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jenn_loves_2_read's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.5
megs_k's review against another edition
3.0
I sort of got off on making bad guys sweat. Which was not unlike my love of making good guys sweat, just by very different means. ~ Darynda Jones
st_ve's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
ammbooks's review
3.0
Time and mood can affect how you like a book. waas ambivalent in 2018 but really enjoyed the audio this time around it’s a mix of several existing characters. cute snarky banter
melindavan's review
5.0
LOVE this series. So very much. The audio version has the same narrator as the Mercy Thompson series. Love her too! Can I just say that Darynda knows how to tell a steamy scene without being horribly explicit? I mean...STEAMY. But not...porn. LOVE.
Makes my daily walk a LOT more interesting. Just sayin'.
Makes my daily walk a LOT more interesting. Just sayin'.
natasha_reading's review against another edition
1.0
DNF - I had trouble getting past Charley's personality. The sarcasm got extremely annoying. The one reason I picked up this book was to find out what happened to Reyes. 30% into the book I had to give up.
I was listening to the book on audio. Maybe reading it would have reduced the impact of Charley's personality....
I was listening to the book on audio. Maybe reading it would have reduced the impact of Charley's personality....
sparklingreader's review against another edition
5.0
Note: coming in August 2011; ARC read
I absolutely loved this book. I also loved the first one (First Grave on the Right) and this one was no exception.
In this book, our favorite Grim Reaper/PI Charly, is at it again. She's looking for people, dead and alive, getting chased by assassins, arguing with hottie son of Satan, Reyes, and mostly just trying to stay alive - which isn't easy thanks to issues with her father and nasty demons. Throughout the book, she has an ongoing argument with Reyes as she's desperately trying to find his corporeal body and he is adamantly refusing to tell her. In addition, she's trying to help her friend Cookie find another old friend. There are men in black, evil men, even more evil demons, and all sorts of nastiness that keep the story rolling up until the last pages.
Like the first book in the series, this one is full of grit, wit and spit. It's paranormal romance at its very best, though don't expect a happily ever after. If you like your heroine's sassy, your heroes supernaturally hot, and your action unending, definitely pick up a copy of these books. You won't be sorry.
I absolutely loved this book. I also loved the first one (First Grave on the Right) and this one was no exception.
In this book, our favorite Grim Reaper/PI Charly, is at it again. She's looking for people, dead and alive, getting chased by assassins, arguing with hottie son of Satan, Reyes, and mostly just trying to stay alive - which isn't easy thanks to issues with her father and nasty demons. Throughout the book, she has an ongoing argument with Reyes as she's desperately trying to find his corporeal body and he is adamantly refusing to tell her. In addition, she's trying to help her friend Cookie find another old friend. There are men in black, evil men, even more evil demons, and all sorts of nastiness that keep the story rolling up until the last pages.
Like the first book in the series, this one is full of grit, wit and spit. It's paranormal romance at its very best, though don't expect a happily ever after. If you like your heroine's sassy, your heroes supernaturally hot, and your action unending, definitely pick up a copy of these books. You won't be sorry.
paperbacksandpines's review against another edition
4.0
Jones hit another one out of the park with this book. This series reminds me of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series in terms of mystery and humor. The one liners in this book kept coming and I was there for it all day long.
fishgirl182's review against another edition
2.0
I read and really liked First Grave on the Right, the first book in the Charley Davidson series. Charley’s sarcastic wit and self-deprecating nature really appealed to me and had me laughing out loud. The super hot romance with Reyes was an added bonus and I was really happy to find a fun new series to get into. I don’t know what happened between when I read the first book and when I read the second one, but Second Grave on the Left was not fun and I really had to push myself to finish it.
The main problem for me with the book was Charley herself. I remembered that she was super sarcastic in the first book and the jokes felt a little forced at times but, overall, I liked her and enjoyed the sarcasm. This time around though, I really noticed how every sentence and word out of her mouth was a sarcastic quip or catch phrase. It’s like she could not utter a normal sentence. Because she would only speak in wisecracks, nothing that came out of her mouth seemed sincere. She also used “like,” “duh” and “totally” too much and I kept wondering if she was a grown woman or a testy teenager. She is also described as being a great PI but I did not see any evidence of this. At least 3 people tail her during the book and she doesn’t notice a single one of them. Later she ends up leading the bad guys to a witness. She makes really dumb decisions and barely manages not to get herself killed every few hours.
I was hoping that Reyes would save this book for me but I didn’t like him either. His interactions with Charley in this book consist of threatening her and saving her life. He even calls her a “whore” at one point, which isn’t a good sign in a relationship. The two still have physical chemistry but the book doesn’t go anywhere with it. And if I have to hear about Reyes’s “liquid brown eyes” one more time, I may scream. There is a reason that I have avoided audiobooks with a lot of romance. Lines that sound swoon-worthy when reading often sound cheesy when read aloud.
Then we get to the ending, which really annoyed me. I don’t want to give it away but Charley’s actions at the end of the book just show how immature and selfish she is. I really can’t think of any other reason why she does what she does.
Lorelei King read the audiobook of Second Grave. I have heard good things about King but this is the first time I have listened to her. King is very talented, giving life and expression to the words and dialogue. However, her voice didn’t quite match what my image of Charley. As I said, Charley is very immature and speaks more like a teenager than an adult. King has a really rich, deep voice that is incongruous with how I perceive Charley. It just wasn’t a good fit for me.
Sad to say that I won’t be continuing on with this series. I don’t think I can take another book of Charley’s one-liners and pouty quips. It’s unfortunate, too, because I really enjoyed the first book in this series. But Charley’s schtick gets old fast and, without a viable plot or other likeable characters, the humor simply isn’t enough.
The main problem for me with the book was Charley herself. I remembered that she was super sarcastic in the first book and the jokes felt a little forced at times but, overall, I liked her and enjoyed the sarcasm. This time around though, I really noticed how every sentence and word out of her mouth was a sarcastic quip or catch phrase. It’s like she could not utter a normal sentence. Because she would only speak in wisecracks, nothing that came out of her mouth seemed sincere. She also used “like,” “duh” and “totally” too much and I kept wondering if she was a grown woman or a testy teenager. She is also described as being a great PI but I did not see any evidence of this. At least 3 people tail her during the book and she doesn’t notice a single one of them. Later she ends up leading the bad guys to a witness. She makes really dumb decisions and barely manages not to get herself killed every few hours.
I was hoping that Reyes would save this book for me but I didn’t like him either. His interactions with Charley in this book consist of threatening her and saving her life. He even calls her a “whore” at one point, which isn’t a good sign in a relationship. The two still have physical chemistry but the book doesn’t go anywhere with it. And if I have to hear about Reyes’s “liquid brown eyes” one more time, I may scream. There is a reason that I have avoided audiobooks with a lot of romance. Lines that sound swoon-worthy when reading often sound cheesy when read aloud.
Then we get to the ending, which really annoyed me. I don’t want to give it away but Charley’s actions at the end of the book just show how immature and selfish she is. I really can’t think of any other reason why she does what she does.
Lorelei King read the audiobook of Second Grave. I have heard good things about King but this is the first time I have listened to her. King is very talented, giving life and expression to the words and dialogue. However, her voice didn’t quite match what my image of Charley. As I said, Charley is very immature and speaks more like a teenager than an adult. King has a really rich, deep voice that is incongruous with how I perceive Charley. It just wasn’t a good fit for me.
Sad to say that I won’t be continuing on with this series. I don’t think I can take another book of Charley’s one-liners and pouty quips. It’s unfortunate, too, because I really enjoyed the first book in this series. But Charley’s schtick gets old fast and, without a viable plot or other likeable characters, the humor simply isn’t enough.