REVIEW by Jena: Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet (Charley Davidson #4) by Darynda Jones (@Darynda)

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 from Darynda Jones. .

I have reached the end of the published portion of this series and I am already starting to go through withdrawals. Literary Limbo, anyone??

Fourth Grave opens up with Charley post-horrible events from Third Grave. She’s not…..ok. Rather than dealing with what happened to her, she’s self-medicating by way of home shopping channels. Right off the bat, Cookie intervenes and the banter between them over what should be considered an acceptable coping mechanism is hilarious.

For the first time in this series, my favorite part of this book is not the Charley/Reyes storyline. Not that I didn’t love that as it keeps getting more and more interesting. My favorite part was the “mystery of the day”. The woman who shows up on Charley’s doorstep convinced that someone is trying to kill her. This story line has a plot twist that I did not see coming at all! I have talked with a couple of my friends who were listening to the audiobook around the same time as me and they said the same thing. They were blindsided. It’s a great twist and adds a heavy feeling of melancholy to the story line. I loved it!!

To further add to the hot mess that is the non-relationship between Charley and Reyes, there’s Donovan. I REALLY like Donovan. I know I am not supposed to because Reyes is, well, Reyes (*swoon*) but I love Donovan and every time he and Charley have a scene together, something pulls at my heart strings. They could be soooooo good together!!! He’s this big rough and tumble biker guy with a serious soft spot for beautiful Rottweilers and our very own Charley Davidson. The first time we were introduced to Donovan, I seriously thought that Charley was running the risk of her head ending up in a duffle bag but as it turns out, the brute of a man can be really sweet and isn’t afraid to show it – even when his fellow biker gang members are around. I still adore Reyes but I want it on the record that I think Donovan could be really good for her.

Overall, I am giving Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet 5 stars! I am DYING to read Fifth Grave Past The Light (release date July 9^th)!!!!!!!!!!!!! For now, I sit in Literary Limbo as I wait for the series to proceed.