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Forbidden Secrets: A Small-Town Romantic Suspense
If you love small towns, strong heroines, and protective heroes, USA Today Bestselling author Diane Benefiel's Forbidden Secrets is the book for you.
Some Secrets Refuse To Stay Buried
Melanie Brennan’s world revolves around her daughter, and she’s worked hard to build a life rooted in safety and love. But when a disturbing incident shakes their quiet town, Melanie turns to former FBI agent Gage Landry, the one man she shouldn’t trust but can’t ignore.
He’s intense, protective, and far too perceptive for Melanie’s comfort. Yet Gage sees through the walls she’s built, and he refuses to back down from either the mystery at hand or the connection growing between them. But uncovering the truth may demand more than she’s ready to give.
As long-buried secrets surface and danger looms closer, Melanie and Gage must learn to trust each other if they want to protect what matters most.
Set against the rugged backdrop of Sisters, California, Forbidden Secrets delivers emotional depth, pulse-pounding suspense, and the unforgettable power of found family. Get your copy today!
Some Secrets Refuse To Stay Buried
Melanie Brennan’s world revolves around her daughter, and she’s worked hard to build a life rooted in safety and love. But when a disturbing incident shakes their quiet town, Melanie turns to former FBI agent Gage Landry, the one man she shouldn’t trust but can’t ignore.
He’s intense, protective, and far too perceptive for Melanie’s comfort. Yet Gage sees through the walls she’s built, and he refuses to back down from either the mystery at hand or the connection growing between them. But uncovering the truth may demand more than she’s ready to give.
As long-buried secrets surface and danger looms closer, Melanie and Gage must learn to trust each other if they want to protect what matters most.
Set against the rugged backdrop of Sisters, California, Forbidden Secrets delivers emotional depth, pulse-pounding suspense, and the unforgettable power of found family. Get your copy today!
304 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 11, 2025
4 people are currently reading
3 people want to read
About the author
Diane Benefiel
22 books100 followersMurder? Stalker? Mayhem? Are bad guys coming to get her? Nope, Diane is just a retired school teacher with a laptop. She’s been married for decades. Decades. She walks Finn every morning (mostly). She FaceTimes with her grandkids. The most excitement she’s had lately is a bumpy ride on a plane, and that’s not the fun kind of excitement. But her heroines? They have all the thrills. Scary things happen to them. Hot, compelling men find them fascinating. And they always find their HEA.
An avid reader for as long as she can remember, Diane has always favored stories with strong female characters who go on adventures and can think themselves out of the most dangerous situations. It’s no surprise that those are the kinds of books she enjoys writing.
Diane’s love of the outdoors is reflected in her books. Born and raised in Southern California, family vacations meant camping in locations ranging from Big Sur to Death Valley to Zion. Two of her series are set in fictional towns in her happy place, California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains. Her love of travel took her to Sweden as an exchange student when she was sixteen and backpacking around Great Britain (after a week in Paris) while in college. She and her husband have enjoyed pulling their little trailer to the National Parks, including Yosemite, Yellowstone, and Pinnacles.
Winner of the National Readers’ Choice Award in Romantic Suspense and a USA Today Bestselling author, Diane has recently retired from a career teaching high school history. She now has all the time in the world for writing, gardening, and travel. That's the theory, anyway. She is a member of the Orange Country Romance Writers.
***Note to readers: Looking for High Sierras, Book 4? Burnover, High Sierras Book 4, is a novella you can find included with Already Gone, Book 3.
Check out her website at dianebenefiel.com.
An avid reader for as long as she can remember, Diane has always favored stories with strong female characters who go on adventures and can think themselves out of the most dangerous situations. It’s no surprise that those are the kinds of books she enjoys writing.
Diane’s love of the outdoors is reflected in her books. Born and raised in Southern California, family vacations meant camping in locations ranging from Big Sur to Death Valley to Zion. Two of her series are set in fictional towns in her happy place, California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains. Her love of travel took her to Sweden as an exchange student when she was sixteen and backpacking around Great Britain (after a week in Paris) while in college. She and her husband have enjoyed pulling their little trailer to the National Parks, including Yosemite, Yellowstone, and Pinnacles.
Winner of the National Readers’ Choice Award in Romantic Suspense and a USA Today Bestselling author, Diane has recently retired from a career teaching high school history. She now has all the time in the world for writing, gardening, and travel. That's the theory, anyway. She is a member of the Orange Country Romance Writers.
***Note to readers: Looking for High Sierras, Book 4? Burnover, High Sierras Book 4, is a novella you can find included with Already Gone, Book 3.
Check out her website at dianebenefiel.com.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 10, 2025
Forbidden Secrets
Melanie Brennan endured an even at age 17 that drove her mother and herself out of Sisters. She has come back along with her daughter Addy, bought a house on Bluebell Lane unknowingly near the house of former FBI Agent Gage Landry. Melanie is a popular writer and very independent and is determined to get to the bottom of the event that drove her mother and herself 17 years ago and get justice for herself. Gage has a very misbehaved golden retriever who they run into in their overgrown garden called Pancake and it’s instant love between girl and dog. They meet Gage when he comes looking for his dog. Events begin unfolding which are very frightening and shortly thereafter Gage is drawn into the dangerous path Melanie has put herself in. There is instant love”heat” where Melanie and Gage are concerned and when he learns about the event that hurt Melanie and his friend Walker his former FBI training gives him deep concern for Melanie and her daughter! Not to add spoilers, this book is wonderful in a style only Diane can write and I love this this wonderful story and the whole series and am very sorry that Forbidden Secrets concludes the stories of Sisters and the Payback Mountains. Diane, I would love more if you have a mind to continue this saga.
Melanie Brennan endured an even at age 17 that drove her mother and herself out of Sisters. She has come back along with her daughter Addy, bought a house on Bluebell Lane unknowingly near the house of former FBI Agent Gage Landry. Melanie is a popular writer and very independent and is determined to get to the bottom of the event that drove her mother and herself 17 years ago and get justice for herself. Gage has a very misbehaved golden retriever who they run into in their overgrown garden called Pancake and it’s instant love between girl and dog. They meet Gage when he comes looking for his dog. Events begin unfolding which are very frightening and shortly thereafter Gage is drawn into the dangerous path Melanie has put herself in. There is instant love”heat” where Melanie and Gage are concerned and when he learns about the event that hurt Melanie and his friend Walker his former FBI training gives him deep concern for Melanie and her daughter! Not to add spoilers, this book is wonderful in a style only Diane can write and I love this this wonderful story and the whole series and am very sorry that Forbidden Secrets concludes the stories of Sisters and the Payback Mountains. Diane, I would love more if you have a mind to continue this saga.
November 12, 2025
Melanie returns to her hometown with her daughter, hoping for a fresh start. Moving in next door to Gage—a former FBI agent haunted by his own past—wasn’t part of the plan, but fate clearly had other ideas. Both Melanie and Gage are carrying deep scars, and as Melanie begins to uncover the truth behind a horrific incident from her past, danger resurfaces. The more she digs, the more she attracts the wrong kind of attention—people who will do anything to keep the past buried.
Amid the suspense and tension, the growing connection between Melanie and Gage feels natural and deeply emotional. The romance builds beautifully alongside the mystery, keeping me hooked until the very end.
This has been such a great series—each story full of heart, healing, and second chances. I’m already looking forward to seeing what this author does next!
Amid the suspense and tension, the growing connection between Melanie and Gage feels natural and deeply emotional. The romance builds beautifully alongside the mystery, keeping me hooked until the very end.
This has been such a great series—each story full of heart, healing, and second chances. I’m already looking forward to seeing what this author does next!
November 11, 2025
Forbidden Secrets is a great addition to Diane Benefiel’s Payback Mountain series. My favorite characters were Addy and Pancake — they added so much heart and humor to the story. Pancake’s hijinks brought just the right touch of lightheartedness. I loved how Melanie’s determination and warmth balanced the seriousness of her story. While Gage’s easygoing personality was exactly what Melanie and Addy needed in their lives, they were exactly what he needed in his.
Diane Benefiel is one of my favorite authors because of her ability to create well-developed characters and compelling storylines. She delivers the perfect mix of romance and small-town charm, with characters you can’t help but root for and a community that feels real. I’m sorry to see this series come to an end — I’ve loved every single book!
Diane Benefiel is one of my favorite authors because of her ability to create well-developed characters and compelling storylines. She delivers the perfect mix of romance and small-town charm, with characters you can’t help but root for and a community that feels real. I’m sorry to see this series come to an end — I’ve loved every single book!
November 12, 2025
Forbidden Secrets is the final book in the Payback Mountain series. Melanie left town after an attack when she was 18. She is back to find answers and to stop living in fear and self-doubt. When strange occurrences happen, she turns to her neighbor, ex-FBI agent Gage to help keep her and her daughter safe. As they work together to find answers, she is also pulled into the "family" of friends that Gage is part of an include many of her former friends. They all work together to get the answers Melanie needs and to get closure for the group about what happened all those years ago.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews