EIGHTH GRAVE AFTER DARK

Sometimes I wonder if the purpose of my life

is to serve as a cautionary tale to others.

--T-shirt

Charley Davidson has enough going on without having to worry about twelve hellhounds hot on her trail. She is, after all, incredibly pregnant and feeling like she could pop at any moment. But, just her luck, twelve deadly beasts from hell have chosen this time to escape onto our plane, and they've made Charley their target. And so she takes refuge at the only place she thinks they can't get to her: the grounds of an abandoned convent. Of course, if hellhounds aren't enough, Charley also has a new case to hold her attention: the decades-old murder of a newly-vowed nun she keeps seeing in the shadows of the convent. 

Add to that the still unsolved murder of her father, the strange behavior of her husband, and Charley's tendency to attract the, shall we say, undead, and she has her hands full…but also tied. While the angry hellhounds can't traverse the consecrated soil, they can lurk just beyond its borders like evil sentries, so Charley has been forbidden from leaving the sacred grounds. Luckily, she has her loyal team with her, and they're a scrappy bunch who won't let a few thirsty hellhounds deter them.

While the team scours the prophesies, searching for clues on the Twelve, for a way to kill them or at least send them back to hell, Charley just wants answers and is powerless to get them. But the mass of friends they've accrued helps. They convince her even more that everyone in her recent life has somehow been drawn to her, as though they were a part of a bigger picture all along. Their presence is comforting. But the good feelings don't last for long because Charley is about to get the surprise of her crazy, mixed-up, supernatural life….

St. Martin's Press

Release Date: May 19, 2015

Charley Davidson #8

Book purchased by reader

I've been a fan of the Charley Davidson series from Darynda Jones since I read the very first book. I actually own all the books in audio format as well as print because the audiobooks are so very awesome. Lorelei King is a rock star in the audiobook world in my opinion.

I really enjoyed the newest Charley Davidson book. I think I'm more forgiving of issues others have with the series since I listen to the books rather than read them straight through. However, in the last few books I had great issue with the number of storylines and Charley being even more all over the place than normal.

Eighth Grave After Dark starts about 8 months after Seventh Grave ends. Charley is about ready to pop out BEP and they are preparing for Cookie and Ubie (Uncle Bob)'s wedding. I love Cookie and Ubie as a couple. They are so freaking cute and sappy together and I love that both Cookie and Ubie have finally found happiness.

I loved how streamlined storyline-wise Eighth Grave was as compared to the last 2 books in the series. I actually loved there really were only a couple of storylines going on and they really overlapped a good bit. I loved we got to see so many of my favorite characters in Eighth Grave and they were all working together to figure out how to protect Reyes, Charley and BEP. I also loved that we finally get answers to so many questions about the different characters from the series. I even could accept what happened at the end of the book as plausible, but hope it doesn't last forever.

I really only had a few problems with the book overall, yet still enjoyed it a great deal. I hate that Charley and Reyes are keeping secrets from each other still. I really hated the whole Denise being such a central part of the story, yet understood as the story progress why. I also wasn't a big fan of some of Charley's actions following the birth of BEP. I try to keep my reviews as spoiler free as possible, so I won't be specific other than to say I didn't buy that as a new mother she would make that trip choice. I did question the choice Charley and Reyes had to make in regards to BEP towards the end of the book, but it wasn't a deal breaker for me story-wise.

I'm looking forward to see where Ms. Jones takes her readers in the next installment of the series. The Dirt on Ninth Grave is set for release January 5, 2016.