★★★★½
St. Martin’s Press | 2014
Filed Under: Team Mr. Wong
I feel like this book is a watershed moment for the series. If you’ve been loving the ride so far, this instalment is going to test just how invested you really are in sticking it out with Charley.
If you’ve been iffy about Charley – whether or not you like her and her constant slapstick bullshit – then this book is going to be what tips you over the edge to one side or the other.
It is not your typical Charley Davidson novel. If you’re expecting to find a PI case that Charley takes from beginning to end… sorry, but no. There is a lot going on, a lot of defining moments, a lot of new plot threads that are introduced for the future of the series, and one hell of a cliffhanger.
(Seriously, the seventh book was available for download from my library and I borrowed that shit immediately after finishing this.)
This book is definitively about Charley and Reyes and nothing else; about how their futures are going to shape humanity. It’s about unravelling the true meaning of Charley’s life, getting to the heart of her destiny and seeing where she goes with it. But of course, there is still endless trademark Charley humour, too.
“You should go order a sweet roll. Those are to die for. And a carne adovada burrito.”
His mouth thinned. “Should I order something else to drink?”
“Yes! A diet whatever. No! A mocha latte. No!” I held up my hand to put him in pause so I could think. “Yes, a mocha latte.”
“Are you finished?” he asked, rising to go place his order. He was really hungry.
“Yes. No! Yes. I’m good with that. I have a busy afternoon ahead of me, and I need all the energy I can get. And I need you to be my wingman.”
“This should be interesting,” he said, sauntering off like he owned the place.
By the time he got back, his fries had disappeared. It was weird.
I was totally into the progress of Angel’s story. And the little tidbits meant to make you curious about silent, creepy Mr. Wong. I think Cookie with Uncle Bob is adorable. I still hate Reyes. He’s a bossy motherfucker. And I resent being expected to get ladywood for him like every other woman in this novel. I get it! He’s sexy!
There’s a new smarmy character, The Dealer, who is dropped into the series and it seems he’s pretty important and will be sticking around. I quite like him. Charley definitely has a way of attracting the bad boys, but this one knows his style and he makes no apologies for it. He’s not trying to be the ladywood guy. His type of bad boy-ism is equal opportunity. Which is way better than an asshole alpha male that expects you to ask permission to do things or orders you around. Also, I’m not expected to drool all over myself at how sexy and brooding The Dealer is.
There is something satisfying about a witty, seemingly dark character that plays it up and has fun with his role. The Dealer is intriguing and I think he’s going to be a nice counterpoint for me to Reyes’ leading man bullshit.
“He was angry with me once again. Men and their mood swings. Women had nothing on them.”
Call me a cynic if you must, but my old-married-woman experience is telling me that Reyes and Charley’s future marriage is off to a bad fucking start. How do you get engaged to someone you play childish emotional games with? Someone you don’t even know? Sure the sex is apparently the best ever, but what happens when that goes away? Because it does go away. You need to be left with a partner who you love, even without a need to have sex so strong that you’ll walk out of a 13-year-old’s soccer tournament to have sex in the car in the parking lot of the school 👀
Without sex, Charley and Reyes don’t seem to have much of a fulfilling relationship. Maybe if that were to change, I might start to not despise him as much as I do.
I supposed, if there is any criticism I have of Charley at all, it’s that she’s emotionally stupid and doesn’t seem to be maturing. You’d think after all the torture and near-death experiences, all the souls she’d spoken to and things she’s witnessed and felt of their lives, she’d have had an epiphany or two about her own life. Gain some fucking knowledge. She doesn’t need to lose her joie de vivre, but is, like, paying a bill on time too much to ask?
*SMH* classic Charley.
🔪🔪🔪
Few things in life can come between a grim reaper and her coffee, but the sexy, sultry son of Satan is one of them. Now that Reyes Farrow has asked for her hand, Charley Davidson feels it’s time to learn more about his past, but Reyes is reluctant to open up. When the official FBI file of his childhood abduction lands in her lap, Charley decides to go behind her mysterious beau’s back and conduct her own investigation. Because what could go wrong?
Unfortunately, another case has fallen into her lap—one with dangerous implications. Some very insistent men want Charley to hunt down a witness who is scheduled to testify against their boss, a major player in the local crime syndicate. If Charley doesn’t come up with an address in 48 hours, the people closest to her will start to disappear.
Add to that a desperate man in search of the soul he lost in a card game, a dogged mother determined to find the ghost of her son, and a beautiful, young Deaf boy haunted by his new ability to see the departed as clearly as he sees the living, and Charley has her hands full. The fact that Reyes has caught on to her latest venture only adds fuel to the inferno that he is. Good thing for Charley she’s used to multi-tasking and always up for a challenge…especially when that challenge comes in the form of Reyes Farrow.
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