This series is always in high demand at my library. The characters Daryna Jones uses are delightful and my readers love getting to know them more each book. Fabulous series!

Fifth Grave Past the Light is part of the Charley Davidson series by Darynda Jones, which I am currently binge reading and sharing about more slowly here on the blog. Please read it in order, it will be much more enjoyable and fun that way.

Charley Davidson isn't your everyday, run-of-the-mill grim reaper. She's more of a paranormal private eye/grim reaper extraordinaire. However, she gets sidetracked when the sexy, sultry son of Satan, Reyes Farrow, moves in next door. To further complicate matters, Reyes is her main suspect in an arson case. Charley has vowed to stay away from him until she can find out the truth...but then dead women start appearing in her apartment, one after another, each lost, confused, and terrified beyond reason. When it becomes apparent that her own sister, Gemma is the serial killer's next target, Charley has no choice but to ask for Reyes's help. Arsonist or not, he's the one man alive who could protect Gemma no matter who or what came at her. But he wants something in return. Charley. All of her, body and soul. And to keep her sister safe, it is a price she is willing to pay.

Fifth Grave Past the Light is a heavily packed addition to this series. I think I got so much more about Charley and exactly who and what else might be inhabiting her world in this book than I have so far in the entire series. She is not only facing her issues head on, dealing with relationship changes and challenges, and the changes in how the dead are approaching her all combine with her more mundane cases. I have to fess up that I look like an idiot when I am reading these books, because I find myself randomly grinning or cringing as Charley and crew entertain me. I really like that not all the danger Charley and her circle face are from the supernatural, 'normal' people are just as scary and dangerous as the paranormal and more likely to do serious damage. I liked the interactions between Reyes and Charley, and that they are tackling their relationship on several levels. I admit that I was fully expecting a particular twist to arise, and still expect it to come up in the near future. Although I was floored with the surprise on the very last page of the book.

Fifth Grave Past the Light is so much more than I had expected. Even the slightly cliffhanger ending was not the twist that I was expecting. I am diving into book six now!

I am falling head over heels with this series and this fifth book was definitely my favourite so far. Charley is back on top form after a bit of a confidence crisis in the last instalment, she's dealt with everything that happened to her and has managed to get her life back on track. Reyes is now her neighbour which leads to a lot of fun flirting via post-it note, for once they're on the same page relationship wise and things are definitely hotting up between them. She's also learning more about her abilities as a Grim Reaper which comes in handy when she almost gets accidentally shot by her best friend.

This book we see Charley's house being invaded by an ever increasing number of dead women, it looks like Charley has a serial killer on her hands but if the murders have been happening for over 20 years why has it taken so long for the victims to show up on her doorstep? Charley will do whatever it takes to find justice for these women but they're all so traumatised that she's finding it difficult to communicate with them so this case is looking more complicated than ever.

I love the humour in this series, hardly a page goes by without me laughing out loud so this probably isn't the best series to read in public but it's definitely one that cheers me up and leaves me smiling. As much as I love Charley and her sarcastic sense of humour I also really love so many of the people around her, her uncle Bob, Cookie, Artemis, even Swopes when he's not being an idiot. Best of all is Reyes though, that man is sex personified and the way he is so totally head over heels for Charley makes me swoon every time. That they have fantastic chemistry has never been in doubt but in this book we finally see them talking more too, their relationship makes huge strides forward here and I loved every minute of it. I can't wait to find out what happens next so I'm going to be diving straight into the next book after I finish this review & I have a feeling I'm about to start another series binge read!

Another great installment to the series! When dead women start appearing in her apartment and taking it over she realizes that they are all victims of a serial killer. I really enjoyed how much her relationship with Reyes developed in this one.

Less intense than previous books in the series but still packed full of funny quips and information (though it was a little out of left field when Swopes just starts busting out all the knowledge). It was kind of nice to feel a little more light-hearted and there were some seriously creepy moments too so don't get too worried... still amazing.

Ebook/ARC/Urban Fantasy: I want to thank NetGalley for letting view all the books in this series. I still don't like Reyes. I know he's Charley's man and he's an antihero in a rugged way, but I still don't like him and Charley can do a lot better.

The book was okay. There were a lot of plots going around. Charley has new ghost roommates that are haunting every inch of her apartment. One top of the fact that she suspect Reyes of burning down a bunch of buildings. And you know from the start it's either not him or he's doing it for a good reason.

I can recommend this book and this series. I'm not over the moon like a lot of other people about it.

This is a fantastic series! All of the characters are amazing! I love the humor in these books, it is laugh out loud fun! It is very hard to focus when the Son of Satan who is sexy as HELL, moves in next door.. sigh! This is way UF should be written! It is very fun and steamy! One really needs to start at the beginning for this series it will make things so much easier!

Fifth installment is once again busy with stuff – 27 dead and terrified blonds in Charley’s apartment; a dead visitor, who isn’t really “dead”; an arsonist, that can not be an arsonist; too many smitten females in Charley’s fathers bar and new fence around Rocket’s asylum – so many mysterious things and somehow, they will all add up and get solved. But those are not the only things that keep Charley busy. Now that Reyes is out and nearby, they need to be close, and Reyes finds some very clever ways to make them even more closer.

By the end I really thought, this is a book, where Charley will get away without shedding her own blood, but no such luck. Just as quickly as she is collecting new allies she also collects enemies and those enemies don’t just want to slap her wrists, they want her dead and the more grisly way the better.

Well after another serial killer has met the dragon named Charley, they all live HEA till the next book.

This is the fifth book in the series. I have to say that with every book, I fall more and more in love with Charley, Reyes, Cookie, and the whole group! As Charley is asked to investigate a husband to see if he is having an affair, her apartment has become a haven filled over 20 murdered women. As Charley investigates who the women are and how they have died, she is also trying to learn more about Reyes. i highly recommend that this series is read in order because it does contain spoilers. The chemistry and interactions between Charley and Reyes is sizzling as well as explosive! I fall in love with them more with each book. Fifth Grave Past the Light draws you in and holds you captive. We finally get to learn a little bit more about Reyes and what Swopes had gone through. I can not wait to find out what disastrous jobs Charley has found herself in. I highly recommend that those 18+ read this due to language, violence, and sexual scenes. Thank you Ms. Jones and Netgalley for allowing me to continue on Charley's quest. I can't wait to see the next adventure!

WOW!! I am enjoying this series so much.
I very much liked this one. The author just keeps writing fantastic books in this series that keeps me reading and just gets me hooked.

I do highly recommend this.

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.*

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Shelby – ☆☆☆☆☆
The further into this series I get, the more questions I have about Charley and her "abilities," and Reyes and his purpose.

Fifth Grave Past the Light was an excellent follow up to the darker tone of book four! Exciting and action packed, there is just so much happening: a serial killer is on the loose, and an adulterous husband are the main mysteries. Of course, that's not all that's happening. Charley's dad is withdrawing, but why? Reyes is pushing himself into Charley's everyday life. Gemma is even becoming a mainstay in Charley's life.

I found this book to be fast-moving and informative, but as I learn more, I'm always left questioning something else. We learn more about the powers Charley possesses as a Grim Reaper, but don't know what the cost of using them.

I do have a few things that are bothering me and am hoping are resolved in the next books.
1) I feel like Charley only feels a physical attraction to Reyes, we never truly learn about HIM. They don't talk or discuss their true feelings (does that make sense?), she mentions how attractive he is, or how everyone drools when he walks in a room. I crave more dimension to Reyes.
2) At what point does Charley stop being so reckless? I would figure with all that she's been through, she'd use a bit of caution when dealing with strangers. (NOT that she can/could control many situations she gets into, but she could use some common sense.)

Having said that, I love Charley Davidson and Cookie, I love Amber and Quentin, and Reyes, and Uncle Bob and Swopes, I love Rocket, Blue, and SS... and I can't stop reading this series. There is just so much left to learn about everyone and everything!


Erica – ☆☆☆☆☆
Fifth Grave Past the Light is obviously the fifth installment of the Charley Davidson series, and I suggest against reading it as a standalone, as plot threads and themes overlap from book to book.

This installment has less police work and more paranormal exploration, along with a healthy dose of Reyes between-the-sheets action. That son of the devil sure does know how to woo a lady.

Charley has no idea the scope of her abilities, so this is where she begins to slowly come into her own. She has a small side case for her private investigator business, involving a cheating man who loves bigger ladies, and the client is a woman who has recently dropped a ton of weight.

On the grim reaper front, Charley wakes to discover woman after woman, ages from child to middle-age, filling her apartment. Ghosts, obviously. Twenty-seven victims in fact. As usual, the grim reaper life runs parallel with Charley's working with the police department.

Swoops brings facts straight from Hell. The rest of the supportive cast stays true to their roots, bringing the comedy but also emotional depth. Charley's estrangement with Dad is still tenuous. Her deep emotional connection to her uncle is heartwarming. Her budding best-friend-esque relationship with her sister sparks of hope. Even the varying friendships she shares with the ghosts. The side cast draws every emotion out of Charley.

Reyes quite literally brings the heat. Hellfire, ya know? In the bedroom and in the kitchen, and everywhere in between.

Charley is struggling to come to terms with what she is, what she's able to do, and what she may have to do to Reyes, as well as what that means for her and the son of evil. She deals with some hard-hitting events, showcasing how real evil is reflected from innocuous human beings, not the supernatural creatures created from light and dark (not good and evil),

The GPS voices were a highlight for me, between Ozzy and Yoda. Darynda Jones should have added Gordon Ramsay. Everything GPS Ozzy said just about had me peeing my pants. Bela Lugosi topped me off.

This lighthearted, witty, sarcastic humor was a must to offset the very dark content, especially right at the end.

Highly recommend the series. Wish I could start the next straight away, especially with Reyes's Post-It note at the end.


Dawn – ☆☆☆☆
Another great addition to the series, if I'm being honest I preferred this one to the last one, it's a lot lighter.

So what's happening in Charley’s life? Just a serial killer! She also has a job to catch a cheating husband in the act, piece of cake for Charley Davidson.

We get to see more of Reyes in this book, he has kind of pushed his way into Charley’s life, so that she has to deal with him daily.

Cookie, who doesn't love this woman? I'm glad she is getting some of the like light.

The story is unfolding nicely, I like where it is heading.

I'm now going off to dive into book six!


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆☆
This is the fifth book in the series, and things are hotting up! I would absolutely recommend that you read them in order, and that you get to it now, so that you too can get why I gave this installment five super-hot stars.

The previous book gave us an inkling as to just how important Charley is in the scheme of... well, everything. She is slowly realising that Reyes often means literally what he says, even when it seems unlikely. Now that he is free, and in fact living in the apartment next door, the chemistry between them is sizzling over, and we get to confirm that all that hellish talent can give Charley all the pleasure she desires!

The cases this time are very cleverly interwoven, and ramp up the tension, as well as giving key people the chance to provide some light relief. There is really so much going on, that in thinking about it, I am thoroughly immersed in their world. I love that the intensity is maintained at a level which ensures I am more or less on edge all the time, but then I can also dissolve into giggles at the crazy. It is in fact all crazy, but in such a totally read-worthy way, that I am already plotting when I can get onto the next installment... after all, the post-it note ending needs following up pronto.

Thank you, Darynda Jones, thank you – you have created a wonderful series, which I am already looking forward to re-reading, in the certain knowledge that I will find out more even depth to the story as I slow down a bit, not needing to know exactly how it turns out!

I'm pretty sure the Charley Davidson series has been getting better with each subsequent book I read. Somehow Darynda Jones manages to mix funny, sexy, mysterious, terrifying and sadness into a book and make it magic. Charley is juggling multiple cases in the fifth book - one paid, one requesting and one via departed women in her apartment. The relationship with Reyes intensifies and get sexier than ever and Swopes continues to become more enlightened not just to Charley's abilities but the whole reason she's on Earth in the first place. I love Charley and this series so far!

A fantastic urban fantasy series. Each instalment is just as enjoyable and exciting as the last, if not better. Great stuff!

The fifth installment has Charley hopping out of the frying pan and jumping into the fire. Reyes becomes her neighbor but he is also a suspect in an arson case. Then dead women begin appearing in Charley's apartment, the victims of a serial killer, and Gemma is next on the list. The only one who can keep Gemma safe is Reyes, but he wants nothing less than Charley, body and soul, as payment.

This book was awesome, just like the rest of the series. Plenty of the expected humor, sexiness and sass but this book was a little darker, more serious. We learn about really old prophecies and why Reyes was really sent! Oh, I can't wait to start the next book. Good thing this part of the series is already written.

I want to thank NetGalley for the complimentary ebook copy of this title. Reviews are strictly my own opinion.

Fifth Grave past the Light
By Darynda Jones

4 stars.

Darynda Jones new fiction series combining action, supernatural and romance. Featuring Charley Davidson: part-time private investigator and full-time Grim Reaper. Charley sees dead people, 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 (i.e., murder), sometimes they want Charley to bring the bad guys to justice.

While not my usual genre, I found the books engaging and face paced to keep me picking up title after title.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing a review copy in return for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

#NetGalley

Reviewed by Heath Henwood
www.books-reviewed.weebly.com

ARC Kindly provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have read these books over and over and over, and everytime I read them I fall more in love with it. The only thing that frustrates me is the waiting in between and for the ultimate fight, other than that and is like an addiction.

I am too sad to see this series over, but something tells me this will not be the end at all.

If you haven't read this series, start now, it is just amazing!

Thank you for the early copy.

I recommend this fifth novel of the series to fans of urban fantasy. I find that as the series goes on it keeps getting better. And I keep reading for the main character and the plot.

First you need to have read previous books to get the story arc. This one has much more serious stories for Charley to deal with. There are even a few hot scenes with Reyes, just saying. All the secondary characters are here. Garrett really moves the story arc along and has everyone looking at things differently. Charley is maturing, but she is still pretty funny. I like how the arc is moving forward and the growing up of Charlie.

“Scattered on the floor was everything from George R. R. Martin and Tolkien to Ursula Le Guin and Asimov. He was a reader. And he liked fantasy and science fiction. It was like he was created for me and me alone.”

This was a strange and relatively low key Charlie Davidson story, but it was romantic.

There was much exposition about the Great War story arch but mostly it was about bringing Reyes and Charlie together. And Gemma and Wyatt. Oh, and Cookie and Bob.

Let’s just call it a transition story and leave it at that.