Book Review: Falling in Between by Devon Ashley (plus giveaway)

Falling in Between by Devon Ashley
(Falling, #1)
Release Date: February 14, 2012
Publisher: Dark Horse Indie Books; 263 pages

Finally! A private conversation. And all I had to do was throw myself off a cliff, drown in a pond in my undies and let him put his hands on my breasts to bring me back to life. Yay me! (yeah, that’s sarcasm)

Yep, that pretty much sums up the most craptastic night of Jenna Baker’s life. She drowns after jumping off a cliff, meets a hotty named Chance in the pearlescent in-between and is brought back to life by her soon-to-be boyfriend Robert.

Just when things start to move forward with Robert, the guy she'd been crushing on for a year now, in walks the man of her dreams – literally. Chance suddenly appears in her dream every time she closes her eyes. So it's Robert by day and Chance by night. One in the real world and one in the dream world. What could possibly go wrong?

Absolutely nothing – until she comes face to face with the guy she met in the in-between, and realizes her romantic rendezvous with Chance may be more than just her imagination.

Note: Jenna's coming of age story is a little edgy. There is mild language and some sexual content.

FALLING IN BETWEEN was hot. That is the easiest way to describe this book. It is steamy. When I signed up to be a part of Devon Ashley’s blog tour, she warned us that this book is for the older Young Adult audience and she was NOT kidding. Though, a bit steamy it was very good.

Before I get into my review can I just say that it made me smile that I share a birthday with a fictional character, especially one as yummy as Chance? Yes. I smiled big time. So now that that is out of the way, let’s get to it!

Jenna Barker doesn’t know her parents and grew up in the system, going from foster family to foster family so got into this ‘rich kid’ school solely on scholarship, which she is very proud of. She has an accident and dies at the beginning of this book but her longtime crush; Robert brings her back after she nearly drowns after jumping off a cliff. But before Jenna is brought back she meets a boy in the in between…a boy who starts to visit her in her dreams.

During the day, she has Robert who is her new boyfriend and at night, when she closes her eyes she has Chance. It’s not cheating if it’s not real, right? That’s what Jenna thinks until she starts feeling guilty because she’s not as reserved for Chance, this random boy who visits her nightly. Things take a complete turn when we find out Chance isn’t a random, made believe boy in her dreams…

I don’t think this would be a book parents would be happy with their kids reading, however, if you’re one of those kids (no, not kids but teens) then I think this is a good book for you to be reading. It’s a coming of age story; one that I think would help you see that it’s OK not to just jump in a bed with some cute boy because “everyone else is doing it”. It’s OK to be reserved, to want to take things slow…get to know who you’re involved with. It’s actually better that way, I think. My first relationship was a lot like Jenna and Robert’s relationship…more or less. If the guy doesn’t rush you and is OK with taking things slow than it truly shows you how much he cares for you. Just my opinion…

Now, should Jenna feel guilty about seeing this other guy in her dreams, since it’s not like most dreams (which tend to repeat themselves)? These dreams pick up where the last left off…so it’s almost like seeing someone behind his back, right? I’m not sure. Sometimes I felt horrible for Robert because she’s practically cheating on this guy who really doesn’t exist but she does more with him than she’ll do with her actual boyfriend. It’s a very weird situation and one that’s very hard to see. But all I know is the closer you get to the end, the more I found myself cheering for Robert. I was torn between them but Robert is such a gentleman and what girl doesn’t want someone with manors and patience?

I want to thank Devon Ashley for allowing me the opportunity to read FALLING IN BETWEEN early and be a part of her blog tour. I really appreciate it and I really, really look forward to reading the next book. I definitely recommend this to readers who like reading books are realistic with a slight paranormal touch to it. But please, keep in mind that there are some graphic scenes and if you do not like reading those, then do not pick up this book. (Though, most people I know enjoy a little romance in their novels, so this shouldn’t be much of an issue)

Today is our stop along the Falling in Between blog tour with author, Devon Ashley! We have something special for everyone! We are giving away one copy of this amazing book, FALLING IN BETWEEN, to one lucky fan! This contest IS international and there are many ways to enter. The more you do, the more chances you have to win!

We want to thank Devon Ashley for allowing us to be apart of her tour and we look forward to reading the next Falling book.