(Charley Davidson Series, #8.5)
by Darynda Jones
Narrated by Lorelei King
Blurb:
All his life, Reyes Alexander Farrow has suffered the torments of the damned. Only one thing has given him hope: the woman who radiates a light that no mortals can see; a light that only the departed can see...
Told from his point of view, BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN chronicles the first time Reyes ever encountered Charley, and how their relationship has been the one thing that can either save him or doom him.
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Viviana's Review:
I love the Charley Davidson series. I love Darynda Jones’s writing style and her ways with words. She is truly a gifted writer that not only allows the readers to escape into the world she has created but she has you falling for all the characters! I also love that Lorelei King is the narrator for this series. She brings an additional dimension to each of the character and breathes life into them.
With all that said, it’s extremely important for the readers of BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN to know that this is an extremely dark novella. In fact, upon receiving the book to review, I also received the warning that it was much darker than any of the previous books in the series. Also, there seems to be a misconception that it’s ‘dark’ because he’s the ‘son of Satan’ but that’s not the case. For those that have read the series, remember that his lineage is one thing, but he makes a conscientious decision to love and protect Charley and he creates the plan where he can be with Charley. Sadly, things don’t work out the way he planned. Unfortunately, we (readers of the series) already know some of the monstrosities that Reyes endured as a child. This is in Reyes’s POV and it’s his story.
I’ve always wanted to know more about how Reyes and his past and now we get to learn this and much more. We meet him as a child and get his perspective of events that occurred to him as a child, teenager, and then adult. We learn how he first meets Charley and his thoughts on things. We also get to see Reyes fall in love with Charley. We see Charley through his eyes! We also learn some of the tragedies and heartaches she’s been through. Readers get to see and know the reason he is the way he is. It was heartbreaking to listen/read Reyes go through things no child/person should ever have to go through. Darynda glosses over things but does a phenomenal job of making an emotional impact on the reader without the details.
When I first learned that the novella was going to be in audio book format I was extremely happy and on pins and needles waiting to see if the publisher would select a new narrator, a male, since this is from Reyes’s POV or if they would keep Lorelei. Personally, I wanted them to keep Lorelei! I believe she is a great narrator and does a beautiful job with the series and each of the characters. I couldn’t image anyone else as Reyes. With such a sensitive topic as Reyes’s past, I also didn’t want someone new to the ‘family’ if you can understand that. Lorelei does an amazing job with BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN!
The readers will love this addition to the series and it was great to see Reyes’s love for Charley and get to see a different side of Reyes we haven’t seen until now. We saw how much of an awesome friend he is and a loving brother as well. And how much of a survivor he is as well. Again, readers will need to be prepared for this isn’t like the other books, it’s much darker and you may even need tissues.
Rating: 5 Stars - Perfection
I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.
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