KIM VANDEL
AUTHOR OF SPECULATIVE FICTION
BOOKS
THE UNDER FIRE SERIES
A fast-paced young adult urban fantasy series featuring a reluctant hero, hidden war,
superpowers, found family, and a slow-burn romance without the spicy content.
The Under Fire series is targeted for older teens. It's suitable for ages 14+.
You can find my content advisory here.
Perfect for fans of City of Bones, Renegades, Twilight, The Luminaries, and Legendborn.
INTO THE FIRE
When Kate meets Nathan, he reveals the existence of the Guardians—men and women with God-given “superpowers.ˮ But not all Guardians honor their calling to protect innocent lives. Some choose to prey on the innocent instead.
Nathan’s touch leaves Kate with a flame-shaped mark on her wrist, the sign she’s been chosen as a Guardian. Suddenly she finds herself in the middle of a conflict that’s been burning between the Guardians and their Fallen brethren for over a thousand years.
While Kate waits for her dormant ability to emerge, she has to endure combat training with Hassan, an ex-terrorist who enjoys taking shots at her already low self-esteem. He also draws out the side of her that wants to fight back, and if Kate can find the courage to believe God is offering the life she’s always wanted, Hassan might just be the one to help her start living it.
Winner of the Cascade Award for unpublished Young Adult Fiction.
Winner of the Realm Award in the Debut Category.
AMONG THE FLAMES
Kate’s supernatural Gift allowed her to survive when Eden left her for dead. The only problem is that Kate has no idea what her Gift is or how it works. She needs to figure it out soon because if Eden’s latest plan succeeds, the Guardians and everyone they care about will become prey.
The threat hits Kate hard now that her brother, Ty, has been chosen as a Guardian. The brokenness she’s tried so hard to ignore spills over into her Guardian life, and Ty seems determined to drive the pain deeper. Tension between them complicates the search for Eden. And what if her troubled sibling decides he’d rather join the enemy?
The more Kate learns about her Gift, the more she suspects she’s a danger to the other Guardians—including Hassan, who’s taken on the role of her defender even as he pushes her to embrace her full potential as a Guardian. Time is running out, and Hassan believes she’s the key to stopping Eden. Kate will have to find a way to make peace with both her brother and her Gift before it’s too late.
THROUGH THE SMOKE
Kate is desperate for answers about her Gift after it destroyed a Fallen Guardian’s Gift. Her supernatural ability could revolutionize the war between Guardians and Fallen and save lives, but only if she can accept the agonizing consequences of what it does. The more she learns about her Gift, the more Kate fears that someone she loves will pay the price. The last thing she wants is to put the Guardians at risk, especially now that her relationship with Hassan has taken an unexpected turn.
As Nathan reveals his troubled history with Eden, the Guardians worry about the impact it will have on their search for the dark and powerful Fallen Guardian Haddai. Haddai’s plan promises to be unlike anything they’ve dealt with before and could have devastating results for the Guardians. When they realize they aren’t as hidden as they thought, Kate is pushed toward the moment she’s been dreading—she’ll be forced to use her Gift and discover if it’s a blessing or a curse.
WITHIN THE EMBERS
Her greatest strength has just become her biggest vulnerability.
Kate saved Hassan’s life, but he’s the one who paid the price. Her hesitation has left him vulnerable in a war where supernatural abilities are a weapon, and now the enemy she thought they defeated is rising from the dead.
A mysterious Fallen Guardian named Carnelian Rose intends to resurrect Haddai and finish what he started—unleash the knowledge found within an ancient collection of Books of Creation. Kate’s Gift is the key to unlocking the power that would allow Fallen to hunt and destroy every Guardian on earth.
Kate has spent her entire Guardian career afraid of her own ability, and her fear has cost her something she can’t get back. She made a promise to stop hesitating, and that promise is about to be tested in the most personal way imaginable. She’ll have to trust her Gift and the One who gave it to her if she wants to stop Carnelian and become the Guardian she was meant to be.
Set in the moody and mysterious Pacific Northwest, Within the Embers follows a reluctant heroine who must embrace her calling in order to stop an ancient evil that threatens the balance between good and evil.
Perfect for readers who want a fast-paced young adult urban fantasy featuring:
• A complex supernatural Gift system with genuine emotional costs
• A slow-burn romance that earns every moment
• Sibling bonds and found family tested under fire
• High-stakes supernatural action
• Ancient mysteries and a dark and creepy villain
• A heroine who refuses to stop fighting
Her Gift is the weapon evil has been waiting to claim. She’ll risk everything to keep her loved ones safe.