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…
Eighth Grave After Dark
by Darynda Jones
Series
Charley Davidson #8
Genre
Urban Fantasy
Paranormal Romance
Publisher
St. Martin’s Press
Publication Date
May 10, 2015
Unfreakingbelieveable! Finally! Some frikkin ANSWERS!
I am way late in getting this review done. I think part of me didn’t want to finish the book. I was excited to get to the end, but almost afraid of how it would turn out. We are now eight books into the series and I couldn’t imagine where it was going to go next. A small part of me feared I would lose interest.
But I didn’t.
Not even close.
Darynda Jones has done it again, and let me tell you! You will NEVER guess how this one plays out.
It’s getting harder and harder to write reviews of this series without spoilers. I’m going to try my hardest to avoid them, but let this banner serve as a warning that there might be some in here.
Our story picks up months after the ending of Seventh Grave and No Body. Charley is hellapregnant and due to pop at any moment, and they’re all hiding out at a convent to keep The Twelve from succeeding in their mission to take out Beep before she’s even born.
Tissues.
You’re going to need tissues.
There are a lot of answers in Eighth Grave After Dark that we have been waiting for. In this one book, you find out what Charley has been up to with her time in the last eight months, you find out the truth about Charley and who/what she really is, you find out what happened to her dad and why, you find out more about Reyes and his dear daddy, you find out the truth about Mr. Wong, and so, so, soooooo much more. In fact, there are so many answers in this book that it seems a lot longer than it really is because you’re being hit with info left and right.
One thing I will say, the goldfish in book seven, aka Charley’s crash course training in the fine art of motherhood, did not prepare her for Beep’s entrance into the world. Nor was it necessary. She’s a natural. 😉
Eighth Grave has a special guest I was not at all expecting and I was PSYCHED to see him/her there. No, I’m not telling you the gender. You’ll have to see for yourself.
As always, the humor in this book is enough to make you laugh out loud. As with almost all of the books in this series, I listened to the audio book (series narrator Lorelei King is the SHIT!) and listened on my way to and from work every day. I am sure my fellow commuters turned it into a spectator sport, watching the chick in the car laughing one day and crying the next.
Finally, the ending. The ending is going to leave you all staring at the page dumbfounded. You’ve been warned.
Overall, I loved the book. I felt like the action which was a slightly lacking in book seven was more than made up for in book eight. Fans of the series will LOVE finally being in the know concerning some things that have been questioned in earlier books.
Urban fantasy / paranormal romance fans will not be disappointed. I do want to caution, for those who have not read the series, start with book one. There is too much going on with our cast for you to jump in at book eight and have any clue what’s going on. However, the eight-book binge read will be one of the best you’ve ever experienced!
The review copy of Eighth Grave After Dark was purchased by the reviewer.
About Darynda Jones
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. As a born storyteller, Darynda grew up spinning tales of dashing damsels and heroes in distress for any unfortunate soul who happened by, annoying man and beast alike, and she is ever so grateful for the opportunity to carry on that tradition. 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 of more than 30 years and two beautiful sons, the Mighty, Mighty Jones Boys.
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