Showing posts with label Darynda Jones. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Darynda Jones. Show all posts

Friday, June 12, 2020

THE GRAVEYARD SHIFT BLOG TOUR

The Graveyard Shift, an all-new, incredible, out of this world novella in the award winning paranormal Charley Davidson Series by New York Times bestselling author Darynda Jones, is available now!

9_1001_2020_Darynda Jones_300dpi_new (1)
Guarding a precocious five-year-old who is half-human, half-god, and 100% destined to save the world is no easy feat.
Garrett Swopes was the ultimate skeptic until he met a certain hellion and her husband. They vanished after stopping a catastrophic event and left him, a mere mortal, in charge of protecting their gift to mankind. But when she disappears as well, he needs the help of another breed of hellion. One who can see past the veil of space and time. One who betrayed him.
She will get a truce in the deal, but she will never earn his forgiveness.
Marika Dubois’s son—a warrior in the coming war between heaven and hell—was foreseen long before his birth. But to create a child strong enough to endure the trials that lay ahead, she needed a descendant of powerful magics. She found that in Garrett Swopes and tricked him into fathering her son. A ploy he has never forgiven her for. But when he knocks on her door asking for her help, she sees the fierce attraction he tries to deny rise within him.
And Marika has to decide if she dares risk her heart a second time to help the only man she’s ever loved.
**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you'll enjoy each one as much as we do.**
The Graveyard Shift ipad available now
Download your copy today!
Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fyb3wy
Excerpt
Charley Davidson, a god with a penchant for maiming first and asking questions later, was going to kill Garrett. No, that wasn’t right. Charley’s husband, Reyes Farrow, also a god with a penchant for maiming first and asking questions later, would start the whole process by ripping him to shreds, then letting Charley finish him off. Gladly. And with much glee. Garrett had one job. One. Fucking. Job. Watch his best friends’ daughter, Beep, aka Elwyn Alexandra Loehr, a kid who just happened to be destined to save the world from a catastrophic demon uprising. He was supposed to guard her with his life. To keep her safe. To protect her from all the ghosts and goblins—metaphorically speaking since he didn’t have a supernatural bone in his body—hell-bent on doing her harm before she could prevent said catastrophic demon uprising. He failed. Yesterday, at exactly 3:33 p.m., the precocious five-year-old was running across a sun-drenched field of sagebrush and wild grasses when she disappeared right before his eyes. One second she was tripping over, well, absolutely nothing—so much like her mother, it startled him—and the next, she was gone. If he hadn’t been looking right at her, if his gaze hadn’t been laser-locked on the long, dark tangles cascading down her back, if she hadn’t disappeared between his strategically placed blinks, he would’ve questioned the entire event. But there was simply no doubt about it. She’d vanished into thin air. The way she disappeared would suggest a supernatural influence, especially considering the fact that she was the daughter of two gods, but her celestial parents had placed a shield over the entire area. No supernatural entity could penetrate it. Was there some loophole they’d missed? Some escape clause they’d overlooked? Garrett didn’t hesitate. He immediately called in his entire team, but even his most preternaturally enhanced members couldn’t figure out what had happened, and one of them was a bona fide angel. Well, former angel. After thirty-six hours of scouring every inch of Santa Fe and the surrounding area for even a sign of the little hellion, a storm had rolled in, and the search had to be abandoned. Garrett left his team at the compound, as well as the Loehrs, Elwyn’s grandparents, panicked and scrambling to figure out what’d happened. In the meantime, he went in search of the only woman he knew who could see past the veil of not only space, but time as well. He had one clue to go on. Elwyn’s last words before she took off across the rugged New Mexican terrain. Surely, he’d heard her wrong. He prayed he’d heard her wrong as he fought the winds and icy pelts of the desert storm, then raised a fist and pounded on the door of his ex, Marika Dubois.
About Darynda Jones
DJones1
NYTimes and USA Today Bestselling Author Darynda Jones has won numerous awards for her work, including a prestigious RITA, a Golden Heart, and a Daphne du Maurier, and her books have been translated into 17 languages. As a born storyteller, Darynda grew up spinning tales of dashing damsels and heroes in distress for any unfortunate soul who happened by, and she is ever so grateful for the opportunity to carry on that legacy. She currently has two series with St. Martin's Press: The Charley Davidson Series and the Darklight Trilogy. She lives in the Land of Enchantment, also known as New Mexico, with her husband and two beautiful sons, the Mighty, Mighty Jones Boys.
Connect with Darynda
For More information about 1001 Dark Nights Visit: Facebook: https://bit.ly/37fl0uT Instagram: https://bit.ly/2Y7uBQp Website: https://bit.ly/2AIIr3A Stay up to date on all 1001 Dark Nights releases, join their newsletter today! https://bit.ly/2zgxaHu


Liza's Review:

I've wanted more of Elwyn Alexandra Loehr aka Beep's story from the moment I finished reading Summond to Thirteenth Grave. When I saw we would be getting a new story in the Charley Davidson world, and it would be from Garrett Swopes's point of view, I was so very excited. I wanted to learn more about Garrett, and  I knew he was protecting Beep, so I would get a much needed update on her.

The Graveyard Shift opens just as Beep has disappeared from the compound. Garrett knows he needs more help than those available at the compound and knows his son's mother Marika Dubois is just the person the help him out. Garrett and Marika have a very tumultuous relationship as Garrett is still mad about Marika getting pregnant on purpose, but he absolutely adores his son Zaire and knows he needs Marika's skills to help his search for Beep. 

Garrett and Marika have much to work through as the story begins, and while I had been mad at Marika since she tricked Garrett, I found myself seeing her in a whole new light and actually loving her character. I also could see from the beginning that Garrett and Marika had real feelings for one another and their attraction to each other was off the charts hot! 

As Charley and Reyes aren't on this plane, Garrett and Marika are working with Uncle Bob, Cookies, Donovan and the gang, Artemis, and the Hellhounds. I've missed these characters so much and loved getting to spend time with them again. I have to say Beep is so much like her mother, it had me laughing out loud at times. She loves coffee and horror books and has loved them since she was a 3 year old. I loved getting to see Beep as she is growing up and learning more about all her powers and how she handles her friends and family. Seriously she is Charley made over and I loved it! With any book set in the Charley Davidson world, there are demons galore and once the action starts, readers are pretty much on the edge of their seats. 

The Graveyard Shift really just made me want more books in the Charley Davidson world. I loved getting this novella length story, and it totally made me remember why I've loved this series from the moment I read the very first book. I'm super excited we will get The Gravedigger's Son next year, especially since we will get Amber and Quinten's story at last! 


Rating: 4.5 Stars (B+)
Review copy provided by publisher

Tuesday, June 09, 2020

THE GRAVEYARD SHIFT RELEASE BLITZ


The Graveyard Shift, an all-new, not-to-be-missed novella in the award winning paranormal Charley Davidson Series by New York Times bestselling author Darynda Jones, is available now! 

9_1001_2020_Darynda Jones_300dpi_new (1)


Guarding a precocious five-year-old who is half-human, half-god, and 100% destined to save the world is no easy feat.

Garrett Swopes was the ultimate skeptic until he met a certain hellion and her husband. They vanished after stopping a catastrophic event and left him, a mere mortal, in charge of protecting their gift to mankind. But when she disappears as well, he needs the help of another breed of hellion. One who can see past the veil of space and time. One who betrayed him.

She will get a truce in the deal, but she will never earn his forgiveness.

Marika Dubois’s son—a warrior in the coming war between heaven and hell—was foreseen long before his birth. But to create a child strong enough to endure the trials that lay ahead, she needed a descendant of powerful magics. She found that in Garrett Swopes and tricked him into fathering her son. A ploy he has never forgiven her for. But when he knocks on her door asking for her help, she sees the fierce attraction he tries to deny rise within him.

And Marika has to decide if she dares risk her heart a second time to help the only man she’s ever loved.

**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you'll enjoy each one as much as we do.**


The Graveyard Shift ipad available now



Download your copy today! 

Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fyb3wy 




About Darynda Jones
DJones1

NYTimes and USA Today Bestselling Author Darynda Jones has won numerous awards for her work, including a prestigious RITA, a Golden Heart, and a Daphne du Maurier, and her books have been translated into 17 languages. As a born storyteller, Darynda grew up spinning tales of dashing damsels and heroes in distress for any unfortunate soul who happened by, and she is ever so grateful for the opportunity to carry on that legacy. She currently has two series with St. Martin's Press: The Charley Davidson Series and the Darklight Trilogy. She lives in the Land of Enchantment, also known as New Mexico, with her husband and two beautiful sons, the Mighty, Mighty Jones Boys.



Connect with Darynda 



For More information about 1001 Dark Nights Visit:
Stay up to date on all 1001 Dark Nights releases, join their newsletter today! https://bit.ly/2zgxaHu




Tuesday, January 15, 2019

SUMMONED TO THIRTEENTH GRAVE (CHARLEY DAVIDSON #13)

Grim Reaper Charley Davidson is back in the final installment of Darynda Jones’ New York Times bestselling paranormal series!

Charley Davidson, Grim Reaper extraordinaire, is pissed. She’s been kicked off the earthly plain for eternity – which is the appropriate amount of time to make a person starkraving mad. But someone’s looking out for her, and she’s allowed to return after a mere hundred years in exile. Is it too much to hope for that not much has changed? Apparently it is. Bummer.

She’s missed Reyes and her daughter, Beep, but now that she’s back on earth, it’s time to put to rest burning questions that need answers. What happened to her mother? How did she really die? Who killed her? And are cupcakes or coffee the best medicine? It all comes to a head in an epic showdown between good and evil in this final smart and hilarious novel.

Release Date: January 15, 2019
St. Martin's Press
Charley Davidson #13
Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance
Review copy provided by publisher

Liza's Review:

Summoned to Thirteenth Grave is the final installment in the Charley Davidson series. I strongly suggest you begin this series with First Grave on the Right and read the books in the series in order to fully understand the world Darynda Jones has built. I'll keep this review spoiler free for this book, but it could include information from other books in the series.

Summoned to Thirteenth Grave picks up at a time after the previous book, where Charley was banished from the earthly plain for breaking the biggest rule set by Jehovah. Charley does return to earth just in time to help solve the issue with the demons trying to take over New Mexico, or possibly the rest of the globe. 

I really don't feel like I can say more about the happenings in the book without giving away spoilers. I will say I felt like Ms. Jones wrapped up many of the character's storylines in a satisfying way. I will say I was totally thrown by a few things that we discovered in Summoned to Thirteenth Grave. I also found myself feeling really emotional with a few of the character wrap-ups. I loved seeing Charley and Reyes back together again, and finally felt like both characters had finally grown up a bit. They communicated much better than in past books and I felt like they both had matured. 

While I felt like Ms. Jones did a really great job with the wrap up of this series, I do feel like the climatic fight scene was a bit too easily won. I'm really hopeful that the rumors of a spinoff with Beep are true and we get to spend time with favorite characters again in the future. 

Rating: 4 Stars (B+)


Thursday, November 08, 2018

CHARLEY DAVIDSON BLOG TOUR

This whole grim reaper thing should have come with a manual.
Or a diagram of some kind.
A flow chart would have been nice.
Charley Davidson is a part-time private investigator and full-time grim reaper. Meaning, she sees dead people. Really. 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 (like 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. But what does he want with Charley? And why can't she seem to resist him? And what does she have to lose by giving in?
With scorching-hot tension and high-octane humor, First Grave on the Right is your signpost to paranormal suspense of the highest order.

Release Date: February 1, 2011
St. Martin's Press
Charley Davidson #1
Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy

Liza's Review:


I bought First Grave on the Right for my kindle after seeing lots of talk on twitter, many blogs, and one very long conversation with a bookseller in the Elizabethtown, KY B&N store (who says actual bookstores aren’t still a good thing?). I’m glad I went with my gut instinct and downloaded it to my kindle as soon as I walked out of B&N that day (parking lot Wi-Fi doesn’t restrict kindle like some B&N store Wi-Fi does). 

Charley Davidson is one of the best characters I’ve ever read about. She is the grim reaper and dead people see her as sparkly. She works as a PI to help dead people who have been murdered find their killers so they can move on. She also has been having some really hot dreams involving Reyes, who she remembers seeing from the very first moment she was born. Charley remembers every single thing that has happened since the day she was born. She can be pretty snarky at times, but she is also super smart and I love smart women in books.

While Charley is helping the police solve the murder of 3 attorneys, she is also trying to figure out who and what Reyes really is. She also has to deal with skip tracer Garrett Swopes, who knows her secret thanks to her Uncle Bob, who gave up her secret after having a few too many beers one night. Uncle Bob is on the police force and Charley uses her talents to help him solve crimes, much as she did for her dad before he retired. Garrett doesn’t know what to do about Charley. I could see he was attracted to her, but didn’t believe she could really see and talk to dead people. Charley’s focus throughout the entire book was really saving Reyes. She knew he had been in her life since she was born and wanted to know who he really was, especially since he didn’t seem to age.

I liked First Grave on the Right when I read it originally. I found myself really loving it on my most recent reading. The humor in this series really is something that started with this very first book and it has kept me coming back for more. I also highly recommend the audiobooks in this series. Lorelei King absolutely brings the characters and the story to life with her narration.

Original Review Rating: 4 Stars (B+)
Updated Review Rating: 4.5 Stars (A)

 Q&A with Darynda Jones

How did you come up with Charley?
So, I’m lying in bed one morning, waiting for my turn in the shower, when Charley popped into my head in all her glory. I loved her from the get-go. I will add that I was looking for her. I had just typed The End on my second complete manuscript, a YA titled Death and the Girl Next Door which later sold to my amazing editor along with the Charley books. So, I was craving another project. I knew I wanted it to be adult and paranormal. That was all I had. And then Charley walked in.

What has it been like to planning and writing this series, and how does it feel to be wrapping it up?
I had no clue! I dreamed, of course. We all do that. But for that dream to become a reality…it’s quite surreal. I have the best job in the world. Planning and writing the last two books have been bittersweet. I love writing these books so much, so the fact that it’s coming to an end is a little heartbreaking, but I want to go out with a bang. Like a HUGE one. I hope everyone loves reading them as much as I’ve loved writing them.

Are there any side characters or plots you wish you would have developed more?
Actually, yes. In Fifth Grave Past the Light, I brought in a character named Nicolette Lemay, gave her an insanely cool gift, then never brought her back in again. We see her briefly in Twelfth Grave, but I wish I’d done more with her.

Can you give us a sneak peek into how it all ends? What do you hope readers feel as they reach the last page?
I am very hopeful that readers will feel a sense of happiness, closure and (dare I dream?) euphoria. All I can say is that this book is truly darkest before the dawn. Charley and Reyes have accidentally opened a hell dimension within our own, and they have to figure out how to close it before it takes over the world. But it’s expanding exponentially, and soon there will be nothing left of the world as we know it. But with a little help from Charley's departed mother, one clue leads Charley in the right direction and, hopefully, to the secret to stopping the hell dimension and save all of humanity. Sadly, she only has three days to do it. 

What's the next project you're working on?
Right now I am working on a brand new series, a trilogy set in a small town in New Mexico with a sheriff named Sunshine, a missing girl named Olivia, and a murder suspect named Levi. Too bad she is in way over her head, especially since the missing girl is her daughter's best friend and Sunshine has been in love with Levi since she could breathe. 


Enter for a chance to win the entire Charley Davidson series by Darynda Jones, an ARC of the epic finale, Summoned to Thirteenth Grave, plus fun swag! Open to the US ONLY. Runs through November 14th.


ABOUT THE BOOK:
Grim Reaper Charley Davidson is back in the final installment of Darynda Jones’ New York Times bestselling paranormal series! 

Charley Davidson, Grim Reaper extraordinaire, is pissed. She’s been kicked off the earthly plane for eternity—which is exactly the amount of time it takes to make a person stark, raving mad. But someone’s looking out for her, and she’s allowed to return after a mere hundred years in exile. Is it too much to hope for that not much has changed? Apparently it is. Bummer. 

She’s missed her daughter. She’s missed Reyes. She’s missed Cookie and Garrett and Uncle Bob. Now that she’s back on earth, it’s time to put to rest burning questions that need answers. What happened to her mother? How did she really die? Who killed her? And are cupcakes or coffee the best medicine for a broken heart? It all comes to a head in an epic showdown between good and evil in this final smart and hilarious novel.
BUY LINK:
https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250149411

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author DARYNDA JONES won a Golden Heart and a RITA for her manuscript First Grave on the Right. A born storyteller, she grew up spinning tales of dashing damsels and heroes in distress for any unfortunate soul who happened by, annoying man and beast alike. Darynda lives in the Land of Enchantment, also known as New Mexico, with her husband and two beautiful sons, the Mighty, Mighty Jones Boys.
DARYNDA’S SOCIAL LINKS:
Twitterhttp://twitter.com/Darynda
Facebookhttp://www.facebook.com/darynda.jones.official
Websitehttp://www.daryndajones.com/
SMPRomance Twitterhttps://twitter.com/heroesnhearts& https://twitter.com/SMPRomance
SMP Romance Website: https://heroesandheartbreakers.com/

Wednesday, November 01, 2017

THE TROUBLE WITH TWELFTH GRAVE (CHARLEY DAVIDSON #12)

Grim Reaper Charley Davidson is back in the twelfth installment of Darynda Jones’ New York Times bestselling paranormal series.

Ever since Reyes escaped from a hell dimension in which Charley accidently trapped him, the son of Satan has been brimstone-bent on destroying the world his heavenly Brother created. His volatile tendencies have put Charley in a bit of a pickle. But that’s not the only briny vegetable on her plate. While trying to domesticate the feral being that used to be her husband, she also has to deal with her everyday life of annoying all manner of beings—some corporeal, some not so much—as she struggles to right the wrongs of society. Only this time she’s not uncovering a murder. This time she’s covering one up.

Add to that her new occupation of keeping a startup PI venture—the indomitable mystery-solving team of Amber Kowalski and Quentin Rutherford—out of trouble and dealing with the Vatican’s inquiries into her beloved daughter, and Charley is on the brink of throwing in the towel and becoming a professional shopper. Or possibly a live mannequin. But when someone starts attacking humans who are sensitive to the supernatural world, Charley knows it’s time to let loose her razor sharp claws. Then again, her number one suspect is the dark entity she’s loved for centuries. So the question becomes, can she tame the unruly beast before it destroys everything she’s worked so hard to protect?

Release Date: October 31, 2017
St. Martin's Press
Charley Davidson Series #12
Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance
Review copy provided by publisher

Liza's Review:

With each new installment in the Charley Davidson series, I am reminded how much I enjoy this series. I know the series is coming to an end with the next book in the series and have to say I felt like The Trouble with Twelfth Grave took us back to the old school Charley books. 

Once again in Twelfth Grave, there is lots going on and I don't want to share too much to avoid posting spoilers. I will say I loved the interactions between Charley and Reyes/Rey'azikeen. Rey'azikeen says that Reyes is no more, but there was just something about the interactions between them that make me know the real Reyes was still there underneath all the swagger of Rey'azikeen. 

I loved that Amber and Quentin wanted to start a PI agency much like the one Charley runs. Amber is such an inquisitive individual and has such a big heart; it made perfect sense for her to want to find a way to help others. I absolutely adored all the questions Amber had for Charley about her work and seeing Amber take her new roll as in investigator so very seriously. I also loved that Charley was smart enough to make sure Amber kept her mom in the loop by suggesting she talk to Cookie about the behind the scenes work involved in keeping everything running.

I have to say the friendship between Charley and Cookie remains one of my favorite things about this series. There is just something about best friends working together and totally and completely getting each other that keeps me coming back for more. I love that Charley will do anything in her powers (which she is still learning about at this point) to protect Cookie and everyone she loves. I also love the crazy banter between Charley and Cookie. I have found myself laughing out loud at some of their conversations they are so funny.

I knew something big would happen in The Trouble with Twelfth Grave, but had no idea that I would pretty much scream what the hell when I finished the story, and then promptly go back and re-read what I just read to make sure I read it right the first time. Do I think it could have happened any other way? Absolutely not. This ending was classic Charley taking care of everyone she loves. It honestly only made me want the final book even more than I already did. Darynda Jones knows how to leave her readers wanting more even as she pretty much rips out our hearts along the way. I am not on the countdown to see where Ms. Jones takes us in the final installment of the series. 

Rating: 5 stars (A-)

Friday, February 10, 2017

ELEVENTH GRAVE IN MOONLIGHT

A typical day in the life of Charley Davidson involves cheating husbands, missing people, errant wives, philandering business owners, and oh yeah...demons, hell hounds, evil gods, and dead people. Lots and lots of dead people. As a part time Private Investigator and full-time Grim Reaper, Charley has to balance the good, the bad, the undead, and those who want her dead. In this eleventh installment, Charley is learning to make peace with the fact that she is a goddess with all kinds of power and that her own daughter has been born to save the world from total destruction. But the forces of hell are determined to see Charley banished forever to the darkest corners of another dimension. With the son of Satan himself as her husband and world-rocking lover, maybe Charley can find a way to have her happily ever after after all.

Release Date: January 24, 2017
St. Martin’s Press
Charley Davidson #11
Urban Fantasy
Review copy provided by publisher

Liza’s Review:

The Charley Davidson series is one of my favorite must-read/must-listen to series available. I not only have to read the books as soon as they are released, but I have to listen to the audiobook as well. I honestly hear Lorelei King's voice in my head as I read the book, and don't feel as if my reading experience is complete until I've read and listened to the books.

I enjoyed Eleventh Grave in Moonlight. It seemed to start off slower than past books, but once it got going, it was pretty much non-stop action. We get to spend time with Charley, Reyes, and their entire crew. The humor is present as always and the sexy times with Reyes and Charley are as hot as ever.  I really liked that while there were a few new issues to come to light, we also got answers for what was going on with Ubie. We also discovered new rules that Charley has to live by as a God, and learned why so many angels were following Charley and Reyes. 

The case Charley works on is more personal than normal since it deals with the people who kidnapped Reyes. I wasn't sure where we were headed with The Diviners cult, but actually liked the part of the story way more than I anticipated. I usually want the focus to be so much on Charley, Reyes, and crew. I don't always love the PI portion of the story. I think because there was such a connection to Reyes and even BEP with this part of the story, I found myself pulled in so much more.

I will say the cliffhanger type ending is not my favorite type of ending. However, it definitely isn't the first time Ms. Jones has done this, so it didn't really shock me when it happened. The ending of Eleventh Grave in Moonlight has me eagerly awaiting The Trouble with Twelfth Grave's release in October. 

Rating: 4 Stars (B)