I love this series by Darynda Jones, and it's one that is a must have, especially if you love a snarky, kick ass heroine! Any book series worth it's salt has to have one of those, as well as a sexy man who walks into your wildest fantasties/dreams! Very well written, and a series worth reading over and over!

Five Stars! I just cannot get enough of Charley and this series!

After the events that occurred at the terrifying and stunning conclusion of Third Grave Dead Ahead, we find our beloved Charley a prisoner in her own apartment. Buried behind mountains of cardboard boxes, as she has become an avid shopping network customer. Afraid to venture out of her apartment and nearly broke, Charley spends hours buying useless stuff and spending herself out of house and home. Thankfully, Cookie shows up and gives her some tough love....Well, Cookie needs a paycheck, too and without Charley working money is scarce. Thankfully, a knock at the door presents a case for Charley. She carefully emerges and begins picking up the pieces and putting her life back together. That also means she must deal with Reyes. Will Charley get her act together and find some answers and take control of Reyes once and for all?

What I Liked:

Once again the lovable Charley Davidson doesn't disappoint in her fourth outing. This time around, though, Charley is struggling a bit and her habit of jumping into the fire is subdued. That doesn't mean that she doesn't get into trouble. You can expect Charley, as usual, to find herself in plenty of sticky situations, one quite literally when she willingly ends up duct taped to a chair! This book does take on a bit of a darker tone, but never fear it is loaded with the typical wit and sarcasm that Charley Davidson is known for!
I liked that this time around I finally got some answers to some of the pressing questions that were nagging from the beginning. Reyes in a rare moment opens up to Charley and divulges a bit of information on grim reapers, and so forth, and at last I know why he nicknamed her Dutch!
I love that this series continues to utilize multiple story lines in each book. Charley is still trying to figure out her relationship with Reyes and determine whether the son of Satan spells trouble or not. The demons are hunting her, and Reyes is fighting them off. She is sorting out her messy familial relationships, and she might even be making progress on her relationship with her step mother, or not.....She has a puzzling new case that left me stunned at the resolution. All in all, a lot goes on in a Charley Davidson book! Darynda Jones never fails to keep me entertained. This series is like a breath of fresh air and I eagerly await each new installment!
I know I have mentioned this before, but I will say it again. This series does not have a love triangle (just a complicated romance) and it refrains from cliffhangers. I thoroughly enjoy reading these books because there is always a nice resolution at the end!
I liked that this time around Charley is starting to mature just a bit, and she is finally learning a bit more about her powers, but she still has a lot to learn because once again she manages to get her butt kicked a few times. I can't wait for her to stand up and totally kick some ass!
I adore Charely's new guardian, Artemis. She is just awesome! I want one! Well, I guess I don't need an Artemis since I don't have demons trailing me, thank god!
And The Not So Much:

I was disappointed that Garrett was pretty much absent from this book. I was expecting him to play an even bigger part, especially after the stunning conclusion of Third Grave. He doesn't even make an appearance until about a third of the way through. I love the wicked banter that usually ensues between this pair, but it is a bit lacking in this one. I have to say, I adore Garrett and I want more of him.
Once again, the relationship between Charley and Reyes is friction and lust. They have this chemistry that draws them to each other like moths to flames, only to be repelled once they are together. The bottom line, I don't know if the pair is ever going to get it right....I still think she should settle down with Garrett.
As I mentioned, this book has a bit of a darker tone. Charley is suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder so her usual snarky, in your face ADD personality is a bit restrained. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but in comparison to the caffeine amped, sleep deprived Charley from Third Grave is a bit of a let down. Never fear, she still has plenty of funny lines, but they aren't quite as prevalent.
The Charley Davidson Series by Darynda Jones is a series I can always count on. Charley with her snarky, distracted personality always leaves me laughing. I also love the complex story lines that neatly tie off, but still leave me hungering for more. If you are looking for a highly entertaining series, please please do yourself a favor and try Charley Davidson! I am already counting the days until Fifth Grave Past the Light releases in July 2013!

Favorite Quotations:

"Doing nothing is hard. You never know when you're done." T-Shirt.

"I lowered the gun but didn't holster it. Not just yet. She could turn out to be a psychotic. Or a door-to-door-sales person."

"Welcome back. I see the assassins failed. T-Shirt."

"She had a desk up front, but her office sat in the back past the studio, a corner space the size of a moth's testicles with a nice view of the Dumpster across the alley."

"Okay. Don't make me come down there and kick your skank-lovin' ass."

"I'll try not to let that threat keep me up nights."

"Why kill them with kindness when you can use an axe? T-Shirt."

"I would rather be attacked by rabid fire ants than be jealous."

"I can pray, I said insulted. Just tell me what to pray about. I'll totally put it on my to-do list."

"Brownies were like spare batteries. One could never have too many in the house."

"If there was ever a time to carry a flashlight, it would definitely be at night."

"I borrowed a pair of your sweats. I ran into a convenience store with them on. I talked to neighbors out in their yard when I pulled up. And only after I got inside did I realize that they had 'Exit Only' written across the back."

"Drink Coffee. Do stupid things faster and with more energy. T-Shirt."

"If you must eat a banana in public, never make eye contact."



A big thanks to St. Griffith's publishing for the ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for my review. All quotations come from the ARC copy and may vary from the final version.

FOURTH GRAVE BENEATH MY FEET is the fourth storyline in Darynda Jones’ Charley Davidson series focusing on Charlotte “Charley” Davidson as the grim reaper and her no-nonsense approach to getting things done. Darynda continues her amazing and humorous writing style using one-liners and sarcasm, once again ensuring we laugh and nod in agreement with Charley’s take on the reality of the situation. Very few people are safe from our heroine’s tongue in cheek look at life and everything it has to throw at it.

Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet finds Charley hoarding in her apartment about 2 months after her torture at the hands of a man once presumed dead. After her father turned her into the police and shut down her PI business, Charley felt it necessary to hold up in her tiny apartment maxing out credit cards on the Shopping Channel. How many turkey basters does one person need? Apparently 7!!! But hunger and poverty have a funny way of forcing her back into the real world when Charley accepts a new assignment investigating the strange accusations of a woman claiming she is being harassed. And to complicate matters, she hasn’t seen the man who weakens her knees in almost the same amount of time. The only contact with the outside world has been her assistant and BFF Cookie and Cookie’s daughter Amber, but things are about to change. Oh, and a rash of bank thefts by a group labeled the Gentlemen Thieves-the thieves all look very familiar to Charley.

Since her confinement, Charley has not seen her dad. Anger, hurt and feelings of betrayal surface whenever she thinks about the one man she could depend on in her life. But something is wrong with her father and no one has come forward. As she continues to ignore her father’s requests to talk, it becomes apparent that her father may be moving on without her –in more ways than one. The father-daughter dynamic is infinitely strained and worsens when he tries to prove that Charley has changed. He knows more about Charley than she ever thought possible.

The other constants in Charley’s life will continue to amuse us. Mr. Wong is currently buried beneath the rubble of boxes in Charley’s apartment she has labeled Area 51 and Aunt Lil will finally come to realize that she is no longer ‘living’ on this plane of existence but has no desire to cross over and miss out on all of the fun. Angel returns as Charley’s spiritual investigator, but when Charley begins to hunt for Reyes, it is Angel who will lead her into an impossible situation. And Darynda references many previous storylines and premises throughout every novel, to keep the reader well-informed without the need to look back and wonder what we missed.

Reyes is the Son of Satan, a warrior and Charley’s protector. And finding Reyes risking his life time and time again, will force Charley into some situations that will risk both of their lives. Hunted by demons, Charley is slowly learning that she is developing some impossible powers and abilities. But the demons want her to join them in a war between heaven and hell, and the only person standing in the way is the man with whom she is falling in love. And Charley has another guardian of sorts, when Artemis makes her presence known every time a demon attacks.

As Charley and Reyes grow closer, it will be an injured Reyes who reveals more about Charley’s heritage and direction in life. From birth, Charley has known she was the grim reaper, and with that acceptance also comes a price. As one of the demons has stated: they are waiting for the key of darkness to be inserted into the locket of light. Could Charley and Reyes mating be the beginning of the end?

Garrett Swopes returns as a skiptracer with the ability to locate people and things. But Garrett died in a shoot out a few months ago, and his return to the living has come with some complications and information that he would have rather not have experienced. Withdrawing from Charley is his only option when he learns the true nature behind Reyes’ existence and Charley’s potential involvement in the war between good and evil.

As Charley’s ‘harassment’ investigation continues so does the witty interaction with Cookie. Playing off each other’s fears and anxieties, curiosity and inquisitiveness, Cookie and Charley are like an old married couple who know exactly how the other will react. And it is Cookie’s reaction to the horror of Charley’s Shopping Channel nightmare that will leave the reader with a giggle or four.

Reyes and Charley’s relationship continues with the pull of the attraction and the push of fear. As Charley’s fear increases, so do the demon attacks and Reyes’s need to defend. The chemistry and heat between Charley and Reyes is palpable and a little intimidating. But it is Charley’s fear of what happened over two months ago that will have to be resolved before she can take the next step. And jealousy will rear its’ ugly head when it looks like both have someone else waiting should the other one fail.

In the end, a father and daughter will have to make a choice as to whether they will let the past come between them: a young girl will reveal that children are not oblivious to the world around them: what is on the surface can be misleading: and the love a ‘man’ has for a woman, will temporarily quiet the demons-if only until the next book: And a twist in the harassment investigation that you never saw coming.

Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet is a well-written and fantastic instalment in the Charley Davidson series of books. Darynda has once again, drawn the reader into the storyline using humor, sarcasm and the face-to-face confrontations making you feel like you are part of the story. The people are as real as the people you meet everyday with the exception of the paranormal powers and beings. I hope Darynda continues this series for a long time to come. If you need to start a new series, I highly recommend Darynda Jone’s Charley Davidson series. You will not be disappointed.

Copy supplied by publisher.
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Loved this novel! Not my usual read, but so glad I did. Loved Charley! This novel has mystery, romance, action and laugh out loud moments. This novel sucked me in from the moment I opened the novel. I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen. I was reading at my daughters practice and literally laughed so loud other moms were turning to see what the commotion was about. I loved the chemistry between the characters. So good!

“If you must eat a banana in public, never make eye contact.”
― Darynda Jones, Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet
“Insanity does NOT run in my family. It strolls through, takes its time, and gets to know everyone personally. —T-SHIRT”
― Darynda Jones, Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet