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Betwixt by Darynda Jones Narrator: Traci Odom
Series: Betwixt & Between #1
Published by Tantor Audio on March 02, 2021
Genres: Mystery, Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy
Length: 6 hours and 45 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Library
Purchase Links: Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Chirp, Audiobooks.com
Goodreads
Divorced, desperate, and destitute, former restaurateur Defiance 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. The lawyer assigned to the case practically begs her to take it off her hands, mostly because she's scared of it. 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.
Betwixt is book one in the Betwixt & Between series by Darynda Jones and narrated by Traci Odom.
Its a quirky listen. It’s got its fun and odd moments. I will say I have some mixed feelings on this one and it does end on a cliffhanger.
We meet Defiance at the lowest point in her life. She’s recently divorced and her ex has taken her for everything. Fate has something planned out for her that out of the blue she’s bequeathed a large estate in Salem, MA.
Once Defiance and her best friend, Annette arrive they start exploring the town and soon learn that the house she was given is self-aware and its got a sexy caretaker, Roane. We also learn her connection to the previous owner and uncover some interesting family history.
This first novel introduces us to a new world filled with witches and magic. I will say its nice to have a best friend who will drop everything to go with you across the country to help you start over. The author focuses on world-building and character development in this installment and maybe that’s why I had some mixed feelings. Also the pace is a bit slow and that didn’t help.
Audio: I enjoyed the audio for this novel. Odom does a wonderful job giving the listener an array of voice’s both male and female. What I enjoyed is that she parried the voices with the appropriate age. Our leads are in their 40’s, so having a more mature voices was nice. As for the male voices I didn’t particular care for them. They just didn’t fit for the characters or I should say they didn’t come across as I think she wanted them too.
Overall, I enjoyed listening to Betwixt.
Rated: 3 Stars
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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, and her books have been translated into 17 languages. As a born storyteller, Darynda grew up spinning tales of dashing damsels and heroes in distress for any unfortunate soul who happened by, certain they went away the better for it. She penned the international bestselling Charley Davidson series and is currently working on several beloved projects, most notably the Sunshine Vicram Mystery Series with St. Martin’s Press and the Betwixt and Between Series of paranormal women’s fiction. She lives in the Land of Enchantment, also known as New Mexico, with her husband and two beautiful sons, the Mighty, Mighty Jones Boys.
Nice review. It’s been a hot minute since I’ve read them. I recall feeling similar with the first book but by the third, I was enjoying it more. Then the fourth was not so good as it changed the MC, and I remember there being problems. I don’t think that she wrote any more? Now I’m curious.
Hmm I remember reading your review on this one. I think that’s what had me giving it a try. I haven’t listened on not sure I will. Thanks for checking out my review.
I listened to this one and rated it similarly. More telling I didn’t go on in the series and barely remember it now. I liked it but it did feel slow.
I haven’t been back to the series since I listened to this one. Thanks for checking out the review.
This series definitely has some weird moments, but it was fun to read.
It has its weird moments. That’s good you enjoyed this one.