★★½

Listened to audiobook w/hubby

(Listened to audiobook w/hubby)

I will have to read Threshold - Dancy is an interesting character. The stories were more horror and less paranormal - a nice change from my reading of late.

I was hoping this might bridge Chicagoland Vamps and Heirs, but no. It’s focus is on Merit’s pregnancy and a match in the making between Margot and Jonah.

So, if you’re interested in either or both of those things - read it. If not, skip it.

Throughout

Fifth Grave Past the Light, Charley has her hands full. She's on the brink of solving an arson case and her prime suspect, Reyes - the sultry son of Satan, just moved in next door. Add to the mix, an apartment full - floor to ceiling - of recently deceased blondes; an adorable, stuttering departed young man who surprisingly seems to recognize her mysterious, silent, long-term resident Mr. Wong; a near-death experience when Cookie brings a gun to a sting operation; a twelve-year-old's crush on an attractive, deaf teen who can see into the supernatural world; a surprise visit from the mother of Angel, her departed thirteen-year-old investigator/partner; a "help me" message from a departed woman who's not deceased; unnerving news from Rocket and it is no wonder Charley suffers from ADD. Despite the chaos and life-or-death situations she always finds herself immersed in, she never loses her sense of humor.

Fans are certain to enjoy the thrill ride Darynda takes them on. There's a generous helping of Dutch and Reyes moments, intriguing revelations made by Garrett, several murder mysteries, and an insane amount of Charley-isms, which will have you laughing out loud. Charley and Cookie form one of the genre's best Thelma and Louise teams;

Fifth Grave is no different. {I feel it necessary to warn readers, there are rape triggers in the latter part of the story.}

Ah, Reyes. Swoon-worthy does not begin to describe this one. He's smoking hot, but also a unique and interesting character that I love learning more about with each addition to the series. Charley makes a valiant attempt at standing her ground with him. She feels empathy and compassion for what was done to him, but he only sees it as pity. They have such chemistry and their push/pull relationship is intoxicating for readers as well.

Our relationship was a lot like underwear in a dryer without a static control sheet. One minute we were floating through life, buoyant and carefree. The next we were attached at the crotch.

Big changes are ahead for Charley and the gang. I'm already jonesing for the next book, [b:Sixth Grave On the Edge|16061295|Sixth Grave On the Edge (Charley Davidson, #6)|Darynda Jones|/assets/nocover/60x80.png|21849143], out next year. More, please. More, more, more!

We first met Gage, a wizard in hiding turned tattoo artist, in Drake's prequels ([b:The Asylum Interviews: Bronx|14288442|The Asylum Interviews Bronx (The Asylum Tales, #0.5)|Jocelynn Drake|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1337728361s/14288442.jpg|19927914] & [b:The Asylum Interviews: Trixie|15732946|The Asylum Interviews Trixie (The Asylum Tales, #0.6)|Jocelynn Drake|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1341255207s/15732946.jpg|21413930]). In those shorts, we meet his fellow artists, Trixie (elf) and Bronx (troll). In the first full-length novel of the series, [b:Angel's Ink|12947735|Angel's Ink (The Asylum's Tales, #1)|Jocelynn Drake|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1336010183s/12947735.jpg|18104456], Gage tattoos angel wings on a woman dying of cancer. Not long after he learned the dire consequences of his decision to add a little extra something to the ink.

Now, in

Dead Man's Deal, Gage is faced with figuring out how to correct his mistake before the clock runs out. This task is made all the more difficult when his recent acts of magic have attracted the attention of the local dark fae thug and the Ivory Towers. He's also drawn into the war he knew was coming. Things are changing quickly and he'll do whatever it takes to protect those he loves.

As a fan of Drake's

Dark Days series, I was so excited when I heard she was starting another series. I came to the party a little late. But, the benefit of doing so is the ability to read all of the books at once without the wait. My hubby & I listened to both

[b:Angel's Ink|12947735|Angel's Ink (The Asylum's Tales, #1)|Jocelynn Drake|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1336010183s/12947735.jpg|18104456] and

Dead Man's Deal while on a road trip. The narrator does an amazing job of grabbing your attention and not letting go until the end. The characters are all well-written. The plot is intriguing. The magically fought battles are fascinating. I'm anxiously awaiting news about book 3. I hope Drake will offer us many more Asylum Tales.

(Hubby recommends this series to fans of Kevin Hearne's 'Iron Druid' series.)

The sassy, sorceress Sabine was such a great match for the 'mission and people come first' Demon King, Rydstrom

{3.5 stars ~ Listened to audiobook}

There are some fun twists mixed in with a few predictable happenings. But, I dig Miranda, David, Deven and Jonathan, their world and anytime I get to spend there with them. I look forward to the next book and the new(ish) characters. (Ends with a slight cliffhanger though nothing compared to the previous book.)

Flipping the Bird, like all of Carrie Pulkinen's click lit PNR I've read, was a quick and enjoyable read. Shift Creek is a town in Texas Hill Country with a creek running through it. This creek was magicked to heal the supernatural, however it's losing its power and the members of the Rainecourt family, that has the power to fix the problem, is unreachable or unwilling.

Alice is a crow shifter. She and her best friend Megan (a raccoon shifter) own Shifted Treasures. They sell art made from reclaimed treasures. One night, Alice (as her crow) is drawn to a purdy shiny amulet in the trash of the newest resident of the Rainecourt house. Her hopes are high seeing someone in the house - he must be able to help save the town and fix the creek. But, she overhears his name it's not Rainecourt.

Alice and Donovan, warlock and town newbie, flipflop over each other at their first meeting. From there, things move quickly. While they've both kept secrets, the level of Donovan's anger felt off when he learns Alice's, which was disappointing, Otherwise, I enjoyed the start to this series about the town of Shift Creek. And, Donovan's gassy familiar mongoose, Marty, was a hoot.