I had a blast in joining the Don't Fear the Reaper read-along where we discussed and read the first book in the Charley Davidson series called First Grave on the Right. I would like to once again thank the awesome blogging hostesses who arranged everything.

Description (from Goodreads): Charley sees dead people. That’s right, she sees dead people. And it’s her job to convince them to “go into the light.” But when these very dead people have died under less than ideal circumstances (i.e. murder), sometimes they want Charley to bring the bad guys to justice. Complicating matters are the intensely hot dreams she’s been having about an Entity who has been following her all her life...and it turns out he might not be dead after all. In fact, he might be something else entirely.

Review: The last few weeks of August are one of the most stressful work days for me as I prepare for school registration for the entire high school. It is those weeks that I come home emotionally, physically exhausted, and so wired up that I can't go to sleep in fears of all the wrong things that could happen the next day. I needed a good distraction to let me escape from my anxieties and place me into another world. Thankfully Charley and company came to my rescue and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride.
  First Grave on the Right straddles the line between the paranormal romance and urban fantasy genres as it contains elements of each. I would definitely recommend picking this book up if you're unsure if paranormal romances may be your cup of tea. The book is hilarious, at times steamy, and extremely fun. One of the reasons why this book clicked for me is because of its leading heroine, Charley Davidson.
  Charley Davidson is someone who I would love to have as a best friend. She is extremely witty, armed with snappy comebacks that I wish I could think of on the spot. She is loyal to her friends and genuinely cares for others. Unlike many heroes and heroines who are gifted with supernatural or paranormal abilities who often lament on their uncalled for responsibilities and their relentless monologue of "Why me?", Charley embraces being a Grim Reaper though she may not exactly know the extent of her powers. While fierce, Charley makes mistakes and gets her butt served back to her, but she is resilient, vulnerable, and human which makes her that much easier to relate to as a reader. Mrs. Jones said Charley is a mash between Lorelai Gilmore from Gilmore Girls and Buffy, which is exactly how I would describe her.
  The plot of First Grave on the Right is fairly straight forward. Charley works as a PI and consultant for the Albuquerque, N.Mex., police department in addition to her grim reaper stature. As the grim reaper, she escorts the recently departed "into the light." In her dreams, she's haunted by a "dark, seductive stranger," whose warmth suggests he's something "not dead." In the real world, Charley helps her APD detective uncle, Bob Davidson, investigate the fatal shootings of three lawyers who were representing a client accused of murder. When she’s not helping ghosts with the ultimate closure, Charley is trying to figure out who her sizzling-hot dream lover is. To add to that confusion a person from the past, Reyes Farrow, suddenly reappears at very strange times.
 The romance sizzles though I still can't make heads or tails of my feelings for Reyes. He's definitely a dark, tortured alpha male, but I would like to know more of him. I do, however, really like Garrett, Charley's coworker who unfortunately is the brunt of all of Charley's snarky remarks. While he may at first deserved some snarkiness, I think he's realized how stupid he is and should get a break. He is obviously hot for Charley though she's completely clueless about it.
 Of course the book is not without its flaws. I did find the first half with the lawyers murders a little boring. It's not until the mention of Reyes and the mystery of his character kicked in that I felt drawn into the book. I would have liked more interaction between Charley and her family as well as her best friend named Cookie. I could deal with these flaws and still found the book to be fun and entertaining. I'd definitely recommend this series to take on a vacation. I do plan on continuing the series and hope to catch up by October so I can read the fourth Charley Davidson book when it releases.  

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is strong language, crude humor, some strong violence, and a few sexual situations. Recommended for mature teens and adults only.

If you like this book try: Second Grave on the Left by Darynda Jones (Charley Davidson #2), Accidental Friends series by Dakota Cassidy, Peper Martin series by Casey Daniels, Undead series by MaryJanice Davidson