Review: Between by Cyndi Tefft

BETWEEN by Cyndi Tefft

Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Romance

Pages: 246

Publication: April 21, 2011
(CreateSpace)

Source: Author


Goodreads Summary: It just figures that the love of Lindsey Water's life isn't alive at all, but the grim reaper, complete with a dimpled smile and Scottish accent.

After transporting souls to heaven for the last 300 years, Aiden MacRae has all but given up on finding the one whose love will redeem him and allow him entry through the pearly gates.

Torn between her growing attraction to Aiden and heaven's siren song, Lindsey must learn the hard way whether love really can transcend all boundaries.

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Who could resist an attractive Scottish guy whose purpose in life is to spend time with you? Not me, that's for sure. I was sold on reading Between from that fact alone. I was even more excited when I saw that Aiden is Cyndi Tefft's version of Diana Gabaldon's Jamie from Outlander. I haven't read Outlander, though I want to, and that combined with this book's paranormal twist made for a promising story.

Welcome to the afterlife: A beautiful meadow, and an even more beautiful Scottish male to guide you to heaven. At least, that's what Lindsey finds. She knows, and Aiden tells her, that she should go on to heaven, but every time she feels the call, she resists it. She can't help but feel drawn to Aiden, and she wants to stay with him in the in-between. In that limbo (for lack of a better word), they can relive memories, conjure things at will, and simply enjoy their time. In all of his 300 years, Aiden has never found someone willing to linger with him, and he begins to hope that Lindsey might be the one whose love could redeem him. And she very well could be...because she does love him. But as we all know, limbo can't last forever...

Though I loved Tefft's writing style, I have to admit that I had mixed feelings about this book. There were some scenes that I loved, especially some of the memories and places that Lindsey and Aiden visited. It was a different experience learning about the characters more through their memories than through their thoughts and conversations, but it worked quite well. Many of the memories were quite captivating, and I felt that I had been transported along with them to Scotland, Seattle, and even France. As Lindsey and Aiden's relationship progressed, there were some very tender and touching moments that I enjoyed reading.

However, I was slightly taken aback by the immediate intensity of Lindsey's feelings for Aiden, and I wished that I could have known one or both of the characters better before these feelings were the driving force of events. Standing in contrast to this was the strong religious undertone that pervaded the book. The juxtaposition seemed odd for a while, but both things eventually found a balance. Also, while I loved Aiden's use of Scottish dialect, this too seemed to take some time to become consistent. Finally, I will say that although this book is young adult, some scenes are more mature than comparable scenes in other books.

Between is certainly not your typical romance novel, and even with the Scottish lead and the paranormal twist, there are still a few surprises along the way. There is supposed to be a sequel, and I will be curious to see what else is in store for Lindsey and Aiden.

Rating: 3 stars