Digging Deep

by H.K. Brown

Leah Covington has decided to give up dating and focus on running the family restaurant alongside her uncle. Taking it over once he retires has always been part of the plan—and she is determined to show her uncle that she is more than capable of handling the job. However, a case of mistaken identity causes a frightening fall down the stairs, her plans crashing down with her as she lays her eyes on the handsome responding officer, Cam.
Through Cam and his close-knit group of family and friends, Leah discovers a sense of belonging that helps her break out of her shell. Romance blooms as she realizes she can place her trust in Cam.
Leah is forced to make a tough decision when a stalker threatens the life she is working hard to create. Will she hide within again, or will she stand and fight for the future she has always dreamed of?

Please note that Digging Deep contains content that may be sensitive to some readers. Some scenes include grief, anxiety, panic attacks, (adult) abduction, abuse from a stalker, and the mention of the death of parents.

365 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 4, 2024

About the author

Suspense that thrills. Romance that sizzles. Doors that close, and happy endings that are worth the wait.


H K Brown is an up-and-coming author committed to making her mark in the literary world. Characters come to life in H K Brown’s romance novels, pulling you in and making you feel as if you’re part of the family. She loves pushing boundaries while ensuring the heavy stuff remains private. As you turn the pages, you can’t help but connect with the characters and see them come alive in your mind.
Raised in Southern California, she now calls Oklahoma home.

She’s a member of the Alliance of Independent Authors and takes every chance she gets to hone her craft, listening to podcasts, taking classes, and watching videos.

With H K Brown around, boredom isn’t normally a problem—she’s always working on something, be it with her human family or furry one. She loves snuggling up with a good book until her eyes become too heavy to stay open (which usually results in regrets the following day). Her favorite activities are creating memories with friends and family through game nights, water fights, and road trips.

Reviews

[Keri M]

Great story about love truly conquering all. The characters are very well developed and the plot is lovey dovey, but has some real life relationship trouble integrated in. When some scary things start happening, everyone rallies to keep each other safe. A very cute , well written, no spice romance.

[Abby]

All I’m going to say is that Leah and Cam really went through the thick of it as a couple. Bless their poor souls for everything they had to endure. I can’t even begin to imagine what it’s like to have a stalker and walk around on eggshells all the time. Honestly this book is a great reminder that all women should have some sort of protection on their person at all times! I would highly recommend reading this book if you love skin crawling suspense, no spice romance with tension, and well developed/relatable characters. P.s. if you are fan of audiobooks, Lisa Sandlin (narrator) did a fantastic job portraying the characters emotions!!

[Destiny Imperati]

ARC Review ✨️

☆Cam & Leah♡

This story was so good! H K Brown had some incredible writing, and the characters were so enjoyable! I loved the suspense in the plot and how the relationship ended up forming between Cam and Leah. I highly recommend checking out this book!

Thanks so much to the author and LiteraryInspiredARCs for the ARC!

[Monica Minniti]

Couldn’t put this book down! From the first intro the both Leah and Cam are relatable and likeable. Great storyline with perfect pace keeping the reader hooked. If you adore contemporary romance with depth, heart, and a sprinkle of suspense, "Digging Deep" is a must-read!

[Zaylor Watts]

Starts with a slow burn and blooms into a great romance story! Good plot and definitely can’t wait for book #2.

[Esther Cespedes]

Leah & Cam’s Story
Told from Leah’s perspective.
Great story
Emotional book pulls the heart strings.
It can make you cry the good kind of tears.

[Heather Mylek]

Wow!! Mind blowing good!! I LOvE Cam and Leah’s story! Now this is real, raw true love!! This will take you on a wild country ride of true love and what it can face!! I laughed, and cried. Wow!!! Highly recommend and can’t wait to read next book!!!

[Marina Garnica]

The builtup of the plot is precious. It has two falling in love moments between the same couple, getting to enjoy the first and the second time. The second time is way more detailed and where the story focuses.
It focuses on being "adopted" by the new family and new beginnings. It focuses on building relationships and having problems and how to solve them. It has a slight dark element of a stalker as well, but overall it makes it a sweet and nice read.

[Amber📚🥀]

Loved Cameron and Leah’s story

[Heather Duty]

Great story, great character building! This was stalker suspense with a uniformed hero… MFC virgin waiting for the right man… not spicy but great romance, emotional make you cry moments, mixed with a slow burn and a touch of suspense! Worth the read!

[emeraldragonlady (Maddie)]

I received an audio arc of this book narrated by Lisa Lynn and she brought this book alive just as I imagined it. The tension, the swoony scenes, & the happily ever after. She did amazing! And I’m thrilled to have been able to listen to this book!

[Annie May]

I simply loved this book. It was heart warming and and tear jerking as Cam and Kayla work their way through trials, mistrust, heartaches laughter and tears while they try and discover if each other is the one for them. Will love or mistrust win? But wait. Who is the stalker who throws a wrench into everything? Grab this book. You won't be disappointed

[Sanri Du]

This was book 1 in the Baycliff Valley Series and tells the story of Leah & Cam.

Really liked this one. Leag & Cam sure went through a lot to get the ending they deserved. Not only did this story contain love, but it was also full of suspense.

[emeraldragonlady (Maddie)]

This book was so good I binged it in 6 hours!! This was a great closed door romance! It had the right emotions & feels with twists & turns. I fell in love with the characters & the found family! I couldn’t wait to start book two. Please make sure to read the trigger warnings if needed.

[Kris]

Butch Jr. “Cam” and Leah

Tropes:
* Suspense
* Stalker
* Found family
* Second chance
* Mental health rep

Content/Triggers:
* Mental health
* Stalking
* Abuse
* Abduction
* Death (mentions)

I loved this… It’s a little hard, because I’ve read these out of order (#3 and #4, I’ve already read), so i had a rough idea about what was going to happen, so I spent the entire book waiting for it!

You know who the villain is, well at least, you think you do. Then a couple of red herrings… I do think the climactic scenes were a little rushed, but it was still good.

Cam… a bit of a golden retriever, then an a-z, then back to golden retriever. I loved the intro to the family, and I adored seeing the introductions that were alluded to in later books….
I was getting excited, knowing what was coming!!

Leah… she was pretty awesome. I adored her, and her family (biological and otherwise)… She was a pretty strong FMC, but occasionally made me roll my eyes with the odd TSTL moment.

Overall, an awesome start to the series, and I cannot wait to continue with book 2 and beyond.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Samantha]

I was instantly drawn into Leah's character; she felt incredibly relatable. This is one of those books you can't put down until the last page and once you do you'll be sad that it's ending. I truly felt like I was a part of the family. it's the perfect mix of romance and suspense. Brought me to tears a couple of times. I'm ready for more.

[Annie May]

I simply loved this book. It was heart warming and and tear jerking as Cam and Leah work their way through trials, mistrust, heartaches laughter and tears while they try and discover if each other is the one for them. Will love or mistrust win? But wait. Who is the stalker who throws a wrench into everything? Grab this book. You won't be disappointed

[LaRae]

The best proposal I've ever read before! And swimsuit in the shower, so cool! Loved how he helped her keep her standards! Really enjoyed this romantic suspense book! Suspense kept me on the edge a bit wondering who and when they would strike again! So good!

[redreads4861]

Leah and Cam.... love them!!! The way Cam was there for her through a lot of stuff and she turned around and was there for him when he was injured. I loved the suspense in it made it that much more interesting. Loved every second of this one!!