Publication Date: January 12th 2015 by St. Martin Press
About the book:
In a small village in
New York lives Jane Doe, a girl with no memory of who she is or where
she came from. So when she is working at a diner and slowly begins to
realize she can see dead people, she's more than a little taken aback.
Stranger still are the people entering her life. They seem to know
things about her. Things they hide with lies and half-truths. Soon, she
senses something far darker. A force that wants to cause her harm, she
is sure of it. Her saving grace comes in the form of a new friend she
feels she can confide in and the fry cook, a devastatingly handsome man
whose smile is breathtaking and touch is scalding. He stays close, and
she almost feels safe with him around.
But no one can outrun
their past, and the more lies that swirl around her—even from her new
and trusted friends—the more disoriented she becomes, until she is
confronted by a man who claims to have been sent to kill her. Sent by
the darkest force in the universe. A force that absolutely will not stop
until she is dead. Thankfully, she has a Rottweiler. But that doesn't
help in her quest to find her identity and recover what she's lost. That
will take all her courage and a touch of the power she feels flowing
like electricity through her veins. She almost feels sorry for him. The
devil in blue jeans. The disarming fry cook who lies with every breath
he takes. She will get to the bottom of what he knows if it kills her.
Or him. Either way.
My
Thoughts:
The Charley Davidson
series is one of my favorite urban fantasy/paranormal romances out there. Darynda Jones’ humor had me laughing out loud
most of the book! She writes Charley
with a sort of slapstick humor and her sidekick, Cookie is on the same
hilarious, A.D.D. wavelength! The run of
comedy has me snorting and giggling, enough to get some odd glances from anyone
around, (something to keep in mind if you read in public) and so sometimes when
things get very dire it’s almost a shock.
It does help temper the truly horrible things Charley has been through
over the years, and I do admire her positive outlook and unwillingness to let
anything get her down. Her recklessness
has always been a source of frustration for me, but at the heart of it is the
complete self-sacrificing spirit she has for others. While I am angry with Charley a lot (right
along with Reyes) for her rash actions, her motivations come from a sincere
love of other people, so I can never hold a grudge.
From here on out, if
you haven’t read the previous books in the series there will be some SPOILERS. Proceed with caution. If you haven’t read the other books, stop, run,
and pick up the first book!
The Dirt on Ninth
Grave was definitely different from the previous installments, and yet,
also the same. We had the same Charley
at her core, even though she lost her memory and ended up on the other side of
the country in Sleepy Hollow, New York.
All the regulars followed and played along so as not to traumatize
Charley anymore. It was a little painful to see Charley and Reyes unsure of
each other, but it was also kind of sweet watching them fall in love all over
again, making it abundantly clear that nothing will stand in the way of their
love. Of course, there were hot and
steamy scenes! Anytime Reyes and Charley
are together things turn hot and explosive!
There were several mysteries besides the continuing story
arc of the series, as with the other installments. I was moved by all but the Vandenberg mystery,
and unfortunately, it seemed like it took up the most page time. Plus, I’d scratch my head when Charley would
be so worried about them and then get distracted by another conflict and
forget. I did enjoy Erin’s story and how
it all turned out. I wish more time was
spent on Ian Jefferies’ past and the retired detective, Mr. Pettigrew. Don’t get me started
on the bittersweet story of Lewis, Shayla, and Francie. Not much plot progression on the continuing
story arc because so much time was spent with Charley as “Janey” without her
memory. I wished that was resolved
sooner in the story.
Still, I enjoyed this story, like I said, this is one of my
favorite series’, and with all the books and stories I almost feel like Charley
and the gang are old friends. I can
hardly wait to hang with Charley and the gang in the next book!
3.5-4 Suns
Connect with Darynda Jones:
The lovely people of St. Martin's Press have generously provided TWO copies of The Dirt on Ninth Grave to giveaway to two Waves of Fiction followers! The giveaway is open to US and Canadian Residents only. Simply fill out the rafflecopter for a chance to win!
