. There aren't very many books (if any) written about the Grim Reaper and I was intrigued enough by that alone to want to read and to continue reading until the end. I read a lot of sci-fi and romance so theoretically, I should have loved this book. My first issue is when a book opens with a sex scene. I need to have a little background and character development before I am ready to read about their sex life. Throughout the first chapter, I kept thinking, "This IS the first book in the series, right?" I felt like I was just dropped in the middle of the story. I read to the end of the book because I wanted to know who Reyes really was, but I probably won't continue with the series.

This book is totally something new for me, the story is mixed up with good fantasy, romance and crime in which conspiracy is hidden.

Charley Davidson works as a private investigator in which include cooperating the police force with her innate supernatural power. She is a grim reaper but she's not of the kind you think, she can talk or touch the people in other side and solves their cases. The story begins from she meets the dead three lawyers who got shot in same day. Simultaneously she tries to discover of the men visit in her dream and finds out herself.

I really enjoyed the storyline filled with good humour, mystery and more curiously her grim reaper part. I normally don't like the crime story blended with fantastical miracles which makes me become to like less. On the contrary, this story is interesting enough and kept gripping me.

The plot is comical, especially the way how Charley cope with people. How she deals with people who doesn't believe her innate ability and how she struggles to reveal herself to her authentic best friend, Cookie. All the characters are so likable include the dead people, but my very favorite is surely Cookie! She is hilarious. ;)

One thing I don't get into that much is the true colours of Charley herself and the mysterious guy in her dream. It is overwhelmingly fantastical.

However, having said that I still curious about the story in the next book and looking forward to reading more about this.

Interesting and full of dry snarky humor.

Concept of the story is very original. Charley gives new meaning to the saying, “I see dead people.” The concept of the Grim Reaper in a whole different light.

This is full on paranormal with intrigue. Not romance at all at this time.

Charley is tough as nails and has gone through so much. I can see why she is so snarky it’s to protect herself.

Slow going at first but enjoyable. Not sure I could last with 12 books though.

Received a copy through NetGalley.

This is a great book with a wonderful story and well developed characters. The story flowed very well and was very enjoyable. This book will keep you reading long into the night and you will not want to put this book down until you finish. This was such a great read and full of surprises. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader’s copy of this book. The free book held no determination on my personal review.

I read this book years ago when it first came out. Since I was offered it, I decided to read it again. It was good as the first time I read it. Charley is a beacon for souls and has many ghosts in her house. I felt the first book was awkward, but is the debut book and must set up the world and story for the next ones. It was fun, I may read another one to see if I like it a little better, thank you Net Galley for a chance to read this book.

I really liked the story and mostly Reyes because he was very mysterious and when we get to finally know what or who he is I have to say that it was very interesting and cool. On the other hand I took away a star because unfortunately I did not like the main character, she was just annoying. Something else that annoyed me, what was with Reyes calling her Dutch? Will we ever know what was that about and why? Was it mentioned and somehow I missed it? Anyway the idea of the Grim reaper was cool and paired with Reyes even better. I just wish we had more information about Reyes which I guess we will get in other books.
Would I continue reading the series? Yes! It did grab me enough to make me want to know what happens in the story as it progresses. I want to know what happens with both of them and their relationship, if it becomes something more. I want to know if even with their obstacles they can manage to be together and end with a HEA. I would say that I am
very curios as to what Reyes will have to do to be with her. Also I would continue the series because of Reyes, he is very interesting.
I would recommend this book!

I remember reading this book the first time forever ago. And that I absolutely loved it.
It's just such a fun and entertaining read. And has such well developed characters.

Darynda also creates the coolest sets for her story to take place. I get such a good image in my head of the characters surroundings, and really even a good picture of them as well. Everything is so well thought out, and just makes such a cohesive story.

Plus you can't help but not just love her characters. They're the best part of this book honestly. You just get drawn so into their stories, and want to cheer for them, and fear for them, fight with them, all that jazz. And it helps to make this book one of those you just don't want to put down until the end.

Most definitely a 5 star read!

I picked this up years ago in a walmart because her shoes looked cool. yeah it was a total cover buy and it sat on my shelves waiting for me to remember it, now even though I never read the first one, i kept buying the series because Grim Reapers are my jam. With the 12th book coming out in October, I was among the many lucky few who was given the widget to get this book as an E-arc to get us into the world of Charley and I must say it totally worked on me.

I absolutely loved this story, I'm glad I grabbed it when I did because awesome sauce doesn't even begin to explain how much fun this story is. We are in snarky Charlotte "Charley" Davidson's head most of the time and we see what she sees and knows. Ghost are real and as the Grim Reaper it is her job to help them figure out what is wrong and why they haven't passed into the veil to the otherside yet. As such she grew up to become a private investigator after helping her Dad & Uncles fight crime from the time she was five. She's got a fun crime fighting 'secretary/ mother daughter duo, a few ghosts as resourcces and of course the police department in town to help her out.

I absolutely love this story, I love Charley even though sometimes she annoys the heck out of me. At first I didn't understand how she didn't know more about her gift but then you realize this isn't a world in which the supernatural are known and accepted, it's our world basically with only a few understanding souls around. And it's not like there is a Guide to being a Grim lying around anywhere. Charley tries to use her talents for good, to aide those who need to pass on and those who need her help in this world. With her links to the cops and her unathletlic abilities she more often than not ends up on the wrong side of a punch.

And then the mystery starts, Charley's being haunted by a man who she cannot see and that scares her. Even thought the dreams are sexy in nature and not scary they still make her wonder because if she can't see him, what kind of ghost is he. She's working a few cases and they start to converge as well as the case of her mystery night visitor and before long Charley has headed into a case that is darker than she can imagine.

I found that several of her secondary characters were well developed especially if they were characters that Charley knew well. She has a cast of characters that make you wonder who is staying and who will be going and why are they here. A few that seem like love interests, her Uncle who gladly takes her help but doesn't really want to know how her talent works, and a paranormal story wouldn't be complete without an evil stepmother. Then of course is the man haungitng her dreams and my gawd does the man kno how to haunt.

For me this was a very quick read as it sucked me in and turned me on. I really found myself trying to read faster so I could find out what happened to whom and where is her mystery man, and what was really going on. By the end we know there is an even bigger bad guy that she must face and I'm pretty worried for Charley because she's got no defense skills at all. She's an extremely clumsy private investigator , she relies more on her gifts to aide her instead of actual PI skills which unfortunately for her means she runs into more physical issues than anything else.

I'm really invested in seeing where this all goes since I own the next four books in the series. Hopefully she signs up for a self defense class with what is brewing around her because Grim or not she's going to need it.

★★★★☆
Highly Recommend to my paranormal romance friends and those looking for a good paranormal mystery with a sarcastic quirky female lead.
Happy Reading my loves,

I don't know how I missed this series, but I am EXTREMELY grateful to NetGalley for the promotion. I absolutely loved this first book -- it has it all. - great mystery, dash of romance, and some amazing characters. I've already bought the next two and am looking forward to more!

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. I am glad I did as I had never run across this series before. I really like Charley! She is a serious bad-ass, but of course as the Grim Reaper she has to be! This book has a little bit of everything, sexy alpha men, fun, sarcasm, wit, creepiness and even a bit of romance. With such an awesome array of characters, makes me definitely wan't to read more of this series

Darynda Jones has created an Iconic Character in Charley Davidson. A Bad Ass woman as the Grim Reaper, no to mention the hot Reyes as her counterpoint! Great writing, fast paced mystery and I love the characters including the dead ones!

I received a free electronic copy of this SF novel from Netgalley, Darynda Jones, and St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.

I really liked this protagonist - feisty, fiery and always ready with a smart retort. Of course, with a name like Charley Davidson, what choice did she have? This is the first of a long series of Charley Davidson novels but is completely stand alone, so give it a chance. It was a little - a lot - more racy than I am comfortable with, so I probably will not read the sequels but I enjoy Darynda Jones writing style.

My rating scale:
5☆ - I loved this book and it brought out true emotion in me (laughter, anger, a good cry, etc)
4☆ - I loved this book.
3☆ - I liked this book.
2☆ - I didn't really care for this book.
1☆ - I did not like this book at all and probably did not finish it.

Several friends had been reading this series and recommending it. When I finally sat down with The First Grave on the Right I was so mad at myself for waiting so long. I love Charley's sense of humor and quick wit. Being a PI, she helps solve the deaths of her clients. Her dead clients, whom she can see since she is also the grim reaper! And she definitely isn't your typical grim reaper. Highly recommend this book.

I love a heroine with attitude, and Charley definitely gave me that! I have heard from some trusted friends that this series is a favorite only gets better so I will definitely be reading the rest!

Totally hooked! What a fun, funny, sexy and slightly creepy read. Charley is a great, well fleshed out main character with a wonderful cast of secondary characters thrown in. I couldn't put this book down, literally only to sleep!

I'm off to download book two ❤

*I'd like to thank the author/publisher/Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review*

Charley Davidson is a part-time Grim Reaper, part-time PI and full=time smart ass, and I'm so glad I found her! This book started my obsession with Charley and Reyes. The wit and charm of Ms. Davidson will have you laughing out loud. The holy hotness of Reyes & Swoopes will make you think having a couple of alpha males trying to boss you around is not such a bad thing. I've recommended this series to everyone who reads. It's just that good. I can't say enough about it except I want more!

I didn't have high hopes for this, I admit, but what people said about it made it sound like some light fun.

Guys, this needs to come with trigger warnings. This review needs a trigger warning because it describes the problematic stuff. It opens with the main character having a sexy dream. Only it's not just a dream: there's some kind of supernatural agent behind it and it is actually a person who she knows. Okay... I'm a little dubious about the consent here because it sounds like he just jumps into her dreams and goes at it, but I'll hold off. It's clear she thinks she knows who the guy is and that she's more or less okay with him having sex with her.

That's fine, but I'm not along for the ride because it's revealed later that they've met once before. She tried to help him in a situation which appeared to be horrific abuse, and he pinned her against a wall and groped her while asking if she'd ever been raped (read the scene quoted here).

THIS IS NOT ROMANTIC. THIS IS NOT LIGHT FUN. I DO NOT WANT TO BE HERE.

Now, I'm not judging people who find bad boys sexy or whatever, and maybe somehow all that is dealt with. But it didn't look like it was being dealt with, and I was very uncomfortable.

Given the importance of sex and who likes whom to the apparent plot (which is otherwise jerky and felt oddly paced), it's perhaps not a surprise I didn't get along with it in other ways either, but... yeesh. At the very least, I'm shocked no one I know has brought up that aspect of the plot/characterisation/pile of problematicness before.

Let me just say that in most cases, I'm a huge fan of sarcastic wit, but it has to be properly timed. First Grave on the Right certainly has an abundance of sarcasm, and at the very beginning of the story, it was amusing. That amusement quickly waned as the book went on because there was just too much of it. The premise is good and looked like something I would enjoy, but in reality, I got a character that seriously needed a muzzle (the kind that keeps you from talking). Charley comes across like an over-sexed teenager rather than a private investigator and I found it ridiculous that any police officer would request her help, even if they did know she could see the dead. I did push through and finish the book in the hopes that it would improve and while the ending is open as far as Charley's relationship with an otherworldly character, this reader won't be exploring the series any further.

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<I><b>"I felt him brush across my mouth, and I knew my life would never be the same again." </I></b>

Oh yes dolls, this is exactly as good as you've heard: funny, sexy, irreverent urban fantasy. Take a break from the heavy and the horrible - sit back and indulge.
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Best of the light urban romantic fantasy genre. Five stars.