Monday, May 21, 2012

Review: First Grave On The Right by Darynda Jones Narrated by Lorelei King



First Grave on the Right (Charley Davidson, #1)

Author: 

Audio CD, 9 pages

Published February 1st 2011 by Macmillan Audio
ISBN 1427211302 (ISBN13: 9781427211309)
Book Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Series Charley Davidson #1
Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy
Borrowed from Library



Charley sees dead people. That’s right, she 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. 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. This is a thrilling debut novel from an exciting newcomer to the world of paranormal romantic suspense




Review :
 This story is laden with humor and wit. The audio version was done well and I enjoyed listening to Lorelei play out each character and give her unique spin on them.

Charley Davidson a PI full of snarkiness, humor, and oh, she can see dead people. Charley helps the dead pass to the other side, she's a grim reaper. Her world is filled with ghosts, acting as their voice in the living world. She basically is ravaged with mindless request and deals with  the wayward ghost or two. But, that's not all she does, she solves mysteries, She’s a part time PI, an Albuquerque Police Department consultant who helps her uncle solve murders, and does a pretty good job at it, with the help of her circle of friends, relatives, and the occasional ghosts.
Her world is basically built upon her being a medium and solving mysteries.
The love interest in this book is the biggest mystery for Charley to solve.
Reyes, your every girls fantasy. If you love a dark, powerful, mysterious, savior, that just so happens to be seductive, and wicked good in bed, he's your man! Hmm.. Where, oh where can I get me a Reyes.

"The shadow moved, disintegrated, disappeared, and reappeared before me in the same instant. Then it was my turn to retreat. I stumbled back as a long tendril of smoke raised, and suddenly an arm was braced against the wall beside my head. [...] His mouth brushed my ear, sending shivers down my spine. “Dutch,” he whispered, and I melted into him. [...] Then his mouth covered mine and I lost all sense of reality. My world took his form, became his body, his mouth, his hands, skimming over me, surveying the hills and valleys of all that was me, his moon. His very own satellite seduced into his orbit by the sheer will of his gravity."

My version of Reyes
                                             

So good, right?
Reyes has saved Charley's life since the day she was born, as he is unique and carries his own aura of mystery. Now, I'm not going to spoil what or whom Reyes is, just think of him as a sexy hero, with paranormal powers.


This book was full of humor and one liners. I'm sharing a few with you below. Enjoy! I know I did.

Quotes
“Where you just possessed?" Cookie asked after a long moment, awe softening her voice. "'Cause let me tell you, sweetheart, if that was possession, I'm selling my soul.”
“Genius has its limitations.
Insanity...not so much" -Bumper Sticker”  
"It isn’t the fall that will kill you, but the sudden stop.”

“That took balls."
"Please," I said with a snort, "that took ovaries. Of which I have
two.”
  

                                     


4.5/5 Stars                      



Review of Audio:  Excellent Audio Narrator!
Lorelei King narrated this audio version of the book, and I must say she was an excellent choice! She had snark, seduction, and a sultry tone.
To this day her voice rings out in my head whenever I think of Miss Jones book, or read any of the quotes from this book. Every time I read a bumper sticker or t-shirt, I think about this book and Miss King's narration. I loved her playing the voice of Charley and Cookie. She made them come alive as well as the other characters in this book, portraying each one in a unique voice.
*I only hope she will continue with the series, as I really cannot see anyone else replacing her.


One last word, Darynda is participating in a auction to raise money for a cure for Diabetes. She is auctioning off some awesome prizes, including a Kindle Fire loaded with the first three books in this series, and so many other great items, including a 3 day/2 night stay in Santa Fe at El Dorado hotel and spa/lunch w/ Darynda.
There are hundreds of items up for bid and you should really check it out. Some of the items up for bid include, arcs from a great selection of upcoming books, and so much more. Links below


Check out Darynda's post here
Check out the auction site here

The paper back version is only $.6.00, the audio is $16.00, now at Amazon







                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

2 comments:

  1. Reyes!! *swoon* he's barely in the books though even the others. This is one of my fav series I love it it's so freaking hilarious!!! And Darynda is coming out with a YA novel in the fall!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lovely review! I'm really going to have to get my hands on this book/series because it sounds so good! I think that it's really interesting that Charley is a grim reaper; and Reyes sounds positively dreamy. Plus, I love a book filled with great one-liners! =D

    ReplyDelete