~*★Blog Tour with Review★*~ Somewhere In Between by Samatha Harris

Somewhere In Between 

by Samatha Harris 

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: November 10, 2015

Publisher: Limitless Publishing

Synopsis

Alexandra McCabe is disconnected from the world, grieving the loss of her parents...

Content with studying and keeping to herself, Alex has no interest in the campus playboy, Drew Collins, trying to get close to her. But even dousing him with beer doesn't deter the easy-going charmer, and against her better judgment, the pair fall into a reluctant friendship.

Drew is bored with college life, and Alex's romantic rejection intrigues him...

Their friendship is good for both of them, but Drew is used to getting what he wants, and he's tired of shallow sorority girls. He's much more interested in the feisty redhead, but despite his growing feeling, Alex keeps him firmly in the friend zone.

Old heartaches and new tragedies deepen a complicated relationship...

Whatever life throws their way, Alex and Drew remain best friends with their own traditions. Drew is Alex's family, her rock, and Alex keeps Drew grounded, always challenging him to better himself.

When years of buried feelings rush to the surface, they threaten to change everything...

Drew promised his mother he'd tell Alex how he feels, when the time is right-but how will he know when that is? Alex is terrified to reveal those 'three little words' certain Drew doesn't feel the same, and she'll lose the only family she has.

Should Alex and Drew open their hearts, and risk being crushed? Should they be satisfied with a deep, lifelong friendship? Or does the only chance for happiness lie...

Somewhere In Between?

- Purchase Links -

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1RMCKiq

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1WiOv0Q

Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/1N8aPKa

Amazon AU: http://bit.ly/1S9uYj3

- Excerpt -

When we reached the bar, Drew ordered me a glass of champagne and I turned to scan the crowd. I saw Madeline working her way toward us, her long plum colored gown flaring out behind her. She threw her arms open, a smile spreading wide across her lips. Was she drunk? I smiled back at her as she finally reached me, grasping both my arms tightly before pulling me into an awkward hug. My boss is a very proper and elegant woman. She’s always strictly business, so I was completely floored when she embraced me.

“Alexandra, you look stunning,” she gushed leaning in to kiss my cheeks.

“Uh,” I stammered, completely caught off guard. “As do you, Ms. Grant.”

“Please, we are not in the office. Call me Madeline.” She waved a hand, dismissing the formality. Her eyes widened as Drew stepped beside me and handed me my glass. Madeline glanced between us, pursing her lips and nodding her approval.

“Madeline, this is Andrew Collins,” I said.

“Drew,” he clarified, shaking her extended hand.

“Well, it is a pleasure to meet you, Drew,” Madeline said, her eyes roaming over him from top to bottom like he was a life-size chocolate sculpture. Yep she’s drunk. I took a sip of champagne to hide my giggle, eyeing the actual life-size chocolate sculpture that stood across the room. I would have to get a closer look at that later on. Damn, I should have brought a bigger purse.

“Alexandra has told me so much about you.” Madeline placed a hand to her chest, toying with the insane diamond pendant nestled there. I was impressed she wasn’t hunched over from the sheer size of the thing. Madeline was hammered and flirting with Drew. It was quite the show.

Drew retreated closer to my side, placing his hand on the small of my back. “Well, I’m sure only half of it is true.” An awkward smile spread across his face. His eyes shifted to mine, begging me to save him from my inebriated boss. I bit my lip to suppress a giggle.

Madeline giggled “Oh nonsense.” She placed a hand on his arm. Totally sauced.

“Can I get you a drink, Madeline?” Drew offered, clearly looking for an escape.

“Champagne, please,” she said, with a brilliant smile. As he turned back to the bar to get her drink, she leaned in to me. “He is delicious, darling. Well done. Best to hide him from Gwen.” She winked. Drunk Madeline was my new favorite person! I immediately started devising a plan to start slipping Kahlua into her morning coffee.

I heard the telltale stomp before I saw her. The sound stopped just behind me and a chill ran up my spine.

“Alex,” Gwen said. I could hear the irritation in her voice, and I could feel her cold glare on the back of my neck. I took a deep breath, slowly turning to face her. I was met with an eyeful of exposed breast. Holy shit! There was more boob out of her dress than there was in it. I swear it looked like the fabric was doing everything it could not to just rip open. I couldn’t look at her face if I wanted to. My eyes were locked with her boobs. She might as well have come topless.

Gwen shifted, pushing her breast even further up, causing me to take an involuntary step back. For a moment I thought they were going to attack. She must have noticed Drew and aimed her torpedoes in his direction.

Gwen flipped her extensions over her shoulder as Drew approached. With a smile, he handed Madeline her glass and turned to address our new arrival. Poor bastard never had a chance. All he saw were breasts. It was a direct hit, with no chance of survival. I couldn’t blame him. Hell, I couldn’t look her in the face either.

To his credit, he eventually snapped back to himself and looked up at her face. “Hi, I’m Drew,” he stammered, extending his hand to Gwen. She took it and stepped closer, almost pressing herself against him. She practically shoved me out of the way, pretending not to notice that I was standing right fucking there!

Gwen’s eyes ran up and down Drew like a predator inspecting her prey. “A pleasure, I’m sure,” she said, in her best breathy Marilyn Monroe voice. Oh come on, was she for real? Without breaking eye contact or even releasing Drew’s hand, she said, “Nice dress, Alex.”

“You too, Gwen. Too bad there isn’t more of it.”

Drew coughed, almost choking on his drink. Calling that a dress would be a serious exaggeration. It was more like strips of black fabric glued randomly to her body. Gwen glared at me and I met her evil eye head on, neither of us wanting to be the first to flinch.

Title: Somewhere in Between

Author: Samatha Harris

Release Date: November 10, 2015

Genre: Contemporary Romance, New Adult

Series or Standalone: Standalone

Rating: ★★★★★

Reviewer: Melyssa

I’m a sucker for a good best friends to lover’s romance and this one has that. So even though I didn’t have experience with this author before, I had no issue diving right in and I thoroughly enjoyed what took place once I did.

Alex (Red) and Drew are friends. They don’t start out that way of course, but after one of the funniest but probably most awkward first meetings in existence, they find common ground and their friendship is off to the races.

Now this book, like a lot of books in the college arena starts off in a very typical way, but this friends to lover’s story isn’t typical past that in the slightest.

Where Drew appears shallow on the surface, deep inside he’s anything but, and I especially enjoyed getting to see that through not only the flashback chapters shown through his eyes, but also in the here and now moments. He’s funny, sweet, and protective. Basically all the things you’d want him to be, or at least I wanted him to be, he was. He is capable of loving pretty strongly, but until he meets and becomes a part of this friendship with Alex (his Red), you don’t really see it. He’s the typical college playboy and for him up until that point, it’s always been the way he wants it to be.

Alex changes all of that for him and even though you learn quite early on that she’s had a lot of tragedy in her life and appears quite fragile, she’s not. She’s something more under the surface too. She’s just the right blend of feisty firecracker and soft hearted emotional sweetheart. She gives back as good as she gets from Drew and I enjoyed her character immensely. She wasn’t like anyone else around her. It was also nice to see how after she begins the friendship with Drew, she seems to become more open than she was in the start.

These characters played very well off one another, balancing each other out in many ways and it was a beautiful thing to witness.

The progression of their relationship, how long it takes for them to admit how they feel, I think it was very well done. They realize what is happening between them at different periods. Drew seeming to know before her, but keeping it quiet because no matter how he feels, he wants to be what she needs him to be and up until the point where a light bulb seems to go off over Alex’s head, that’s strictly friends.

The conflict that one experiences when they one day wake up and see their best friend in a different light. Wanting to speak up, admit how they feel since they’ve never had a problem being honest before, but not wanting to ruin the good thing they have going, it was all very real to me. Having a male best friend, a lot of the ways Alex would react, I understood and could sympathize with, but the moment when the truth is admitted finally, feelings are put on the table, was worth all of the back and forth struggle that took place.

I couldn’t review this book without mentioning Drew’s family. His mother and the words she spoke to him and that his father carried on after she was gone, they touched my heart. The feels for this family were off the charts in terms of the way they looked at true love. And how they seemed to just know at various points over the years (his mom first and then his father) that Alex was the one for him (and that he was the one for her) was fantastic. Having the family play the part they did here definitely made me understand Drew even more.

I really enjoyed this story and in the end, it gave me everything I could want in a friends to lover’s story, in a romance, and just in a book period. I was emotionally involved while reading, I was connected throughout to the characters (even when I didn’t exactly agree with all their choices), and I enjoyed the way it all came together in terms of pacing and flow. I’m still having a hard time believing with the way this book was written that it’s a debut novel.

If you’re a fan of the stories that don’t come easy, but that end beautifully, fans of stories where two friends fall in love, or just a fan of romance in general (with the right amount of humor laced throughout), I think you’ll enjoy this. I know I did and I can’t wait for what the author has planned for us next.

My thanks to the author and all others involved in letting me read this before its official release. I’m so glad that I got to be a part of Alex and Drew’s journey.

About The Author:

Samantha Harris

Samatha “Sam” Harris lives near Baltimore, Maryland with her husband and daughter Ava. Born in Florida, she migrated north which most people agree was a little backwards. She has been an artist all of her life, a Tattoo Artist for more than ten years, and a storyteller since she was a kid.

Sam has a slightly unhealthy love for Frank Sinatra, classic movies, and Jazz and Blues music, but her first love will always be reading. From Romance, to Thrillers, to Historical Fiction and everything in between, she loves to become a part of the story. As a writer she tells the stories that she would want to read.

LIMITLESS PUBLISHING: http://www.limitlesspublishing.net/authors/samatha-harris/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/Samathaharrisauthor

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/samathaharris08

GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14244788.Samatha_Harris