Review: First Grave on the Right (Charley Davidson, #1) by Darynda Jones

This tremendously long supernatural mystery-suspense series is written with plenty of humor, and ends up being very believable. It reminds me very much of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum novels. We are treated to the seedy underside of human experience in each one, rendered cohesive by a supportive cast of family and friends, all strung upon a thread of erotic romance.

They also have a numerical value in every title that give up very little else of the plot. As you can guess, this is volume 1, where the main character, who's been seeing dead people all her life, discovers that her astral traveling lover is going to be taken off life support, which could trigger the Apocalypse. Meanwhile she has mysteries to solve for her PI clients, on top of helping the many souls she encounters to move on into the Light.

It's quite a juggling act for Charlie to handle, but it's how she rolls. I'm pretty certain every volume is going to be more of the same, nonstop chaos very reminiscent of real life for those of us cursed to live in 'interesting times'.

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8788554-first-grave-on-the-right

Wish upon a Duke, by Erica Ridley --review

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2583509829

When his twin brother the rake announces his engagement, all the eligible young women re-align their matrimonial sights toward the bookish and peripatetic Christopher Pringle, who up till now was in his brother's shadow. Escaping to join an astronomy tour, his eye is drawn by the tour guide, only to be appalled at her cavalier attitude to the proper names of constellations. She's gleefully encouraging the tour to re-name them however they like. Imagine his surprise when he is referred to her not only as a matchmaker, but to repair his broken telescope!

Past hurts have both these people running away into the stars. It turns out they both own the same state-of-the-art telescope, in fact. But Gloria blames the ocean and all water for robbing her of her family and refuses to even skate upon the local pond, while Christopher has been traveling for so long that he no longer views it as avoidance but as pleasant discovery.

Ridley choreographs the way these two dance around their challenges and learn to bend into doing things together, in order to balance out a life they can share. Settling into idiosyncrasies could have left them as two lonely 'characters' in stagnation. How they work it out is both heartening and tear-inducing.  HEA is assured at the last possible moment, too.

Yes, this is an xxx adult tale, and you will be thrilled by that part when you arrive at it.

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Review for Of Curse You Will (Womby's vol. 11) by Sarina Dorie

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2631566220

This is the volume where Clarissa and Thatch finally manage to 'make it work'. Yet it has to be for 'new adult' rather than YA simply because of the nature of their strain of magic. All his long life Thatch has had to deal with the practical disadvantages of the Red affinity. Clarissa's indefatigably loving nature refuses to leave this unsolved. Then when she uncovers a potential solution, the frigid heart of her potential helper also needs healing. It's a matter of life and death for them all, and has to remain hush-hush due to school rules!

You will get absurd chuckles over how the students interpret the strange situations in which they find their teachers, giving rise to truly tabloid-level rumors.

 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2631566220