Title: First Impression
Author: Pauline Creeden
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy/Paranormal
Mystery
Expected Release Date: March 31, 2014
Designed by: http://www.alchemybookcovers.com/
Expected Release Date: March 31, 2014
Designed by: http://www.alchemybookcovers.com/
Synopsis:
First Impression: A Shadow Maven Paranormal
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?
My Review: I sat down knowing that this book had me at paranormal. A story that would possibly have me on the edge of my seat what I got was so much more! The level of malevolent evil and just down right scared was so powerful it left me reeling. First Impressions is not just a paranormal story however, it is a story with layers of tragedy and pain combined with friendship as well. When I first met Chira Kelly I new that she was different. She was a loner determined to stay that way except Tasha her one and only friend was just as determined to keep Chira from folding in on herself. As this story continued I found myself emotionally attached to Chira and able to connect with her on levels that even I was unaware of the ability to be reached. Emotion tucked away just like Chira hiding from the outside. Until Ben appeared, he brought out something in Chira that was exciting to read. First Impression hit a element of the paranormal that made my head spin and left me wondering what was reality and what wasn't. The question of could this evilness be stopped and if so could it be done in time to stop others from being hurt. I became so enveloped with this story that it became almost impossible to put down. I had to know more and all I can hope is that Pauline Creeden intends to make this series a long one as there is so much more than meets the eye here. MS. Creeden did an excellent job with this story it is well written and thought out not just slapped together. I truly enjoyed reading First Impression and hope to hear more of this tale.
5/5
Excerpt:
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.
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.
Goodreads Book Giveaway
First Impression
by Pauline Creeden
Giveaway ends April 30, 2014.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
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