Between

A 30-Hour Tour-de-Force of Cozy Fantasy Rom-Com, Whimsical Mayhem, and Dual-Narrated Perfection

L.L. Starling’s *Between* is an absolute hidden gem and a crowning glory of the cozy fantasy movement—a massive, 30-hour romantic comedy that reads like *Gilmore Girls* crashed headlong into *The Princess Bride* and *Labyrinth*. The story is ingeniously split into two perspectives: Part One follows Sasha Hawkins, a plucky, thirty-something schoolteacher who moves to the delightfully eccentric town of Old Gate for a fresh start, only to discover the town is filled with witches, magical covens, and bizarre local ordinances. Part Two rewinds the clock to show the same week through the eyes of Lorn, the exasperated, overworked Sorcerer King of Between, who spends his days juggling disastrous kingdom budgets, belligerent imps, and tight leather pants.

The audio edition is an extraordinary, lavishly produced dual-narration triumph performed by award-winning voice actors Emily Ellet and Steve West. Ellet delivers Sasha’s comedic interior monologues with breezy, relatable charm, turning every bizarre encounter with eccentric villagers into laugh-out-loud entertainment. Meanwhile, Steve West steps in for Part Two to give King Lorn a dry, aristocratic British weariness that is both devastatingly hilarious and deeply romantic. The sheer joy of hearing the exact same chaotic events from both perspectives—Sasha trying to organize school curricula while Lorn desperately tries to prevent magical catastrophes—makes the 30-hour runtime fly by. Listeners who loved the monumental worldbuilding of The Hands of the Emperor or the whimsical fairy-tale humor of Tress of the Emerald Sea will find themselves utterly obsessed.

At a gargantuan 30 hours and 17 minutes, *Between* delivers unmatched value for a single Audible credit or free trial token. It is a rare novel that sustains pure comedic joy, warmth, and cozy romantic tension across a mega-length runtime without ever dragging. With its quirky found family, festive autumn aesthetic, and pitch-perfect dual narration, this is the ultimate comfort listen to curl up with for weeks on end.