The Betwixt Series Omnibus

by Melissa Pearl

The Betwixt Series includes Betwixt, Before and Beyond.


Follow the lives of two teenagers who have to discover that sometimes to find your way, you have to get completely lost. This emotional series deals with the consequences of bad choices, young love... and the ultimate power of redemption.


BETWIXT
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?


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


BEYOND
In this sequel to Betwixt, find out how Nicole Tepper proves to Dale that she loves him beyond all common sense.

Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult, Fantasy, Contemporary

ebook

First published December 1, 2013

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 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 continued to produce a steady stream of books, ranging in genres from Fantasy to Romantic Suspense to Contemporary Romance. She loves the variety.

"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."

Melissa Pearl is a Forever Love Publishing author. If you'd like to download their Starter Library (3 books for FREE), then you can copy and paste this link into your Internet browser: http://bit.ly/FLP_Library

Reviews

[Book Chatter-Cath · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Betwixt Series by Melissa Pearl has been one of my favorite reads for 2013. Not only does the author capture all things teenage to perfection, but she does it with a flare and ease that has you falling in love with all her characters.

Dale is such a sweetie, but with just enough of a wild streak to make him a bit bad-ass too!

And although Nicole starts out as a royal pain in-the-butt, she soon redeems herself and proves to be a strong and loyal friend.

Through many ups and downs, almost impossible odds, and powerful and misguided people throwing obstacles in their way at every turn; Dale and Nicole come through it all together.

A beautifully written and powerfully charged series of books that should be on everyones to-be-read list!

[Veronica Morfi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4/5

Before:
Before is the story of Dale, what happened to him before he met Nicole. This really gets us inside his head to see what he have been through and what made him change. I really enjoyed his point of view, because even though we learned all the bad decisions he made in his life he was a very sympathetic character. I read this prequel first so I didn't know how he will trun out but I still loved him.

Betwixt:
In Betwixt the main character is Nicole, a girl who seems to have it all. She is the queen bee, dating one of the most popular guys in school and hanging out with the in crowd. From the very first chapter Nicole gets hit by a car. After that, she wakes up in her bed like nothing ever happened, but people around her are ignoring her and after an encounter with her boyfriend she realizes that no one can see her anymore. There is only one person in the whole school who can hear her and that is Dale a.k.a Scarface, a nickname she gave him. Nicole soon figures out that she not really a ghost, she keeps popping back in her own body, only to be drowned in pain, as she tries to piece together the events of the night that led her broken at the side of the road, Dale has to try and find her before it's too late.

Betwixt was the first novel by Melissa Pearl that I read and I have to say I will keep on reading her books. Her writing style was easy to read through and I loved how unique the story was. Dale quickly became a favorite character for me, especially since I knew what he had been though and I could see how much he changed. He is a sweetheart. Nicole on the other hand was a completely different stroy, even though we learned her story I still could feel anything about her but annoyance. She was a really mean person and her past is not really an excuse for that. I couldn't understand why Dale liked her that much, but at least she started changing by the end of the book so there is still hope.

The story was mostly about the relationship between the two characters than the mystery behind Nicole's accident. But once the book was reaching its end there was more action and I must say I really enjoyed it. I didn't really like the way things ended with the people responsible for Nicole's accident but it wasn't that bad. It seemed like a good idea.

All in all, this was a fast and sweet book, even though Nicole is kind of a spirit this is more of a contemporary book than a paranormal. Great for lovers of both genres.

Beyond:
Beyond is the short story following Nicole after the events of Betwixt. Now that she is back in her body and dating Dale other problems start to come to the surface. Dale is looking for college's and Nicole is feeling left out, she would have to go through senior year without him and being left with no friends seems terrible to her. But when Columbia rejects Dale and he is devastated Nicole decided to do whatever she can to make his dream come true and show how much she loves him.

In the beginning Nicole was all whiny, only thinking about how she was going to lose Dale and how she doesn't deserves him. It was an on and on inner dialogue about all her problems, even the ones yet to come. She was drowning in her insecurities and that was driving me mad. But after a few pages she finally showed us how she changed and grew. She decided to put Dale first and tried to do anything possible to help him.

*I received copies of all three books, as part of the Blog Tour, in exchange for an honest review.*

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine for a minute that you’re walking alone down a forested road in the middle of the night. Scary already, right? Man, I hate the woods at night. But, I digress. So, you’re walking along and, of course, have no cell service in the wilderness like you are. When you see headlights in the distance behind you, you think, “Halleluiah. I’m saved!” Instead, the car swerves, HITS YOU, and you fall broken and battered down an embankment. No one knows where you are. You’re hurt badly and can’t move. You. Are. Royally. Screwed.

From that lead-in, you might think that Betwixt is about one girl’s efforts to survive long enough to be saved. And, yes – that is part of it. But, a much bigger part of this gripping story is about the incredible power of forgiveness and how it can change your life in ways you never thought possible.

Nicole spent the past two years of her life dying slowly inside from grief and guilt over the death of her little sister. To cover it up, she found new “friends” and buried her troubles in some pretty nasty rebellion. She shunned her former friends, and horribly hurt the feelings of Dale, the new guy at her school. When she is knocked unconscious by a car, Nicole is brought back to awareness in the middle of her life, but Dale is the only one who can hear her. Being able to roam the halls of her school and house unseen has its benefits and its curses as Nicole finds out what people really think about her, all the while, she and Dale are trying to figure out where her body is before she dies. Or before the person who hit her comes back to finish the job.

Betwixt was a powerful book. I mentioned earlier the theme of forgiveness that I saw woven throughout. Dale has to find it in himself to forgive Nicole for publicly insulting him so that he can do the right thing and help her. Nicole has to try and forgive herself and admit that she’s worth saving. And, eventually, she needs to forgive the person who hit her so that it doesn’t eat at her for the rest of her life. None of these things is easy to do. Nicole’s become an expert at doing what’s easy, and it doesn’t help or make you feel better.

Nicole’s journey to self-discovery and self-preservation was perfectly timed. She did not come along easily. The truth was hard to swallow. It took her awhile to come to terms with what a mess her life had become and what she needed to do to fix it. I’m so glad it wasn’t an instantaneous change. How much she had to work for it endeared me to her and made me root for her every step of the way, even when she was being a total bitch.

Dale was such a great guy. He had already been through his own person hell, which perfectly suited him to help Nicole through hers. If there was one person on earth who understood her, it was Dale.

His story is outlined in the prequel novella, Before (Betwixt #0.5). In it, you see how Dale, feeling constrained by his parents’ rules, rebels in much the same way Nicole did. He hooked up with some seedy kids, started smoking, drinking, jacking cars and sleeping around at only 15. His defining moment comes when he and his four friends are in a horrific car accident and his proverbial life flashes before his eyes. It was a heartbreaking story to read, but it gave a lot of very helpful background leading into Betwixt.

The mystery surrounding who hit Nicole and where she was was awesome. It was perfectly paced so to not give too much away at one time. Nicole’s times of coherence when she was in her body were stressful and suspenseful and scary. I can’t imagine waking up injured in the woods with wild animals around and everyone thinking I ran away. When she was unconscious and with Dale, I kept wanting them to hurry up and figure it all out sooner so that she could be found.

After such a defining moment in her life, you would think it would completely turn Nicole around. Thankfully, it does even more than that. As we see in the post novella, Beyond (Betwixt #1.5), Nicole and Dale fall into a mostly happy life with one another. But, separation has never been easy for Nicole since her sister died, and now she’s faced with the reality that Dale will soon be leaving for college and Nicole will have to stay behind to finish her senior year of high school alone with all the mean girls, a.k.a. her former friends. Nicole finds she must revisit her awful experience in the woods in order to help Dale get into the college of his dreams, even if it means they will be 3,000 miles apart.

It’s good to see that such an intense experience as the one that Nicole and Dale shared did shape their lives. Nicole isn’t a saint, by any means. And I thank Melissa Pearl for not writing her as such. She’s still tough and snarky. But, she has a strength now that she didn’t have before. And she has love which, let’s face it, helps make everything better.

“Bravery’s a choice. It’s not something you’re born with or without. It’s something that grows inside you each time you choose to stand up and fight for the right thing. Each time you choose to speak out instead of staying silent.”

I was sad to see the end of their story when it arrived. Both novellas are a great length – not too long and not too short. Although Nicole’s speech was a little too “valley girl” for me sometimes, I still felt connected to the characters and were with them every step of the way. This is definitely an omnibus worth reading one after the other.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was really surprised by this series. I knew it wasn't very well known and I was sceptical about how good it would be but the synopsis sounded interesting when it came up on my Goodreads recommendations and so on a whim I gave it a a try. I'm really glad I did - especially when I found the author had New Zealand roots (I currently live in New Zealand). The main story in Betwixt follows a high-school student named Nicole who, after being hit by a hit and run driver, is left stranded, alone and injured in the woods. When she passes out Nicole discovers she is stuck in limbo between life and death and has the ability to float around as a ghost no one can see or hear. The exception to this for no apparent reason is Dale, the boy next door Nicky was once cruel to and has since been avoiding. Dale agrees to help her and together they try to sort through Nicole's memories of the accident and locate her unconscious body before it's too late.
This story was really creative and I quickly got lost in it. The story was well-written and was a good mix of humour, romance and suspenseful action/drama. The possibility of Nicole's death gave a more urgent and suspenseful undertone to the story which only made me more eager to read on and find out what was going to happen. The character were also really great and I enjoyed getting to know Dale and Nicole. The ghost but not dead concept was also really interesting and I liked all the humorous situations Nicole got herself into because of it. I connected well with Nicole's character and I felt the story did a really good job of explaining why she had become such a callous and reckless person. However, I did find her a bit immature in the beginning of the story and I wondered about how she could get her feelings hurt so easily by some of the things Dale said to her when she had done far crueller things to him and others in the past. I also raised my brows at how quickly Dale accepted being able to hear her voice and his willingness to help her even though she had treated him so poorly. This was explained a bit once I understood Dale's belief that he was given his own second chance for a specific purpose. I didn't really get this until I read Dale's story told in the prequel novella, Before, so at the time I found it odd that he was so willing to help her. Anyway, once I was past the first few chapters where all this was going on I got really into the story and found myself liking both Dale and Nicole a lot more. I liked how Dale was always encouraging Nicole to not give up and how he never stopped believing she was worth saving. I liked how his own story about how he got his scar gave Nicole the encouragement she needed to keep going and then eventually make her own decision to change with her second chance. The follow up novella (Beyond) was also really good and I liked how it wrapped things up with Nicole and Dale's future together.
Overall this was a really great story (all three books really are just different parts of the same story) that I loved reading. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good young-adult read that has great themes and ideals behind it; in this case the grace of second chances.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

A different kind of read for me. This is really three stories. "Betwixt" is the longest and the main story. "Before" is a novella about the life of the main guy before "Betwixt" (Dale) and "Beyond" is a novella about the two main characters, Dale (a high school senior) and Nicole (a high school junior), after "Betwixt." Stop reading here and go on to your next book if you are looking for steaminess and erotica. These are "message" books wrapped in a great story.

"Betwixt" begins when Nicole has successfully pushed off her aggressive boyfriend after a night of drinking and horsing around. Although pretty much a female slut, Nicole didn't feel like "doing it" that night so the boyfriend pushes her out of the car and leaves her walking along the side of the road, at night. She is hit by a car and rolls down an embankment, gravely injured. Sometime later she "wakes" up, thinks she needs to get to school but is confused that no one seems to notice or hear her. It takes awhile for her to figure out that she's invisible. Turns out the only one that can hear her is Dale, a boy she has been particular mean to at school. This book was a little slow until Dale and Nicole start "talking" to each other but the banter is witty and really well written. It turns out that Nicole's injured body is still laying where it rolled and unless her "spirit" can convince Dale, the only person she can communicate with, to find her she'll die of her injuries.

I loved this book and everything that it took to find her. I also particularly loved Dale. Dale, as it turned out in "Before", had some troubles in his past which he managed to work through and become an outstanding citizen. In effect, Nicole is now having this turnaround in "Betwixt" with Dale's help and encouragement. And some of it is really funny as she navigates her invisible self.

The final book "Beyond" is learning the final message. You don't just say you "love" someone, you show love by putting that person you love first and doing what's best for them, not necessarily what's best for you.

I really enjoyed these stories and hope others do also.

[Alexia Purdy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wondrous series that keeps you on your toes and begs you to immerse yourself into the lives of the characters, over and over again. Following Nicole and Dale throughout the main novel ‘Betwixt’ as she fights to survive a life threatening event and hopefully win over the heart of the only boy who has every reason to hate her guts was not only fun, but I wanted to see more of these two and was sad when the novel was done. Luckily, there are two accompanying novellas to jump right on into in this omnibus that allowed me to ignore the real world for just a bit longer in this made up but oh so real world.

‘Before’ deals with the prior events leading up to the timeframe of the events in ‘Betwixt’. We get to ride alongside Dale and see what makes him tick and eventually, his fall from grace into a billion tiny pieces. He’s an amazing guy and I’d love to know him in real life.

The other novella- ‘Beyond’ is our chance to see Nicole and Dale in the aftermath of the events in ‘Betwixt’. I was so happy to get to read what happened next for this couple for I’ve grown to miss them like good friends. This one deals with some unfinished business that both Nicole and Dale have to deal with before they can truly move on with their love and lives.

An excellent YA series with a touch of paranormal that swoops you in and won’t allow you to let go of these stories long after you’re done. Highly recommend!

[Lelia Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overview

The Betwixt Series is almost a primer on how parents can fail no matter which road they take. In Nicole’s case, her mom and dad were far too lenient, letting her make so many wrong choices because they thought she needed to find her own way to cope with grief. Dale’s parents took the opposite approach and their constant rules and regulations drove him to an existence with no real point other than rebellion. Both teens are wanderers in life with no confidence in themselves or belief in anything. This, of course, is the focus of much Christian fiction and Melissa Pearl handles it very well without being heavyhanded.

The series also exemplifies the idea that we must hit rock bottom before we can truly heal from our own misguided and self-destructive behavior. Certainly Nicole and Dale are both on the verge of death when they begin to understand what really matters and, in doing so, reach a point at which each just might have a chance to survive with grace.

Finally, it’s a tale of two teens whose lives intertwine and how that ripples out to their families and to the wider community. It’s a tale very well-told and I’ll be reading more by Melissa Pearl.

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, December 2013.

See each individual book for more detailed reviews.

[Melinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

How to describe the Betwixt series in one word is impossible. I felt laughter, betrayal, death, heartache and most of all love from two characters that seem too wise for their age. Everybody wants to be Nicole and act like Nicole yet behind her back they say something else. It takes death for Nicole to see that her life was not that much good and only person really wants to know the real Nicole. I felt for Dale and all the things he has gone through to be the man he is now. These two are perfect for each from their wild ways to each wanting a second chance at life to make things right. Once again Melissa Pearl has not disappointed me and loved this series. It was contemporary and paranormal in a way that seemed like a movie coming to life. I mean the way she did Nicole`s story part in the book was phenomenal and Dale just wow. I rooted for Nicole all the way to get her happiness. Melissa Pearl totally rocked and as a reader of all genres you won`t be dissapointed by this talented author.

more @ http://melenasreviews.wordpress.com

[Roses · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book caught my attention with the synopsis and the book reads exactly how the it's described. I thought the writing was good and found it to be a quick, enjoyable story with enough of a storyline to hold my attention. There is reference to Christianity which I was surprised by but enjoyed-it doesn't dominate the story at all but just adds to it. It is a YA novel and being over 40, I don't read these too often but sometimes I do enjoy them. This one had a good premise with the mystery of what was going to happen to Nicole(would she survive?) and we also get Dale's POV which was an added bonus(love when author's let us into "his" mind).The Betwixt Series: Betwixt, Before, BeyondMelissa Pearl

[Melissa Bowersock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would give this book 10 stars if I could. First, the disclaimer: I don't normally read YA but Pearl is a cohort of mine on Indies Unlimited, so when her book was free for a short promo, I decided to give it a try. I'm glad I did. The book is excellent. The characters are very real, very believable and the story is compelling. I was particularly impressed with Pearl's ability to portray the typical teen angst, that need to act out without quite knowing why, the rebellious, emotional floundering that is all a part of growing up until they (we) figure out how to confront issues directly and honestly. The good news for teens is that Pearl never gets preachy about it; she stays on the "cool" side of it all and has created a worthy story that takes you for a ride, keeps you guessing, and delivers on all levels. I would recommend this to any and all teens, and their parents. It is, simply, a triumph.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is ultimately about second chances and learning from mistakes. Dale makes some huge mistakes when he is younger and is honestly, not a likeable person. But he has a tragic wake-up call that leads to life-changing choices. It is his compassion and his faith in the power to change that leads him to Nicole. And through him and his stalwart assurances, Nicole is saved in so many ways. The novel has some intense elements but the tension is a wonderful contrast to the sweet moments between Nicole and Dale.

I really enjoyed this omnibus and the story of two young people who do very stupid things but come to understand that they don't have to be defined by their mistakes if they make changes to their lives.

[Tia · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Betwixt Series Omnibus" is the combination Betwixt and two novellas that come after.
Nicole is a mean party girl out for a good time no matter who it hurts, and Dale is the new boy in town who's scarred face makes people avoid him like Frankenstein's monster. The two are brought together through a horrible accident that leaves Nicole hovering between life and death, and the only one who can help her is Dale. Will he refuse her or will he be brave and help her?

In "Before" we find out what happened to make Dale's face scarred and how he deals with it and moving to a new place.

"Beyond" shows us how two people can come through tragic circumstances and find a real love for themselves as well as others.

This is a Young Adult selection but is a great story for adults as well!

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received ARC's from the author in exchange for my honest review. The characters are ones that everyone can relate to in one way or another since we have all been teenagers at one point and the storyline keeps you in suspense until the very end.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 for Betwixt, 2.75 for Before, 3.75 for Beyond = 3.50 overall.

[Tawnya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this series! Real life people with flaws and they manage to live and work past them. I recommend this book to anyone in the older YA Readers and up.

[Rae Sontheyon · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Before, Betwixt, Beyond" Beautiful Books

I'm extremely happy I invested in the Omnibus collection as this series really needs to be read all the way through from Before, Betwixt (between) and Beyond. I had thought of reading the Before book since it's the sequel but I'm so happy I read the collection as the author decisively bundled the books. This book is all about grace, redemption, the choices you make and their affect not only on you but those around you.

The main characters are Nicole "Nicky" Tepper and Dale Finnigan, who reside in Big Bear, California. Nicole is quickly shown to be in an accident and badly hurt. Things take a supernatural turn and she finds herself between death and life, but still earth locked for the moment. Nicole can only be heard by only one person and it's the one person she's been avoiding the one she nicknamed Scarfaced, Dale. Despite their strange social history Dale helps Nicky. The two become close and form a bond that both hope to pursue later, as long as they can find Nicky's body before it's too late to help her.

Nicky is the epitome of damaged self esteem peer pressured high school mean girl. Her past is what made her into the girl she is and the people Nicky hangs around with only encourage her self destructive behavior. Only Dale sees that she could be more and wants her to try to be more. All Dale wants is a chance to help her like he was helped when he too found him self lost on a destructive path. Dale and Nicky are made for each other end of story. However it's their journey to understanding second chances in life are not to be waisted especially when you think you don't deserve them, which makes this book so poignant and beautiful.

Overall, this book was wonderful to read and I totally cried. The saving grace of getting a second chance in life is a rarity, but being gifted something so precious needs to be taken and run with not squandered. Dale took his and made a change, eventually he was there to help Nicky make her life more too. Grace is simply something no one deserves but is something that is freely given to us, and it's just heartbreaking when people reject the gift of grace. Life itself is a gift of grace and this book reminded me of that and I will definitely remember this book for the rest of my life.

------Read more of my reviews at: http://heyitwasfree.blogspot.com/------

[Dianne]

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[Merissa (Archaeolibrarian) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found Melissa Pearl through her novel True Colors and I thoroughly enjoyed it. So when I saw this come up, I thought I'd give it a go. I'm pleased to say that Melissa Pearl has written yet another book(s) that will draw you into the story and keep you turning the pages until you reach the end.

The story itself is incredibly well written, with characters to empathise with and a plot line that runs smoothly throughout.

I kept asking myself where I'd heard the names of Dale and Nicole before but it was only reading Beyond that it fell into place and then I read the page that said they would feature in the up and coming book True Colors. So I've gone full circle.

Melissa Pearl is a wonderful author with a style that is smooth and consistent. There are no disjointed angles in her writing.

If I had to say one negative, it would be that the 'message' was a bit strong in places and actually detracted from the story for me the stronger it became. However, most of these parts were written from Dale's perspective and he is the Minister's son so I guess it had to be.

Definitely recommended.

[JenBsBooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three and a half stars ... I bought this on an Amazon sale, three books for $3. I didn't realize that it was really only ONE book and two novellas. I had wondered which to read first (Betwixt or Before) ... I read Betwixt as it was the first in this omnibus edition.

Wow ... I really need to stop with the themed reading! Again, a girl in an accident (If I Stay, Wide Awake) who is floating around (If I Stay, Rippler) observing those around her. It was a hit and run (like Wide Awake) so you are trying to figure out who it was. The reaction of school friends. The changes afterward, also very similar to Wide Awake.

I found a couple typos. Overall, well written, easy to read. There is some teenage sex, but the tone of the book is actually discouraging of it (it wasn't presented as overly positive).

[Susan Mcclellan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

This is an excellent story about the range of actions, feelings, mistakes, and goodness possible within anyone. Although some things stretch the edges of believability it still held my attention and interest to the very last page.

[Maree Silver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really likes this even though I've read others similar eg: if I stay by gayle foreman. I liked that she could be heard, that she was a mean girl and the mystery aspect, that added more dimension to the story.

[Misty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet romance with some paranormal activity and religion to boot. Easy clean read.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid 3.5. I really enjoyed this series. I'm going to read her next one.

[Jill Kerich · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the Betwixt book, I liked the before book, I did not like the after book.

[Marina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story. Not very intense but was still a good read.