The
Good Girl’s Guide to Being a Demon
April
Aasheim
Genre: (sweet)
Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Dark
Root Press
Date of
Publication: Nov 15, 2015
ASIN: B016NZTP4C
Number of pages: 157
Word Count: 42,000
Cover Artist: J.M
Rising Horse Creations
Book Description:
Strange changes
are happening to Cassie Walker. She’s losing track of time, seeing shadows, and
developing…horns?
Fearful, she
returns to her childhood home to solve the mystery of what she’s becoming.
There, she meets up with childhood friend, Josh Tucker, who convinces her to
enter the annual Demon Run in Woodland Creek.
But things aren’t
always what they seem in Woodland Creek, and people aren’t who they appear to be.
Soon, Cassie finds
not only herself in danger, but Josh as well.
Can she save them
both? Or has her lineage tainted her forever?
Available at Amazon
My Review:
This book is part of The Woodland Creek series, a collection of 30 stand-alone stories by 30 different authors, all revolving around the small town of Woodland Creek.
This particular story is about Cassie - or, as her mother used to call her, Cassidy - who found out she might just be turning into a demon on her 25th birthday! When she receives a strange book that is supposed to be sent by her long-dead mother, strange things start to happen. All the signs point her towards the direction of Woodland Creek, the place where she grew up before all the misfortunes and tragedies of her life took place and led her to leave the town!
When she arrives to Woodland Creek she is fairly happy to find there her childhood friend, Josh, whom she might actually feel an attraction about. And, then her best friend from all those years back, Jenn, also makes her appearance. And, all hell breaks loose... Literally!
This story was quite quick-paced, with lots of events taking place, both mysterious and adventurous! The heroine was quite strong-willed, and I just loved her and her slowly growing horns! Her romantic interest, Josh was also quite lovable, and I felt greatly fond of him! Her rival was also strong, something that only added more to the story!
The way the author wrote, I was able to completely grasp the mood of the story, and the tragedies the heroine has survived! I loved all the flashbacks, and the letters from Cassie's long-lost mother were just awesome, perky and straight to the point!
All in all, 5 stars for an awesome read
that made me want to know more about
the mysterious little town of Woodland Creek!
Excerpt: Prologue
The
creek churned, black and thick as tar under the cloak of night.
Cassie
Martin stumbled along the raging waterway as she searched for the North Star,
Polaris––the star that would guide her home.
It was
in the tail of one of the dipper constellations, she remembered, but which one?
She tried to call it up as she ambled along, while her ears listened uneasily
to noises created by the dark: howls and heavy footsteps, scurries and whisperings.
To her
right there was smoke accompanied by the crackling sound of a roaring campfire.
She wanted to run to it––to tell whoever was tending the s’mores that she was
lost and afraid and could they please escort her back to her cabin?
But
fear kept her out of the woods. She had read enough books to know the woods
were full of bad things––bears and werewolves and things that wanted to eat
you. So she followed the creek, for lack of other options.
She
shouldn’t have been so stupid, she scolded herself. She knew there was no such
thing as a Snipe, but she went along anyway because her brother Kevin teased
her about being afraid.
“I am
not,” she’d said, balling up her fists.
“Then
prove it,” Kevin returned. “Go into the woods and find a Snipe. If you do, I’ll
never call you scared again.”
Her
best friend Jenn wrapped an arm around Cassie’s shoulders. “I’ll go with you,
Cass. We’ll find that Snipe.”
Only
their friend Josh seemed worried, elbowing Kevin in the ribs. “They’re only
nine, dude.”
“So?”
Eleven-year-old Kevin argued. “At nine we were sneaking beer out of dad’s
cooler and watching late night HBO. These girls need to man up, Josh. We won’t
be around to take care of them forever.”
“We can
take care of ourselves,” Cassie said, sticking out her tongue. “We’ll get that
Snipe. Then you’ll admit that girls are better than boys.”
“If you
bring us a Snipe,” Kevin said, “I’ll admit anything you want.” He spit into his
hand. Cassie spit on hers too. The siblings shook on it.
The
problem was that Jenn disappeared shortly after entering the woods with her.
Now Cassie was alone and disoriented. “Jenn!” she called nervously, trying not
to awaken the bad things lurking. She hated it in here alone. She felt watched,
as if the trees had eyes.
When
she heard the sound of rushing water she remembered the creek ran behind her
campsite.
She
would follow it back…
She ran
through the trees, half covering her eyes, and when she emerged in a narrow
clearing she spotted her watery guide. The creek was swollen and bloated. It didn’t
trickle. It gushed. In the dark it moved like a winding, creeping serpent on
the hunt, ready to devour her.
“Kevin!” she called out, cupping her mouth
with her hands. “Jenn! Josh?” Her words were met with a low mournful wail,
followed by an even more frightening silence.
Her
father once told her that if she got lost, she should find a spot and wait for
someone to come. Spying a tree stump, she sat down. The summer moon was nearly
full and several fireflies lent their talents to holding back the dark. It
would have been beautiful, if she wasn’t so scared.
“One
Miss-issippi,” she counted, deliberately slowing the first syllable. “Two
Miss-issippi…”
Another
wail echoed through the night, bouncing off tree limbs and ringing through
boughs. It was quickly followed by another. Banshees? Ghosts? Wolves? Tree
branches rustled as if spirits played an invisible game of tag.
Dad
will come, she told herself. He always came. He’d see she was missing and he’d
find her––and Jenn as well.
The
sounds grew louder, like the moans of old ladies crying at a funeral. Cassie
shivered, wrapping her arms around her chest to shield herself from whatever
came. Several twigs snapped nearby, followed by the sound of small, scurrying
feet. With building fear, she bolted from the stump and raced along the water’s
edge, following as it churned towards its unseen destination.
Soon
the clearing ended and the woods began. She spun around, uncertain where to go.
Back towards the moaning sounds or into the blackness of the trees?
Her
decision was made when she saw them.
The
Shadow People.
An army
of them, dropping from tree branches and skittering her way. Their sizes were
varied but their faces were all the same, dark expressionless blobs with
unblinking eyes.
They
were quiet as cats as they came for her, and more terrible than wild animals or
werewolves or things that would eat you. The Shadow People didn’t eat you. They
took you away.
Cassie
fled in the opposite direction, away from the forest, screaming as she went.
Her voice joined in with the chorus of wails, until it all became the sound of
the wind.
Risking
a glance back over her shoulder, her foot hit a sleek stone. She slipped and
tumbled, falling into the cold raging water.
“Help!”
She called out just before she was pulled under.
When
she surfaced she caught hold of a branch extending out from the bank. She clung
to it with both hands while her feet pulled her downstream. The creek gnawed at
her, biting and ripping at her skin and clothes, chewing up one shoe and then
the other. She couldn’t hold on for very long. At any moment she would be swept
away.
Above
her, she spotted the North Star.
“Mom,”
she whispered, focusing her wish on the star as the water dragged at her and
the Shadow People advanced. “If you can hear me, please send help.”
A
figure sprang from the woods. A boy, not much taller than herself.
“Josh!”
she called, kicking with her feet as water filled her lungs.
“Cassie!”
Josh grabbed her hand just as she lost her grip on the branch.
He
slowly pulled her from the river’s maw. She crawled onto the bank, coughing up
water. He removed his flannel jacket and wrapped it around her shivering body.
When she could stand again, she hugged him, nearly crying as she rubbed her
nose into his chest.
“I
don’t think there’s such thing as Snipe,” she sputtered.
He
laughed and kissed the top of her head. “But you were brave to find out.”
Her
father, her friend, Jenn, and her brother, Kevin, all appeared, hollering and
racing in their direction.
“Thank
God you’re alright!” Cassie’s father said, scooping her up in his arms. “You
had me scared to death. You can’t go traipsing off by yourself like that, young
lady! You’ve got to be more careful.” He lifted her chin firmly. “Promise me.”
Behind
him, Kevin’s eyes were imploring. If she told about the Snipe hunt, her brother
would be in big trouble. And possibly Josh, as well.
She
nodded. “I’ll be careful from now on. I promise.”
“Good.”
Her dad carried her back to their rented cabin but her gaze remained affixed on
Josh. He walked alongside them, his blue eyes shining like the moon.
About
the Author:
April Aasheim is a
full time writer with interests in the paranormal, the supernatural, and the
metaphysical. Having ‘seen things’ at an early age, April has made it her
life’s work to seek out the truth, and then to write about her findings in the
guise of fiction.
She lives in
Portland, Oregon with her family and is the author of the Amazon best-selling
witchy series: The Daughters of Dark Root.
@aprilaasheim
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