Hidden Gems: Nadine Brandes

Check out Shantelle's blog for her post and giveaway!

Today the Gem Tour is featuring Nadine Brandes. She is such an awesome author, and not necessarily because of her books. If you ever visit her blog, you'll soon see how awesome and cool she is. She loves her readers, and makes you feel "at home." Her latest book completes her dystopian Out of Time trilogy, and I encourage you to check her out.

Nadine Brandes:
I am an adventurer, fusing authentic faith with bold imagination. I never received my Hogwarts letter, but rest assured I’m no Muggle (and would have been in Ravenclaw House, thank you very much.) This Harry Potter super-nerd has been known to eat an entire package of Oreos (family-size) by herself, and watches Fiddler on the Roof at least once a year. I write about brave living, finding purpose, and other worlds soaked in imagination. My dystopian trilogy (The Out of Time Series) challenged me to pursue shalom, which is now my favorite word (followed closely bybumbershoot.) When I’m not taste-testing a new chai or editing fantasy novels, me and my knight-in-shining armor (nickname: “hubby”) are out pursuing adventures.

A Time to Die:
How would you live if you knew the day you'd die?  

Parvin Blackwater believes she has wasted her life. At only seventeen, she has one year left according to the Clock by her bedside. In a last-ditch effort to make a difference, she tries to rescue Radicals from the government's crooked justice system.  

But when the authorities find out about her illegal activity, they cast her through the Wall -- her people's death sentence. What she finds on the other side about the world, about eternity, and about herself changes Parvin forever and might just save her people. But her clock is running out.

A Time to Speak:

What happens when you live longer than you wanted to?

Parvin Blackwater wanted to die, but now she's being called to be a leader. The only problem is, no one wants to follow.

The Council uses Jude's Clock-matching invention to force "new-and-improved" Clocks on the public. Those who can't afford one are packed into boxcars like cattle and used for the Council's purposes.

Parvin and Hawke find themselves on a cargo ship of Radicals headed out to sea. What will the Council do to them? And why are people suddenly dying before their Clocks have zeroed-out?

Book Two in the "Out of Time" series

A Time to Rise:
What more can you sacrifice than your life?

Parvin Blackwater is dead. 

At least that's what the Council and the world thinks. But her sacrifice tore down part of the Wall long enough to stir up hope and rebellion in the people. Now she will rise again. Strong, free, and fearless. 

Parvin and Solomon must uncover the mysterious clues that Jude left behind in order to destroy the projected Wall once and for all. Meanwhile, the Council schemes to new levels of technology in its attempts to keep the people contained. Can a one-handed Radical and a scarred ex-Enforcer really bring shalom to the world?


My reviews:
A Time to Die
A Time to Speak

Don't forget to come to the Facebook party on Tuesday, October 18th! There will be giveaways, guest authors, and more!

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Tangled Web

Summary:
Finn has packed away his combat instincts--but he may need them again when danger begins to stalk his quiet hideaway . . . 
After a disastrous Middle East mission ends his six-year Army Ranger career, Finn McGregor needs some downtime. A peaceful month in the woods sounds like the perfect way to decompress. But peace isn't on the agenda once he crosses paths with publishing executive Dana Lewis, a neighbor who is nursing wounds of her own. Someone seems bent on disrupting her stay in the lakeside cabin she inherited from her grandfather. As Finn and Dana work together to discover who is behind the disquieting pranks, the incidents begin to take on a menacing tone. And when it becomes apparent Dana's foe may have deadly intent, Finn finds himself back in the thick of the action--ready or not. 

                       ~~~~

This is the first book I've read by Irene, and I must say I really enjoyed it. I've been reading some mysteries lately and was excited to read this one. The storyline was realistic, and wasn't all over the place. It was paced just right, and showed a lot about the character's personalities.
Dana was a cool character, and a lot like me. She is a book editor  (which I'd love to do ) And isn't a big coffee drinker. Loves adventure, yet loves to hang out and be chill. After a traumatic experiance escapes to get childhood home to recover .
Finn was awesome. A former army ranger who cares about other people, and had a family there to encourage him. Getting away for a month so he can recover from ptsd he's been having, an isolated retreat made his loved ones nervous, and possibltt with good reason if he hadn't met his neighbor. Always alert for trouble, yet caring and loving. He was such an awesome guy! (Who wouldn't like a guy who is protective, nice looking, has a good family, and looks after you)
It was such a sweet book, and I look forward to reading more of the author's books.

I recieved this book from the publisher for an honest review.
5 out of 5 stars.

A Time to Speak

                                            

Summary:What happens when you live longer than you wanted to?

Parvin Blackwater wanted to die, but now she’s being called to be a leader. The only problem is, no one wants to follow.

The Council uses Jude’s Clock-matching invention to force “new-and-improved” Clocks on the public. Those who can’t afford one are packed into boxcars like cattle and used for the Council’s purposes.

Parvin and Hawke find themselves on a cargo ship of Radicals headed out to sea. What will the Council do to them? And why are people suddenly dying before their Clocks have zeroed-out?

Book Two in the “Out of Time” series.



                                                          ~~~~

I really enjoyed A Time to Speak more than I did the first. It was full of excitement, had awesome characters, and a great storyline. As soon as I started I couldn't put it down (it was an e-copy, but it still counts.)  :) I literally stayed up into the wee hours of the next morning, and even then, it took me a while to fall asleep because my nerves had yet to calm down from that ending. (It's hard to easily calm down from it. Other readers will agree.) Nadine did an excellent job bringing the story to life, in a world full of so many cool inventions (I really want the learning pill. Instant knowledge would be pretty great) and we got to join up with favorite characters from the last book like Willow, Parvin, Solomon, and others.
I feel like I was able to connect more with Parvin in this book. She had gone through a lot, and realized that she had been trusting her clock more than God. I learned a lot from her in the story, and I like how Nadine had an underlying lesson to trust God throughout the book. I just felt like I kept learning life lessons while reading an adventure, which was awesome.
I had quite a few favorite parts, but most of them had to do with 2 certain someone's. :)   *When Hawke lets someone escape, and when a guy professes his love to Parvin. It was the sweetest thing guys! I would totally want a guy to say and think that of me. The writing was well done, and I would suggest this to anyone who wants to have an adventure in another world, full of new things, and learn lessons from the characters.

If you've read the books, what was one of your favorite parts? If you haven't read them, are you going to?


I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars.
I received this e-book from the author for an honest review.

Gilt Hollow

Summary:


















Summary:
Willow Lamott’s best friend is a convicted killer, and no one in the small town of Gilt Hollow will let her forget it. Over four long years, she’s tried to fade into the background—but none of that matters when Ashton Keller comes striding into school, fresh out of juvie and fueled by revenge. The moment their eyes meet, Willow no longer feels invisible. Drawn to the vulnerability behind Ashton’s mask of rage, she sinks deeper into his sinister world and begins to question whether he’s a villain, a savior, or both.
Ashton thought he wanted vengeance, until Willow Lamott stepped back into his life. Now he longs to clear his name and become the person she sees in him. But the closer they get to uncovering the truth, the darker the secrets become, and Ashton wonders if his return to Gilt Hollow will destroy everyone he loves.


                                                            ~~~~

I was pretty excited to start reading Gilt Hollow, I have read the author's author books (the Doon series) and really enjoyed them, so I was excited to see what else she would write. The story is based in a small town where Ashton has just returned after serving time in juvi for being accused of murder. Everyone in town is on edge when he arrives, and though everyone says that he murdered Daniel, things happening around town start to suggest otherwise.
Lately I've realized a lot of my (small) reading has been mysteries. This one was a fun story with different twists, and I enjoyed trying to figure out what was going on. I loved the characters. Willow is so sweet. She is on the honor roll, excels at learning, cares for her younger brother, and even in hard times she does her best to make it though. I especially loved how the author wrote about the characters flaw, physical, emotional, etc. Willow physically had panic attacks that would happen throughout the story, and it brought a realness to her. Ashton was another awesome character. I loved how protective and caring he was, even though most people disliked him. He got into fights and had some anger issues, but he always stood up for those who couldn't. Lisa was a great, and one of my favorite supporting characters. She became Willow's close friend after the incident and everyone shunned Willow. Lisa encouraged her, offered advice, and was a great friend.

It does have a couple cuss words, kissing, and some thoughts in the book-as it is a romance- but otherwise it is pretty clean. 14+



I would rate this book 4.5 out of 5 stars
I received this book free from BookLookBloggers for an honest review.

A Time to Rise Challenge

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September Book Haul + Wrap Up

                                     

Can it really be the first of October? I feel like I was just reading everyone's August wrap-up posts. How fast time flies! Well, I decided last month that I wanted to start doing some book haul posts- a good thing I suppose, because this month's haul was pretty nice. Now to begin.

READING:
So I didn't get to read as much as I wanted because I'm preparing for a test I have in a couple of weeks, but I was able to get some good ones in like Black by Ted Dekker, A Time to Speak by Nadine Brandes, and The Lost Girl of Astor Street by Stephanie Morrill.

BOOK HAUL!
I was pretty happy with these finds at my Little Free Library's and the Goodwill. This was a pretty big haul, and I wasn't trying to get so many, but they all sounded so interesting, and they all wanted a home on my bookshelf. :)   (the Nancy Drew's were vintage, so I replaced mine with the older versions)
Okay, so when I started writing this post the other day, I took the picture above. I didn't realize that I'd bee adding a few more to the ever growing stack. I ended up going to the library looking for something, and ended up with four more books, and then saw For King and Country and bought their book Priceless that goes along with their movie coming out on October 14th. (AND I got a picture with them and the book signed!) I started reading the book while I was in line, and it is really good. (check out the movie!)
So below is the additional books I got.

Writing:
I actually didn't write a whole lot this month. I did finish the 100-for-100 earlier in September. During that time I was working on a couple short stories. This month I was inspired for a new story (I know, I can't stop coming up with new ones *shakes head despairingly*) This story is a mystery, and though I don't have everything right now, I think it will be an interesting one.


So yeah. There's my wrap up. What books did you get in September?

A Time to Die Blog Tour, Review + Author Interview

                                                        
Summary:
How would you live if you knew the day you'd die?

Parvin Blackwater believes she has wasted her life. At only seventeen, she has one year left according to the Clock by her bedside. In a last-ditch effort to make a difference, she tries to rescue Radicals from the government's crooked justice system.

But when the authorities find out about her illegal activity, they cast her through the Wall -- her people's death sentence. What she finds on the other side about the world, about eternity, and about herself changes Parvin forever and might just save her people. But her clock is running out.
                                                                    
                                                                   ~~~~

So, I had this great and amazing review I had written for A Time to Die, but... I lost it. :( Oh well *sigh*.  So while I quickly scramble for a new post, that is unfortunately a day late, (I do apologize) I'll talk about Nadine. She is awesome. I've never met her personally, but I've been following her on her blog for a while, and joined the Ninja team a few months ago. Most of that was before I read her first book, which may seem strange, but I really enjoyed it. I like getting to know authors separate from their books, because authors are really awesome people. And I have favorite authors whose books may not be a bestseller, but because I enjoy the author. So while I was a fan of Nadine for what feels like forever, I hadn't read any of her books until this summer.
I enjoyed the characters a lot. I loved the Hawke's, Reid, Willow, Parvin, and others. One thing I really loved about the book was how Nadine had a modern day message- that applies to any of us- and has it in a dystopian society.

               ~Parvin thought she knew when she was going to die, but when the unexpected happens she realizes how much of her life has wasted. What will she do now that she has life?~

Why should you read it? Because the second is even better!  If you are a fan of dystopian, super cool inventions, and cultures, then you should read A Time to Die.

                                                     How will you live?

                                                              ~~~~






Author Interview:

Now that you've finished A Time to Rise, what is your next process?

It’s so weird being done with the Out of Time Series! I miss it already. But I’ve been exploring some fantasy ideas and haven’t settled on one yet—I just love them ALL! I hope to start on a draft very soon and then I’ll have more info!

How surprised are you with your fans? What do you enjoy about them?

I love this question! MY FANS ARE AMAZING. I just remember being certain that the entire world would hate my book (A Time to Die) when it first came out and my jaw’s been on the floor ever since. They show constant enthusiasm over my stories, and connections with my characters. I love when fans contact me and tell me what my books made them feel or think about. I love their fan art and their commitment to being encouraging and awesome. Just…so much. They probably make me cry more than anyone else does. But they’re always happy tears. :'D

Which character that you've written do you wish you were like?

I wish I was more like Solomon. He’s so patient. Holy cow. I don’t know how he does it. (That aspect of his character is taken from my husband — the kindest and most patient man in existence.) I would love to be more kind and more patient and more humble

Have you considered writing other genre's (with your own touch of course) like sic-fi, and steampunk? Or even creating a new genre?

I’d love to explore all the genres!! But my heart is currently turning to fantasy. Dystopian will always have its own special chamber in my heart, but that was a one-time visit, I think.

What was your favorite book to write?
My favorite book to write was probably A Time to Die because that one felt the most like a journey of discovering myself. It came solely from passion—not deadlines or plotting or over-thinking. :)

Thank you so much for stopping by! Thank you so much for having me! I loved these questions. Are we done already? ;-)

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Don't forget to sign up for the Facebook party in October!

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I received an e-copy of the book from the author for an honest review.
4 out of 5 stars