[Review] Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet by Darynda Jones

Title: Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet

Author: Darynda Jones

Series: Charley Davidson #4

Genre: Adult Urban Fantasy

Published: October 30th, 2012

Publisher: Piatkus

Format: Paperback, 308 pages

Welcome to the world of grim reaper extraordinaire Charley Davidson. Try as she might, there’s no avoiding her destiny.Sometimes being the grim reaper really is, well, grim. And since Charley’s last case went so awry, she has taken a couple of months off to wallow in the wonders of self-pity. But when a woman shows up on her doorstep convinced someone is trying to kill her, Charley has to force herself to rise above...or at least get dressed. It becomes clear something is amiss when everyone the woman knows swears she’s insane. But the more they refute the woman’s story, the more Charley believes it.
In the meantime, the sexy, sultry son of Satan, Reyes Farrow, is out of prison and out of Charley’s life, as per her wishes and several perfectly timed death threats. But his absence has put a serious crimp in her sex life. While there are other things to consider, like the fact that the city of Albuquerque has been taken hostage by an arsonist, Charley is having a difficult time staying away. Especially when it looks like Reyes may be involved.
Just when life was returning to normal, Charley is thrust back into the world of crime, punishment, and the devil in blue jeans in this hilarious fourth installment in the New York Times bestselling series.

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Review

My thoughts:

I can’t even with this series… Darynda Jones freaking read my mind, I could swear it! Just when I finished the third book, I was saying: “It’s kind of suspicious that after going through so much, Charley’s mind is still in one piece. If I were her I wouldn’t step out of my house again, not even for a million dollars”. And it would be kind of annoying and unrealistic of her to just get back on her feet and keep going as if nothing had happened… So, she doesn’t.

In this installment, Charley is kind of depressed, suffering from PTS after Earl’s attack. She won’t go out of her house and has been hoarding boxes of mostly useless things she’s been impulsively buying. She’s almost broke and hasn’t taken on a case for two months.

Her family and friends planned an intervention and try to get her out of the house, but she’s not making much progress until she meets Harper, a young woman who’s been terrorized her whole life and whom everyone thinks is just trying to get her parents attention. When Charley decides to take on her case, we get some of the old Charley back, this badass heroine ready to save the day and cause some trouble, but there’s still some part of her that will never be the same.

Of course, Charley finds herself in several tricky situations throughout the book and she’ll have to learn and learn fast about the power within her because there’s something wicked coming her way.

I loved this book even more than the others. It just felt so real to me. Charley has so many layers as a character that I’m always amazed at every new glimpse of her that I get.

Then we have Reyes who is hotter than ever –if that’s even possible- in this installment and I just don’t know if I can handle him anymore. 

This one, I think is my favorite book from the whole series. It’s just right on point. I went straight for the next book as I've done with the other ones in this series. I don't know what I'm going to do when I'm fully caught up or when the series is over.

Again, if you -for some reason; any reason- haven’t read this series yet, please give it a try. It’s so good I wouldn’t want you to miss it.

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About the author

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, she grew up spinning tales of dashing damsels and heroes in distress for any unfortunate soul who happened by, annoying man and beast alike. She currently has two series with St. Martin's Press, the Charley Davidson Series and the Darklight Trilogy. Darynda lives in the Land of Enchantment, also known as New Mexico, with her husband of more than 25 years and two beautiful sons, the Mighty, Mighty Jones Boys. She can be found at www.daryndajones.com.

[Review] Third Grave Dead Ahead by Darynda Jones

Title: Third Grave Dead Ahead

Author: Darynda Jones

Series: Charley Davidson #3

Genre: Adult Urban Fantasy

Published: January 31st, 2012

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Format: Paperback, UK edition, 310 pages

Paranormal private eye. Grim reaper extraordinaire. Whatever. Charley Davidson is back! And she's drinking copious amounts of caffeine to stay awake because every time she closes her eyes she sees him: Reyes Farrow, the part-human, part-supermodel son of Satan.
Granted she did imprison Reyes for all eternity, but how is she supposed to solve a missing-persons case, deal with an ego-driven doctor, calm her curmudgeonly dad, and take on a motorcycle gang hell-bent on murder when the devil's son just won't give up on his plan of seduction..... and revenge?

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Review

My thoughts:

Gosh! I think Charley’s life has hit a new low point. Jesus! You can’t help but admire her determination, though. If half the things she had happened to her would have happened to me, there would be no way in hell you could talk me into taking a case ever again. Seriously.

In this installment, Charley is trying to find a missing wife and helping Reyes with his current situation. She hasn’t had any sleep for two weeks; she’s carjacked and kidnapped; she gets beaten up at least three times; betrayed by someone she loves at least two times; someone slashes her tires; someone breaks into her apartment; and the list goes on and on. And somehow those haven’t been the worst couple of weeks of her life… You gotta love her spirit.

Reyes is being a complete asshole during this whole book and I don’t care how hot he is, right now he's not making it to anyone's favorite lists. Especially not Charley's and certainly not mine. 

I have to admit, I’m always a little afraid of what’s coming next, afraid for Charley, that is… Everything seems to be aligning for absolute chaos, but that just builds up the excitement for the next book on the series. 

Darynda Jones did not disappoint in the third installment of the Charley Davidson series, her characters are beautifully developed and the plot never lets up. 

I went straight for the next one after finishing this book, and if you haven’t read this series yet, I strongly recommend it to you, you won’t regret picking it up!

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About the author

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, she grew up spinning tales of dashing damsels and heroes in distress for any unfortunate soul who happened by, annoying man and beast alike. She currently has two series with St. Martin's Press, the Charley Davidson Series and the Darklight Trilogy. Darynda lives in the Land of Enchantment, also known as New Mexico, with her husband of more than 25 years and two beautiful sons, the Mighty, Mighty Jones Boys. She can be found at www.daryndajones.com.

[Review] Second Grave on the Left by Darynda Jones

Title: Second Grave on the Left

Author: Darynda Jones

Series: Charley Davidson #2

Genre: Adult Urban Fantasy

Published: August 16th, 2011

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Format: Hardcover, 307 pages

If you hang around with dead people, life can get pretty complicated. Take it from Charley Davidson, part-time private investigator and full-time Grim Reaper. Complicated is her middle name. The deceased find her very sparkly. Demons find her irresistible. And one entity in particular wants to seduce her in every way possible.
When Charley and Cookie (her best friend/receptionist) have to track down a missing woman, the case is not quite as open and shut as they anticipate. Cookie's friend Mimi disappeared five days earlier. Mimi then sends Cookie a cryptic message telling Cookie to meet her at a nearby coffee shop. The coffee is brewing, but Mimi's still missing. There is, however, a clue Mimi left on the bathroom wall: a woman's name. Mimi's husband explains to them that his wife had been acting strange since she found out an old high school friend had been murdered. The same woman whose name Mimi had scribbled on the bathroom wall.
Meanwhile, Reyes Alexander Farrow (otherwise known as the Son of Satan. Yes. Literally) has left his corporeal body and is haunting Charley. He's left his body because he's being tortured by demons who want to lure Charley closer. But Reyes can't let that happen. Because if the demons get to Charley, they'll have a portal to heaven...well, let's just say it wouldn't be pretty.
Can Charley handle hot nights with Reyes and even hotter days tracking down a missing woman? Can she keep those she loves out of harm's way? And is there enough coffee and chocolate in the world to fuel her as she does?
Here is your signpost for the most hilarious read of the year: Second Grave on the Left.

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Review

My thoughts:

OMG! I went to pick up the next one as soon as I finished this review. I really liked the first book in this series, but this one just won me over completely.

This was one of the best books I read in 2014. It’s still one of the best I’ve read so far, ever. Yes, I enjoyed it that much!

The writing is a dream… Fast-paced and action-packed, with details where needed and a witty dialogue that had me cracking up at 2 a.m. like a crazy person.

The whole cast of characters is awesome! Charley Davidson is one the best female characters ever. She’s tough, badass, sexy, feisty, funny and just an all-around fantastic heroine.

Reyes could have been taken directly from my wildest dreams if the amount of swooning I did throughout the book is any indicator. He’s just the perfect paranormal love interest: a bad boy, dangerous, seductive and mysterious but who somehow has a soft side. He’s very protective of the ones he cares about and I just fell for him so hard in this sequel.

The rest of the characters are great, colorful and full of life. In this book, for some reason, I got to appreciate them even more than the first time around.

I loved the chaos that was Charley’s world in this book. There were a hundred things going on, but the author somehow finds a way to give each storyline its place. There was never a dull moment, there was always something just waiting around the corner and it was really exciting. I even loved how the new case Charley was working on surprise me at the end.

This one is a must-read for all paranormal lovers! If you’ve read the first book and you’re still on the fence about continuing the series, I encourage you to do so, because this one is definitely better.

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About the author

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, she grew up spinning tales of dashing damsels and heroes in distress for any unfortunate soul who happened by, annoying man and beast alike. She currently has two series with St. Martin's Press, the Charley Davidson Series and the Darklight Trilogy. Darynda lives in the Land of Enchantment, also known as New Mexico, with her husband of more than 25 years and two beautiful sons, the Mighty, Mighty Jones Boys. She can be found at www.daryndajones.com.

[Mini-Review] First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones

Title: First Grave on the Right

Author: Darynda Jones

Series: Charley Davidson #1

Genre: Adult Urban Fantasy

Published: January 1st, 2011

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Format: Paperback, 338 pages.

First Grave on the Right is the smashing, award-winning debut novel that introduces Charley Davidson: part-time private investigator and full-time Grim Reaper.
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.
This is a thrilling debut novel from Darynda Jones, an exciting newcomer to the world of paranormal romantic suspense.
First Grave on the Right is the winner of the 2012 Rita Award for Best First Book.

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Review

My thoughts:

This was a great debut novel for the author. The main character, Charley, is as dynamic as it gets, the world is well thought out and the multiple plot lines are intertwined perfectly. 

I'd never read a book about the Grim Reaper before, but this one put it near the top of my most fascinating supernatural creatures list. 

The idea that the Grim Reaper is this unbelievably funny and sarcastic chick who barely knows what she's doing most of the time, works as a PI and has supernatural sex with a powerful, dark entity is just so out of the box that you wouldn't think it would work. But it does, amazingly. And there's a great balance between Charley's personal life, her Grim Reaper work, and her PI work, even when it all seems to come together rather abruptly. 

The secondary characters are interesting and full of quirks too, which makes this whole universe much more appealing and captivating. 

Overall, I think this a fantastic first installment for a promising series. 

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About the author

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, she grew up spinning tales of dashing damsels and heroes in distress for any unfortunate soul who happened by, annoying man and beast alike. She currently has two series with St. Martin's Press, the Charley Davidson Series and the Darklight Trilogy. Darynda lives in the Land of Enchantment, also known as New Mexico, with her husband of more than 25 years and two beautiful sons, the Mighty, Mighty Jones Boys. She can be found at www.daryndajones.com.

[Blog Tour] Before We Were Strangers by Renée Carlino (Excerpt + Giveaway)

From the USA TODAY bestselling author of Sweet Thing and Nowhere But Here comes a love story about a Craigslist “missed connection” post that gives two people a second chance at love fifteen years after they were separated in New York City.

To the Green-eyed Lovebird:We met fifteen years ago, almost to the day, when I moved my stuff into the NYU dorm room next to yours at Senior House.You called us fast friends. I like to think it was more.We lived on nothing but the excitement of finding ourselves through music (you were obsessed with Jeff Buckley), photography (I couldn’t stop taking pictures of you), hanging out in Washington Square Park, and all the weird things we did to make money. I learned more about myself that year than any other.Yet, somehow, it all fell apart. We lost touch the summer after graduation when I went to South America to work for National Geographic. When I came back, you were gone. A part of me still wonders if I pushed you too hard after the wedding…I didn’t see you again until a month ago. It was a Wednesday. You were rocking back on your heels, balancing on that thick yellow line that runs along the subway platform, waiting for the F train. I didn’t know it was you until it was too late, and then you were gone. Again. You said my name; I saw it on your lips. I tried to will the train to stop, just so I could say hello.After seeing you, all of the youthful feelings and memories came flooding back to me, and now I’ve spent the better part of a month wondering what your life is like. I might be totally out of my mind, but would you like to get a drink with me and catch up on the last decade and a half?

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EXCERPT

2. Five Days After I Saw You
MATT
I took the damn F train, an hour-long ride to Brooklyn from Midtown and back every day, at lunch, hoping I would run into Grace again, but I never did.
Things were bad at work. I had submitted a request to go into the field three months earlier but had been denied. Now I had to watch Elizabeth and Brad walk around in bliss as people congratulated them on the baby and Brad's promotion, which came right after the announcement.
Meanwhile, I was still rejecting any forward motion in my life. I was a stagnant puddle of shit. I had volunteered to go back on location to South America with a National Geographic film crew. New York just wasn't the same anymore. It held no magic for me. The Amazonian jungle, with all of its wonderful and exotic diseases, seemed more appealing than taking orders from my ex-wife and her smug husband. But my request hadn't been approved or denied. It just sat in a pile of other requests on Scott's desk.
I pondered the current state of my life while I stared at a blank wall in the office break room. Standing next to the water cooler, holding a half-empty paper cone, I tallied the insubstantial years I had spent with Elizabeth and wondered why. How had things gone so terribly wrong?
"What are you doin', man?" Scott's voice came from the doorway.
I turned and smiled. "Just thinking."
''You seem a little brighter."
"Actually, I was thinking about how I ended up thirty­six, divorced, and trapped in cubicle hell."
He walked to the coffeepot and poured a mug full then leaned against the counter. "You were a workaholic?" he offered.
"That's not why Elizabeth was unfaithful. She fell right into Brad's skinny arms, and he works more than I do. Hell, Elizabeth works more than I do."
"Why are you dwelling on the past? Look at you. You're tall. You have hair. And it looks like"—he waved his hand around at my stomach—"you might have abs?"
''You checking me out?"
''I'd kill for a head of hair like that."
Scott was the kind of guy who was bald by twenty-two. He's been shaving it Mr. Clean-style since then.
"What do women call that thing?" He pointed to the back of my head.
"A bun?"
"No, there's, like, a sexier name for it. The ladies love that shit."
"They call it a man-bun."
He studied me. "Jesus, you're a free man, Matt. Why aren't you prowling the savannahs for new game? I can't watch you mope around like this. I thought you were over Elizabeth?"
I shut the break-room door. "I am. I was over Elizabeth a long time ago. It's hard for me even to remember being into her. I got caught up in the fantasy of it, traveling with her, taking photos. Something was always missing, though. Maybe I did work too much. I mean, that's all we talked about, that's all we had in common. Now look where I am."
"What about Subway Girl?"
"What about her?"
"I don't know. I thought you were gonna try to get in touch with her?"
"Yeah. Maybe. Easier said than done."
"You just have to put yourself out there. Get on social media."
Will I find Grace there? I went back and forth between wanting to do everything I could to find her and feeling like it was totally pointless. She'd be with someone. She'd be someone's wife. Someone better than me. I wanted to get away from everything reminding me that I still had nothing.
"If you care so much, why haven't you approved my request?" I asked.
He scowled. I noticed how deep the line was between his eyebrows and it occurred to me that Scott and I were the same age...and he was getting old. "I don't mean the actual savannahs, man. Running away isn't going to solve your problems."
"Now you're my shrink?"
"No, I'm your friend. Remember when you asked for that desk job?"
I walked toward the door. "Just consider it. Please, Scott."
Right before I left the room he said, "You're chasing the wrong thing. It's not gonna make you happy."
He was right, and I could admit that to myself, but not out loud. I thought if I could win an award again, get some recognition for my work, it would fill the black hole eating away at me. But deep down, I knew that wasn't the solution.
After work, I sat on a bus bench just outside the National Geographic building. I watched hordes of people trying to get home, racing down the crowded sidewalks of Midtown. I wondered if I could judge how lonely a person was based on how much of a hurry he or she was in. No one who has someone waiting for him at home would sit on a bus bench after a ten-hour workday and people-watch. I always carried an old Pentax camera from my college days in my messenger bag, but I hadn't used it in years.
I removed it from the case and starting clicking away as people flooded in and out of the subway, as they waited for buses, as they hailed cabs. I hoped that through the lens I would see her again, like I had years before. Her vibrant spirit; the way she could color a black-and-white photo with her magnetism alone. I had thought about Grace often over the years. Something as simple as a smell, like sugared pancakes at night, or the sound of a cello in Grand Central or Washington Square Park on a warm day, could transport me right back to that year in college. The year I spent falling in love with her.
It was hard for me to see the beauty in New York anymore. Granted, much of the riffraff and grit was gone, at least in the East Village; it was cleaner and greener now, but that palpable energy I had felt in college was gone, too. For me, anyway.

Time passes, life goes on, places change, people change. And still, I couldn't get Grace off my mind after seeing her in the subway. Fifteen years is too long to be holding on to a few heart-pounding moments from college.

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About the author

Renée Carlino is a screenwriter and bestselling author of romantic women's novels. She lives in Southern California with her husband, two sons, and their sweet dog June. When she’s not at the beach with her boys or working on her next project, she likes to spend her time reading, going to concerts, and eating dark chocolate.

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