Shadow Sabotage

Wildwood #2

by Nicole Gardner

When Deputy Claire Hawkins discovers the remains of a missing young woman, the citizens of Wildwood appear shocked that a murder happened in their quiet town. But someone knows the truth, and Claire is determined to uncover it—even if it means working with know-it-all Vance Weston from Wyoming DCI.

Special Agent Vance Weston doesn’t have time to train a sassy cowgirl-turned-deputy who doesn’t know a thing about law enforcement. He plans to keep her busy with paperwork, but Claire’s not easy to ditch. She’s also different from any woman he’s ever known, and he can’t seem to stop thinking about her—even when he should be focused on the case.

As they begin digging into the secrets of Wildwood, Claire and Vance realize they can’t trust anyone—except each other. Someone is watching them closely and will stop at nothing to sabotage the investigation… Even if it means killing them both.

306 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 9, 2025

About the author

Mystery + Romantic Suspense author. Writer of quaint towns with cozy vibes, romantic suspense, and plot twists you'll never see coming. Nicole lives in Arkansas with her husband, sons, and two dogs. If she’s not at her desk writing, you’ll probably find her in the garden or creating teas and tinctures in her kitchen.

Connect with Nicole:

www.nicolegardnerbooks.com

Newsletter: https://nicolegardnerbooks.com/newsle...

Facebook: www.facebook.com/nicolegardnerbooks

Instagram: www.instagram.com/nicolegardnerbooks

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

ღ BOOK REVIEW ღ
📖 Shadow Sabotage

𝑻𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔~

This is book 2 in the Wildwood Series that could be read as a standalone but the characters cross over and the first book was so good I highly recommend reading it first.

When human bones are found at a campsite by Deputy Claire Hawkins the small town Sheriff calls in outside help and Special Agent Vance Weston and her are partnered together to solve the case.

This is a closed door romantic mystery suspense that truly had me guessing and flipping the pages to the end to find out who it was going to end up being. I had chills exactly four times while reading this, a few tears when he was willing to sacrifice himself to save her even though she didn’t need him to do that and had me swooning with his gesture at the end.

Claire was a wild spirt, strong and sometimes had no filter and I just loved her character. Vance would make the perfect partner and these two were so good together as a couple and as partners working the case.

𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙮 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛. 𝙐𝙣𝙖𝙥𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮, 𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙮 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛. 𝘼 𝙨𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙮 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙘𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚’𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙭.

A big fat 5 stars. I can’t wait to see who will be next.

• Search & Rescue • Romantic Mystery Suspense • Work Romance • Closed Door • Small Town

[Amy Marnon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book by Nicole Gardner! Shadow Sabotage has a little something for every reader- mystery, drama. action, romance. This is one you won't want to put down. One of the things I like best about Nicole's writing is how descriptive she is without being overly wordy. There is a lot going on in this book but I was able to get a clear picture in my head and become fully immersed in the story without it being bogged down. This book could be read as a stand alone, but I would highly recommend starting with Secrets in the Cottage and working your way through all the series in order of publication. They are all 5 star books in my opinion and since Rosemary Mountain and Wildwood have a kind of storyverse, having some of that background as you read just adds to the enjoyment.

[Catherine Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, this is my favorite book so far by Nicole Gardner. It has the romance, humor, and exquisite word-pictures of majestic scenery (“…appreciating the view as the sun rose over the land. It made the vista a rainbow of colors: golden light set against hazy blue mountains, pink clouds with purple shadows, green sagebrush in the pastures. I usually preferred the sunrise over the ocean. But I had to admit, it was hard to imagine a scene prettier than this one.”) I’ve come to expect from Gardner but the character development in this one was gradual and so enjoyable. I loved getting to know the characters as they got to know each other. Can’t wait for the next book!!

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great read from Nicole! I loved Claire's story because I felt her feelings through the story such as not being enough and having to prove yourself. I would definitely say the book is a slow burn but it's worth it in the end. There was a good balance between romance and mystery. There's suspense and some good banter between the characters to make it more enjoyable.

[Carol L. Summers · Rating 5 out of 5]

The only thing that matters

I couldn’t put this book down! It started out slow and I was tempted to just not read it, but I am not a quitter so I kept reading and finally started getting into the story. I say read it if you dare to have your heart strings pulled out and then you will understand what true love is.

[Ashley Guerber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been impatiently waiting on this ARC to be sent to my email ever since I knew of its existence.
Absolutely loved getting the privilege to read Claire's story.
Another 5 stars for Nicole Gardner
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟