Genre: YA paranormal romance
Publisher: Words Written
Date of Publication: 11/1/2013
ISBN: 978-0615828039 paperback
ISBN: 978-0615951423 eBoook
ASIN: B00ICT9GQK
Number of pages: 293
Word Count: 88,502 words
Cover Artist: George Parulski, East Way
Photography
Book Description:
If you had the chance to start your life
over, would you take it? If you were told you would live for eternity, would
you embrace it? If a stranger told you he was your soul mate, would you believe
it?
Raina Richmond has played it safe her
entire life. She has never broken the rules. That is, until Brent Alexander
walked straight into her life, causing havoc. Turning her world upside down.
Brent is the new kid in town. He is every
girl’s fantasy: adorable, charming, chiseled, and the typical boy Raina usually
steers clear of. But there is just something about him she can’t seem to
resist. Safe is no longer an option for her. For him, she breaks all the rules.
What she doesn’t realize is that he holds
the key to her past, present, and future. Once he reveals the reasons behind
their irrevocable connection, she will unlock the answers to all of her
questions, and her life as she knows it will never be the same again.
Excerpt:
I
head over to the library to kill some time before my next class. It’s quiet and
peaceful in there, and I always feel a wave of calmness when walking through
those doors. I think it may have something to do with all these words that have
come together, creating stories, written by all these amazing authors who now
surround me. I love books. Something about seeing through someone else’s eyes
and living a mere moment in someone else’s life soothes me.
I
take a seat at the table in the back, take out Christopher Pike’s Blood Thirst
from my book bag, and dive into the book. The main character, Sita, is so
empowering, bold, and immortal, yet carefree and fragile all at once.
The thought of living a thousand years is
so intriguing but ultimately depressing, having to outlive everyone and anyone
who enters your life. Still, it makes me wonder, what would I give to have all
eternity in my hands?
As
I contemplate this, I hear a chair skid across the carpet in front of me. I
slowly bring my book down, low enough to peek over.
I
furrow my brows. “Can I help you?” I ask the boy sitting at the table across
from me, feeling a bit perplexed and apprehensive. A smirk spreads across his
face as his smoky golden eyes bore into mine.
“No,
just taking in the view,” the boy answers back with swagger.
Is
this kid crazy or something? I know he can’t possibly be talking about me, and
the library isn’t much to look at either.
I
glance behind me. “The view, huh? Kinda hard to believe, since we’re sitting in
a library,” I comment sarcastically.
“Very
true. But I wasn’t talking about the scenery; I was more or less talking about
you,” he replies. “My name is Brent,” he says while extending his hand for me
to shake. Immediately, I feel the thump-thump, thump-thump of my heart pumping
with great intensity. An ice-cold shiver rushes down my arms and throughout my
body, and I can’t help but stare at his soft, pristinely manicured hand, as
though touching it would be the death of me. An end to all means. But most of
all, I’m afraid of the burning scar his touch might leave on me.
I
continue to stare at him, not sure where this is going. He eventually drops his
hand. I’m kind of wondering if maybe this is a joke, like he was put up to this
or something. Maybe I’m being punked and everyone is hiding behind the
bookcases, waiting for him to make a fool out of me.
But
Brent just continues to gawk at me with this indescribable charisma. I feel as
though he’s drawing me in with the golden blaze of his eyes but making me
question his intentions with a devilish grin.
“Ahem.”
Brent clears his throat, looking amused, and leans his head to the side, waving
his hand to get my attention.
“Oh,
sorry. I’m Raina,” I finally reply after leaving my trance.
“Hi,
Raina. It’s nice to finally meet you,” he says, as though he’s been waiting for
this moment his entire life.
“Finally?”
I question, feeling the blood rush to my cheeks. “You say that as though we
should already know each other.”
I
watch as he adjusts his shoulders and reassesses himself before responding. “I
saw you in the hallway this morning and then again in the cafeteria. I just
felt like you were someone I wanted to meet,” he confesses. “The cafeteria felt
a little crowded, with all eyes on me, so I left to get some air,” Brent
finishes, shrugging his shoulders.
“And
you followed me here?”
I
can’t believe that just came out of my mouth. Of course he’s not stalking me!
Why would anyone want to do that?
“I
wasn’t stalking you, if that’s what you’re thinking. When I passed by, I saw
you sitting alone. I felt like this was my chance to introduce myself without
any watchers lurking,” he admits with a kind of sincerity. At least, I think he’s
being sincere.
Before
I can even respond, the bell rings. I stand up and quickly gather my book off
the table to place in my book bag. I push in my chair and smile at him as he
begins to stand up. I turn to walk away, not knowing what else to say to him.
An
intense warmth stings my hand, goose bumps rage through my skin as my hair
rises from my body. I pause slowly, turn around, and look down. Brent’s hand is
now touching mine.
“Raina,
when can I see you again?”
The energy from his hand is climbing through
my every limb, awakening the parts of me that lay dormant for so long.
“Why
would you want to see me again?” I question, a little dumbfounded, taking my
hand back.
He
steps closer. “Because I like you.” Straight to the point.
I
turn slowly around, not sure how to answer this, and I can feel the heat off
his body as he walks beside me. I stop when we get to the glass doors. “Listen,
you seem nice and all, but I have a boyfriend,” I say, leaving him speechless.
I’m completely shocked that this lie just came rolling off my tongue so easily.
I hate lying, but I hate being let down even more so, and I’m sure that’s just
what he would do eventually.
About the
Author:
Shevaun DeLucia lives in upstate New York
with her husband, four children, and two dogs. As a stay-at-home mom while her
children were young, she fell in love with reading. She indulged in the small
moments that took her away from the reality of her loud, overly rambunctious
household, bringing her into a world of fantasy. When reading wasn’t enough to
satisfy her, she turned to writing, determined to create the perfect ending of
her own.
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