The normal part of Lorelei MacAlister’s life didn’t just slip away quietly the day Jared Kovach came to town. Nope. The normal part of her life shattered. It exploded. It burst into a gazillion shards of fleeting light.It went out with a bang. Goodbye normal. Hello dark and eerie. While her best friend, Brooklyn, is focusing all of her energy on helping Lorelei hone her abilities, Lorelei is dealing with the reality that Satan’s second in command has taken up residence inside her body. Oh, and the fact that she has a crush on the Angel of Death. But what a beautiful death it is. If those weren’t bad enough, something sinister has come to town and it wants nothing more than to hear Lorelei’s dying breath as it strangles it out of her. Thank goodness the gang has a supernatural champion. But what happens when the only being who can save them switches sides midstream? How can a group of misfits capture one of the most powerful beings ever created? And will they find out how to bring Jared back to them before it’s too late? My Review :
Death, Doom and Detention was a pre-order book but it has taken me over a month to get around to reading it. It wasn't because I didn't want to but lately I just haven't been reading as much as I could/should. Hopefully this great read will have me grabbing for the next book in line because I am slowly getting behind on my reading goal for this year and my book reviews!
The idea for this series is new and different. The characters are likable and very nice to read about. I especially like the main character, Lorelei. Her visions, abilities and strength are to be admired and envied. I hope she doesn't lose her friends or family due to the war that is evolving in the storyline that has nearly the whole town involved. However I fear that there are going to be some losses at some point and I slightly fear the next installment because it looks like things are getting even more dangerous.
I thought there was a lot going on in the debut book, Death and the Girl Next Door, but this time around it was even more action packed. The action comes and goes with some great sleuthing/problem solving inbetween and the detailed and well written scenes really get your imagination going. I really felt like I was there with the characters seeing everything like one of Lorelei's visions. It was nice to feel part of the group.
Darynda Jones is a smart and special author. Her books never fail to be enjoyable reads and her characters, plots and concepts are really unforgetable. This YA Series also has versatile being added to the many great words I could use to describe her work because while her Charley Davidson series is witty, funny and slighty rude/hot at times she is managing to keep it tame in this part of her writing world. Sounds boring? Not really because the lack of adult content is not something you miss while following this extremely interesting and action packed Darklight series.
I am looking forward to the next installment even though I am a little worried about where the author will take the story next. With so many close calls for some of the characters it seems that it is only a matter of time before there will be a character saying Au revior. Whatever happens, it will be good. That I am sure of. This author is very special and I am loving her work.
My author guest this week was the 'Halloween loving' Terri Garey!
If you read the guest blog you would know that Terri has a novella out in an anthology with Jocelynn Drake and Caris Roane. BLOOD BY MOONLIGHT is out on Kindle and a definite bargain at the price Amazon are selling it!
Anyway the contest winner will be announced today so make sure you go over and check the results! Maybe one of you guys won!
Oh and check out Terri's books! They rock!
Darynda Jones is another author guest I had here on the blog a couple of weeks ago. Her fourth book in the Charley Davidson Grim Reaper series came out this week and I already starting listening to it.
The contest the author had set up is due to end in a few days. You could win a copy of 'Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet' so it is definitely worth entering.
If you want to find out more about the author, her books and the contest then go here and enjoy!
If you haven't tried this series yet then you have to! It is really not one to be missed!
The writer has a few books already to her name but her Grim Reaper Series is the topic of the interview I posted back on Sunday. If you don't already know the books then maybe it is time you took a look at them! I loved Dying Echo and I really looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
When you have read the interview make sure you enter the contest! I am giving away three kindle copies of Embrace the Grim Reaper to three lucky winners! All you have to do is use the widget to enter and make sure you add your comment to the post!
The contest is open till Sunday! So get a move on!
With only under a week left to go before Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet releases it maybe a good time to go add your name to the hat! You can't win if you don't enter!
The Rafflecopter widget says you have another 11 days left to enter.
Haven't read any of Darynda's books yet? Go get some now! You are missing a huge delicious treat!
Ten years ago, Lorelei's parents disappeared without a trace. Raised by her grandparents and leaning on the support of her best friends, Lorelei is finally beginning to accept the fact that her parents are never coming home. For Lorelei, life goes on.
High school is not quite as painful as she thinks it will be, and things are as normal as they can be. Until the day the school's designated loner, Cameron Lusk, begins to stalk her, turning up where she least expects it, standing outside her house in the dark, night after night. Things get even more complicated when a new guy—terrifying, tough, sexy Jared Kovach—comes to school. Cameron and Jared instantly despise each other and Lorelei seems to be the reason for their animosity. What does Jared know about her parents? Why does Cameron tell Jared he can't have Lorelei? And what will any of them do when Death comes knocking for real?
My Review :
I love Darynda Jones' Charley Davidson series and I was so excited about this new YA series that I pre-ordered it as soon as I could. I wondered how the author would deal with the younger audience seeing as her adult characters are sometimes a little naughty. I also hoped that she managed to bring in some of the humour and wit that the author is admired for. Plus my main hope was that Darynda kept it new and fresh. I don't need another Twilight.
The result is pretty much everything I expected and a little more. The cool original concept was there and it twisted, turned all around and jumped up and down during this debut. There were no dull moments and I was hooked within minutes of starting the first chapter. The funnies were there too and even though there was some kissy stuff it wasn't Twilight like and it wasn't to over the top teenagy.
What can you expect? Well without giving too much of the story away it is hard to go into details but this is Paranormal, Urban and Fantasy. Visions, angels and some other weird and wonderful stuff get mixed up in Lorelei's life. There are a few fight scenes, quite a helping of mystery and some ideas of romance.
This new series is pretty serious and jam packed! I Loved it! Darynda Jones has certainly done a great job with the first book in the Darklight series and I can't wait to see what comes next. Luckily the wait till book two, 'Death, Doom, and Detention', isn't too long. I am off to pre-order the release that is due out in March next year.
If you haven't read any of her Charley Davidson series yet then you are really missing out on a treat! I was late starting the series and I wish I had picked it up earlier. Now I can't get enough!
Book four, Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet, comes out later this month and I can't wait to get a copy. Actually I will be listening to the audio book because the narrator is the best!
I am currently reading Darynda's latest release, Death and the Girl Next Door. It is a new series and I am loving it so far. If you need a fix before the next Charley Davidson book then maybe you need to check it out.
Everyone has regrets in life and there are also regrets we make as readers. One of my biggest reader regrets is not reading the Charley Davidson series earlier. Darynda Jones is just an amazing author and her humour had me falling in love with the series instantly!
With the quirky and fun T-shirt and Bumper sticker quotes at the beginning of every chapter I just couldn't help myself from laughing out loud as Charley does her Grim Reaper business. Add to the funthe amazing Lorelei King who narrates the books on the audio books. She captures the characters perfectly and I can't wait for the fourth book to release at the end of the month.
Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet is due out on October 30th! Mark your calenders! Tired of waiting and need a Darynda Jones fix? The first book in her new series, Death and the Girl Next Door, is out now!
But wait! Darynda has sent me a great guest blog, an excerpt from Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet and a contest for you all to enter! So keep reading and check it out!!!
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WELCOME TO THE DARK SIDE
Thank you so much for having me today, Amber! I LOVE your blog.
With Halloween fast approaching, I thought I’d talk about how I got started writing paranormal. You know, what inspires me.
The answer to that, of course, is anything and everything. Honestly, I saw a red dot on the floor once and wrote a story because of it. Yeah.
But what about paranormal specifically influenced my writing?
Well, a long time ago in a land not so far away, I read a picture book called Cinderella. Cinderella is nothing if not fantasy, and I was hooked on storytelling. I used to pick up sticks and write stories on random pieces of paper or even in the dirt. I used to think it was all about the story. I’ve since realized it’s all about the characters. The story is just a plus. But that’s a post best saved for another time.
Still, my stories do tend to go a bit darker than Cinderella did. At least Disney’s version of it. And I think I’ve always been attracted to the macabre. The first scary movie I ever saw was a vampire movie. I’ve never been the same. Who knew the pairing of supernatural elements and scary creatures could be fun? Admittedly, I didn’t at the time. That movie was not fun. It was scary. But it hooked me. I have been fascinated with paranormal creatures, their powers and weaknesses, ever since.
Combine that with inspirations like Mary Shelley, Joss Whedon, Anne Rice, and Neil Gaiman, and you have yourself a cauldron of good times. (Get it? Cauldron? Because it’s almost Halloween . . .)
I absolutely love the paranormal world and everything in it, from fairies to werewolves to zombies.
What is your favorite paranormal creature and what inspires you in the paranormal realm?
Thank you again for having me!
~D~
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Darynda Jones has won numerous awards for her work including a prestigious Golden Heart®, a RITA®, and a Daphne du Maurier. As a born storyteller, she grew up spinning tales of dashing damsels and heroes in distress for any unfortunate soul who happened by, annoying man and beast alike. Darynda lives in the Land of Enchantment, also known as New Mexico, with her husband and two beautiful sons, the Mighty, Mighty Jones Boys.
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4th Grave Beneath My Feet Excerpt!
With renewed energy, I pulled back onto Academy— after hitting a
drive- through for a mocha latte— and had just started for home when
my phone rang.
“Yes?” I said, illegally talking on the phone while driving within the
city limits. Scoping for cops, I waited for Uncle Bob to stop talking to
whomever he was talking to and get back to me.
My uncle Bob, or Ubie as I most often referred to him, was a detective
for APD, and I helped him on cases from time to time. He knew I
could see the departed and used that to his advantage. Not that I could
blame him.
“Get that to her, then call the ME ay- sap.”
“Okay,” I said, “but I’m not sure what calling the medical examiner
ay- sap is going to accomplish. I’m pretty sure his name is George.”
“Oh, hey, Charley.”
“Hey, Uncle Bob. What’s up?”
“Are you driving?”
“No.”
“Have you heard anything?”
Our conversations often went like this. Uncle Bob with his random
questions. Me with my trying to come up with answers just as random.
Not that I had to try very hard. “I heard that Tiff any Gorham, a girl I
knew in grade school, still stuff s her bra. But that’s just a rumor.”
“About the case,” he said through clenched teeth. I could tell his teeth
were clenched because his words were suddenly forced. That meant he
was frustrated. Too bad I had no idea what he was talking about.
“I wasn’t aware that we had a case.”
“Oh, didn’t Cookie call you?”
“She called me a doody- head once.”
“About the case.” His teeth were totally clenched again.
“We have a case?”
But I’d lost him. He was talking to another officer. Or a detective. Or
a hooker, depending on his location and accessibility to cash. Though I
doubted he would tell a hooker to check the status of the DOA’s autopsy
report. Unless he was way kinkier than I’d ever given him credit for.
I found his calling me only to talk to other people very challenging.
“I’ll call you right back,” he said. No idea to whom.
The call disconnected as I sat at a light, wondering what guacamole
would look like if avocados were orange.
I finally shifted my attention to the dead kid in my backseat. He had
shoulder- length blond hair and bright blue eyes and looked somewhere
between fifteen and seventeen.
“You come here often?” I asked him, but my phone rang before he
could say anything. That was okay. He had a vacant stare, so I doubted
he would have answered me anyway.
“Sorry about that,” Uncle Bob said. “Do you want to discuss the
case?”
“We have a case?” I said again, perking up.
“How are you?”
He asked me that every time he called now. “Peachy. Am I the case? If
so, I can solve this puppy in about three seconds. I’m heading down San
Mateo toward Central in a cherry red Jeep Wrangler with a questionable
exhaust system.”
