Title:
First Impression
Author:
Pauline Creeden
Genre:
YA Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Mystery
Expected Release Date: March
31, 2014
Designed by: http://www.alchemybookcovers.com/
Tour Host: Lady
Amber's Tours
MY REVIEW
Chira meets a very strange boy named
Ben. Chira and her friends check out a haunted schoolhouse and then
scary supernatural things start happening. Something supernatural
seems to be hunting Chira and her friends. The cover of this book has
a very Twilight-esque feel and I was reminded of that in quiet Chira
meeting strange, supernatural Ben. Chira sees a ghost and Ben says it
is an impression. This is a quick read and it was well-written.
Halfway through it was getting really exciting and scary. I enjoyed
it. 4 stars.
Synopsis:First
Impression: A Shadow Maven Paranormal
Chira
Kelly thought she didn’t need anyone…until she met Ben.
Because
of one ugly rumor, Chira lives as an outcast at her school. Which is
fine with her, because she works better alone. Always has, always
will. And at least she has her one and only true friend, Tasha. When
Tasha insists that they join a group to visit a possibly haunted
abandoned old schoolhouse, she's wary, but joins her friend. Because
of that decision, their lives are in jeopardy as a malevolent spirit
targets the group. Tragedies and accidents pick them off one by one,
and Chira finds herself drawn to the one person who can see the
truth. But can he protect her?Goodreads
link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20618864-first-impression
Author
Bio:
In
simple language, Pauline Creeden creates worlds that are both
familiar and strange, often pulling the veil between dimensions. She
becomes the main character in each of her stories, and because she
has ADD, she will get bored if she pretends to be one person for too
long. Pauline is a horse trainer from Virginia, but writing is her
therapy. Her books have hit #1 on the Amazon Bestseller List
and Armored
Hearts won
the 2013 Book Junkie’s Choice Award in Historical Fiction. First
Impression: A Shadow Maven Paranormal is
her first mystery. It’s a dark urban fantasy and will be
released March
31, 2014.
Excerpt:
(Please note that the Excerpt is from the Unedited ARC and may change
a bit before the finished book is released)
Ben
pulls open the office door and stands to the side to allow me to go
first. The hallway that was empty only a short while ago is now full
of kids and their incessant conversations. With a shrug, I eye his
class schedule quickly. Except for second and sixth period, we have
exactly the same schedule. He’s in all of the advanced classes,
too. Only he has gym for second period, and Latin for sixth –
opposite of my schedule, except I take French.
Piece
of cake.
I
glance up at him again, and his eyes meet mine. My breath hitches.
Something in his intense gaze makes me feel like he’s measuring me.
And there’s something strange about his eyes. They’re brown, but
I can tell he has colored contacts. Why would anyone color their eyes
brown?
Something
about the way he’s looking at me makes my heart flutter. A sniffle
escapes me before I can stop it. Ugh. I clear my throat and start in
the direction of first period. “Follow me.”
We
elbow our way down the freshman hall toward the second floor, but
before we start up I point down the way. “Do you know what your
locker number is?”
Ben
nods and pushes his backpack up on his shoulder further.
I
wait for a second and then smile. “What is it?”
“706.”
He has a slight accent and his voice is deeper than I expect. I
suppress a shiver at the jolt that the musical timbre of his voice
sends through my body. I’m resonating like a tuning fork. I really
want him to speak again with every fiber of my being. What’s with
me?
“Uh…okay.”
I swallow, trying to regain composure. And take him to the general
area of the locker. “Here it is.”
He
looks at it, nods, and returns his gaze to me.
“I
know you don’t have any books to put in it, but do you want to try
out the combination?”
He
lifts one shoulder in a shrug and spins the combo quickly through the
three numbers. I purposefully look around so he knows I’m not
peeking. He opens the locker wide, nods toward me and then closes it
again.
“Great.
We have first period over here.”
“You
and I have the same first period?”
My
body vibrates again, and I blink hard. So glad my back was to him so
he couldn’t see the effect his voice has on me. I swallow and face
him. “Actually, yeah. Our schedules are very similar. It’s a
smallish school so there’s only a few tracks that juniors can be
on.”
He
nods, and his eyes are half lidded as if he’s bored already.
I
lead him toward our class room. “We don’t really have assigned
seats, so you can pretty much sit anywhere you want. I’ll show you
to the gym at the end of class. I have French next, but it’s not
too far from there.”
I
lead him to the front of the class, and my friend, Tasha Brown gives
me a wan smile and raises her eyebrows, looking back and forth
between me and Ben. She mouths, Who’s
that?
I
roll my eyes and put up one finger toward her to let her know I’ll
tell her in a minute. Then I turn to the teacher. I hand him the
schedule from the office. “Hi, Mr. Scott. This is Ben Oscuro, a
transfer.”
Mr.
Scott sets down the Mountain Dew he was drinking and offers Ben a
wide grin. He puts a hand out for him to shake. Ben hesitates but
takes the hand in what looks like a firm grip. Mr. Scott shakes his
hand afterward. “That’s some grip you’ve got there.” He
laughs and leans down to the bottom drawer of his desk and hands Ben
a Geography text book.
With
a nod, I return to Tasha and squeeze into the desk next to hers.
Because I’m at Jackson Hall partially on scholarship and partially
on my father’s insurance money, I’m somewhat of a social pariah.
My only real friend is Tasha, a pariah herself, being one of the few
African-American kids in the school. Still she tends to be more
popular than me, because at least her family does have money. And
then there’s that rumor…
“So
who is the new hottie?” Tasha hops up and down in her seat.
I
shake my head at her. “You are one big hormone, you know that?
Sure, he’s cute, but is there any guy in the room you don’t
consider a hottie?”
Tasha
scans the room, considering for a moment with her hand on her chin
and a very serious expression on her face. Her hair is in the typical
pigtail braids she usually uses to play up the uniform. She has on no
sweater, and her shirt is one size too small, causing the buttons at
the front to bow and expose part of her red bra. Finally she returns
her gaze to me. “There’s only one guy in here that doesn’t rank
hottie.”
“Really?
Who?”
She
leans in conspiratorially and whispers, “Mr. Scott.”
I
nearly choke on a laugh as I eye the middle aged, balding teacher at
the front of the room. But I have to admit, Jackson Hall is a prep
school. And no one can afford to make their children look their best
more than the wealthy. I guess if I take my father’s words to
heart, it’s better to be the poor kid in the rich kids’
school…than the other way around. Right?
Tasha’s
smile returns and I follow her gaze to figure out why. Ben Oscuro
walks down the aisle between us and takes the desk right behind mine.
The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I close my eyes and
take a deep breath. He smells like pine and mint, and it reminds me
of the outdoors. When I open them again, Tasha’s smile has grown
impossibly wider. She leans towards me and whispers, “What was that
you said about hormones again?”
I
shove my elbow toward her but she dodges me with a giggle.
Goodreads
Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/MTI4YzBiMzFiYzBlNGY4ODI1NTNlZjE3YmIxM2JmOjU2/
