Saturday, May 31, 2014

The Charley Davidson series, by Darynda Jones

When my time comes, I hope that I pass from here to the hereafter by way of Charley Davidson. The woman is awesome.


Smart mouthed, sarcastic, funny, smart, and the grim reaper. Charlotte Jean "Charley" Davidson does a lot of things,  but mostly, she runs a sort of PI business wherein she gets help from the recently departed to solve her cases.  Of course, being the grim reaper, she sees dead people all over the place, including in her living room, her car, her bedroom, even the shower.  Eventually, though, they all cross over, through Charley, and she goes back to her life.

A life that includes her father, her uncle, her sister and stepmother, BFF Cookie and Cookie's daughter, the cops, and last but by no means least, Reyes Alexander Farrow.

Hot as hell and sexy as sin don't do the man justice.  I tend to imagine he looks like this:


But with darker, curlier hair.  Hey, it's my imagination and it's a strange and twisted place.

Anyway, Reyes Farrow is Charley's paramour, her lifelong protector, her frequent rescuer, and the son of Satan.  Yes, seriously.  But Reyes isn't exactly a bad guy.  Although he really is a bad boy... and he's very good for Charley.  Among Reyes's talents are the ability to materialize wherever he wants to, to kill invisibly by severing the spine, and the devoutly-to-be-wished-for ability to have sex from a great distance.  I mean.. I don't care if his father is Satan, A-Rod, or Rush Limbaugh, to be honest.  A man who doesn't have to be in the room to satisfy me?  Yeah, I could deal with that.

I don't want to give away anything.  But I will tell you these things:

These books are set in New Mexico, which is where Jones lives, and she does a fabulous job with the descriptions.
Charley and Cookie rival the Smothers Brothers for funny.
The dead in Charley's world are all still quite active. Except for Mr. Wong, the Asian guy who stands in her living room staring at the wall saying nothing.
The sex in these books could short-circuit your e-reader.
Darynda Jones keeps the stories fresh and interesting, fun and exciting, and totally worth the price of admission.

I love Charley Davidson, and of course you knew that.  But how can you not love a woman who names her breasts Danger and Will Robinson?  I mean, she wears a shirt emblazoned "Grim Reapers are to die for!" What's not to love?  

If you're looking for a good, fun series to sink into by the pool, or for a book or two to take with you to the beach, or for something worthwhile to take up some of the free space on your e-reader, then get these books. The writing is great, the characters are awesome, the setting is perfect, and the stories are interesting and exciting.  Oh, and the sex - yes, with the son of Satan - really is hotter than hell.  Really.

Click on the pic to buy the book.


Friday, May 30, 2014

Rylee Adamson ROCKS! And so does Shannon Mayer

The Rylee Adamson novels, written by Shannon Mayer.


I cannot say enough good things about this series of books.  It's got everything.  EVERYTHING!  Magic, war, vampires, trolls, witches, ogres, the FBI, romance, shape shifters, alcohol, snow, Native Americans... and a really unique and different mythology setting the stage for a really enjoyable storyline.

We start with Rylee Adamson, who has been supernaturally gifted as a Tracker; she can find missing people and missing supernaturals of all types.  We also find out that Rylee's baby sister had been stolen from a park as a small child (this event sets the premise for the over-arching storyline of this series) and Rylee hadn't ever been able to find her.  To make up for what she sees as a failing, Rylee uses her Tracker abilities to find other people's missing kids and return them home. Rylee doesn't ever fail to find a child, except for her sister, whom she has accepted as dead.

Liam O'Shea is an FBI agent who is convinced that Rylee is a murderer and responsible for her sister's disappearance and subsequent death.  He has hunted Rylee for years, hoping to catch her doing something that will allow him to arrest and charge her and lock her away.  Despite her attempts to convince the guy of her innocence, O'Shea isn't willing to let it go.  Ever. And he's pretty much the bane of Rylee's existence.

These stories feature a "made" family that includes a witch, a seer (known as a Reader) who doubles as a substitute mother, a werewolf permanently caught between human and wolf, and a witch who... may or may not be trustworthy.  There are various friends, enemies, frienemies, Druids, a Harpy, and a dragon.  Seriously.  There are even zombies!  And while all this makes it sound like there's too much, like you could never keep it all straight, that's absolutely wrong. These books hang together and, surprisingly, don't get all jumbled and confused.

Anyone who's read my reviews knows that I don't do spoilers, but let me tell you that Mayer's writing is fabulous. Just introspective enough to let us get to know our characters, while just violent enough to let us know that these characters are in it for keeps.  Well... most of them, anyway.  Mayer keeps the action rolling, the romance building, and the characters growing.  She's a very good writer and these are very good books.

Perhaps what I love most about these books, besides everything, is that Mayer has created a pretty unique and unusual supernatural plane, called The Veil, that is just PERFECT!

The storyline flows pretty naturally, even though it's entirely based in the supernatural.  Rylee goes from challenge to battle to heartbreak to love to despair to fear... and you feel every beat. This is the sort of thing that makes a great character and I think you're going to adore this woman. Every victory, every loss, every wound, every betrayal, every kiss and hug and smile... Rylee's just your average, every day, hard-headed, smart, determined Tracker.  And she kicks ass!

Yes, I'm aware I'm gushing.  I know, this is not uncommon for me when I've found a writer I like, but I am having a hard time conveying my love of this series to you.  It's a really, really, really, REALLY good use of your reading time.  If you like urban fantasy/paranormal/romance/adventure books. And really, who doesn't?

Give Shannon Mayer and her girl, Rylee Adamson a try.  I am linking below to the first book in this series, but there are currently 6 more to read (devour, really) and love. These books are, ultimately, fun, exciting, romantic, and satisfying.  Also, I read the first 6 books in 8 days, which ought to tell you something!

Trust me on this.  You are going to love this series.  Click on the picture to buy book 1, Priceless.




Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Cover Reveal: Hot Blooded by Kendall Grey

Okay, folks, I know, I know.  I've been lax. Absent.  Absolutely irresponsible.  I haven't posted a new review since Nixon was in office.  Sorry.  But, I have been reading. A lot.  And writing.  Hoping to have something soon for YOU to review, but nothing yet.

However, I do have a big, fat, juicy reveal for you!  The cover and blurb for Kendall Grey's new book, Hot-Blooded.  If you don't remember Ms. Grey, check out my review of her Hard Rock Harlots series.

Anyway, Kendall is a fun writer with an eye for adventure and hot, sexy good times.  But, I'll let the book speak for itself:



Ohana is everything…
When an accident claims her mother’s life, Keahilani Alana must take charge of her ohana (family) or risk losing what little they have. With an underage brother to care for and no education, she has few options. The door to a heavenly hellish opportunity opens when she stumbles upon a valuable secret her mother left behind on the slopes of an extinct volcano—a legacy that tempts the family with riches beyond their wildest dreams. But the secret is much bigger and more sinister than they realize. As reality unravels and exposes eerie truths about the ohana that should have remained deep under the mountain, Keahilani must either resist the call of her blood or risk being consumed by its darkness.
Blake Murphy is an assassin working to infiltrate a new Hawaiian cartel. His investigation reveals that Keahilani, the sexy surfing instructor he pegged as an informant, is much closer to the drug ring than he thought. Passion ignites between them in the bedroom, but their ironclad ties to opposing interests pit them against each other everywhere else.
When tensions reach the breaking point and her ohana is threatened, the only cure for Keahilani’s hot-blooded fury is a loaded clip with a body bag chaser.
They don’t call her Pele for nothing.
We don't have a release date yet, so stay tuned.  I'll let you know.
And keep watching this blog for new reviews. Coming this week.  You're gonna love the books I have for you.