Name: Cindy McKee's review of Betwixt by Darynda Jones
Item: Betwixt
Rating: 4
Author: Cindy McKee

Darynda Jones

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. 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 not right.

A Paranormal Women's Fiction Novel (Betwixt and Between Book 1)

Betwixt

My Virginia has been entered more times than a Kardashian's pin number

Ari Gold

 Darynda Jones rarely if ever disappoints- and with this book her good fortune continues. This is a very good start to this series about 44year old Defiance Dayne, recently divorced, flat broke, jobless and pretty much just looking up from the bottom. No wonder she drives across U. S. from Arizona to Salem Massachusetts when a woman she doesn’t know leaves her a house. 

 From there it’s an avalanche of unburied secrets, Magic, mystery, and Defiance definitely learning that her life isn’t what she thought it was.

 I noticed that some reviews whinging on about how Defiance and her bestie Annette acted too juvenile for women their forties. First- Darynda is known for her sassy, smart ass female protagonist who are deadly with their quips and humor. These characters are very much in that framework. Secondly- I’m 55, I have female friends of all ages- including their forties (up into their 60’s) and we are 100% these women. When we get together we have a million little in jokes, quips, barbs, stories or impressions that we slip in and out of with ease. Sense of humor bonds us. I’d much rather hang with someone who makes me ache with laughter than anyone who thinks you have to stop being silly because you’re over a certain age. Lastly- this would’ve been a dreary read if the main characters were just happy being stodgy middle aged frumps. Just enjoy a story told well by an author who is obviously having a ball writing it! 

Cindy McKee

 Darynda Jones rarely if ever disappoints- and with this book her good fortune continues. This is a very good start to this series about 44year old Defiance Dayne, recently divorced, flat broke, jobless and pretty much just looking up from the bottom. No wonder she drives across U. S. from Arizona to Salem Massachusetts when a woman she doesn’t know leaves her a house. 

 From there it’s an avalanche of unburied secrets, Magic, mystery, and Defiance definitely learning that her life isn’t what she thought it was.

Tiny Soapbox Moment

 I noticed that some reviews whinging on about how Defiance and her bestie Annette acted too juvenile for women their forties. First- Darynda is known for her sassy, smart ass female protagonist who are deadly with their quips and humor. These characters are very much in that framework. Secondly- I’m 55, I have female friends of all ages- including their forties (up into their 60’s) and we are 100% these women. When we get together we have a million little in jokes, quips, barbs, stories or impressions that we slip in and out of with ease. Sense of humor bonds us. I’d much rather hang with someone who makes me ache with laughter than anyone who thinks you have to stop being silly because you’re over a certain age. Lastly- this would’ve been a dreary read if the main characters were just happy being stodgy middle aged frumps. Just enjoy a story told well by an author who is obviously having a ball writing it! 

Amanda

** spoiler alert **
           Really more of a 3.5 for me.

I love the style of the Author's writing and the characters are very fun and clever. Their banter is witty and cute. However I don't think I will continue on with the series for a couple of reasons. 

First, it's all a little too "Charmed" knock of. There are 3 unique Charmling witches in the world who other witches will seek to destroy. 

Second, the main character is a bit too Mary Sue. They explain why she's so incredibly special, but it's all just a little bit too much. She's just too powerful, too unstoppable, too masterful too quickly. She goes from 0 to 1000 in a matter of days and it's a bit much. 

Thirdly, the shapeshifting goes the wrong way for me. I'm cool with magical creatures existing as a factor in a literary world, but this isn't exactly that. This falls a little more closely to the beastiality end of the shifter line than to the magical creatures end. Imagine Cinderella falling for one of her mice turned coachmen. It's cool if that's not your hard limit, but apparently it is mine. 

All in all it is a cute, relatively mindless easy read. I think for me I would appreciate it more if Defiance (which also I really hate that name, what mother names her kid something like that? It's asking for trouble😅) unlocked her power more slowly and if the series had a bit more of a magical, cozy mystery feel to it and less of a "this is gonna become an increasingly intense battle between good and evil, heavy mythology" story. Again, that might be what you're into, it's just not what I was looking for here.

Read this as a buddy friend with a friend.

Can't wait to read the rest of the series. I loved the characters and the magic-filled story, the comedy and the drama were well balanced.

Read this as a buddy friend with a friend.

Audio: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Story: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Can't wait to read the rest of the series. I loved the characters and the magic-filled story, the comedy and the drama were well balanced.

Divorced, desperate, and destitute, Defiance Dayne inherits a crumbling house from a complete stranger-a house that sees more action in a week than she has in a year-and learns she is not only from a magical family, she is its source.

A Paranormal Women's Fiction Novel

Mimi Thompson

Re-read 1/26/2022
Read 3/8/2020

Thank you, Darynda for another great series! I’m loving Defiance and Annette! You’ve taken all my favorite things and put them in here! Journal making, moscato, and kilts! So fun! 

danielle bush

I love all of Darynda Jones books.. I had just finished her newest one A Bad Day for Sunshine when I remembered that amazon told me she had a book out on kindle unlimited.
I really enjoyed it, we have Defiance who was adopted I think when she was 3. After a horrible divorce where her mother in law got everything (because her name was on it all) She finds out that someone has left her a house.. Defiance falls in love with Percival (the house) as soon as she sees it.. 
She then finds out that the person that left her the house is her biological grandmother. Oh and that shes a special kinds of witch.. and the whole town knows it.. They keep coming to the house and asking her to find things.. and lost people. 
Then there is Roane.. a hot guy full of tats that wears a kilt.. and lives in the basement... and helps with the houses up keep.. 
This was a highly entertaining book, the magic system was unique to anything I've read before. and I will def. be reading the next book when its released.. Darynda Jones is an auto buy author for me and i was NOT disappointed.

Michelle Boyea

I fell in love with Darynda Jones as an author when she wrote the Charley Davidson series. Betwixt is even better. I can’t wait for book #2. 

The perfect blend of comedy, inspiration, fumbling, magic, self discovery, and tenacity.

Ari Gold &
Betwixt by Darynda Jones

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Betwixt by Darynda Jones