In Between

by M.A. Fernández

Rachel has always wanted one thing, true love. She has dreamed about her perfect wedding since she was little and it seems she will finally get it with her fiancé Ethan. However when Rachel meets Tom, an elegant, smart conceited lawyer, everything she believes and feels is called into question. This is a captivating story about the power of distance, lack of time spent between couples, and confusion that put Rachel In Between the two men. Caught in the web of the consequences of their decisions, life’s twists and turns, and the effects of karma on each of the characters. This book will make you question the reason why we do things, and will push you to side with characters as you live through their choices. In Between emphasizes the importance of bonds, true love and the power of forgiveness, and how these can turn the worst of situations into valuable life lessons of love and hope.

Genres: Romance

242 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 15, 2017

About the author

Marlin Alicea Fernández is a hopeless romantic and this definitely helps inspire her writing. She was born in Arecibo, PR and throughout her life her family moved a lot. This is what motivated her to start writing poetry back when she was 13 years old after another move. In 2014 while studying a BA in Psychology a friend challenged her to participate in NaNoWriMo, which produce her first romance novel In Between. she completed her BA in Psychology and also got a MA in Business Administration. Currently she is completing a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, while writing in her spare time.

Reviews

[Coco.V]

💝 FREE on Amazon today (2/13/2018)! 💝

Blurb:
Rachel has always wanted one thing, true love. She has dreamed about her perfect wedding since she was little and it seems she will finally get it with her fiancé Ethan. However when Rachel meets Tom, an elegant, smart conceited lawyer, everything she believes and feels is called into question. This is a captivating story about the power of distance, lack of time spent between couples, and confusion that put Rachel In Between the two men. Caught in the web of the consequences of their decisions, life’s twists and turns, and the effects of karma on each of the characters. This book will make you question the reason why we do things, and will push you to side with characters as you live through their choices. In Between emphasizes the importance of bonds, true love and the power of forgiveness, and how these can turn the worst of situations into valuable life lessons of love and hope.

When I love two very different men equally, how can I choose one over the other?

I don’t think I ever had to choose, because even though I may not have realized this at the time, my heart and mind did. I chose long ago whom I truly loved. Which is why I ended up with one and not the other. I never had a chance of making the right decision if I had chosen myself, but that’s the funny thing about life sometimes it helps you identify the right decisions and that’s what happened with Ethan and Tom. I can definitely say with out a doubt that my mind and heart always knew what was best for me, and I couldn't be happier with how everything turned out.

[AnisaAnne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars rounded to 3

You can also read my reviews on WP: https://anisabookreviews.wordpress.co...

Rachel Scott lives in New York City with her fiance Ethan, a new doctor with a relentless call schedule. Being high school sweethearts it was inevitable that Rachel and Ethan would soon become engaged. However soon after moving in together, day to day life begins to whittle on their foundation. And loneliness will create a crack that may disrupt the couple's lives permanently.

The story is told initially by Rachel. She describes her dilemma, of being caught in the "In Between." The story starts 6 months previously, and Rachel provides us with the background for her life choices. It will be one fateful day at the office that will challenge everything she conceives about relationships. Tom, the new office partner will awaken a passion, something that is missing in Rachel's life.

In Between is a tale of love, passion, and loyalty. It bears out many questions about the frailty of love. Can you fall in love with two people at once? And does the human soul have the capacity to truly love, forgive and forget? The story moves fast and is well paced. The dialogue between the characters is flawless, allowing sentiments to unfold with ease. The storyline is gripping and real, but at its climax, the story truly begins.

Even though I read the novel compulsively, aspects of the narrative were problematic. As with purely plot-driven narratives, the story unveiled itself without allowing the reader to engage with the characters. In Between fed me details without allowing my mind to wander. Sometimes that is where the magic lies. And when tragedy strikes, it is relentless and almost unbelievable.

In Between is a very entertaining story which deals with an emotional human phenomenon. With a polishing of the plot and characters, In Between can be exceptional. I look forward to future writings from Ms. Fernandez.

Thank you, M.A. Fernandez, for a copy of In Between in exchange for my honest review.

[Lori Carlson · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Between by M.A. Fernandez, a new adult romance. tells the story of a love triangle between Rachel, her fiance Ethan and Tom, a new lawyer at the firm where Rachel works. Rachel's life seems to be on track. She has a great job and a fiance that she loves - although he is absent a lot due to his job. And then charismatic Tom enters the picture. Rachel is immediately drawn to him, but feels guilty every time she is around him because of Ethan. And yet, she cannot help herself from being drawn into Tom's seductive web.

Fernandez weaves an intricate story of love, seduction, choices, and how one deals with the choices one has made. It is a story of hope, forgiveness, and redemption. With Rachel, Fernandez has created a character who is real and complicated. She is torn between her faith as an Adventist and her desire to be free to do as she wishes. Torn between her fiance and the world they can build together and her desire for unbridled passion. Rachel represents the woman of today. Women who want it all - the job, the family, and passion.

I would give this novel a five star except for two reasons:
1) it needed a bit more editing - there are some grammar mistakes that should have been easy to spot, but only a few minor ones, nothing that would detract from the story as a whole.
2) Ethan's POV - I am not sure why Fernandez switched POVs in the story by introducing Ethan's thoughts. The story was fine without them. It is Rachel's story, after all. Still, this is but a minor distraction, although a distraction.

Rating - 4.5 stars

Note: I was given a free copy of this novel for an honest and fair review.

[Lou · Rating 3 out of 5]

The novel is a new adult romance following Rachel Scott, a young secretary working in New York and living with fiancé Ethan Callum. Her life quickly becomes complicated when lawyer Tom Cooper joins the company she works for. The two have an instant connection, and Rachel finds herself torn between two men.

Fernández effectively conveyed Rachel's thoughts and emotions, which become increasingly complex as the story unfolds. As a reader you were able to understand her dilemma and sympathise with her. Her relationships with the two men were also nicely drawn, particularly Ethan. I felt the portrayal of their relationship was very realistic, depicting the highs and lows every couple experiences. However, I probably would have liked to have seen Rachel's relationship with Tom developed a bit more. It happens quite suddenly at the beginning and, aside from a physical attraction, I was never sure what Rachel saw in him. It just occurs and that was that. As a result, the Tom/Rachel relationship didn't feel as fleshed-out as the other one, thus making the reader's choice of man an obvious one. If we read more of Tom and Rachel perhaps that choice would have been trickier.

The plot twists in the narrative are well done and genuinely surprisingly. I never expected the novel to go the way it did, which was refreshing. It wasn't just a typical love triangle that appears far too frequently in storytelling and I liked how Fernández did something different. However the second half of the novel felt a bit rushed, going at a much faster pace than the first. Due to this, the events that happen towards the end are crammed in close together, and there isn't a lot of time for the readers to make sense of all that is going on. Perhaps having them more spaced out with more quieter moments in between (no pun intended), would make it feel less rushed.

In Between has a lot of potential. Fernández can write incredibly well, and there were numerous times I wanted to underline a paragraph or a turn of phrase. There were a couple of spelling mistakes, particularly towards the end, but they didn't really bother me. I would have liked more character development and I think the pacing was a bit off at the conclusion, but overall this was a very good debut romance.

[Atheinne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really want to understand why people in a relationship cheats and this book promised me an explanation of why a person does it. It didn’t deliver the reason to me. Well, maybe it did, but here’s a one word of how I understood it: lust.

Full Review: https://labyrintheinne.wordpress.com/...

[Amy Buckle / Amy's Bookshelf · Rating 2 out of 5]

In Between is a novel which concerns Rachel, the protagonist, a woman who loves her fiancé, Ethan, but finds herself falling for a guy at work, Tom. Right from the beginning, Rachel is thrust into a difficult situation... read the full review here: https://www.amybucklesbookshelf.co.uk...

[T.R. Horne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I graciously received this novel from the author for review. Fernandez attempts to dig deep into the emotional turmoil of a love triangle. While this trope is done, and done again, throughout romance novels, her novel, In Between, gives a cursory view of an engaged couple who are having trouble connecting due to long working hours until another man at work steals the main character away.

While Fernandez makes a good attempt at carrying the story over a 5 month affair, there were glaring issues with format, editing, dialogue and description. Let's start with the pros. I liked how Ethan was the quintessential sweet guy (but then subsequently hated how weak he was and overly sappy over Rachel, who was an utter bitch). Tom was breath of fresh air with his original dates (yet his storyline was very one dimensional). Fernandez makes the dialogue sound very low key which gave it an air of believability (and yet, I felt many areas for meaningful conversation were missed). 

Rachel, a secretary, was a train wreck from the very beginning. She was mean, overly sensitive and never saw the good in anyone while also completing the task of never taking responsibility for her actions until forced. The rationalization she used was paper thin and to say she was duped into the affair was an utter lie to the readers. It's hard to love a book when the main character is so unlikable. Tom, while one dimensional, was probably the best feeling of passion but many times he came across as forced or "extra" in his professions of undying love. The author never gave us a situation or a reason to believe that these two loved each other so deeply. Going on dates and not having meaningful conversations does not make a person fall in love (or at least not in my dating life. LOL). So the passion and love seemed incredibly thin due to the lack of meaningful moments between the two. On the contrary, Ethan does very sweet things for Rachel constantly, yet she overlooks him and goes to Tom who has no evidence of anything other than showing her attention (from the readers perspective). Then when Tom does not show her attention, Rachel turns into a raging lunatic.

Many times in the story, the author missed great opportunities to bring the reader into the emotions within the story. There is a great amount of telling how a person feels and not showing it through the story. There also are some weird dialogue choices and repeat points regarding food. Every argument or conversation reverted back to "I'm hungry, let's it and forget about it". So nothing ever gets solved in the readers mind about the argument and the author doesn't expound on the why, how and what with the main character after these moments. The story teeters along from dates with very little conversation (and lots of eating and going places) to Rachel being at home with Ethan (and him catering to her like she's a queen). I believe the author wanted everyone to love Ethan to drive home the fact that Rachel didn't know what she had. But the end after things were found out was not my favorite sequence of events. Ethan did not act in a plausible way and most readers by that time are so tired of Rachel's self-centered attitude that we want Fernandez to end the story differently than it did. At the end of the story, I did not feel like justice was served or a lesson was truly learned. The characters had very little growth. 

All in all, I appreciate the opportunity to review a debut writer and give (hopefully) helpful critiques to assist the author in creating addictive, alluring books in the future.

Raging Book Reviews

[Isaiah · Rating 4 out of 5]

To see more reviews check out MI Book Reviews.

I got an ARC copy of this book from the author.

The book moves FAST. There is no time wasted on world building or character creation in this novel. It is very clear that this is a whirlwind romance, one that if you have been in one before you would know was not healthy. Rachel has a fiance and has a wonderful life. She has pretty much everything a woman in a romance novel could ever want, until a new coworker appears and shakes up her world. Not only is he handsome, he is arrogant and rich too.

Tom is that cookie cutter romance hero. He spoils Rachel with gifts and has far too little consequences for his actions. He actively doesn’t listen to her saying no. He pursues her enough that it hit creepy levels for me. Then when they are in the pool together and Rachel says she is not ready for sex, I was like “THIS IS IT! HE IS GOING TO MESS UP!”. He didn’t mess up, but they have sex pages later, during the same encounter where Rachel says she isn’t ready. I have never had a change of heart that intensely about having a physical relationship with someone so quickly. It struck me as so out of character to Rachel, until I remember how unhealthy these romances can be when they happen so quickly. Everything fell into place. Tom wasn’t who Rachel wanted, she just wanted to be wanted. Tom was just convenient for that. It was a wonderful twist for me. The author claims to be a hopeless romantic, which is why this plot was so awesome. It was totally unexpected. Finally an author that is able to see the good and bad in a romance novel and play with it!

Rachel falls into this trap that many of us have fallen into. It is so impressive that it was done so well. I felt creeped out by Tom the whole time, but I was also wondering how he would fix things. He was so broken and horrible. I wanted to see more. It was like a car crash. You don’t want to see, but you can’t look away.

My biggest issue in the book was Ethan. He was such a submissive character and another man of convenience for Rachel. He wasn’t anything special. He was a doctor (read rich, worked too hard, probably handsome, and good in bed to boot). His only flaw was he worked too much. That was it. I was so annoyed with Ethan even existing. He was too pushy and then so distant. He never even really felt fleshed out, but that worked with Rachel needing more and pushing the book towards Tom being the hero.

My other issue with this book is near the end there were a few chapters from Ethan’s point of view, which just seemed odd. The rest of the book was from Rachel’s point of view, why do I suddenly have to care what Ethan thinks and feels? The chapters weren’t badly written and they worked wonderfully to advance the plot, it just made the ending feel inconsistent. If I can ignore everything after the major twist with Tom, I think this book would have been five stars.

If you want a romance novel, that seems on the surface to be your ordinary romance, but lurking very close to the surface is a mess of broken people and really messy emotions that even the characters can’t admit they have then this is perfect for you. There is so much more to this book than I ever imagined. I could go on for days about every little twist and turn lurking just barely beneath the surface. You can read it as a fun little romance or you can read it for so much more. It is versatile. I am intrigued and want to read more by Fernández.

[Hannah Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was sent this paperback ARC copy for an honest review by the author.  And honest is what you're going to get.

The book is based on a love triangle between the main character Rachel and two men in her life Ethan, and Tom.  

Rachel has always been with Ethan, he is her first love and they're engaged.  Rachel starts off feeling her relationship has reached an end, Ethan is constantly away at conferences whilst she is left at home, in a small job and no advance in their future.

Rachel then meets Tom, a new Lawyer.  Sparks ignite and these two hit it off.  Rachel finds herself falling for this new man, they have so much in common, and start spending more time together, slowly over 6 months she begins to fall in love.
However at the same time Ethan suddenly becomes more attentive, proposes to Rachel again and sets a date for their wedding,  now she is stuck, she loves them both.

Overall I began to dislike Rachel, her feelings and actions became too complex.  She had two hard working men love her, Tom knew about Ethan but still pursued her over 6 months, where as poor Ethan was working hard, supporting Rachel through some hard times in her life, and he was none the wiser about what she was doing behind his back.  She was off enjoying weekends away with Tom while Ethan was at conferences.

I found myself getting increasingly frustrated,  I even turned to my other half and told him what was happening in the book and that Rachel needs to choose a man already.  Most women would love to be with either one of these men, and she can't choose so decides to have them both - NO THAT IS NOT FAIR.   
This made it hard to carry on reading because I was getting so annoyed with Rachel, on the other hand my other half pointed out that I must like the story to get so frustrated ...... He is right (don't tell him that though hehe).

Finally Rachel makes a decision at the end, but not before everything goes wrong, and her world is turned upside down.
I did feel the end was very rushed and some parts could have been left out.
Overall the book was a good light read,  I would recommend if you like light hearted romance books.  Unfortunately it didn't keep me glued to the pages like I would like therefor I would only rate this book a 3/5.

[Ariel Hess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disclaimer: A copy of this book was provided to me from the author in exchange for my honest review. The opinions in this review are solely my own and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.

Overall, I thought this novel was going to go in a different direction. I figured this book would be about someone battling a challenging decision, but I thought the outcome would be different. I thought the book moved a bit fast for me, but overall the storyline was good. I would have liked more information about the main characters and felt the ending was a bit cliche. I usually don't read a lot of adult fiction, but this book felt a bit like a romantic comedy. I understand the idea of the turmoil between choosing between two people, but this encourages adultery. I am not by any means judging anyone, but this goes against my personal beliefs. I wanted a bit more drama, action, turmoil, and a more significant "kabam" scene. I mean if I found out my husband was even considering cheating on me, I would likely react differently then the characters in this novel. I felt that the main character Rachel was weak and should have been developed a bit more. I had the same emotions for the Ethan character. However, I did like the writing style used and the perspective change from each chapter. I did enjoy the relationship development between Ethan and Rachel. There were a lot of smaller aspects I liked about this novel that contributes to the three star rating.

I recommend this book to anyone looking for a romance novel that focuses on choosing between two people you have feelings for.

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book does contain some sexually explicit content for mature readers.

This book has more of the classic, affair plotline BUT with very dramatic twists beginning about halfway through. We get to follow a mid-20s female character who is on her rather long way to marriage. As the engagement lengthens and his job's duties increase and she finds herself smitten over the new co-worker who can't seem to get enough of her.

And the plot continues from there.

I wouldn't say that this book was all-out predictable, but there were mostly clique characteristics to the story. Such as the strong, new man that she can't help but fall for, or the fiancé who doesn't quite fit into her life but epically loves anyway. I couldn't even figure out which one she liked more as love is full of faded areas. The dialogue follows the clique aspect too, but all together the storyline itself kept me reading.

I read this book in one night, and was surprised to come across some very dramatic plot twists. It got to the point of me asking myself, "what else can this girl endure??" One thing after another, the plot goes from a more typical NA book to an all-out, chaotic mess.

What I found interesting was that 2/3 of this book is told in one perspective and then the other 1/3 splits into two POVs. I liked to see the differences in this which allowed me to really understand what the other character was thinking.

I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars. I enjoyed how fast this book took me through and the romance bounces between dreamy and reality. There are some mildly explicit sexual content in this book, so I recommend this book for the more mature readers who love a good, juicy story!

[Filipa Santos · Rating 2 out of 5]

I fled through this book because of how easy to read and small it was. I had some issues with the characters and the plot, though.
My main issue was the plot. There are few love triangles that I like and those you know me are aware of it.

So you may ask why I ended up reading a book that promised me one…

Well, a book is more than the love triangles in it. The problem is that this book focuses too much on the love triangle itself and I would like it best if there was more beyond that.
I felt that the plot developed too fast and that there was a lack of depth in it. The conversations weren’t that meaningful, and the dialogue sometimes had unnecessary lines that add nothing to the plot.

I was hoping that there would be something deeper about the story and the relationships built between the characters since it was one of the main things of the plot.
Sometimes I felt that the description of the settings was much more detailed than the development of the storyline itself.

Also, the characters didn’t get to me. I felt there was little to no development and their relationships felt forced, specially Tom and Rachel’s. Theirs seemed more based on lust than love and I should admit that most of the times it annoyed me a little.
Rachel seemed too naïve in some aspects and inconsistent, changing her mind way too fast in some occasions.

I felt that this book could have explored more aspects about Rachel’s life. Where are her friends? Didn’t she have them? What would they say if they knew about Rachel’s behavior? Couldn’t they help the main character to sort out her life?

Two things are clear as day in this book, though: the act of forgiving and karma. Ethan forgave Rachel so easily despite everything she’s done to him and their relationship… But I wonder: how can one person forgive so easily? About karma… She cheated on Ethan and Tom, the other love of her life, the one she loved dearly, cheated on her…

It was an easy reading indeed, but I did not enjoyed the book as much as I’d like to…

[Ally Vance · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

I struggled with the story a little on this one, it was hard to connect with Rachel as her logic and motivations just seemed so strange and confusing to me. I honestly didnt get what she saw in Tom, he just seemed to be somewhat of a jerk in this whole situation. I adored Ethan though, his character just seemed to get better and better.

I enjoyed the way the plot built up and the character development throughout was well-written. The overall quality of the writing in this was really good, the story flowed quite well and I felt the author had a pleasant and easy to read style. This story as a whole just wasnt for me. Please dont let my review put you off reading it, this is purely my own opnion. You may enjoy it!

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unconditional

This was a good read, besides some spelling and grammatical errors. Real love exists and without giving away too much of the story, I hope to some day have an Ethan! When you love someone unconditionally, you manage to forgive them and move forward without reliving the past each day.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This review is kind of long so click the link to read it in full on my blog!
https://readchapter20.wordpress.com/2...

[Marbea Logan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two wrongs don't make a right...that being said

[Lourdes · Rating 4 out of 5]

**The author has reached out and had requested me to do a honest book review. Thank you very much Ms. Fernandez for providing me an electronic copy! This is a non-spoiler review.**

What will you do if one day, you woke up feeling confused? You start to question everything: from your regular, everyday routine to choosing if you truly love the person forever.

This is Rachel's story. Her journey from a secured, comfortable life to a complicated, life-changing decisions. Her story is not ordinary as some of us or probably our friends can relate to what she is going through. This is a story that one might start to think about her/his actions and later on regretting, thus taking a step into the path of redemption and forgiveness.

This novel is very FAST! I mean so fast - making the whole story straight to the point, and I like the author's writing style. No character build-up at all. As you go along with the story, you will instantly feel Colleen Hoover-vibe. The whole story was well-crafted; written perfectly with all the right emotions.

[Becky]

Originally posted at https://bickeringbooks.wordpress.com/...

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Summary: Rachel thought that she found true love with Ethan but when older and mysterious Tom get a job at the firm Rachel works at she begins questioning her whole life.

Review: This book has potential. Rachel is an interesting character and her history with Ethan made me want to read their story. However, I never really warmed up to Tom or his relationship with Rachel. Their romance/relationship just didn’t work for me. His aggressive flirtation felt more manipulative than romantic. I never actually cared about their story. Also, the book felt like it went on just a little too long with each chapter adding new dramas that were not necessary. There are fans of this genre who may enjoy this book but many readers may find the narrative lacking.