Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

This book has left me somewhat speechless. I expected a creepy, spine-tingling Gothic horror replete with old house, perhaps a haunting or two, paranormal goings-on etc. I was also hoping for a more profound connection to the sea given the title and cover. I got the old house and the paranormal goings-on, but alas no deep sea connection (which is wholly my fault for having that sort of expectation, not the book's failing) and then a whole lot of what I hadn't expected - violence. the writing - brilliant! I loved the voice, I loved the descriptions, I loved the purplish prose and the use of repetition and the juxtaposition of innocence with darkness. 5 stars for the writing. The characters - I wanted to smack Violet upside the head several times. She drove me crazy with her ‘I know better but I'm just going to give into hormones or whatever for no apparent reason.' Her brother was a far more interesting character but didn't get enough page time imo. I also really liked Sunshine - she had spunk, and Jack was lovely. As for River and Neely. I can't really say I know what to make of them. At first I was intrigued by the mysterious River, then repulsed, then sort of sympathetic. He was complex and well-written, but he definitely made me do the opposite of swoon. Neely was better, I liked him. Whole book dedicated to Neely please! As for the antagonist 0.o Without giving away spoilers, suffice it to say, I was nauseated, severely. 4 stars for the cast of characters.

This book has left me rather perplexed. At times, I hated the story, but I couldn't put it down and was totally seduced by the writing. In the end, writing trumps story for me this time so I'll settle on 4 stars. Definitely interested in reading more by this author.

This book was an absolutely lovely read. Nothing was predicable, which was so refreshing. It had you guessing at every page which kept me so engrossed. My only quam was that the events weren't particularly realistic in how they carried out. (such as napping on the couch in someone's arms that you've only known for 5-6 hours and are already pretty sure is lying to you).

Out of the past seven books I picked up, this is the only one I have made it all the way through. Was I crazy about this? No. But I liked PARTS of this book very much. It's gothic, stormy, has a seaside setting and a main character I really liked. I think I just really liked the house. It's not going to be everyone's cup of tea, and it went in a direction I didn't like and doesn't explain why. It is what it is. There is no desire to read a sequel.

Our town was small enough that I never developed a healthy fear of strangers. To me, they were exciting things, gift-wrapped and full of possibilities, the sweet smell of somewhere else wafting from them like perfume.

I though the writing was quite beautiful and that the setting was great. I liked the quiet little town and the decaying mansion.

However, I wasn't too keen on the plot. It got much too messy and ridiculous at one point. I was also quite indifferent to the characters, with the exception of River's evil half brother whom I absolutely loathe. Violet was all right until River showed up. Then her brain got scrambled. River very dull. The rest of the characters had little impact on the hole shenanigans.

As for the romance... The romance was not that great. Another frustrating case of insta-love that made me want to through the book out the window. And that's about it.

Oh what do I say about Between? Let's see. Hot Scottish guy named Aiden, who also happens to be the Grim Reaper. Check. Sweet, quirky and completely lovable protagonist. Check. Story that will have you devouring the pages and getting teary eyed. Triple check! There's everything to love about Between, and I only hope that my review does it even a minute amount of justice. I'll give it a shot!

First off, the characters were by far my favorite part. Lindsey was, I think, the perfect protagonist for this story. She is tough, despite her emotional side, and full of snark and sweetness mixed together. I enjoyed her voice as the narrator, and it made this book a pleasure to read. Then, of course, there is hunky and lovely Aiden. A grim reaper of sorts, Aiden transports souls between limbo and heaven. Unfortunately for him, he's so adorable and sweet that Lindsey falls for him. The chemistry between these two crackles off the page. A little sweet, a whole lot of sexy, these two are hard not to fall in love with.

My one gripe, and this is a minor one, is that Lindsey fell for Aiden so quickly! I ended up chalking it up to the fact that she was indeed dead. Perhaps it was her way of latching on to someone special, especially someone who would take such good care of her. Aiden definitely shows that he is worth falling in love with. From the way he treats her, to the way his inner thoughts are always of her, he's one amazing guy. I guess the rational part of me was slightly at war with the romantic side of me. After all, without romance what is there in the world?

Story wise, Between is expertly crafted. Cyndi Tefft draws you in with Lindsey's likability and then keeps you there with the romance between her and her sizzling protector. Just when you think you understand exactly what is going on between these two, something happens and you'll be right back to devouring each page. Oh, and the ending, oh the ending. If you are a sap, like I am, I recommend you grab yourself some tissues and perhaps even some chocolate. This is a perfectly beautiful and cathartic read. Lindsey learns so much about herself, it makes you think about your life too.

I'm not generally a romance gal. Give me fantasy, with wars and dragons, and we'll talk! However I have to admit that when Cyndi Tefft asked me to review Between what most drew me in was the idea of a grim reaper. I hadn't seen that done before, where could it lead? Add in the fact that he is a hot grim reaper, complete with Scottish accent, and you have me hooked. I cannot explain enough how much I adored this book! If there is more romance out there like this, please point me in that direction and don't come looking for me.