Tara Fuller

NOTE: I got the eARC of this book from Entangled Teen. Thank you guys!

Well, crap. After picking up this book I realized I remembered close to nothing from "Inbetween", the prequel, and I found myself hoping that they won't be too dependent on each other. Thankfully, my hopes didn't not remain just that. In fact, whenever there was a reference to Finn and Emma's story (and yeah, I had forgotten their names too so I had to look them up. Oh, the shame!) all needed details were thoroughly show more explained for the sake of us highly forgetful readers. Honestly, thanks for that.

Now onto the story at hand.

Firstly, I would like to say that I greatly enjoyed "Blurred". It even kept me awake at night and whispered to me, begging me to pick it up when I was otherwise occupied. And how could it not?

Cash was too swoon-worthy to be true! Yeah, he had been a player most of his teen years, and yeah, he was constantly irritated at his dad, but on the inside he was a good boy. He wasn't an overachiever, just your average guy, who was talented with the brush. And other things. I just wish I could see his paintings. The way they were described, I get the feeling they'd be all powerful and mind-blowing.

Anyway, I can't imagine going through what he went through in his last days while keeping an appearance that everything was normal. That kind of thing takes a lot of strength of character. And Cash was nothing if not strong. It must've felt like hell, feeling death seep into your body, slowly conquering it, not giving you room to breathe... Gosh, I just wanted to hug him!

Thankfully, he wasn't alone. Not all the time at least. He was left in the dark on a lot of things, but at least this one reaper girl, Anaya, wouldn't leave him alone for too long. At first, to her Cash was just another job, and a means to an end. But then slowly, inescapably, he turned into something, someone much more special.

In the end, everyone had to risk everything not knowing if they'd even accomplish anything with their efforts.

And that's all I'm going to say. If you enjoyed the Souls Screamers, you'd definitely want to indulge in this series. show less

Inbetween by Tara Fuller starts with an interesting premise – what if a reaper fell in love with one of the souls he reaped? And what if that soul loved him back, but then they were separated by circumstance? How far would they go to be together? There are lots of juicy possibilities with this scenario, so I was really looking forward to checking out this new series by Fuller entitled “Kissed By Death.” Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite the epic romance I was hoping for.

I did enjoy the show more set-up: Finn is a young reaper who was recruited after his death in World War II to work in the Inbetween, a way-station for souls who haven’t quite fulfilled – or wasted – their potential and aren’t ready for either Heaven or Hell (kind of cool). One of these souls is a girl named Allison, who becomes the love of Finn’s existence. But when he attempts to protect her soul from being lost forever, he sets events in motion that threaten the new life she has been given as a girl named Emma – and makes her the target of a dark soul bent on revenge.

Tara Fuller has a simple, straight-forward writing style that helps the story move swiftly. The first-person narrative switches between the two leads, with chapter headers indicating if Emma or Finn is narrating. While I enjoyed this relatively light story, I wasn’t exactly thrilled with either lead. They do have a decent chemistry together, but there wasn’t really anything about either of them that jumped out and grabbed me. Emma and Finn are fairly well-developed characters, but there’s nothing new or original about them.

The first time I read Inbetween I was so caught up in what was happening, I didn’t notice too many problems. When I went back and re-read some sections, though, I began to feel an uncomfortable familiarity. I really, REALLY, don’t want to say this (because I think this comparison is grossly overused), but Twilight kept popping into my head. Finn and Emma have some Edward and Bella vibes happening, especially when he starts telling her how his world was dark before but once he met her it was like the sun rising – it was Midnight Sun all over again (my favorite Twilight story, BTW). There were other moments as well where Finn’s tortured thoughts just screamed Edward, and Emma was just a little too much the damsel in distress (though I think Bella handled herself a lot better than Emma does here). Thankfully, the secondary characters are very different from those in Stephenie Meyer’s world so they helped dampen the “Twilight effect” and increased my enjoyment of the story.

Maeve is the designated villain of this novel, and she does a fine job with it. Crazed and plenty angry, she is a soul on the verge of “going dark” who is determined to make Emma pay for Finn’s past actions. Yet, I found myself slightly sympathetic to her situation. She is definitely violent (her attacks on Emma are pretty horrific), but Finn did mess up her fate so I can see where she is coming from. There is no fury like a teenage girl wronged, and Maeve’s fury is massive.

Finn has some interesting associates, and Easton – a reaper for Hell – makes the biggest impression. He is sarcastic and surly, with no sympathy for Finn’s dilemma. But his lack of sympathy has more to do with worrying about his best friend getting punished for his actions, and he does everything he can to get Finn to recognize the line he is very close to crossing when it comes to Emma. Partnering with Easton and Finn is a reaper for Heaven named Anaya. She is not as developed as the other characters, but she is pleasant and provides pivotal information to Emma when needed. I hope to see her character more developed in the future, since there are hints that she may be fascinated with someone forbidden to her.

Hands down, my favorite character was Emma’s best friend Cash. Smart, gorgeous, funny, and broken inside, this ladies’ man is one of the most supportive friends a girl could ask for. He clearly leans on Emma for support as well, and is terrified of losing her. I found myself feeling very protective of Cash, so when the actions of Emma and Finn later in the book left him hurt and confused I lost some of my sympathy for their situation. Their actions also emphasized how unhealthy their relationship might be; their love has overcome many obstacles, but it is riding a very fine line between romance and obsession.

Inbetween is a quick, light read with plenty of romance and some wonderful secondary characters. It ends up faltering, however, due to a lack of originality with the two lead characters and some questionable choices they make that leave Emma’s best friend hurt and confused. This first book in Tara Fuller’s “Kissed By Death” series is in its own Inbetween – a solid start that hasn’t quite met its full potential. show less

I really enjoyed Inbetween, the first book in Tara Fuller's Kissed by Death Series, and I loved Finn and Emma, and their story. Cash is Emma's best friend and he was one of my favorite characters in Inbetween. When I found out he was getting his own story I couldn't wait to read it. Cash is the kind of guy that sucks me in when I read a book. He hot (and he knows it), he's kind of a bad boy, is quite the ladies man, and oozes with sex appeal. Something happened to Cash in the fire he tried show more to save Emma from, something that Anaya is responsible for, something that she isn't proud of, something that has put Cash in a position where he will never be the same. Hovering somewhere between life and death, Cash is bombarded by evil shadow demons that want to eat his soul, he's mad at Emma because she didn't tell him about what Finn really was, and he's been inducted into this whole supernatural world that he didn't even know existed. To top it off, he then finds out he's a shadow walker, and the good guys, the bad guys, and the even badder guys all want a piece of him. I felt so bad for Cash in this book, it seemed no matter what he did, where he went, what he said or didn't said, he just couldn't catch a break. The only real peace he feels is when he is with Anaya.

We met Anaya in book one. She is a Reaper for heaven, and a good friend to Finn, who was a Reaper for the Inbetween. Easton, the other Reaper we met in book one, is a Reaper for Hell and also plays a part in Blurred. I absolutely love him. As a matter of fact, the next book in the series is going to be Easton's story and I can't wait. Back to Cash and Anaya. There is definitely chemistry between the two, which kind of freaks Cash out, because after all, the girl is dead, but their relationship goes much deeper than just chemistry. I really enjoyed watching the romance develop between Anaya and Cash during the course of this book, which occurs despite all the other things that are going on, and there is a lot happening in the supernatural realm, especially regarding Cash and what he is. The story is fast paced and well written, and there were no dull moments. Blurred is more intense and darker than Inbetween, and centers around the situation that Cash finds himself in. Despite everything he was going through, you can't help but love his sense of humor. I would have loved to have been able to reach in that book and rescue him myself if I could. The ending.....it is pretty obvious that the HEA that Finn and Emma shared might not be in possible for Cash and Anaya, but Tara Fuller pulls it all together and ends the book so well, and I was very satisfied and pleased with where things left off with these characters. I also really liked the fact that we still got to see a lot of Finn and Emma, as well as Easton in this story. Overall, Blurred is a really great book and something that I enjoyed and most definitely would recommend. show less

Tara Fuller's Kissed by Death series is about reapers--it focuses on teen/young adult aged ones (I'm not sure if there are adult ones or not, I haven't seen any, anyway)--who are charged with taking souls to their final destination. Or at least, their final destination for now. In this world, reapers are assigned to specific geographic regions, and each reaper usually is only responsible for souls bound for a specific destination (Heaven, Hell, or Inbetween, a kind of limbo), unless he or show more she is filling in for or assisting another reaper. They're not supposed to get too involved in human life--their jobs don't begin until those lives are pretty much over, after all. But of course, the reapers in this series didn't get where they are because of their stellar rule-following abilities.

Blurred is the second book in the series, though I read it first. (And then I immediately had to read Inbetween, book one. I did not pass GO. I did not collect two hundred dollars. I didn't even take a bathroom break. I actually already had it on my Kindle--though I'm not sure when I purchased it, it was a pleasant surprise that I discovered by accident when I was about halfway done with Blurred--so all I had to do was switch files. My Goodreads review of Inbetween is here.) I was able to quickly pick on up the "rules" of the world even though I hadn't read the first one yet, but if this one sounds interesting to you I'd suggest starting with book one if you're able. They're both fantastic reads, and if you've already read Inbetween then what you'll see of Finn and Emma (the H/h of the first book) in Inbetween will be that much more meaningful.

Trying hard not to spoil anything here, but...*something* happens to Cash, Emma's best friend, toward the end of Inbetween. If you haven't read the first book, Tara Fuller shows you the pertinent scene in this book's opener, so no worries. It's pretty easy to follow. As a result, he's having a rough time. He's alive, but not quite. And he's seeing things. Awful, hideous things that no one else is aware of. He's also got some issues with Emma's new relationship with Finn--he doesn't quite trust the guy (knowing what Finn is/was, and especially once he finds out about something Finn had used him for in the last book) and he's always kind of thought that Emma and he might eventually end up together.

Anaya, a thousand-year-old reaper for Heaven, is implicated in Cash's current condition, though not exactly by choice. In book one she seemed somewhat fascinated by him, but now her feelings are compounded by the guilt she feels for the part she played in making him what he currently is. She's also supposed to keep an eye on him for her boss, Balthazar, because he's got big plans for Cash--just not quite yet. The other side is interested in him as well, though, and they're doing their best to recruit him away from Anaya's side whenever the she has other commitments to take care of.

I LOVED this book. I loved Cash. I loved Anaya. Even though I was meeting them for the first time, I loved Finn and Emma too. (And Easton; don't even get me started on Easton. PLEASE tell me his book is coming out, and soon!) I loved the world that Fuller built here...although I think I'd rather read about it safely from a distance, thank you. I'd rather not personally experience *any* of it myself. For all the drama and danger that Emma and Finn had to deal with in Inbetween--and they did have a lot of drama and danger to deal with--everything felt like it was twice as much in this one. Cash has to deal with his physical and mental state; his changing relationship with Emma, who also no longer lives next door; his new-found knowledge of the existence of reapers and other, scarier entities...and that's all on top of the normal, high-school senior things, like school and his often-antagonistic relationship with his dad. Anaya, on the other hand, has been doing her job for a thousand years, all along believing that she was eventually going to be rewarded for her efforts. She finds out in this book, though, that her boss might have been a little less-than forthcoming in that department, and she suddenly doesn't know what to do or who to believe. Drama and danger ensue all around.

In a nutshell: 5 shining stars, even if you haven't read the first in the series--though I can pretty much guarantee you'll want to afterwards. I can't wait to see what this series has in store for us next.

(I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.) show less