Sweet Beloved

The Sovereign Mountain #3.5

by Raya Morris Edwards

Sweet Beloved is the accompanying novella set seventeen years after Deacon. It is an extended epilogue/accompanying novella to Deacon and cannot be read as a standalone.

It is related to the Sovereign Mountain Series and must be read after reading Deacon, the third book.

Genres: Dark Romance, Westerns, Romance, Cowboy Romance, Novella, Audiobook

76 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 11, 2025

About the author

Raya Morris Edwards is the author of the Sovereign Mountain Series, the Welsh Kings Trilogy, and more! She lives near the mountains, but never close enough. When not writing, she's probably spending time with her family and dogs somewhere in the hills or traveling in the Blue Ridges.

Reviews

[Haley ✨ (thebookishhales) · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I’ve said it once I’ve said it a million times: I wish EVERY author did this!! These little bonus epilogue novellas mean everything to me. I already can’t get enough of this series and I feel sad when I finish every book because I want more so these are the perfect solution!!

I’m also a sucker for a good epilogue/bonus content moment. I love seeing little glimpses into these characters that I’ve fallen in love with’s futures. Deacon and Freya are proven to still be obsessed with each other (as I am with them) for years after and I simply adore them.

[benevolent bastard · Rating 4 out of 5]

We love an extended epilogue

[momaddictedtobooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great extended epilogue for Deacon and Freya! I love when authors do these. It’s fun seeing how the characters are.

[Ms.beereads · Rating 4 out of 5]

A novella for readers that weren't ready to let go of Deacon and Ryder ranch just yet. I loved how it summed up their family life.

[‧₊˚✧lelelvsbooks]

*sobs uncontrollably*

my heart is so full ❤️‍🩹

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was whatever.

[lucielizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

waaaahhhh these novellas r everything 😭 it makes me so happy to get to see how their relationship grows after the main book & get to see glimpses of all the other characters too 🥹 oh man, freya & deacon really got everything they needed and i think i might cry a little bit …. i am so glad this series is not finished, i will read these books til i die idc 🤠🤭🤍

“𝑰 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒘𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒊𝒕, 𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕.”

[Sian RS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read in one blissful sitting while camping in the van, Sweet Beloved was the perfect fireside escape—and let me tell you, it burned brighter than the campfire.

This follow-up novella to Deacon in the Sovereign Mountain Series proves that Raya Morris Edwards knows exactly what she’s doing. Packed with emotional depth, whip-smart dialogue, and deliciously spicy tension, this story dives right back into the magnetic world of Ryder Ranch—and honestly, who doesn’t want to go back?

The connection between the characters is electric, tender in all the right moments and absolutely combustible in others. Edwards manages to make a novella feel like a full-length experience, giving readers the payoff they crave without a single wasted page. Every word earns its place, and every moment tugs at your heart—or lights your blood on fire.

The backdrop of Sovereign Mountain remains gorgeously vivid, and the familiar setting only amplifies the sense of homecoming (and heat). Ryder Ranch is full of charm, grit, and just the right amount of trouble—the kind you don’t mind getting tangled up in.

Sweet Beloved is a love letter to second chances, southern heat, and finding your way back to the kind of love that changes everything. Perfectly paced and impossibly sexy, this one’s a must-read whether you’re curled up at home or cozied up in the back of a van like I was.

5 spicy stars. And I’d happily go back for more.

[Lisa Slone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Somehow Raya Morris Edwards manages to write these beautiful full length novels and then follow them up with these perfectly packaged novellas that give me everything my little heart desires. That moment when you get to an HEA and want to know what happens with the characters after? What their life is like 5, 10, 15 years down the line? Raya delivers that with these novellas and they are just as well written as the original book.

Sweet Beloved gives as a look at Freya and Deacon as they age, becoming parents to their beautiful boys who are growing up before their eyes. It encompasses those shifts you experience as life carries on and you age into different versions of yourself as you grow old and love those around you.

Nothing makes me happier than seeing how all of my favorite characters from a book are doing later on in life, and Sweet Beloved will wrap the love story of Freya and Deacon up for you in a pretty bow that makes your heart feel so full.

[Angel Basri · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
We get a glimpse in Deacon and Freya’s family 17 years later
If you have read Deacon, this novella is such a hangover cure !
So many beautiful things happen, we see Freya evolve and become a business woman!
Deacon aging like fine wine, and their chemistry is still as explosive as when they first met !
Their dynamic, and intimacy is still very much the same, you can only fall more in love with their story .

Highly recommended after Deacon 🫶🏻

[(betts) ⚜ · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐ / 4🌶️
[📱] ebook

//

I'm still fucking crying 17 years later 😩😭😭😭😭

They're more in love than ever and seeing them surrounded by those little (not so much) four hellions they raised is breaking my heart and putting it together 🥹🥹🥹

So proud of how Freya thrived and how far she went, how supportive and understanding Deacon still is, more whipped than ever 💖🥹 AND SOON TO BE GRANPA 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️ still rockin tho' still a daddy to the core 😏

[Desiree · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶🌶

these novellas have a piece of my heart. seeing the kids grown. teens to young adults, it's where I am in my life. Hearing the parents' perspective and their life changes, I can completely relate, and I love it!

[IvetteA_13 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deacon & Freya

17 years after and I enjoyed how Deacon & Freya managed their 4 boys. Loved how they overcame their past and even more how Freya becomes an independent business owner of the cafe she worked at. Daddy Deacon was a delight, his love for his boys 🥰 and the way he still loved Freya and supported her 🫠. Loved the friendship he shared between Gerard, Westin and Jensen.

[Ruthy_H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love 💕 this novella.

I will say Deacon and Freya grew a lot compared to the other couples. I love how supported deacon was with her. Also his 4 boys I hope they get a book. And slate their oldest loved their moment at the end. Definitely worth reading.

[Rylee Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute little wrap up on Freya & Deacon’s story ❤️

[Brittany Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

These little novellas in this series are so good - it’s like a mega extended epilogue and they always hit!!!

I cannot wait for the rest of this series

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was so cute !! Every author should write extended epilogues

[Alicia Vanover · Rating 4 out of 5]

The epilogue!

The Epilogue was the best part of this novella and it is very spicy! I need to read Deacon's story soon!

[MandaC86 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great

This was a good extended epilogue you need to read Deacon before this or you won't know what is going on love the added addition of the children but a great ending for the. They deserve it

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do like these extended epilogue's that are accompany this series they tie up loose ends, but also give you further insights to 'what happened next' whether its marriages, healing or family dynamics.

They also blend all the books together overlapping times lines with the other books & novellas seamlessly.

This one tells you what happened to Bittern & expands on Deacon & Freya's family & work developments, not to mention their relationship dynamics - yes BDSM is featured again in this instalment, but also the wonders of long standing relationships & how you can feel safe, secure & totally at ease.

We also get to learn more about their kids in this one, which was nice giving them character & a mini storyline, bringing to life the family bond. Overall a real wholesome read, ok with a bit of spice :)

[Paula Kozak · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful look at the Future

If you’re like me and Deacon left you swooning and maybe just a little emotionally attached to fictional people… Sweet Beloved by Raya Morris Edwards is exactly what your heart ordered.

This sweet ‘n spicy novella is the epilogue dreams are made of. Deacon and Freya? Still madly in love. Still setting pages on fire. And now we get to see the beautiful, chaotic, love-filled life they’ve built—with their adorable boys who each come with their own budding personalities (seriously, I’d read a whole series about them someday).

It’s tender, it’s sexy, it’s proof that real love doesn’t fade—it just gets deeper, hotter, and somehow even sweeter. Like the best kind of bonus chapter you never want to end.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these Sovereign Mountain Series Novellas

What I love most about Deacon and Freya’s story is there unwavering love and support for each other. I really like that Freya has a life outside of their home and Deacon supports her 100%. I love getting a peek at the new generation of Sovereign Mountain kids. We should always strive for better when it comes to our kids and that’s what’s happening with these stories.

[Mihaela Cristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bitter sweet

I’m not sure if I like these novellas or not, genuinely don’t know. On one hand I like to see how their lives turned out but then it makes these characters real and it truly feels like you’ve lost a friend. Amazing work as always by this author and it made me like Deacon and Freya a little bit more

[Pia Ysabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐

"There's so much magic in her. She took me from night to a morning that always stays golden. She's a bright, brilliant light, and I'm spellbound, entranced by everything that is Freya."

💚

What a beautiful extended epilogue. Sweet and spicy with a whole lot of emotions. Damn, those 76 pages moved me.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deacon & Freya’s future turned out just the way I’d hoped for them.
This extended epilogue was so fitting for them!
After all those years, watching Deacon love her just as hard as day one made me feel so many feeling! 🤍

[J.T. Kingsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Rounded to 4.

Lacked some of the grit of the main novel that made me love it. It seems that Edwards either writes a great novel or great novella, but not both of the same couple. Skip if you want, read if you are in the mood for lots of fluff.

[Amanda Bullard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect

This was a perfect follow up to Deacon and Freya's story. I loved reading about their kids and their continued love story. Definitely recommend immediately after reading Deacon.

[Tonya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely devoured this and loved the life they built together. I am a big Ryder Deacon fan and Freya was exactly the person I thought she would be 20 years later.

I think all authors should do a little novella after a book!

Well done! 👏

[Monique Wallam · Rating 4 out of 5]

But as I’ve aged, I’ve learned that love is more like the deep parts of the forest: earthy, long lasting, less like fire and more like the far-reaching roots of old growth pines.

If it’s something Raya knows what to do is write killer epilogues. Love love loveeeee

[Leea · Rating 4 out of 5]

These novellas are everything. We get to see Freya and Deacon 15 years after the end of Deacon’s book.

The family they built, the life they created on Ryder Ranch and how bright the future will be. It was beautiful.

Would love love some books based on the next generation.