Emoji Review by Rebecca Dixon
I just finished reading โFirst Grave on the Right,โ Book 1 of the Charlie Davidson series by Darynda Jones and it was FANTASTIC ๐ฅณ! (FYI, Iโm not affiliated with the author, not in the book biz, reading is just a HOBBY, and Iโm just a regular reader that is SUPER PASSIONATE ๐ about spreading the word about GREAT ๐คฉ books!) There are NO spoilers!
So!! The most glaringly ๐ OBVIOUS thing that I HAVE to say isโฆ HOW THE HECK HAVE I NOT READ THIS BEFORE ๐คฆ๐ปโโ๏ธ๐?! For those of you who have been following my silly ๐คช โemojiโ reviews, you already know that I love a HUGE RANGE of diverse books that fall under the Romance Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, and Urban Fantasy umbrella โ! But my ROOTS really are in Urban Fantasy ๐๐ป. Iโm SO drawn to a modern writing style (in the first โ๏ธperson,) that takes place in โour modern ๐ worldโ (so I can โpretendโ it really happens in our real world ๐ ,) with a kickbutt ๐คบ FMC (love ๐ the SASS!,) โฆ ANDโฆ a K!LLER ALPHA MALE that is SMOKIN ๐ฅ๐๐ป
Iโm a bit different than a lot of UF lovers in that I am a ROMANCE ๐ girl at HEART ๐. I just Love ๐ Love ๐Love ๐ a drool-worthy ๐คค romance plotline and thatโs how I fell into similar genres to UFโฆ steamy ๐ฅต PRNs and alluring ๐ Romance Fantasies! But my heart still loves a great UFโฆ and man, this is a FANTASTIC ๐คฉ one that really combines UF with a GREAT ๐๐ป slow-burn PRN vibe ๐๐ป!
OK!! Let me get straight ๐ฏ to it! The story ๐๐ป! So we have this chickโฆ who is FREAKING FUNNY ๐โฆ like she probably has a joke in almost every paragraph in the book, she is that FUNNY ๐ ! Anyhoo (yes, she does say that ๐,) she sees DEAD PEOPLE โ ๏ธ๐งโโ๏ธ๐ปโฆ and has 3.7 jobs (yep Iโm quoting the book ๐ )โฆ sheโs a Private Investigator ๐ต๏ธโโ๏ธ , a part-time Bartender ๐บ, on the payroll for the local Police ๐ฎ department, and the .7 is the GRIM REAPER ๐๐ชฆ โ โฆ since like, she doesnโt get paid for that (her words ๐!!) Sheโs QUICKLY thrown into a murder ๐ฉธ case and has the EXTREMELY advantageous knack for actually talking ๐ฃ to the victims (who donโt always know their dead ๐ ) to help solve the case. Enter in a freaking HOT ๐ฅต, sort of invisible ๐, smoke ๐จ kinda guy that is DANGEROUS ๐ฅท(& did I say HOT ๐ฅต as all get out?!)โฆ and is her personal savior ๐โฆ PLUS sort of her worst nightmare ๐ฑ โฆ WRAPPED UP ๐ with maybe a bit of a SEXY times ๐ ๐ ๐ฅโฆ and this story HOOKED ๐ช me and FAST ๐๐ปโโ๏ธ!
I just have to say that this story is sooooo UNIQUE, ORIGINAL, and yeahโฆ I think I said it alreadyโฆ FUNNY ๐๐๐. The FMC has this QUIRKY personality that makes all of her interactions with the dead really giggle ๐คญ worthy! I was chuckling ๐ my way through this ENTIRE book ๐๐ป. I sent screen shot after screen shot to my girlfriends while I LEGIT cackled ๐คญ at the jokes! Even the beginning of every chapter had a funny quote that made me laugh out loud ๐ . For example, โI may not look like much, but Iโm an expert at pretending to be a ninja ๐ฅทโ ORโฆ like โDo not meddle in the affairs of dragons ๐, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.โ Likeโฆ really funny, silly stuff! So yeah, LOVED the FMC!! Sheโs got thick skin (considering her profession ๐คช) and a sense humor for days! ๐ฅณ
But what really, REALLY captured my romance-loving-heart, was the MMC!! SWOON ๐ฅต๐ฅต๐ฅต. This is actually the strangest book in this regard for me ๐!! Iโve read 100โs of PRNs, UFs, Romance Fantasiesโฆ and I donโt think Iโve ever been OBSESSED ๐ about a MMC that Iโve hardly met ๐ฒ๐! This guy who SWOOPS all up in there and outโฆ has actual pretty little book time when itโs all said and done (super slow-burn)โฆ but even with this little stage time, he makes a HUGE impact. LIKE HUGE ๐๐ป! Manโฆ I think I was drooling ๐คค at a certain reveal of a strong forearm ๐ช๐ปโฆ I kid you not! There is an ART to capturing the OBSESSION of a reader with so little dialogue with the MMC and this author sure does it ๐๐ป! I was literally page-turning on pins and needles ๐ชก , just eagerly WAITING for his next BIG swoop in moment! Because mannnnโฆ HOT ๐ฅ HOT ๐ฅ HOT ๐ฅ stuff! And likeโฆ Iโm CRAZY ๐๐ฅฐ๐ about this guy! SO FREAKING AWESOME ๐๐ป of a MMC!! I cannot wait to get into Book 2 for MORE!! ๐คฉ๐คฉ๐คฉ
But what about the plot?!? Itโs actually SUPER COOL ๐. The parallel mysteries of the murder plotline alongside the romantic plotline, pretty much had me page-turning (when I wasnโt chuckling ๐คญ & msging my friends with jokes from the book, that is!) Iโve just read the first book (literally just finished and had to write this straight away!,) but I can tell this is a super SOLID ๐ฅseries. Likeโฆ this really should be a household name for UF like a Kate Daniels, Mercy Thompson, or a Night Huntress! This totally has Kate & Curran, Mercy & Adam, and Cat & Bones vibes ๐๐ป๐๐ป๐๐ป! Seriously, Iโm gonna be saying โCharlie & Reyesโ all over FB anytime I rec a fantastic UF with a kickbutt ๐คบ power couple!
So really, a big BONUS ๐ฐ in my book is that not only does it feel like a flagship UF, but for my steam ๐ฅ- loving ๐-heartโค๏ธโ๐ฅ, it really feels like it has some good PRN vibes with the heat between our quirky girl and our smoldering, โBURN ๐ฅTHE WORLD DOWN FOR HIS GIRLโ guy! Again, this is DEFINITELY a series that Iโm going to recommend in the same sentence as one of the UF Best-of-the-Bests ๐! And hands down, if your reading lots of dark PRNs lately, this is a fantastic palette cleanser ๐๐ป! The comic relief is soooo refreshing ๐ฌโฆ but then you are STILL going to get that PRN hit ๐ฅต ! OH and the END!!!!!!!!!!! OMG ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฒ this series is SERIOUSLY going into some pretty COOL ๐ places! I can tell that itโs going to be like an onion ๐ง and every book is going to peel away a layer of adventure! ๐๐ป๐๐ป๐๐ป
So if you love a book with COMEDY, a quirky FMC that is FREAKING FUNNY ๐, a mysterious HOT ๐ฅต ALPHA male that we know hardly anything about but are somehow in love ๐ฅฐ with him ALL THE MORE for it ๐๐ป, and a super UNIQUE story that is going down a really COOL ๐ path, give this book a shot! The first book is free on KU and you never know, it may be the book that REAPS a fangirl (fanboy) out of you!