“Love this series!
Five Stars: This series never fails to make me laugh!
Charley has become an insomniac. It has been two weeks since she bound Reyes to his body. Subsequently, every time she falls asleep, he is there in her dreams, angry yet passionate. These sultry dreams are driving Charley to drink, gallons of coffee thar is,....a few gallons more than normal, to stay awake. Consequently, two weeks without sleep makes her a little more distracted than usual. While sleep deprived, Charley takes on a new case. A doctor wants to hire Charley to find his missing wife, but he reeks of guilt and Charley is sure he is responsible. In addition to the new case, Charley is trying to solve her ongoing Reyes problem. Her dad doesn't lighten her load, either when he insists she needs to give up her private investigating as he thinks it is too dangerous. Oh, and Mistress Marigold decides to drop by, the woman who runs the website on demons and angels and is looking for the grim reaper, she imparts some interesting tidbits....and on top of all that, she is still being tailed by the sexy Garrett Swopes! Needless to say, a day in the life of Charley Davidson, grim reaper, is never dull! Can Charley find the missing wife and solve her Reyes problem and manage to stay awake?
What I Liked:
*As usual, a Charley Davidson book does not disappoint! This book is fast, furious and funny! Charley is one of the snarkiest heroines out there. She definitely has some ADD tendencies and this outing it is worse because she is an insomniac. Her quick wit and sarcastic quips always make me laugh! If you are in a reading rut, take on Charley, she will cure you!
*I absolutely adore Cookie, Charley's neighbor, best friend and secretary. Not only does Cookie put up with all of Charley's oddities, she fully supports her. Seriously, she is the best friend we all would love to have. The banter between Charley and Cookie is hilarious! I would love to have both these gals over for coffee, granted I would need to make a few pots, but it would be well worth it!
*I love that all of the books in this series have complex plots and multiple story lines. Darynda Jones always manages to tie all the threads together in the end to form a neat plot. My favorite thing about this series is that each book can be read as a stand alone since there is a complete story in each novel, no dreadful cliffhangers! I love that I can count in this series for a good solid, entertaining read!
*There were some fun surprises in this one! I loved when Charley meets Mistress Marigold. I can't go into details, but this new character is brilliant! So unexpected and so funny! I hope that we will see more of Mistress Marigold. Also, we meet the biker gang whose headquarters is by the abandoned asylum where Rocket lives, and again there are some surprises. Of course, there are also a few ghosts popping in and out to liven things up! Expected the unexpected when reading a Charley Davidson book.
And The Not So Much:
*The relationship between Charley and Reyes remains complicated. The sizzling hot attraction is still there, but the two have some serious trust issues and they continue to waltz the love-hate dance. I am beginning to think Charley needs to just give up the Son of Satan and fall for a nice guy like say, Garrett Swopes!
*Speaking of Garrett, I totally want to smack Charley for being so mean to him all the time! Garrett is amazing and he puts up with so much crap from her. Seriously, can't she see how awesome he is and loyal and wonderful... at least Cookie gets it! At the end of this one, Charley had better have a whole new appreciation for him!
*Cookie, poor girl! She is always vicariously living through Charley's sexy hot Reyes encounters and drooling over Garrett....could she please get a break and get a date with a hot guy? She really deserves it! I am kind of hoping she might hook up with Uncle Bob, that would be interesting!
*I am still waiting for Charley to wake up and realize her powers. She gets her butt kicked numerous times in this book and I can't believe that the grim reaper can't kick some ass! I am hopeful that next time out she will find her strengths and we will finally learn more about her latent grim reaper abilities.
*I was shocked and alarmed by Charley's father and his actions. I still feel like he is a mystery and I want to get to know him better so I can understand his motives.
*Finally, Charley meets Donovan, the leader of the biker gang, and I am not sure I am pleased about the possible direction things are going.....I won't say much more but here's hoping this series remains love triangle free!
Third Grave Dead Ahead is another solid installment in a terrific series that I insist is a must read! I love these books! They are witty, fun, complex and always make me laugh. Not to mention there are no cliffhangers or love triangles. Grab a copy with a cup of coffee and set some time aside. Once you dive into Charley's world you won't want to leave. I can't wait to see what is in store for book four: Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet! Ms. Jones is a brilliant writer and all I can say is please write faster!
Favorite Quotations:
"An integral part of any best friend’s job is to immediately clear your computer history if you die.—T-SHIRT"
"At least with a biker, you knew where you stood, which was usually ten feet away from his bike."
"A Nun’s Life: Chastity, poverty and obedience. Wait, chastity?—BUMPER STICKER"
"If at first you don’t succeed, skydiving is NOT for you.—BUMPER STICKER"
"I chose the road less traveled. Now I’m lost.—T-SHIRT"
“I hardly loathe myself. Have you seen my ass?”
"At first, I could lie about my lack of sleep and she'd fall for it, but she started suspecting insomnia when I began seeing purple elephants in the air vents at the office. I knew I shouldn't have asked her about them. I thought maybe she'd redecorated.”
“Holy shit, are you positive?"
"As a pregnancy test a month after prom.”
“I strode toward Mr. Coffee with lust in my eyes. We'd had a thing for quite some time now Mr. Coffee and I...”
“No. This has to do with drugs."
"My jaw fell open and I almost lost my toothbrush. "You're on drugs?"
She pressed her mouth together. "No. You are."
"I'm on drugs?" I asked, stunned. I had no idea.”
“In a moment of sheer terror, I realized I couldn't feel my brain. It was there just a minute ago. Maybe I really was dead. "Do I look dead to you?”
“Want coffee?" as I headed that way.
"It's three thirty in the morning."
"Okay. Want coffee?”
“Give it up? Not likely. Besides, what else would I do? I totally should have gone to Hogwart's when I had the chance.”
“Have you slept yet?'
'Sure. I took a power nap on the way over.'
'Didn't you drive there?'
'Yeah. Other drviers kept waking me up. Car horns should be illegal."
I purchased a copy of this book and all opinions expressed are my own.
Also be sure to check out the newly released audiobook of Fourth Grave Beneath my Feet by Darynda Jones.
Posted @[a href="http://www.rainydayramblings.com"]Rainy Day Ramblings[/a].”
rainydayramblings wrote this review Saturday, November 10, 2012.
Was this review helpful? Yes | No