Brilliant...simply brilliant...I'm not just talking about how bright Charley shines to dead people. This is the 3rd book in the Charley Davidson series and it's just as, if not more, exciting as Book 1, First Grave On The Right, and Book 2, Second Grave On The Left. "Third Grave Dead Ahead" is also the first book I've the pleasure of listening to in an audio format and I loved it! I listened to this on my commute to and from work everyday and on the last day it took me to get through it, I had also brought it into work and played it on my computer (no one was around that day) and finished up the final 45 mins of the book when I got home.

Charley is, once again, my Grim Reaper hero. She's all sass, sarcasm, and attitude and I wouldn't want her any other way. Darynda Jones has written another masterpiece. In Book 2, Charley bound Reyes' incorporeal body to his corporeal one in order to prevent him from killing himself...If he really looks how I imagine him then I understand why Charley wants his "real" body still here on earth, tormenting her.

And torment he does. He appears in her dreams every time she nods off...hence the drinking of large amounts of coffee. Amid all the torment, Charley is approached by a popular doctor whose wife had gone missing and requests her help. While investigating all the leads she and Cookie can find she discovers that the popular doctor has some skeletons in his closet. Then Reyes escapes from prison and carjacks Charley, forcing her to take him to the home of his partner-in-crime, and then Reyes disappears. Reyes is under the impression that his father, the one Reyes killed 10 years ago, is still alive and apparently tying up loose ends.

So much plot twisting and intermingling of storylines goes on this book and Darynda keeps everything on the straight and narrow. New characters are introduced in this installment and not all of them have 2 legs. There's a potential love interest for Charley that isn't the Son of Satan and Charley gets a guardian. There is a tragedy that occurs to a lovable, primary character so it will be interesting to see how the situation is developed in the future. Charley's father continues on his downward spiral in Charley's eyes, leaving Uncle Ubi to help pick up the pieces when he becomes particularly nasty. All-in-all a fantastic continuation of Charley Davidson-Grim Reaper Extraordinaire.

Hidey-ho fellow SMPer! I'm just leaving a review that I don't want you to publish because I checked this book out via Netgalley and am trying to raise my score. I wish we could send ebooks from the MDL to our Kindle! Please don't post this publically haha! I didn't feel like it was honest to leave a review working for the company!

THIRD GRAVE DEAD AHEAD

Darynda Jones

From the New York Times bestselling author Darynda Jones, comes the third book in her hilarious paranormal romance series. Paranormal private eye. Grim reaper extraordinaire. Whatever. Charley Davidson is back! And she's drinking copious amounts of caffeine to stay awake because every time she closes her eyes she sees him: Reyes Farrow, the part-human, part-supermodel son of Satan. Yes, she did imprison him for all eternity, but come on. How is she supposed to solve a missing-persons case, deal with an ego-driven doctor, calm her curmudgeonly dad, and take on a motorcycle gang hell-bent on murder when the devil's son just won't give up on his plan of seduction . . . and revenge?



My thoughts

rating : 4.5

this series just keeps getting better and better , I had already read books 1-2 , and I'm glad that I'm going on with the series, because its one of my favorite ones to read , because it never lets me down, once I start to read it I can't stop and I love Charley and how she makes me laugh . There was a character I didn't like but hopeful he'll be better in the next one. This one shows Charley growing more into who she is and what she is , can't wait to read the next one . With that said I want to thank Netgalley for letting me read and review it.

I'm going to write this review as a "series" review because, quite frankly, I binge read the whole series THIRTEEN books in one week. I literally couldn't put them down. When I read the last page of the last book, I wanted to cry.

Book one hooks you from the start. The world that Darynda built within this series is phenomenally creative. It's full of magic and mystery. The hero is the perfect anti-hero turned true hero that I've read in a long, long time. My heart broke for the trials and tribulations the hero and heroine went through to get to the end of the series. Calling it an emotional rollercoaster doesn't even cover the vast span of emotions that the author drags the reader through.

The only complaint I have is that the series ended.... there was a "the end" and I didn't want to be done yet. A complete must read for all PNR lovers!

Third Grave Dead Ahead is book #3 (in case you hadn't guessed it from the title) in the Grim Reaper series by Darynda Jones. What separates these tales from the glut of paranormal hot chick lit that is filling up the marketplace is undoubtedly, Charley Davidson, the Grim Reaper herself.

"...My name is Charlotte Davidson. Charley to some, Charlotte the Harlot to others, but that was mostly in middle school. I came with a decent set of curves , a healthy respect for the male anatomy, and a slightly disturbing addiction to brown edibles. Other than that-and the fact that I'd been born the grim reaper-I was about as normal as a surly girl with a private investigator's license could be..."

After binding her lover and son of Satan boyfriend, Reyes to his corporal body in hopes of saving him from being ripped apart by a band of demons (see book #2), Charley is trying to desperately to stay awake because every time she doses off, Reyes comes for a visit in her dreams. Living off of copious amounts of coffee, Charley gets a new case. A rich and powerful doctor whose ego is as big as his house wants to hire her to find his missing wife. Only Charley knows there is much more to it than just that. Add to the mix a motorcycle gang who wants her to find out whoever is poisoning their dogs and Charley's father who suddenly finds her chosen line of work to be more than he can handle, it is all getting to be a bit much for a grim reaper who hasn't slept in days.

Add to it that Reyes has escaped and is on the streets hunting down the man he killed. The man that he went to prison for. The man that Reyes believes is still alive.

Charley has a full day ahead of her, if only she can get a good cup of coffee.

The narrative and irreverence to her position as Grim Reaper make Charley a very likable character. She doesn't take herself too seriously and as a reader, we are encouraged to not do so either. She sees the dead. She is able to allow them to pass through her to the other side. She has untapped powers. She is the lover of the Son of Satan. But besides all of this, the reader is far more encouraged to see Charley as a private investigator, helping her clients and the dead find justice.

In Third Grave Dead Ahead, with the exception of passing on a message for a dead clown, Charley is focused on the living. The motorcycle gang whose dogs are being poisoned. The missing wife of the rich doctor. The man who Reyes is supposed to have murdered, but somehow, is actually alive. All of this and dealing with her own dysfunctional family that is yet to come to grips with who she really is.

Jones writes and entertaining and yet poignant tale of the daughter who doesn't quite fit in. Of a supernatural being whose greatest challenge is her human persona, and of the crimes that need to be solved.

Fun and funny. A really good read that has me ready to pick up the next one in the series!

A re-read thanks to a promotion by Netgalley for the final Charley Davidson book. I love this series and so happy to have it in my e-reader instead of getting a loan from the library. This is one of my faves in the whole series.

The third installment in the Charley Davidson series and another solid three star read.

Reyes in in a rage and Charley is being pressured to find a new career path. Humorous and action packed like the first two books in the series it doesn't pack quiet the emotional punch though. Can't wait to continue the series. This series is great easy reading.

Holy moly, lemon cannoli! I laughed so much when I read this book. A little lacking on the Reyes front, because, let me be perfectly honest...I am here for "ALL" of the Reyes! But, seriously, I laughed out loud at the antics in this book. Which was exactly what I needed. You know how sometimes you read to lose yourself? That is exactly what I did when I picked up this book. I actually read the entire book in one sitting. And truth be told, it had been a while since I had read the second book, but no matter, I remembered all of the characters like they were family and it all came flooding back to me. And I'm right onto book 4 as soon as I am done writing this review. I have to know what this ridiculous band of misfits is going to get up to next! Excellent writing, descriptions and lose yourself urban fantasy. Just what the doctor ordered!

Great addition to the series. Enjoyed the plot and the characters. This is a great paranormal romance series!

This was an entertaining read. I liked the writing style and I enjoyed both the characters and the plot.

I love the humour. It's constantly making me laugh. And as a concept it's great - something completely original and fresh. I am more and more intrigued by the characters.

So I'm blowing through this series so far. I finish one book and start the next immediately. I forced myself to review book 2, Second Grave on the Left, before I allowed myself to start this book. However, I jumped right into book 4 without forcing myself to review this one. In some ways I think that was a good thing because I feel that I have a clearer direction on how to review this book, but in other ways sometimes the progress of the overall story can get muddled when I read more than one book too soon without stopping to review. I think it's obvious that I'm enjoying these.

Charley is yet again on the case of a missing wife. She immediately suspects the husband as he seems to pour out feelings of guilt. Things aren't completely what they seem here. Although, as per usual, I was able to predict some aspects of the case. I felt like there was quite a lot of time spent on this case compared to what I'd like to hear more about--Reyes.

Charley FINALLY gets to meet Reyes face to face. She'd seen his physical body before, but both times he was unconscious and heavily injured. Now, he's ragingly PO'd at her for binding his incorporeal self to his physical body. And even though she's tried, she can't seem to unbind him. I do find myself getting frustrated with Reyes and Charley. So many times they don't say what they mean and end up causing more drama between each other than is necessary. They've both hurt each other emotionally and have reasons not to trust each other--Reyes when he was attempting to let his physical body die and Charley when she bound him without permission. Of course, holding someone at knifepoint is also a great reason to distrust. We do make some good advancement in the Reyes storyline that I'd love to talk about, but that would all be spoilers.

The dynamic between Charley's family changes even more as her father all but insists that she get out of the PI business. I mean she has been almost killed multiple times in each book so far. Which reminds me of a point I was going to make. Books where the characters are constantly getting into scrapes that are "too big" especially when they're supposed to be trying to keep things under the radar--like their supernatural abilities--can sometimes be a struggle for me. I mean the authors have to address the frequency of these big events with the characters that aren't in on the big secrets, but it's often too unbelievable how the characters get around this. In the case of this series, Charley needs these life-threatening situations to advance her character, both emotionally and in the area of learning more about what she's capable of. So it's hard to be too upset with them.

Favorite quote:
-Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong. --T-shirt

The writing is the same witty and sarcastic that we've come to know and love. Based off the acknowledgment section I'd say this might just be Darynda Jones and not just Charley's character. Charley and Reyes make some progress, but the place where Third Grave Dead Ahead ends spurred me on to pick up book 4 immediately. There was even one place I started to tear up. I didn't cry but I was definitely emotional. I won't tell you anything more besides "Garrett." Third Grave Dead Ahead gets 4 stars. Have you read Third Grave Dead Ahead? What did you think? Let me know!

This was another great installment in the Charley Davidson series. Charley is solving mysteries, dealing with a motorcycle gang encroaching on her territory and drinking copious amounts of coffee. The mystery was good, the cast of supporting characters quirky and the romance, steamy.

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

Charley Davidson is back and she’s drinking copious amounts of caffeine to stay awake because Reyes Farrow, the part- human, part- supermodel son of Satan is a bit angry and haunting her every sleeping moment. Now she has to solve a missing persons case, deal with ego-driven doctor, cam her curmudgeonly dad, and take on a motorcycle game while being sleep deprived and set as bait once again.

Once again, the saucy and snarky Charley Davidson has readers eager for another visit from the Grim Reaper in this mega suspenseful and splendidly delightful read. All the characters in this series are strong and full of vibrant life that make it easy for readers to not only connect with them but wanting them to extend their time with them as much as they can. Charley, herself is a fun ‘knock them dead’ heroine that reader can enjoy and live vicariously through with her wicked wit and feisty attitude. The chemistry between her and Reyes burns with lots of fire and sparks fly in every direction in their unconventional yet passionate relationship.

The plot is fast paced and full of exhilarating suspense that has readers turning the pages in anticipation of the next thrilling moment and with Charley’s busy, chaotic life there is never a dull moment to be found. The perfect blend of humor and suspense makes this book a dynamite read that readers can’t get enough of. New characters bring more excitement and adrenaline pumping thrills to the story while recurring characters continue to add their own brand of spice and sauce to the story and readers find themselves locking out the world in order to get the full enjoyable and entertaining experience of this fabulous read.

Third Grave Dead Ahead is the third book in the Charley Davidson series. This can be read as a standalone, though personally I think you should read the books in order written so you fully understand the storyline. There is violence and sex. I really enjoy this series. It is the perfect mix of paranormal and romance.

I so love this series, Charlie and Reyes are getting me hooked. I like the whole Grim Reeper thing, and Reyes being the son of satan is interesting. I would highly recommend this book, and I will again continue with this series.

I just have no words about this series other than "WOW" and "Hilarious"! Who knew death could be so entertaining?!

This book is part of a paranormal detective series. It is fast moving, comical and definitely keeps your interest. Everyone should have a Cookie.

I'm still not 100% sure on this series, but the ending of this book has me very intrigued about where we go to from here. I can see why Charley brings out strong opinions in people. She is hard to like, has a filthy mouth and makes some dumb decisions. But she is also very sassy, independent and unapologetic. And I don't know... I kind of like her.