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Buried Secrets
Buried Secrets picks up with a jolt. The book throws Samantha Jordan and Detective Nick Ballard straight into a chaotic mix of protests, an explosion at a construction site, and a buried set of bones that kick off a genuine mystery. The plot widens fast. What starts as a fight over Comanche remains becomes a deeper story involving political pressure, corruption within law enforcement, tribal tensions, and a startling discovery tucked inside the concrete foundation of an old grocery store. The book follows Samantha and Nick as they clash, cooperate, and dig into a crime that was literally cemented over. The stakes climb fast, and so does the tension between them.
I felt myself reacting to this one in a more personal way than I expected. The writing moves with confidence, and the pacing is punchy. It felt like watching fireworks go off one after another. Some scenes made me grin because the banter hit just right, and then others had me tense because the danger felt close. Samantha and Nick have a dynamic that made me laugh and sigh. They get under each other’s skin in that messy, irresistible way that makes their partnership crackle. I liked how Samantha carries her knowledge like armor. She never apologizes for it. Nick, on the other hand, is a storm of frustration and loyalty and old wounds. Seeing them work through their differences while everything around them blew up kept me rooting for them.
The ideas sitting under the plot also caught me off guard. The book digs into how politics twist simple decisions until nothing is simple anymore. It touches on greed, identity, and the uncomfortable ways power gets used when no one is watching. I liked how the story made space for that without slipping into heavy language. The scenes in the medical examiner’s office felt eerie and sad. The discovery of the young woman’s remains pulled the story into a darker place, and I could feel my stomach drop when the characters realized what it meant. The writing captures that dread without drowning the reader in it. It reminded me how crime fiction can make you feel the weight of a life even when that life isn’t on the page anymore.
Buried Secrets is a great pick for readers who love crime novels with emotional punch, fast pacing, and characters who spark off each other. It felt to me like Buried Secrets carried the same mix of tension and character chemistry that you get in The Lincoln Lawyer, only with a sharper emotional pull and a mystery that hits closer to the heart. This book is perfect for anyone who wants mystery mixed with humor, tension, and a touch of romance that doesn’t feel forced.
Pages: 279 | ASIN : B0DKB3NBZ8
Burning Secrets
Burning Secrets drops you straight into danger and never really lets go. The story follows Adelaide Reese, a sharp-minded chemical engineer who gets tangled up in a mill explosion, a web of corporate denial, and a town slowly breaking under the weight of polluted water and rising fear. The book moves fast. It blends environmental suspense, legal tensions, and a simmering connection between Adelaide and Brock Emerson, a man who is far more complicated than he first appears. The stakes grow chapter by chapter until the personal and the political crash into each other in a way that feels both messy and real.
As I read, I found myself pulled into the heat of the scenes. The writing has a directness that works well for the high-stress moments. Sometimes I felt the pacing sprint ahead of me, but that breathless rush fit the tone of the story. Adelaide’s point of view struck me right away. She is capable and stubborn and worn down by a world that constantly underestimates her. I related to the weight she carries and the way she fights through it with grit instead of speeches. There were moments when I caught myself holding my breath as she pushed through the chaos at the mill or tried to get answers from people who clearly wanted her kept in the dark. I also appreciated how the book shows the loneliness that follows a woman who works in places that do not want her. It hit harder than I expected.
My feelings about Brock shifted constantly. At first, he felt like trouble wrapped in a perfect smile, and honestly, those characters usually annoy me. Then the story let me into his doubts and his guilt, and it surprised me. I started rooting for him even as I questioned his choices. There is a real spark between him and Adelaide. Some scenes almost felt too warm for how dangerous the situation around them was, but that tension gave the book a nice heartbeat. I found myself thinking about them long after I put the pages down. The bigger ideas behind the story also stuck with me. The book digs into environmental harm and corporate neglect without lecturing. Watching the community suffer made me angry in the best way. It made the fight feel necessary instead of abstract.
Burning Secrets delivers a fast, emotional story that blends danger, romance, and small-town desperation into something that kept me hooked. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy romantic suspense, legal thrillers with heart, and stories where the environment itself becomes a character. It is especially good for anyone who likes imperfect heroes, tough heroines, and a plot that never stops tightening. If you want a book that keeps your pulse up and your emotions stirred, this one will do the job.
Pages: 274 | ASIN : B0DH44X9NQ
Intricate Mysteries
Stolen Secrets follows a determined ranch manager with a deep-seated distrust of oil companies who reluctantly forms a partnership with a former special ops man when vandalism and murder show up on her doorstep. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The book is a fictionalized mash-up of three separate situations that occurred in different parts of the state in different decades.
Down in South Texas in the late 1990s, I had the privilege of taking a lease from a severed mineral owner (only in this case, a very nice person). The surface owner and ranch manager was a super- smart, capable woman who was an ardent environmentalist and totally hated oil companies. She was not a happy rancher when I came along. She has since passed away, but I was lucky to have known both her and the person I took the lease from.
I spent a lot of time in West Texas in Menard County, Texas, where the annual festival is Jim Bowie Days. Everyone in the two counties in every direction has heard about the lost silver mine. I loved the story.
The terrible corruption comes from Duval County in deep South Texas, where George Parr, and later his son, Archer Parr, and Archer’s one-time henchman, Clinton Manges, ruled the county with horrendous corruption from the 1940s through the 1980s. George and, later, Archer were called the Dukes of Duval. Archer went to prison and then committed suicide. Clinton died penniless in a nursing home in San Antonio. One of my closest colleagues worked for the Trustee as the land manager for the Manges Liquidating Trust when the ranch was forced into bankruptcy and liquidated to pay Manges’s creditors.
I enjoyed the romantic enemies-to-lovers relationship between Sarah and Ethan. How did their relationship develop while you were writing it? Did you have an idea of where you wanted to take it, or was it organic?
I am not a pantser. I can’t imagine how mysteries can be written without clue maps, chapter outlines, scene details, etc. Every aspect of the story is planned to the nth detail before I ever start writing. I have a fantastic editor who helps me box the entire outline into shape, scene by scene, before I even write the first sentence.
How did you balance the action scenes with the story elements and still keep a fast pace in the story?
Pacing is not my strong suit. I rely on my editor, Laura Barth, to crack the whip on me for pacing. She’s a task master on story structure and keeping things moving. I tend to meandering wordiness without adult supervision.
When will Book Two be available? Can you give us an idea of where that book will take readers?
The whole trilogy is out. All three books are standalones featuring women in science, heroes who think they’re cool, and intricate mysteries inspired by events in my career or experiences of my colleagues. They can be read in any order. They are all enemies-to-lovers stories.
Book 2, Burning Secrets, is the story of a chemical engineer working to shut down a polluting paper mill in East Texas. To save the town, she is forced into an uneasy alliance with the undercover PI hired by the mill’s lawyer to stop her.
Book 3, Buried Secrets, is set in my hometown of San Antonio. It is the story of a straight- laced architect/city historic preservationist dealing with the discovery of old (and new) skeletons during excavation for new construction in the historic King William area of town. To identify the victims, she is forced to work with a disgraced homicide detective whose career is hanging on by a thread.
All three books are available individually on Amazon and as a box set.
The hero and the Deputy Chief of Police in Buried Secrets carry over to the new Iris Raines mystery series, and both appear in the series debut novel, Hell to Pay.
Author Links: GoodReads | X (Twitter) | Facebook | Website | Amazon
Her brother is missing. Her ranch is burning.
And the only man who can save her…is the one she swore she’d never trust.
🔥 Enemies-to-Lovers
🔥 Forced Trust
🔥 Romantic Suspense
When West Texas rancher Sarah Chandler finds herself battling an oilfield fire and the sudden disappearance of her brother, the last person she wants by her side is Ethan Tanner—a former special ops soldier turned oil company man with secrets of his own.
But when a murderer strikes on her land, Sarah and Ethan are forced into a dangerous partnership. Every step closer to the truth puts them deeper in the killer’s crosshairs—and every stolen glance ignites a passion neither can resist.
As the fires close in and the killer circles closer, will Sarah and Ethan uncover the truth before it consumes them both?
Love edge-of-your-seat suspense, enemies-to-lovers tension, and the rugged grit of Texas? Stolen Secrets delivers heart-pounding danger, fiery romance, and a story you won’t forget.
Dive into Stolen Secrets, Book 1 of the Deadly Secrets Texas Trilogy today—and discover a complete, standalone romantic suspense series you won’t want to put down.
🏆Award-Winning Finalist — Next Best Read Writing Contest, June 2025
🏆Gold Book Award — Literary Titan Book Award for Fiction, December 2025
Stolen Secrets-Book 1 (Deadly Secrets Texas Trilogy)
In Denise Diana Huddle’s first installment of the Deadly Secrets Texas Trilogy, Stolen Secrets, we are plunged into the volatile world where West Texas ranching meets the high-stakes drama of the oil and gas industry. The story centers on Sarah Chandler, a determined ranch manager with a deep-seated distrust of oil companies, and Ethan Tanner, an enigmatic landman sent by the formidable White Stag Exploration to manage the local drilling conflicts. After a catastrophic blowout on a leased property, Sarah and Ethan find themselves reluctantly bound together, navigating threats that rapidly escalate from vandalism and corporate deceit to murder and a full-blown manhunt. The novel deftly weaves a modern-day conflict over water and land rights with a historical treasure hunt tied to Jim Bowie and the legendary Lost Silver Mines of San Saba, forcing the protagonists to race against the clock and the local corrupt power structure to uncover the truth behind a missing brother and a vast, generations-old conspiracy.
I found the book’s pacing and narrative momentum to be exceptional. It captured my attention immediately and held it throughout the story. The author’s background as a landman and private investigator shines through in the detail of the setting. From the descriptions of caliche roads and the challenges of managing exotic game to the specific, technical realities of an oil rig blowout, it all felt rich and authentic. This expertise lends a tangible grounding to the plot. It makes the world of Logan County, Texas, feel less like fiction and more like a lived-in reality. The dialogue is often sharp and witty (especially Sarah’s quick, sardonic comebacks), but occasionally veers toward heavy exposition, particularly when delivering crucial historical context or complex backstory. This is a small price to pay for the sheer depth and complexity of the conspiracy being unveiled.
What resonated with me were the ideas explored beneath the thriller’s surface. Huddle takes on themes of forgiveness, personal scars, and the damaging cycle of bitterness. I was moved by the emotional core of Sarah and Ethan’s relationship. Sarah’s refusal to let go of the past, her anger stemming from the loss of her father and the devastating car accident, is a powerful counterpoint to Ethan’s quiet quest for redemption following his own tragic history. Watching their layers peel back, particularly in moments of high stress like the harrowing escape from the burning house, allowed me to genuinely root for their connection, even as I was conflicted by Ethan’s initial deception. The book succeeds not just as a mystery, but as a tender look at how two damaged people, both scarred emotionally and physically by irresponsible actions, find healing in mutual reliance and truth.
Stolen Secrets is a triumph of plot over pretense. It is a perfect read for fans of Texas-based romantic suspense and corporate thrillers, specifically those who enjoy the blending of contemporary action with intriguing historical mysteries. If you enjoy authors who build genuine chemistry between competent, high-stakes protagonists while providing a deep dive into an authentic and well-researched setting, this book is for you.
Pages: 206 | ASIN : B0DDJ8B7QG
All Fired Up
All Fired Up blends romance with a thread of mystery, following Marianne and Jack as they find themselves tangled in old secrets, new dangers, and a slow-burning connection that grows warmer with every chapter. The story moves between personal histories, hidden truths, and the quiet charm of Pacific Northwest islands, all while nudging the characters toward each other in ways they don’t expect.
As I read, I found myself enjoying the easy rhythm of the writing. The tone feels laid back one moment and tense the next, which kept me guessing and leaning in. The bits of humor scattered through the story softened the heavier moments in a way that felt natural. I also liked how the setting worked almost like another character. The ferries, the rain, the small communities. It all added a cozy mood that made the danger pop a little more.
There were times when I wanted the pacing to be steadier, but I still found myself pulled along by the characters. Jack and Marianne have a fun kind of spark. It’s sweet, sometimes messy, sometimes frustrating in the way real people are. I appreciated that their connection wasn’t rushed. Watching them circle each other, open up, and slip into something deeper made me smile more than once.
By the end, I felt satisfied. The emotional threads landed, the mystery wrapped up nicely, and the romance paid off in a warm, soft way. I’d recommend this book to readers who love cozy mysteries, small town settings, and slow-burn romances with heartfelt moments. If you want something that mixes danger with tenderness and a little island charm, this will be right up your alley.
Pages: 255 | ASIN : B0FSP71H66
Whispers of Luck
Sophie Bartow’s Whispers of Luck blends small-town charm with a swirl of mystery, romance, and destiny. Set in Swan Harbor, the story follows Shay O’Reilly, a new oral surgeon who arrives in town after feeling an unshakable pull to leave her old life behind, and Justin Simpson, an orthopedic surgeon haunted by a tragic loss. Their paths collide in ways that feel both inevitable and magical, weaving together a tale that balances grief, hope, and the strange energy of a town that seems to whisper its own secrets. The book carries readers through moments of heartache, intimacy, and wonder, while hinting at something larger than the people who live in Swan Harbor.
Reading it, I felt a mix of warmth and curiosity. Bartow’s writing is smooth and easy to sink into. The characters are written with real affection, and you can tell the author knows this town inside and out. Shay’s arrival is painted with just the right amount of unease and hope, and Justin’s struggle with loss is raw and relatable. What really stuck with me was how the supernatural elements never fully overshadowed the human story. The “nudges” and cryptic scrolls add a layer of intrigue, but the true heart is in how people heal, connect, and risk themselves for love again. I’ll admit there were moments where I rolled my eyes at the intensity of their attraction, but then I’d find myself grinning because the chemistry felt so alive.
Some of the dialogue carried an extra layer of sentiment, and a few of the mystical moments left me a little puzzled. Yet I couldn’t deny that I was pulled along. I cared about whether Shay and Justin would open themselves up or let their pasts keep them shut down. And the setting itself almost felt like a character. Swan Harbor is drawn with immersive detail. There’s a comfort in that, like being let in on a secret world that’s both ordinary and enchanted.
Whispers of Luck is a heartfelt start to the Mystical Waters Canyon series. It’s a book that would be perfect for anyone who loves small-town romances, especially those with a hint of magic threaded through real-life struggles. If you want a story that mixes hospital corridors with whispered prophecies, that gives you both heartbreak and swoony embraces, this is the kind of book you’ll curl up with on a quiet evening.
Pages: 391 | ASIN : B0DY87G8D6
Hope of Survival
Blood on the Mountain centers on a young man navigating the expectations of his family and the pain of bullying while coming to terms with his own identity and sexuality. What was the idea, or spark, that first set off the need to write this book?
Having been raised in a religious family, unlike the main character’s experience in my book, I’ve faced my own share of bullies and name-calling. This led me to reach out to others who may be going through or have gone through a similar situation while growing up. Even though the story is fictional, I drew on research about other LGBTQ+ lives and their own battles. This was my inspiration for this.
What was one scene in the novel that you felt captured the morals and message you were trying to deliver to readers?
I would say it was the picnic scene. This scene took me a while to write. The message that I wanted to deliver was one of love, strength, and hope. Love between the two characters in the scene, the emotion and the strength of one character, experiencing the horror that was happening in front of him, the strength to fight and call for help, and the support and hope of survival.
What character did you enjoy writing for? Was there one that was more challenging to write for?
I enjoyed writing about Noah. I enjoyed writing about his challenges in his life, his survival, and finally seeing him embrace happiness with Joshua. The challenging character was Paul, his bully and tormentor. I spent hours researching the effects of someone abusing drugs and the consequences to his health.
What is the next book you are working on, and when will it be available?
I am working on a story that will continue over three books. Here is a synopsis of the story:
For most of his thirty-six years, Adam Keller has lived life like a shadow—quiet, invisible, and careful not to take up too much space. A gentle, gay bookstore clerk in a city that doesn’t always love people like him, Adam has spent his life surviving: his father’s rejection, a school history laced with cruelty, and a society that punished softness in boys. He doesn’t fight back. He just endures. Until the day he almost dies.
One morning walk in the park turns savage when a group of homophobic men ambush Adam and beat him within inches of his life. Left broken and bleeding, something inside him—something long buried and ancient—wakes up.
He survives. More than that…he changes.
The first book I am aiming for in Jan 2026.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website | Amazon
Noah Bailey is suffocating in silence.
Trapped in an oppressive home ruled by religious dogma, he’s learned to hide who he is—and what he truly wants. But everything changes when he meets Joshua Taylor, a kind, fearless stranger who sees him for who he really is. For the first time, Noah dares to dream of freedom, love… and a future that’s finally his own.
But happiness doesn’t last.
A shocking betrayal from the past resurfaces just as Joshua is left fighting for his life. As Noah clings to hope, the ghosts of his school years begin to stir—bringing threats, secrets, and a trail of lies that refuse to stay buried.
With every revelation, Noah’s world fractures.
And the deeper he digs for the truth, the more he realizes someone is watching. Someone who wants the past to stay hidden—and who will do anything to keep it that way.
Love. Betrayal. Justice.
In this gripping story of survival and self-discovery, Noah must face his darkest fears and risk everything for the one person who gave him hope.
But when trust becomes a deadly gamble…
Can he confront the truth before it destroys them both?
Blood on the Mountain
Blood on the Mountain, by Kristian Daniels, is a deeply personal coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of family conflict, small-town traditions, and the slow unraveling of childhood innocence. The story follows Noah as he navigates a tangle of faith, family expectations, and the painful realities of growing up different. Through his eyes, we see the sting of bullying, the quiet terror of not fitting in, and the tentative steps toward self-discovery both in terms of identity and sexuality. The novel blends these intimate struggles with generational drama, love stories, and moments of hope, creating a portrait of adolescence that feels as raw as it does real.
The writing pulls you right into the emotional center of each scene. The author captures the ache of wanting to belong and the fear of being yourself, especially in a world that can be both judgmental and unkind. The depictions of bullying are tough to read but impossible to ignore. They’re sharp and often mirror the subtle cruelties that linger after the school bell rings. Against this backdrop, Noah’s quiet journey toward accepting his sexuality unfolds in small, tender moments that contrast beautifully with the hostility around him.
The ideas here resonate on multiple levels. This isn’t just a story about teenage hardship. I think it’s about the courage to live authentically in the face of fear. The book speaks to the LGBTQ experience without turning it into a cliché or a token subplot. Instead, it weaves identity and sexuality into the fabric of Noah’s growth. It also asks hard questions about family loyalty, faith, and the cost of speaking your truth in environments that demand silence. While I enjoyed the novel, I believe that some of the antagonists felt a bit too black-and-white, but the emotional honesty in Noah’s perspective more than balances that out.
I’d recommend Blood on the Mountain to readers who value heartfelt and character-driven stories. Especially those interested in LGBTQ narratives, anti-bullying themes, and the messy, beautiful process of self-discovery. It’s a moving, sometimes difficult, but ultimately hopeful read.
Pages: 393 | ASIN : B0FLVW2J1J
LITERARY TITAN 