Betwixt by Darynda Jones Narrator: Traci Odom
Length: 6 hrs 45 minutes
Series: Betwixt & Between #1
Published by Feather and Leaf LLC, Tantor Audio on February 16, 2020
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 256
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I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Divorced, desperate, and destitute, former restaurateur Defiance "Dephne" Dayne finds out she has been bequeathed a house by a complete stranger. She is surprised, to say the least, and her curiosity gets the better of her. She leaves her beloved Phoenix and heads to one of the most infamous towns in America: Salem, Massachusetts.
She’s only there to find out why a woman she’s never met would leave her a house. A veritable castle that has seen better days. She couldn’t possibly accept it, but the lawyer assigned to the case practically begs her to take it off her hands, mostly because she’s scared of it. The house. The inanimate structure that, as far as Dephne can tell, has never hurt a fly.
Though it does come with some baggage. A pesky neighbor who wants her gone. A scruffy cat who’s a bit of a jerk. And a handyman bathed in ink who could moonlight as a supermodel for GQ.
She decides to give it three days, and not because of the model. She feels at home in Salem. Safe. But even that comes to a screeching halt when people begin knocking on her door day and night, begging for her help to locate their lost objects.
Come to find out, they think she’s a witch. And after a few mysterious mishaps, Dephne is beginning to wonder if they’re right.
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I was definitely up for some more Darynda Jones after the Charley Davidson series ended. Darynda Jones is amazing and has a great sense of humor that shows through in her books.
Betwixt was a change of pace from Charley Davidson. Which I am sure was needed after such a long running series. I liked Dephne and her friend Annette. Their relationship did remind me of Charley and Cookie.
Defiance is in desperate need of some good in her life after all that has brought her down with her divorce and business. This house she’s been willed is definitely strange, but once she gets into the house, things get even stranger. I love the house. All the fun things that come with it, like the cat and the handyman make it even more interesting.
Where this is a first book, there is definitely some world building, but it is done well and we are learning the ropes right along with Dephne, so everything is a mystery.
There is some romantic tension, but I normally need a little more. I’m sure as the series continues, this aspect will grow. I categorized it as urban fantasy, but I see others have it as women’s paranormal fiction. I’m unfamiliar with that genre, so I’m going to stick with that for now until I maybe read more in this genre and can tell the difference.
Betwixt is a fun starter to the Betwixt & Between world. I definitely recommend the audio as Traci Odom does an amazing job.
About Darynda Jones
NYTimes and USA Today Bestselling Author Darynda Jones has won numerous awards for her work, including a prestigious RITA, a Golden Heart, and a Daphne du Maurier. As a born storyteller, she grew up spinning tales of dashing damsels and heroes in distress for any unfortunate soul who happened by, annoying man and beast alike. She currently has two series with St. Martin’s Press, the Charley Davidson Series and the Darklight Trilogy. Darynda lives in the Land of Enchantment, also known as New Mexico, with her husband of more than 25 years and two beautiful sons, the Mighty, Mighty Jones Boys.
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