Between Now and Forever (The Forever Trilogy Book 1)

”Will you dance with me?” I ask.
“There’s no music, Carter.”
“There’s always music, you just have to listen.”

Why do I read romance? I probably asked this question to myself a lot. Ever since I started reading romance novels, I never once answered the question. So, Tanaka, why do you read romance novels? Well, I read romance novels because I want to be touched by the characters. I want to experience their love, struggles, growth, development and passion. I want to immerse myself in their journey of love. Bask myself in their joy and happiness. Yes, the words are major to me because they provided that connection. But, really for me, it’s the characters. That’s why Dylan Allen always delivers. She gives me a character story. A human story. Her words are incredible but it’s her excellent delivering in building characters that tell soul enriching stories. Stories that leave an imprint in your heart. Dylan Allen truly transports you into stories that spellbind you. Every word is electrifying. Every chapter is alluring.

Between Now and Forever is the soul-aching first book in the Forever Trilogy. Written by the magnificent Dylan Allen, Between Now and Forever is an emotional book that grabs your heart. My heart felt every layer of the story. My soul was hit by every single emotion and feelings emanating from a rich and beautiful story. Dylan Allen writes from her heart. Her writing is honest. Her writing is true. Her writing always takes my breath away. Love is full of mistakes. Love can sometimes be difficult. Dylan Allen takes you on that journey of heartache, love, pain, loss and passion. She made me as a reader lose my mind, cry, ache, smile, swoon and laugh. Sometimes, she even made me question my emotions. That;s the power of her writing and her stories. I fallen madly in love Between Now and Forever. I fell in love with a story brimming with love and honesty. I fell in love with a story of two flawed characters finding their way. Heart Crippling. Heart Capturing. Between Now and Forever is angsty romance with a story of anguish, grief and star-crossed love.

When you are reading a Dylan Allen book, expect characters that will make you think. Expect characters with deep stories you have to uncover. Expect characters with difficult road to love. Carter and Elizabeth owned my soul. I fell in love with their real issues, emotions and thoughts. Elizabeth is by far my favourite Dylan Allen heroine. I connected to her on her deeper level. I admired her amazing strength. While reading her story and thoughts, I felt really close to her. I know, it’s weird but I truly understood the start of her journey. Carter is a flawed character but he is a hero who loves deep. I almost squealed and swooned so hard because Carter just gave me goosebumps and butterflies. I could not stop smiling.

Dear Dylan Allen, I need book 3. Gimme asap!!!! I want my answers. Let me tell you, I can’t wait for Between Now and Heartbreak.

ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review.

What an emotionally well written read. Beside Thicker Than Water this book here is one of my favorite DA books.

“Baby, real love stories—the ones worth telling—they never end.”

Well Dylan Allen just hit me right in the feels with Between now and Forever. I think I experienced just about every emotion possible while reading.

I was hooked from the start. Not knowing where this story was going to take me but I’m glad I held on for the ride because this was an epic love story, where you will relate to the characters and the plot.

What an emotional rollercoaster!

Carter is hurt, annoyed and searching in his past for answers no one from his family has been able to give him. He has been struggling with the truth and the decease of his father.

Elisabeth has ever wanted just one simple thing. She has wished to be recognized and searched for the affection, praise, and love of her father’s which she’s never received. She was born into a picture-perfect but cold family not appreciating females as a person. Only to make them extraordinary wives.
The beginning of their story leaves you hungry for more. And let me tell you, this awful starvation only one person is able to still. Hopefully, she hurries to get us more of those wonderful characters because I definitely want to get to know them better.

I need the 2nd book like now. Is it released? The beginning, middle, and end is addictive. There wasn’t a dual part. I admired the characters so much that I didn’t want the book to come to an end. I hate waiting though. I admire Dylan Allen’s knack for storytelling and to put in words the way she did is incredible. Between Now and Forever is a romance book you will not want to pass up. My new favourite author.

Carter & Beth’s first part of their story is epic. They meet, fall in love, then boom, ripped cruelly from each other. The question now is, how/when will they find their way back to each other?! I have to know now!!

The way these two meet and fall for each other is beautiful. I knew from the very beginning even this first part wasn’t going to end pretty, though, and it really didn’t. It ended ugly in fact. Beth’s got a lot of expectations on her shoulders thanks to her ridiculous family, and I know she’s waiting on Carter to come through for her. I can only hope he does come through because where she’s at in the end of this first part is nowhere good, not good at all.

I absolutely loved Between Now and Forever. I dare say it’s my favorite yet by Dylan Allen. There’s something so enticing about it, something that drew me in and still has me dying with anticipation for what’s coming next. Between Now and Heartbreak needs to get here, pretty damn quickly!

“There is no space between us. I forgive you for everything. One day, we’ll live free. Or die trying.”

Between Now and Forever is the first book in The Forever Trilogy. What an amazing read. As soon as I started, I didn’t want to put it down. The ending had me like what?!?! I need the next book now LOL.

Dylan has a way with words. Completely sucked me into Elisabeth and Carter’s story. I thought I knew what was coming but it wasn’t what I expected. It was so much better.

I’m looking forward to what’s next and hope we don’t have to wait long. Loved it.

4.5 stars!! Prefect start to what’s sure to be a fantastic trilogy. Between Now and Forever very emotionally charged, beautiful and raw. Elisabeth & Carter captured my heart immediately, so much pain and sadness for them. Couldn’t out it down once I started reading it.

Heading into book one of Dylan Allen’s new trilogy, Between Now and Forever, I knew that my mental stability was going to be in flux as Allen’s hero and heroine illustrated just how chaotic and devastating love can be, especially when it’s between two people who are a bit broken in their own right. But the idea that being broken means that you’re alive is an intriguing one, and that’s exactly the story Allen tells…that’s exactly the life that Beth and Carter live, and that’s exactly why I knew that my heart was going to be put through the meat grinder as I witnessed the beginning of what Beth and Carter could be while also understanding that it wasn’t how they would allows be, and while I’m not a reader who can handle angst for angst sake, I never feel like Dylan Allen manufactures the drama or the pain in her stories…those emotions come from the machinations of other people and the messiness and devastation that can occur when you give someone power over you, whether it be your head, your heart, or your body.

The idea of living behind a mask, keeping up a facade because that’s the only way one will be accepted will resonate with many readers, making them both angry and frustrated knowing that it shouldn’t matter who a person is on the outside or where they come from, but also acknowledging that it’s a common occurrence in contemporary society. But the fact that Carter and Beth truly ‘see’ each other and have clear pictures of who one another is and who they are together is what allows them to keep fighting for their forever, keep pushing forward in hopes that the obstacles that seem to always be in there way dissipate as they continue to overcome every road block put in their way.

Because Beth and Carter’s story spans over three books, it’s clear that these two still have a difficult journey ahead – one that will test their strength, their dedication, and their love. But while it’s too early to tell if these two will make it through what’s between now and forever, the fact that their initial interaction seemed to sustain them for a signifiant amount of time, holding on to the feelings that seemed to consume when they first met provides readers with hope and makes it easier to handle the now…handle the heartache…handle the time apart…if when everything is said and down, they find not only their forever but their always as well.

“‘Baby, real love stories—the ones worth telling—they never end.’”

This is the last sentence of the Prologue in Dylan Allen’s newest release, Between Now and Forever, book one in her Forever trilogy, and while it’s said some time in the future, it drives home the fact that the hero and heroine of this three book series will eventually make it to their forever…they just need to be willing to hold onto one another as the entirety of their story is told in a span of many years and three books. During this time, they will undoubtedly have their struggles, want to give, and perhaps even spend time apart, and while those growing pains may be difficult on the characters as well as the readers who are immersed into their lives, what matters most…what Beth and Carter and readers need to keep telling themselves is that any story…any life doesn’t follow one specific path – the journey ebbs and flows, pushes and pulls, and while the ultimate goal is forever, there is no tried and true way to get there…no specific initiation that people need to go through…it’s just life, every delightful, dramatic, and devastating moment, all melded together to give the details of a life lived and the course that was followed however weathered and heartbreaking it may be.

Forever may seem like a long time, but it takes hard work, dedication, and unconditional love to get there from the here and now.

4.5 Poison apples

Overall Grade: 1/2

The mark of a good writer is their ability to make a connection with their audience; they use the power of words to feel the emotion of the characters and the story. When you read a book and you cry or laugh out loud or become angered by the actions of the characters, the writer of the story has done their job, and done it well. This is the case with Dylan Allen’s newest book, Between Now and Forever. This book is the beginning of what I believe will be an epic journey of love and heartache and an eventual “happily-ever-after,” but only after the characters have endured much.

Between Now and Forever is a beginning. What’s interesting about it is the Prologue as Allen carefully planned her book to begin with the happy ending of her characters, Carter and Elisabeth. It’s clear from the start that Allen’s prologue is intentional. It’s a warning to the reader that the journey will be fraught. And reader, heed this warning.

This book is a tough one. I’m not talking about style or one’s ability to follow the story. This romance is difficult because the journey for these characters isn’t an easy one. From the outset, we know that Elisabeth is different. She doesn’t fit the mold of her community and her father’s expectations. Since she is different, she endures the abuse of her father and his machinations. He is a powerful man, and he wields his power in awful ways. The one person she can trust is her brother, James. Their relationship breathes life into her day, but it too is fraught with issues. All Elisabeth wants is acceptance. She believes she can achieve it by trying to look the same as everyone else; however, in doing so, she is denying her individualism and self-worth. At some point in this book, Elisabeth has to make a choice to accept herself or fall prey to societal expectations, and you need to read the book for her decision. What makes her story difficult is Allen’s illustration, through Elisabeth, of society’s idealism about beauty. Allen highlights the exasperating dichotomy of inner and external beauty. It’s a challenge to her readers to accept ourselves as we are, to love ourselves, and to seek after inner qualities of beauty instead of appeasing unrealistic societal standards. It’s an important message, and Allen creates the angst of this message through the uncommon beauty of Elisabeth. It’s a difficult journey to read, but a necessary one.

In contrast to Elisabeth, there is Carter. Successful, talented, and gorgeous, Carter has the world at his fingertips. Yet, he is missing his truth. In its absence, Carter self-destructs but then resurrects himself to journey after it. While his journey has its own pain, I didn’t feel its depth as acutely as Elisabeth’s. I think we will feel Carter’s angst more in the next book of this trilogy, Between Now and Heartbreak. But his story is also a necessary one. Carter’s story holds a message of family. What is family? If we are different than our family, are we still family? How do we find our self-worth if we don’t really know who we are? There is so much to unpack yet in his story.

When Carter and Elisabeth meet, there is an instant connection. Allen makes it palpable for her readers on the page. Carter sees Elisabeth and her true beauty; he accepts her differences and encourages her to be true to herself. And Elisabeth sees Carter’s pain. While she doesn’t know the core of it, she recognizes it and hopes to know it. Unfortunately, circumstances cause these two to part, and much of this book actually finds them separated, making choices that further distance themselves from each other. This is why Allen’s prologue is necessary. It is also why readers need patience in reading Carter and Elisabeth’s story. In reading the title of the next book, my intuition tells me that there is a long road of angst and heartbreak ahead for these two.

This is what I know. Dylan Allen never disappoints in her storytelling. Yes, she creates stories that cause her readers to steel their hearts. She writes beautiful, devastating romances as a way to remind us that happy endings do come even after enduring so much pain. Why? Because that is the way of life. This is the connection of her stories to our souls. Yes, her stories can be difficult to read because we oftentimes hate remembering how difficult life can be. But the written word should always be a reflection of our experiences, of our pain, of our happiness, of our joys, and of our sadness. Without these connections, then words are simply letters on a page. When you read a Dylan Allen book like Between Now and Forever, the words are the whispers of our souls reminding us that our happily-ever-after is just around the corner if we’re brave enough to endure. Be prepared for this book. It will take a bit of your heart, but the eventual reward will be worth it.