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Chindi #1

Deep in the Hollow: A Hauntingly Suspenseful Paranormal Romance

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Award-winning author Brandy Nacole weaves a gripping tale of paranormal suspense that will enthrall you from beginning to end. Evil lurks in this world that the human eye cannot see. Our feeble minds refuse to accept its existence. Yet there are a select few, like me, with the sight. It falls to us alone to keep that looming darkness at bay.

This insight came to me following the death of Bryce Rowan, the most important person in my life. Now, a death at the same location has me wondering if it was an accident at all.

A mysterious spot in the woods. Lights dancing in the trees.

With a brother/sister ghost-hunting pair at my side, we dig into my town’s history and uncover a chilling secret. There are those eager to cover up the malicious entity harbored here… even if it means more people will die.

260 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 29, 2015

32 people are currently reading
237 people want to read

About the author

Brandy Nacole

32 books309 followers
Brandy Nacole is a writer of paranormal suspense and mystery. She's penned the bestselling novel DEEP IN THE HOLLOW, THE SHADOW WORLD TRILOGY and MURDER IS A DEBATE.

She loves keeping readers on the edge of their seats as that's where she likes to stay. Her favorite pastimes are reading, writing, exploring the world, and spending as much time with her husband, kids, and fur babies as possible. If Brandy can’t be found, it’s okay, she’s not lost. She’s frolicking in the woods somewhere and will return for tacos eventually.


You can find Brandy Nacole on:
Her website: www.brandynacole.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/brandy_nacole_
Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorbrandynacole

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5 stars
42 (46%)
4 stars
31 (34%)
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10 (10%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
Profile Image for Hayley.
39 reviews2 followers
October 6, 2023
I am only rating it a 3-star because this is not the typical genre that I like to read. I think the story was very captivating and well-written! She did a great job with this book and I'm impressed how much I liked it and wanted to keep reading! I loved the character development a lot and it was very well portrayed. Lovers of paranormal should definitely add this to their TBR. Such a fun spooky-season read!
Profile Image for Savannah.
71 reviews1 follower
July 30, 2024
I really wanted to like this.

Pro - new take on something supernatural
Con - half baked execution of it, and it felt like a high school knockoff of Supernatural

Con - unlikable or unrelatable characters + a rushed and unfeeling relationship between 2 sets of main characters. They knew each other how long and fell in love? What are they, Disney princesses?

Nothing about this book really excited me. The legends behind the creature were stale, as well as the actual action scenes.

I really hope the 2nd book in the series is better, otherwise I'm giving up on the others.
Profile Image for Johanna Nowlin.
8 reviews4 followers
January 10, 2024
I enjoyed meeting Brandy at The Bakery District last summer and was excited to read her book that centered around the Dover lights. Aside from a few grammatical errors and no page numbers, I was entertained by this spooky story.
Profile Image for Aly.
1,898 reviews69 followers
January 15, 2016
Jo had a mystery to uncover in this book. I enjoyed finding out what this was. I loved the story and I would read more form this author. What happed with Jo's boyfriend? Why she to blame? This book made it fun for me to try to guess all these answers and many more before the author told me. I love that. * I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
Profile Image for Nisareen.
458 reviews13 followers
April 9, 2018
A year ago, during a tryst at The Lights, a local overlook hangout, Jo and her boyfriend Bryce are attacked by a sinister cloaked spectre. Jo watched helplessly as a terrified Bryce was assailed. While Jo barely escapes with her life, Bryce’s remains were later discovered at the bottom of a cliff. No one believed her version of events.

Abandoned by her parents and traumatised by Bryce’s death, Jo struggles with the nightmares which plague her of the hooded Spectre. To make matters worse, she is hounded by Bryce’s brother Kirk, who blames her for his death and makes her life a misery.

When Jo learns that Kirk intends to hold a memorial party for his brother on the anniversary of his death at the exact site where he met his end, she knows her warnings will fall on deaf ears. Instead she hides at a distance as the party gets underway.

Her fears are confirmed when the same spectre appears again. The ghost of Bryce suddenly manifests and tells her to run. During the panic another student loses her life in the hollow.

When the new guy in town starts to show an interest in her, Jo, still grieving over Bryce, thwarts his efforts to befriend her. However there’s more to Cooper and his sister than meets the eye. They are in town for a reason and they might just have the answers to the questions that Jo is seeking. As they delve deeper into the towns secrets, they come to realise that similar deaths have been occurring for more than a century. That there are those who have an agenda and would rather keep the evil lurking around the town a secret, even at the cost of more innocent lives.

My first introduction to this author did not disappoint. The book was well written (albeit a few spelling mistakes) fast paced and hard to put down. I love the way the author incorporated an intriguing paranormal story with a twist in the Navajo Chindi legend. The setting and eerie atmosphere described by the author resulted in some genuine creepy moments at times.

At first I found myself frustrated with the attitude of the protagonist and her hostility to those who were genuinely trying to help her. However, as the story progressed and we learn what really happened the night that Bryce died, we come to understand that Jo is suffering from grief, survivors guilt and nightmares of that fateful night. Haunted by the spectre and outraged by her parents abandonment as well as the fact that no one will believe her, her anger is justified and understandable.

The secondary characters were well developed. I loved Cooper and Jada in particular. They provided some much needed comedic relief at times when the book became too gloomy. In his charming irrepressible way, Cooper finally manages to get under Jo’s skin despite herself. The chemistry between Tyler and Jada was fun to see unfold. I would like to have seen Kirk say a final goodbye to Bryce towards the end. The twist with the coven and their leader was unexpected.

The ending was satisfying and paves the way for the sequel which I’m happy to say I am lined up to read next.

*Disclaimer: The author gifted me an arc in return for an honest review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
2,996 reviews43 followers
June 24, 2020
This is book one of the Chindi series and relates a bit of the Native Indian Chindi legend in a modern day storyline. The start of the book is set in 1972, when two young cousins, MayAnn and Ester, sneak out at night to check out their grandfather’s scary tale, only for them to be attacked and pulled away from each other. Next, it is 2015 and the focus is on a senior at the start of the new school year, Jo (real first name Ryleigh), who lost her boyfriend of two years, Bryce, just under a year ago, when they were attacked out at a local spot, the overlook. Nobody believed her story of what happened and she has lost nearly all her friends and even her parents bailed on her and her brother Tyler, over all of this. Kirk, Bryce’s brother, has always blamed her for his brother’s death and this makes going back to school even harder.

Even Jo’s brother wants her to see a counsellor, as he thinks she needs to get some help to recover from what happened last year, as he can see how she has been struggling. Facing all the taunts as she goes back to school don’t help and then there is a new boy, Cooper, to contend with who seems to have a fascination with her. Homecoming night is the one year anniversary of Bryce’s death and his brother Kirk is going to have a memorial party at the overlook. Jo hides out nearby to try and keep the others safe, but no-one believes her and they fail to run, when the ghost of Bryce tells her to run and she sees the strange shape she saw last year. Another girl dies, but it is put down as a misstep over the cliff!

It seems no one in town wants to admit that anything is wrong, or do anything about it, apart from the new boy Cooper and his sister. He is a ghost hunter or chaser and calls the thing she saw attack Bryce, a chindi or ghost, a name from the Navajo days. He has come to town to hunt this chindi and she seems to be the only person in town that can actually see it. He says that this particular ghost is a nukpana and is a dangerous evil spirit, which they need to be wary of. Cooper and his sister, Jada, are all set up to battle this evil spirit, but they also have to battle with a coven that exists to keep this evil spirit fed and for them to gain power from it. A bit like the brothers in Supernatural, the TV series, going out to battle against evil, having been raised as hunters. A town with many secrets and a coven that wanted to keep it that way. An interesting read with one teen having to face daily taunts and loss, but managing to overcome all of this and save the town. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
Profile Image for Teresa.
986 reviews14 followers
October 28, 2017
My Review:
I really enjoyed this book. I couldn't put it down. So much that at 3 AM my husband came looking for me to go to bed. I loved how well Brandy Nacole wrote this book. There was just enough description to keep you in the loop and to catch you up on the story. I loved the hints at romance, the walk through Jo's grief, the mystery, and the ghosts. Everything about this book was great to me.

Jo is grieving over the death of Bryce her boyfriend a year ago, her parents taking and leaving her and her brother Tyler alone, trying to move on with life, and being blamed for her boyfriends death by everyone, and trying to finish her senior year at school. She has a lot on her plate. All she has left is her brother Tyler and her best friend Millie. Jo used to be in the "In Crowd" at school until Bryce's death, now she is an outcast. Kirk, Bryce's brother is leading the pack at blaming Jo for his death.
It's Homecoming at school and Kirk decides to throw a party at the Lookout. He is calling it a Memorial to Bryce, being as this is where he died. He make sit quite clear that Jo is not invited. Jo decides to go anyway. Not because she wants to crash the party but because she knows that whatever killed Bryce could come back, and she is not wrong.
Cooper is the new boy at school. He is trying his hardest to become friends with Jo, but she keeps shooting him down. Not only does he want to be her friend he wants to help her. Cooper has a secret. He is not just an ordinary guy. He is a Hunter of Ghosts. He has been summoned to Dover to help get rid of the spirit that is throwing people of the ledge at the Lookout. He just has to get Jo onboard to get rid of the the spirit which will also clear her name.
In the process of learning what they can about the spirit and to come up with the best way to kill it they learn that this has been going on for about a century. There is also a Coven involved. Now to figure out how to kill the spirit and to keep themselves alive.
Profile Image for Book Banshee.
72 reviews2 followers
December 2, 2017
This was a 3.5 scream (star) review. I devoured this book in one day, the dishes went undone and I nearly missed a meeting. All because I wanted to keep reading, I wanted to uncover the mystery that laid Deep in the Hollow. And why the main character, Jo, was so closed off. Brandy Nacole has a knack for pacing and intrigue; she writes in a manner that pulls you forward into the story and before you know it it is 1:00AM and your eyes are bloodshot. I do have to say, that based on the ARC copy provided for this review, I was disappointed with the number of things that were overlooked in editing, but at the same time reading a book in the Paranormal Fantasy genre was a breath of fresh air. I would venture to say Deep in the Hollow is a suitable read for Young Adults, more of the story revolves around, well, the story. The romances that built up were not the main focus and took place in the background, and I was left screaming (in my head) "Oh just kiss already!" I was relieved that the author stayed on course with the story and didn't detour on the plot-line she had been building. Deep in the Hollow is written in first person, present tense; typically this style doesn't fit my fancy. Yes, I just said that, but I enjoyed this writing style. I haven't had the chance to read any of Brandy Nacole's previous works, so I am unsure if Jo's mannerisms reflect those of the writer's voice. In either case it worked well. Jo's southern (for lack of remembering the word I intended to use) way of talking and phrases definitely brought forth a lot of character. I hope that there is more to come and that this is just the beginning of a series.
Profile Image for Tina.
343 reviews19 followers
September 5, 2018
A thrilling mystery with a legend attached and spine tingling paranormal activity. This book grabbed me from page one. The author wove an intricate tale adding pieces to the puzzle bit by bit. She had me glued to the pages dying to know what would happen next. And the ending, wow!

The characters were so interesting. You first meet Jo, who was not only dealing with loss of a loved one and parents that abandoned her, but was being targeted as a murderer. It broke my heart to see how brutally her peers treated her. But Jo was strong. She held her head up high and with the help of her best friend and brother moved forward with her life, except a piece of her heart would always be broken. Or would it? Author Brandy Nacole didn't push instant love on us or the typical bad boy male character. She allowed them to develop naturally, feel their grief and show their vulnerabilities. I honestly loved these characters. Jo, Tyler, Millie, Cooper, Jada and even Kirk (that's my hubby's name) have each attached themselves to my heart.

I highly recommend Deep in the Hollow. It can be read as a stand alone but thankfully there are more books in the series! I know I am going to start Buried in the Bayou (Chindi novel 2) asap!
Profile Image for Mary Dean.
747 reviews1 follower
October 31, 2017
This was my first time reading a book by this author and I am totally a new fan. This was a great suspenseful paranormal read. It had everything I love: a main character I can relate to and support, a mystery, suspense, some humor and it kept me interested from start to finish.
This is the story of Jo who boyfriend has died and while dealing with his death she is blamed. She starts to be haunted. It isn't until Cooper enters her life that she starts to get a hold on her life. Together they are looking into the mystery in the woods and they start to learn things they never knew about the town and the people in it. That's all the details I want to reveal. This book is worth the suspense and the surprise. In the beginning of this story I didn't understand some things but that just adds to mystery. I found that I couldn't put it down because I needed to find out more. And I loved Jo. Her attitude had me cracking up.
I recommend this book to fans of a good paranormal mystery. But it is not a typical paranormal story. That is another reason I loved it.
40 reviews
April 17, 2018
This book was really great and I enjoyed it very much. I was excited to read Brandy Nacole’s writing because I have heard so many great things about her work and I am so glad I was able to. This book was really great, it wasn’t heavy on the horror like I usually like but there were a few spots that I got chill bumps. I think this book would be great for teenagers and made even some of the more mature middle schoolers. There is nothing in this book that should be rated mature, in fact, I would even allow my eleven year old son to read it. In the entirety of the book, there was one or two sections where the characters were kissing. And other than the older brother having relations with someone, which it did not go into detail whatsoever, there was nothing that even hinted towards sexual relations. I am excited to continue on with Brandy’s books. After finishing the first book, Deep In The Hollow, I couldn’t wait to dive into book two.
Profile Image for Heather.
277 reviews9 followers
May 25, 2017
The story itself was interesting. I hadn't read a paranormal/supernatural book yet that referred to Native American culture, so it was an interesting spin. I thought the main character, Jo, was believable as a depressed, broody teen with PTSD. Well done for that. However, there were a few developments later in the story that seemed like they were thrown in but weren't introduced early enough to be as believable as the rest of the story. Additionally, the book really needs to be thoroughly proofread. There were too many instances of the wrong word(s) being used; ex: unboarable instead of unbearable and I lost track of how many times boar was used. There were a some others, like using the wrong words/spellings for conscience and unconscious.
Profile Image for Sonya Ray.
Author 10 books107 followers
June 11, 2018
I'm a fan of Brandy Nacole, and I have to say, Deep in the Hollow is my favorite works of hers to date. It has the paranormal aspect that I love from Brandy, but what I enjoyed most is the book is based on stories told through the years of a place near her where she has experienced 'some' of the phenomenon she writes about. Brandy puts her own spin on the story and makes it a work of fiction that you will not want to put down!

If ghost stories intrigue you, and the fact that this place really does exist, this is the story for you. It is full of mystery and suspense, with the paranormal edge to keep you turning the page.


Profile Image for Whitney Greene.
25 reviews9 followers
February 16, 2018
I am so behind on my reviews and needing to catch up, so I'm starting with this fantastic read I finished a few days ago. LOVED IT! Jo is amazing and a girl I'd want by my side in a fight to unravel the truth. She was strong and when faced with things that scared her, she barreled ahead and got through it. And Cooper. Hello! I can already tell I'm going to love him and his sister and was pleased to see the author was writing a book for each character. Yay! I've already bought the next in the series.

Deep in the Hollow is a great paranormal mystery that will leave you wanting more!
Profile Image for Teri.
3,918 reviews37 followers
September 7, 2020
This book starts off with action and mystery and it goes from there. This is the first time that I have read this author and it's a very well written YA. The story of a teen lost in grief over the loss of someone close to her while dealing with parents that have abandoned her and an elder sibling is quite intense and emotional. Overall it's a great story lots of fun lots of action once again emotional but it also needs a proofreader to make it better.
Profile Image for Maura.
2,180 reviews6 followers
September 28, 2020
What perfect timing to read DEEP IN THE HOLLOW... As we approach the Halloween season, I enjoy reading stories that make me a little uncomfortable.

This was a quick read that it took me a little bit to get into. For some reason, I had a hard time getting past the first little bit but once I did - WHAM-O.

This is one of those books that I would absolutely recommend to my younger cousins. I am going to be adding the series to my TBR pile for sure.
Profile Image for Kim.
835 reviews3 followers
July 22, 2018
Awesome read

Wow! I didn't know what I was getting into when I got this book. I am so glad I did though. It was so hard to put down. With the mystery of what happened to Jo and Bryce and everyone else it was interesting. The characters and the storyline were so good that I felt part of the story. Great read and will read the next book. First time reading this author
Profile Image for Billie.
5,783 reviews72 followers
July 4, 2020
This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believeable.
Great suspense and action with wonderful world building.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.
Profile Image for Chrissy.
315 reviews
September 14, 2020
Very interesting story. It was fun, exciting....sad and sweet. A vengeful spirit, murder and several of the town leaders help to cover-up what is happening. It's left up to a grieving high school student, whose long time boyfriend was ended up a victim, and a couple of ghost hunters to discover the truth and stop it from happening again.
36 reviews
May 21, 2017
I enjoyed the read. Especially the main character's inner dialogue. It was a new spin on the paranormal, which was refreshing. If you're looking for a new paranormal, with a bit of a twist, then you'll enjoy this book.
Profile Image for Kristi M.
97 reviews4 followers
May 28, 2017
An interesting new premise on a modern paranormal story that weaves in legends of the past. The characters are well developed with a strong female lead. The book is fast paced and well written. You will immediately be hooked and want more.
Profile Image for Crissy Conner.
294 reviews15 followers
June 10, 2017
I really enjoyed this book, I didn't know what to expect, my first read from this author, but wow - I was surprised, intrigued and couldn't put it down. Thank you for an amazing story and I sure hope this is a sequel, because I want to hear more!
Profile Image for Ashleigh Pate.
Author 13 books17 followers
May 14, 2018
Not really my cup of tea but to say the least it was very intriguing & kept me on the edge of my seat. Though I'm not normally into thriller/ horror stories the ghost aspect kept me from totally dismissing the book in its entirety. All in all I ended up loving it & can't wait for more!
Profile Image for Lucinda.
714 reviews1 follower
December 2, 2019
Hauntings

I'm almost always up for a good read about hauntings. It doesn't have to be a horror story, just the elements of a good mystery, the paranormal, and the spooky. And this book has it. Plus a great human element. A definite must read. I already bought the second book!
Profile Image for Heather Vern.
85 reviews13 followers
April 4, 2020
Good read

Was introduced to this book by a good friend. I’m not usually one for a ghost read, but I was very pleased with the story and character development in this story can’t wait to start book two.
Profile Image for Jennifer McMurrain.
Author 46 books104 followers
September 3, 2020
Deep in the Hollow pulled me in the from the very beginning and kept me reading late into the night. I'm a sucker for a good ghost story, but I'm also very picky about them, this one does not disappoint. I can't wait to read the second one. Highly recommend.
1 review
October 25, 2021
Definitely worth reading

I absolutely loved the storyline and the plot twists!! The only downside I have are the grammatical and spelling errors. The characters are very well written and you feel like you are there and you know these people.
Profile Image for Heather Fontaine Fontaine.
7 reviews2 followers
October 9, 2023
Spooky YA

This was a good read. I thought of being a teen reading Deep in the Hollow and it felt spot on for the kind spookiness and romance I enjoyed then. I also appreciated that there were no real loose ends left at the end of the book. Great storytelling!
Profile Image for J. L. Linn.
187 reviews26 followers
October 22, 2023
I really enjoyed this story that is loosely based on an urban legend. This book was well written and the character growth was very good. This story contains a lot of twists and turns and the ending was delightfully unexpected. Perfect read for spooky season!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews

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