Blog Tour Review and #Giveaway: Betwixt Series by Melissa Pearl

BEFORE by MELISSA PEARL

Description:

Dale Finnigan is a teenage rebel; he lives for parties, girls and joy riding in stolen cars. In spite of his uptight parents' constant warnings and lectures, he continues to run wild. His crazy lifestyle is the only way he can live and feel free… Until his reckless behavior takes him down a path where there is no going back.

In this prequel to BETWIXT, find out who Dale Finnigan was before he became known as“scar-face”—the unassuming hero everyone underestimates.

WARNING: This book is intended for mature teens due to coarse language and mature content.

Review:

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

BEFORE is a prequel novella that takes place before Dale and Nicole meet in BETWIXT. It starts with Dale, staring through his window at a sad, lost girl. He doesn’t know why, but he feels an intense longing to help her. But will she want the help of a scarred boy with a reckless past?

The story then flashes back to 14 months earlier, when Dale’s life changed drastically. He’d been a fairly typical 15-year-old boy—fighting his parents’ strict rules and Christian upbringing. He started hanging out with a bad crowd and before he knew it he was reveling in the freedom of stolen cars and easy women (okay just one woman). It wasn’t long before his parents caught on to his antics and tried to stop his deviant behavior, but that only pushed him further and faster. Several bad decisions later and he finds himself in a life-threatening situation hoping he’ll live long enough to make a change.

Dale gets his second chance but it’s with a mangled scar on his face as a constant reminder of his past. But Nicole makes him want to do more then hide out and study away the hours until he’s in college. He finds himself wanting to enter high school again just for the chance to help her.

BEFORE sets the stage for Dale and Nicole’s story in BETWIXT and I’m excited to see what Melissa Pearl has in store!

**Copy provided by the author/publisher for an honest review.


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BETWIXT by MELISSA PEARL

Description:

Beautiful, wild-child Nicole Tepper is hit by a car and left for dead. But when she wakes the next morning, Nicole finds herself in bed without a scratch. Perhaps she was more intoxicated than usual, as her mother is giving her the silent treatment and her friends are ignoring her as well.

Things take a turn for the weird when Nicole soon discovers she is actually hovering between life and death. Her body is lying in the forest while her spirit is searching for anyone who can hear her. Unfortunately the only person who can is Dale Finnigan, the guy she publicly humiliated with a sharp-tongued insult that has left him branded.

Desperate, Nicole has no choice but to haunt Dale and convince the freaked-out senior to help her. Will he find her body before it’s too late? Or will the guy who tried to kill her with his car, beat him there and finish her off before anyone finds out?

Review:

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

BETWIXT is a perfect combination of supernatural young adult and straight up incredible 5 star read.

Nicole has spent the last few years surrounding herself with people too shallow to bother getting to know the real her. This is just how she wants it and all she can handle after a tragedy turned her life upside down and made her hate the real her. What starts as a typical Tuesday night quickly turns south when she isn’t in the mood to pretend with her boyfriend and finds herself abandoned far from home. What’s worse, while trying to get home she gets hit by a car and left for dead.

Nicole wakes up back in her bed and can’t remember any of the events from the night before. But when she realizes no one can see or hear her, she knows she’s lost more than just one night’s memories. She soon discovers there IS one person who can hear her, but isn’t too pleased to find out it’s the loner she ridiculed in front of the whole school and dubbed Scarface, a nickname that unfortunately stuck.

I loved the interaction between Nicole and Dale as they try to figure out what happened to her and where to find her body before it’s too late. They were funny, tender, and most importantly, believable. I was biting my nails worried they wouldn’t find her in time (especially given all the time they had to spend in school instead of out searching) and rooting for their relationship to evolve into something more. Having already read BEFORE, a BETWIXT novella and prequel, I knew Dale’s history which only added to his character.

I think I should mention that when I read BEFORE, I rated it 4 stars—but with the understanding that I didn’t really have enough information to determine if the series would go up or down from there. It really could have gone either way and I wasn’t so attached that I was desperate to read the next book. But, wow, am I glad I did. It far exceeded my expectations. I’m also glad I read the books in the correct order even though BETWIXT can be read as a stand-alone. I can pretty much guarantee once you’ve read BETWIXT, you’ll want to go back and read Dale’s backstory if you didn’t already.

BETWIXT is a solid, fantastic young adult romance and I’d recommend it to ANY readers who enjoy young adult or the supernatural—you won’t be disappointed!

I also think it’s pretty incredible and should be noted that for every copy of BETWIXT sold, Melissa Pearl will donate $1 to Love146, a charity that works toward the abolition of child sex trafficking and exploitation through advocacy, prevention, and aftercare. What an amazing and generous contribution.

**Copy provided by the author/publisher for an honest review.

**Reviewed by preppea on I ♥ Bookie Nookie Reviews.

View all my reviews

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BEYOND by MELISSA PEARL

Description:

Have you ever been so in love with someone, but not had the courage to tell them?

Nicole Tepper is that girl. She loves her boyfriend Dale, but fearing rejection, keeps her feelings buried deep. She can’t even let on how heartbroken she is when Dale begins applying for colleges thousands of miles away from her; never even whispering a word about how much she wishes he would stay close.

But, when Dale is rejected from Columbia University in NYC, due to a police record that follows him wherever he goes, Nicole soon discovers that love can drive her to do things she never thought possible.

There's more than one way to say, I love you and Nicole Tepper is about to prove to Dale that she loves him beyond all common sense.

Review:

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

BEYOND is a cute novella.

It gave some follow-up and closure to the Adam and Sheriff Hutton aspect of BETWIXT that I’d felt I’d been missing in the previous story. It also explored Nicole and Dale’s relationship now that Nicole and Dale can interact physically as well as verbally, which I thoroughly enjoyed. In general, I felt like it tied up all the loose ends from BETWIXT. While it didn’t captivate me quite the way BETWIXT did, it fulfilled its purpose as a follow-up novella and added to the story as a whole.

I appreciated getting the closure I wanted and needed after such an amazing story in BETWIXT and I loved getting to see how Dale and Nicole interacted now that they were on equal playing fields.

**Copy provided by the author/publisher for an honest review.


Buy Links:
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Enter to Win! 

Tour Wide Giveaway (Open Internationally):

• Paperback of the Betwixt series omnibus
• $25 Amazon Gift Card

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

I ♥ Bookie Nookie Reviews Blog Giveaway (Open Internationally):
• One (1) ebook copy of the Betwixt Omnibus

a Rafflecopter giveaway  

About the Author:

Melissa Pearl was born in Auckland, New Zealand, but has spent much of her life abroad, living in countries such as Jordan, Cyprus and Pakistan… not to mention a nine month road trip around North America with her husband. “Best. Year. Ever!!” She now lives in China with her husband and two sons. She is a trained elementary teacher, but writing is her passion. Since becoming a full time mother she has had the opportunity to pursue this dream and her debut novel hit the internet in November 2011. Since then she has produced four more books and has a YA fantasy trilogy coming out this year. Unknown and Unseen (The Elements Trilogy) out now!

“I am passionate about writing. It stirs a fire in my soul that I never knew I had. I want to be the best writer I can possibly be and transport my readers into another world where they can laugh, cry and fall in love.”

Guest Post by Melissa Pearl:

I asked Ms. Pearl for her 10 favorite things and why.  I particularly agree with #4. *Mmm... Debating going to the store to buy some now*

My 10 Favorite Things and Why...

1. Singing because it feeds my soul

2. Movies because they feed my imagination

3. Nature because it's good for my mental health. Mountains and forest in particular totally inspire me.

4. NZ Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate because it just tastes so good!!

5. Ice cold pineapple juice. It has to be the most refreshing drink ever.

6. Cuddles from my boys, because they make me feel warm on the inside

7. My Doc Marten boots because they look cool and they keep my feet warm in the winter :)

8. Date night with my husband, because he can always make me laugh

9. Getting lost in a romantic story - do I really need to say why? Happy sigh :)

10. Writing - am I allowed to say that one? Because it's seriously one of the best things in the world, like ever. I feel so lucky I get to do it every day :)

Social Links:  

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Buy Links for The Betwixt Series Omnibus:
Amazon ● B&N