REVIEW: Eighth Grave After Dark by Darynda Jones

In Eighth Grave After Dark (Charley Davidson #8) by Darynda Jones, Private investigator and grim reaper Charley Davidson is moving on to a new chapter in her life: motherhood. But she didn’t think she’d be spending her entire pregnancy going stir crazy in an old convent while she and her hunkalicious man Reyes keep twelve vicious hellhounds at bay. Strange things keep happening on the consecrated grounds. Okay, well stranger than is even normal for Charley. More and more dead spirits are roaming about, one of which is a nun who seems to be trying to tell Charley about a tragic event in the past.

“People are just good or bad. There’s no devil making us do evil things.”

“Well, I have to agree with you on the people front.”

“But the devil front?” Gemma asked.

I let a slow smile spread across my face for Denise’s benefit. “I’m married to his son.”

While Charley and company prepare for the appearance of baby Beep, as she is temporarily calling her, she notices Reyes is evading questions and acting suspicious, even for him. As they begin to receive answers to some the problems plaguing them, both regarding the prophecies about their unborn daughter and about their pasts, Charley and Reyes realize everything is about to change completely. The people in their lives are more involved than first thought. Hopefully when all is said and done, they will still be standing strong. Together.

“You really are a god,” he said, in awe of me when he had no idea the depths of my astonishment, of my awe of him.

“And you really were created in the fires of sin.”

“You’re repulsed?”

“Oh yes,” I said, curling my fingers into the hem of his shirt and coaxing him closer. “Completely.”

Eighth Grave After Dark was absolutely filled with revelations, plot twists, and a good dose of Charley’s snarky-but-endearing personality. She and the rest of her quirky friends & family went through hell this time around (some of them literally), but we finally got some of the answers we’ve been waiting for.

I just don’t even know where to begin with this latest installment in the Charley Davidson series. So much happened and yet there’s still so much more to come. I will say that, even though this was not a happy ending, as is the norm, we readers could start to see where some of the plot threads were heading. In saying that, I think Darynda Jones has created such a delicately woven story that I would encourage readers to start this from the beginning so you can get the full effect of these wonderful characters and the complex relationships they have.

So, Charley and Reyes. Having a baby. It should have been a scary thought, given that, well, he’s the son of Lucifer and she’s the grim reaper. However, Charley and Reyes kind of went into protection mode in this story. They did everything they could to protect their unborn daughter, whom they for the time being dubbed Beep, and they made sure to look out after one another as well. Although, Charley being her independent self, and Reyes being sneaky as well, meant they didn’t always communicate their plans, which led to some sticky predicaments. Pretty much normal for them and highly entertaining for us.

I loved that Reyes was still so devoted to Charley and more attracted to her than ever, even though she thought of herself as a ‘beached whale’. The passion was still very much apparent between them, as was their fun rapport. Yes, they may have grown up a bit with everything going on in their lives, but the fact that they could still tease each other as well as their friends seemed realistic for their personalities. I just adore them as a couple. Although, I have to say that the secondary characters were every bit as entertaining and engaging as Reyes and Charley were for me.

Charley Davidson’s ever-evolving story continues to thrill in this newest offering. I think fans of this series will be blown away with the answers and the new questions we have about everyone involved in her life. Can’t wait for the next installment!

Book Info:

Published May 19th 2015 | by St. Martin’s Press | Charley Davidson #8

With twelve hellhounds after her, pregnant Charley Davidson takes refuge at the only place she thinks they can’t get to her: the grounds of an abandoned convent. But after months of being cooped up there, Charley is ready to pop. Both metaphorically and literally since she is now roughly the size of a beached whale. Fortunately, a new case has captured her attention, one that involves a murder on the very grounds the team has taken shelter upon. A decades-old murder of the newly-vowed nun she keeps seeing in the shadows is almost enough to pull her out of her doldrums.

Charley’s been forbidden to step foot off the sacred grounds. While the angry hellhounds can’t traverse the consecrated soil, they can lurk just beyond its borders. They have the entire team on edge, especially Reyes. And if Charley didn’t know better, she would swear Reyes is getting sick. He grows hotter with every moment that passes, his heat scorching across her skin every time he’s near, but naturally he swears he’s fine.

While the team searches for clues on the Twelve, 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. But the good feelings don’t last for long because Charley is about to get the surprise of her crazy, mixed-up, supernatural life….