Caffeinated Book Reviewer: Volition (Violition #1) by Shawn Kirsten Maravel

Charlotte Rush would be the first to admit that her life is no rollercoaster ride. Her days are laced with ordinary and at times boring monotony. But with a heart that finds itself frequently broken she's happy to say that she's content.
When her friends convince her to spend the night out at a club to let loose and maybe even find a guy, she finally admits that her life might be missing something. No sooner does she let go of her inhibitions does she find herself waking up in a dark hotel room in the presence of Joel, a man who carries mystery in his eyes and familiarity in his smile. Against reason Charlotte decides to trust him based solely on one thing. Somehow, she is sure that she knows him. In a race against time to find answers and to solve the crime committed against her Charlotte finds herself falling for him. However, with nothing but mystery surrounding him she can't even be sure that he's the hero at all. While knowing all of the right things to say he still manages to tell her nothing. As a battle is waged over the innocence of her cryptic stranger, Charlotte discovers that much greater danger awaits her. And the mysteries behind who and what Joel is will lead Charlotte to discover that heaven and earth are not so far apart.(synopsis from Goodreads)

Volition is the first in a young adult, paranormal romance series by Indie author Shawn Kristen Maravel. This novel offers mystery, crime, and romance with a mysterious stranger.

The main character of this novel is, Charlotte Rush, a conservative art student, and part-time banker. When she and her friends go to a night club, Charlotte is the designated driver. After dancing for hours, she heads off the dance floor to search out her friends. She decides to get a drink of water from the bartender and the next thing she knows, she is waking up in a dark hotel room. Her head hurts, her mouth is dry and there is a complete stranger sitting in the chair by the bed. This mysteries man, with heavenly green eyes and a body resembling a Greek god identifies himself as Joel and tells her that she is safe. Charlotte drifts to sleep again, and when she awakes she is home in her own bed. The tale that unfolds, deals with Charlotte learning about the crime that occurred that night. Despite, the fact that she knows nothing about Joel, she trusts him. ( she has this, niggling feeling, that she has known him forever) Together they gather clues to solve the mystery and stop a criminal.

Overall I enjoyed Volition. The characters were well developed and it had plenty of suspense and mystery. At times, I felt details messed with the flow of the story, and in these areas I skimmed. For example, what everyone was eating or wearing. I will warn you, although this is listed as YA, there is some intimacy.( however no real details are provided).The romance between Charlotte and Joel at first appeared to be insta-love, but actually winds up being so much more.

Volition was a wonderful start to a new series, and I am looking forward to reading book two entitled Severance. I recommend this to fans of paranormal romance. This novel is currently available in paper and eBook formats. I will be adding this author to my watch list.

I want to thank the author for providing this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

I gave this book 3.5 coffee cups out of 5. Kimba