I wasn't sure what to expect, but I enjoyed reading this. An interesting story with fun characters. Well written.

I'm a bit behind the times on getting started with this series, but I'm so glad that I finally did. Charley Davidson is a complete riot. Her "squirrel" moments of easily distraction and rapid through-train changes made both her internal and external dialogue amusing and somehow perfectly timed for every moment.

As the grim reaper, souls that haven't crossed yet can find her to help them cross over or take care of unfinished business. Although not all of them want to, like the intriguing Mr. Wong that hangs out in a corner of her apartment. I keep waiting for him to do something - and maybe he will eventually.

With the ability to see the departed, Charley is an invaluable asset to Uncle, a detective on the police force. As she navigates her place in the investigation, often providing information that no one else can, she seems to stroll through life in her own cloud of uniqueness. The departed each have their own unique personalities as well. From Angel, the teenage gang banger, to the ones involved in her uncle's most recent case.

Throw in the "Big Bad" aka Reyes - who is smoking hot and more than what he seems at first, and you have a hint of romance along the way - maybe. It's not entirely clear where this arc will go, but I really can't wait to find out.

Color me impress with this author. And it takes a lot for that to happen. This story is clever, witty, interesting, unique, fun and full of action. Charlie's character is so much fun and the things that happen to her are very unpredictable and out there. Not to mention that she is surrounded by very hot guys. Reyes is boil your blood from the inside kind of intense and intriguing but there is no denying that he will have the same effect on you as a reader that he has on Charlie. He is just delicious danger personified mixed with alpha protector. They could make the oddest couple but you still want them to make it to that point in a solid earthly way. The whole book feels like a discovery of the supernatural and Charlie's mission is to unfold more truths. There is still so much to discover and I know this book has been live a while but I can't wait to read the rest of the series. It is that good.

Where have I been?

I read so many books, so how did I miss this series completely until the release of the 13th and final book in the series?

I LOVE Charley Davidson! I l LOVE Reyes! I have a feeling I'm going to LOVE every book in this series, which I am going to binge read, as I have gotten every single one (except the last one, oops, missed downloading it because of illness) from NetGalley the whole ghostly thing. It had me in its grip from the first page, laughing, grabbing me in the gut, and making me love the characters, from the hero and heroine to the many lovable side characters like Uncle Bob AKA Ubie.

I've never read anything quite like this. I looked forward to what quote or short funny I might find at the beginning of each chapter. This has mystery with a brushstroke of romance, some horror and ghosts mixed in, and the grim reaper is a chick. Who knew? I cannot wait to jump straight into book two. I can see I'm in for an amazing ride.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Note: I also submitted this review to Amazon, but it is not yet published.

This book has a really fun concept. Charley can see the dead, because she is the grim reaper. I never read a book about a grim reaper before and enjoyed that aspect a lot. This was a more adult novel than I usually read but I did enjoy it and will definitely continue reading the series.

I thought the book in general was quite funny and Charley in particular. The sarcasm in this was great. I liked the characters and am excited to read more about them. Some of the messages in this book weren't the best though. I'm wondering how I will feel about that in the rest of the books. The chapter headers were the very best ever though! I really liked how that was done.

The mystery wasn't super engaging or anything special. But the 'background' mystery, that one was interesting for sure. I think the background mystery paired with the grim reaper aspect is the reason I want to continue this series. Oh and the ending of course! That ending definitely left me wanting more!

A few years ago I switched from Adult books to Young Adult books. I wanted to see if I still even remotely liked Adult so I tried this book out. While it was good and I did read it in a few hours I just didn't connect with it.

When I saw First Grave on the Right available on NetGalley as "read now" I snatched it up. I don't know if I even read the book description. I'd seen high ratings for this series over the years and so I thought it would likely be a given that I would enjoy this book. Yet that was fall of 2017 and I had a newborn. I found throughout the majority of 2017 that Young Adult, Contemporary was the best genre for me at that time because the books were shorter and easier for me to get hooked quickly (as a general rule). So I put off starting this book. Eventually, I picked it up, but I wasn't hooked immediately and put it back down. When I was scrolling through the e-library catalog, I saw that the entire series was available in both ebook and audiobook. I got the audiobook in hopes that I could either listen to the entire book or that it would jump start my interest in the book.

I ended up listening to the first 44% of First Grave on the Right through the audiobook. At first, I was stoked to find that Lorelai King narrates the audiobook. I'm familiar with her through the Stephanie Plum series and love the life she gives to the books she narrates. But I was also a little worried that because I associate Lorelai King exclusively with Stephanie Plum that I might not be able to separate the two series. In the end, that wasn't an issue at all, and listening to the audiobook did exactly what I hoped it would--it sparked my interest and after 44% I was so interested I swapped to the e-galley edition I'd received when I wasn't able to listen to the audio. I ended up finishing the book by reading it myself.

First Grave on the Right was packed with story. So much happened in such a short book. There were pieces that applied to this book only and then much went into setting up things to come as the series progresses. This is exactly what it needs to be in a series like this. Each book needs to have some conflict and plot that's unique to it but also needs to advance to overall series arc. This isn't a book to be taken too seriously or criticized for realism--because it isn't realistic. It's fantasy after all. But that's what made it fun, aside from the witty writing.

Within the individual book Charley solves the murder of three attorneys and gets their client, a man who was sent to jail falsely, released from prison by finding the right murderer. She has a client that she was helping to escape an abusive husband that started before the book began. And in the larger scale, we establish the general and main characters of the series and create some mystery and hints of relationship and emotional conflict that will come into play in future books no doubt.

Charley is a grim reaper, but she's quite different than you might imagine a grim reaper to be. She's almost fearless. She's a magnet for getting beat up or almost killed. But she's capable of handling a lot more pain and damage than you would expect. She's witty and sarcastic, and I love that about her. She's also really great at multitasking.

Reyes...oh Reyes. He's hot in a way that you're not sure you're supposed to find attractive. He's fierce and complicated and quite the mystery that Charley needs to solve. I won't give anything away. Some of his mystery was obvious to me, but not all of it. I'm totally intrigued to see what happens next.

I loved Cookie and Angel, Uncle Bob, and even Garrett. I have a feeling Garrett will play a complicated role in Charley's life and the series. I can't wait to start book 2 and find out more about everyone and what Charley gets into next.

First Grave on the Right ended up being better than I expected. I was thankful the physical scenes weren't too prevalent throughout the book. I loved the set up for conflict and relationship between the characters to come. Yet First Grave on the Right was equally interesting for the plot only dealing with this book. All aspects turned out better than I expected. First Grave on the Right gets 4 Stars. Have you read First Grave on the Right? What did you think? Let me know!

I've wanted to start this series for a while now but never got around to it, until NetGalley was offering all of the books as read now books prior to the release of the newest one, Summoned to Thirteenth Grave, book #13. Needless to say, I jumped at this opportunity to download the entire series, and started reading First Grave on the Right immediately. I have been hearing for years about how wonderful the series is, and boy was I not let down!

Charley Davidson is a real live grim reaper. She doesn't carry a scythe or wear the long black cape, but she still helps the dead move on. She is the bright light that draws the departed to her so that they can literally pass through her (she's a portal to the afterworld) and move on to the other side. Most of them do, but of course, there are always a few that won't leave because they have unfinished business, sometimes just passing on a message to a loved one, and other times asking her to solve their own murder. Luckily, Charley is an excellent PI, so she uses her talents to help them out. In this book, three people who worked together were all killed on the same night, so they ask Charley for her help finding out who killed them.

This book had so much of everything I love: humor, ghosts, a hotshot reaper, and a mysterious force (I can't tell you what that force is because it would give too much away) that has been around since her birth. I really can't stress the humor enough!! I laughed out loud so many times when I was reading this book! There was a lot of action, as well, but it was critical to the story, and the pacing was spot on.

In summary, I absolutely loved this book and really, really look forward to reading book #2, Second Grave on the Left. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good paranormal read with a whole lot of humor!

I received a copy of this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I found this book so funny. It had some interesting aspects that kept me going to the end. I really liked Charley, Reyes, and well everyone. I can't wait to read the next one.

I read the first few books in this series a long time ago and decided I wanted to start fresh so I can read the series straight through. I am so glad I did. So many things that I forgot. This book is like Dead Like Me meets Ghost Whisperer. I’m hooked. I love Charley and can’t wait to see what’s in store for her.

I have nothing to say about this book except....it was hysterically funny, filled with sarcasm, and just plain awesome! I have the whole series ready to go and I just can;t wait to dive into book 2.

I have been wanting to read this series for a while - and I'm so glad I finally got the chance! This book was a rip-riot. It hit all the right notes for me. Mystery, humor, romance, sarcasm...every box was checked. I can't wait to get onto the rest of the series!

This book had me gripped from the get go. Humor, a kickass heroine and a sexy as hell love interest that had me devouring the book in hours! I knew from the start that this would be one of my fave series!

Re-reading this book was like visiting an old, dear friend - reminiscing and re-living some of the best times you've had. No matter how long it has been between visits things always fall right back into place.

The Charley Davidson series is light-hearted reading in the urban fantasy genre. This series caught me right from the get-go because it was an attention-grabber from the first page with it's punch-in-the-gut action and heavy doses of sarcasm. Charley is a down-to-earth protagonist with out-of-this-world abilities who draws you in and makes you empathize with her.

As an introduction to the series I thinks this book works very well. The main plot and sub-plots work together to weave a backdrop for not only this story, but all the following ones as well. The characters are introduced with intertwined back stories and the world they live in is described in enough detail to allow your imagination to create a vivid image of it.

All of the background you need to understand Charley, her family, and her friends is included in this book. If you are looking for a quick read read with hijinx, a touch of mystery, action, and tons of sarcasm then you are in the right place!

Review:

Since I read all of the Charley Davidson in one long run, yes, I had not read any of the series yet, I decided to write one review for the previously released books and one for the last book in the series.

First let me say, these are wickedly awesome books! Loved the story line, the writing and the characters. For me it was great to read them all at once and a little sad, since there will not be anymore. One of the things I loved about the books was Charley and her balls to the wall, help whoever, whenever she can attitude. Now that sure got her in lots of trouble, but it was so much fun to read. I loved the snarky witty dialogue and the quotes at the beginning of each chapter cracked me up. Now, it is not all fun and games in this story, there were points when I was crying and points I was on the edge of my seat with the action going on. I have to say on the whole this is one of the best and most well-rounded series I have read where I was not once bored or wanting to put down a book.

I am not sure what this Author has coming next, but she has me on the hook for whatever it is.

5 Big Stars for all of the books in the series

*I voluntarily read reader copies of each book provided by the publisher for review.*

Favorite Quotes:

My stepmother was never big on the whole nurturing thing. I think she used up all the good stuff on my older sister, and by the time she got to me, she was fresh out of nurture. She did, however, give me one pertinent bit of 411. She was the one who informed me that I had the attention span of a gnat; only, she said I had the attention span of a gnat with selective listening. At least I think that’s what she said. I wasn’t listening.

Maybe I needed sensitivity training. I once signed up for an anger management class, but the instructor pissed me off.

He didn’t care enough about me to give me the time of day, but I pretty much had the time-of-day thing covered anyway.

She didn’t smile back. Not even a little. I totally needed to read that book on how to win friends and influence people. But that would involve an innate desire to win friends and influence people. My desires were a tad more visceral at the moment.

I pointed to my right breast. “This is Danger.” Then my left. “And this is Will Robinson. I would appreciate it if you addressed them accordingly.”

I just prayed neither of us was biting off more than we could chew. I did that once with bubble gum. It wasn’t pleasant.

My Review:

I don’t often read paranormal but there are exceptions and this series looks like it will be one of them, I lapped it up this talented wordsmith’s story like the free booze at my arch nemesis’s wedding reception. I’m a bit late to the party as this was a dazzling debut and merely book one of what is now a thirteen book best-selling series. The writing and storylines were crisp, cunningly crafted, and laced with dark and clever asides, witty observations, and scintillating snark. I was captivated by the creativity and besotted with the enticingly intriguing characters. I fear I just may have developed an instant and insatiable taste for this crafty authors word voodoo and am kicking myself for my procrastination in sampling her brilliance.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a eARC copy of this book to read and review.

Spoilers and possible rants follow. Please be warned.

Some background of the character and the plot so the negative review makes sense.

The main character is the "grim reaper" in that she can see and converse with dead people and can help them on to the other side through her as the portal to said other side. Not sure what/who she is to go through in order to pass on herself, when she dies. Maybe she's immortal.

Anywho, her father was a cop and her uncle is currently a cop and since she can converse with dead people and help her dad and uncle solve murder cases, she is a contractor "expert" part time and paid by the police to do said work. So one would assume, she knows police procedure.

They have three dead attorneys, cops have all three bodies and they know that the murders are tied to a case they were working on, as the stool pigeon who was talking to one of the attorneys was also found murdered in a way that indicated he was a canary. So. The cops KNOW this is in relation to an on-going appeal for a man who was convicted of murder, there is possible evidence inside the attorney's office that someone else committed the murder. So rather than wait for the cops to get a search warrant, the MC is going to break and enter into the office to look around and get the evidence.

That is fruit of the forbidden tree. Any evidence not gathered legally via search warrant is inadmissable in court. Even I know that and that knowledge comes from watching too much TV/cop shows. She should know that, having been raised by a cop and currently working for the cops!

So that was a hard stop for me. Combined with the following. TRIGGER WARNING RE: SEXUAL ASSAULT

When the MC was 15 or so, she went out onto the streets at night with her older sister so her sister could do extra credit to graduate a semester early. Or some flimsy excuse to force the following to occur.

MC sees a teenage boy being beaten badly by presumably his father. When the MC goes to try to help the boy, who is about 17-18, says we need to call the cops, get you help, he says no. She keeps pushing until he grabs her by the throat and presses her against the alley wall, and asks her if she'd ever been raped. He then proceeds to touch her inappropriately and says she will be if she doesn't leave right now. Her sister is there, uselessly doing nothing, not even 1) running the video and 2) CALLING THEIR POLICE OFFICE FATHER!! MC thinks it's hot, cuz the boy is hot. She leaves. Finds out later that he left his sister in the apartment with the dad. Never find out what happens to the sister. Just a refrigerator/plot device I guess.

Ten years later, the opening scene of this book, the MC is having an erotic dream. She's been having a lot of them recently. Find out later, the boy who threatened to rape her can project himself into her dreams and essentially, since she doesn't know consent is required, just thinks it's a dream, he dream rapes her. Doesn't matter that she's willing, she doesn't know it is basically REAL. Can't give consent. Though when she finds out about it, she's all cool with it, cuz he's HAWT.

Then he comes to her when the three lawyer ghosts are around and they say he was wearing a prison uniform. Rather than find out what he's in for, she moons over his mug shot. Cuz he's HAWT. And she says since he is so pissed off in the mug shot, it's obvious he is innocent, because guilty people don't look pissed off in mug shots, they look sad or guilty.

Give this woman an honorary Psych 101 degree!! (face palm)

So yeah, she works for the cops, her family is blue and she's lusting after a rape-threatening criminal. (face palm)

Now, I am NOT in any way demeaning rape fantasy erotica. If people are into reading it, that's fine, HOWEVER, usually those books are marketed as such. This one is not. Hence my distaste for the rape fantasy going on here.

I personally like to read about healthy relationships, whether romantic or otherwise. This relationship does not fit that criteria for me.

Also, some borderline racist wording of things "that's like the pot calling the kettle African America" and referring to an Asian male ghost in her room who is very grey as resembling a Chinese POW. Both of those left a bad taste in my mouth.

With these issues, I had to DNF at 37% and give this book the dubious honor of being my first 1 star review and DNF of 2019. I do not recommend this book, unless erotica tinged with rape fantasy doesn't bother you. We have some customers in our store for whom this book may go over very well. It just isn't one that I personally enjoyed.

Amazing 5 star read!!!!! Charley is a Private Investigator/Grim Reaper, Coffee is her drug, and trouble seems to always find her. This book has a little bit of everything. I laughed out loud, shed a few tears, and swooned.

Charlie Davidson: part-time private investigator and full-time Grim Reaper. That one sentence made me want to read this book. Charlie is also smart, sarcastic, witty, and she has hot dreams about someone or something that has been following her all her life. Fans of the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris will likely enjoy this book. No vampires in this book, though.

I have been wanting to read this series for a long time. I am so glad I had it on my TBR. Loved this one and I’ve already started book two! I absolutely love Charley and her snark. This is a series I know from just reading the first book that I’m going to love. Can’t wait to read the others in the series!