Double-Crossing the Border: A Seductive Tale of Love and Greed

by Sarah Lauer Nakawatase

"Nakawatase delivers a cross-cultural tale of intrigue about a couple in turmoil. Both know what they want. Neither knows what they need. Only one of them will discover what really matters." -Cam Torrens, bestselling author of the Tyler Zahn suspense series

Civil unrest sweeps the mountains of Jalisco, displacing Mexico's elite. Under the cover of darkness, Catalina steals away from her vast ranch with her two daughters. Stuffed into their saddlebags, the precious jewels of the Hernandez Castañeda family fortune begin their journey across time and legend.

Over one hundred years later, in the United States, Sophie's marriage takes its dying breath after she catches Adam cheating. The demise of her marriage shakes her to the core, and she hopes it isn't too late to build the stable family of her dreams.

After the split, Adam embarks on an extended business trip to Mexico, where he meets an alluring solitary ranchera. Soon, he becomes entangled in a race to unearth a cache of precious stones lost during the Mexican Revolution, landing himself in a foreign jail as a prime suspect for murder. Crooked cops and questionable friends make his escape nearly impossible.

Sophie leans on Rigo, an easy-going friend with smoldering eyes and an unconventional past. Out of their friendship blossoms a sweet, sensual, and honest romance that Sophie never thought possible. Follow Sophie and Adam on their spellbinding journeys a country apart. Who will strike it rich, and who might lose everything?

343 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 18, 2025

About the author

Sarah lives by the beach with her forever husband, three children, and one chicken. Over the years, family hikes, Little League games, and big family dinners have kept her smiling. Her spice rack occupies twelve square feet!

She earned her Bachelor's degree in Public Health Studies from Johns Hopkins University and her Registered Nurse (RN) license from Horry-Georgetown Technical College. Presently, she works as a cardiac nurse.

In her twenties, she started an agave farm in Jalisco, Mexico, with her first husband, lending accurate details to Double-Crossing the Border. In her teens, she worked as a dairy farmer, drawing upon this experience while writing Southern Souls.

Sarah also provides her local community with a yearly creative writing scholarship—details available at sarahlauernakawatase.com.

Reviews

[Lorna Hollifield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nakawatase flexes her storytelling muscles in this adventurous romance that spans across time, national borders, and the thin lines between both ambition and greed and love and hate. Double-crossing the Border is two tales that twist and turn into one amazing epic you will not be able to resist.

[Paulette Mahurin · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting and engaging cast of characters, and into the heart of Mexico, there is much richness in this fast, easy read. What starts in Jalisco, Mexico in 1910 when tragedy and betrayal befall a wealthy family quickly moves to a later time to Adam in Baltimore, Maryland. The next chapter after that Sophie and the story moves back and forth between the mismatched marital couple who split, allowing others to move into their lives, into the story line. Job vs relationship plays a part in this multifaceted relationship story as layers of themes unfold. Adam the project manager with higher aspirations leaves his failing marriage for a better position in Mexico, and while he’s gone Sophie vents to an old neighbor/second mother, Harriet and her sister, Megan. While she’s evolving and noticing feelings for Regio who lays tile for her gardening design job, Adam in Mexico attends a mango fair and meets the beautiful, mysterious Marisol. I especially like his road trip to her and his new likeable early rising fishing buddy. No spoilers here but suffice it to say that the story has beautiful descriptions of the Mexican landscape that flows scene to scene seamlessly in what overall makes a fun and entertaining read.

[Lea O'Harra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sarah Nakawatase is one of those rare – and enviable – writers who couple an innate bent for storytelling with a lyrical style. It’s a delight to read her prose, while the tale she relates is a proverbial page-turner. The opening of Double-Crossing the Border immediately pulls the reader in with its vivid portrait of a wealthy landowning family in early twentieth-century Mexico whose privileged existence is on the point of being destroyed by revolutionaries inciting the impoverished peasants to revolt.
It is a novel with a dual timeline. We are left in suspense about that family’s fate after the first chapter, with the novel switching to present-day Maryland, but Nakawatase soon succeeds in making us care about a whole new cast of characters, convincingly portraying relatable people coping with dilemmas thrown up by their circumstances. We eventually learn the fate of the family threatened by the Mexican revolution – and what happens to the modern-day Americans – when Nakawatase draws all the narrative threads together in a satisfying conclusion that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit no matter the time or place.

[Gail Olmsted · Rating 5 out of 5]

Double-Crossing the Border is a dual timeline, sweeping epic of a story that is equal parts cautionary tale and sweet romance. We first meet Catalina, a wealthy woman running for her life from her home in a mountainous region of Mexico. While protecting her two daughters from the violence of civil unrest is paramount, the precious jewels she carries must also be guarded closely.

Fast forward to the United States one hundred years later where the marriage of cheating Adam and Sophie is currently circling the drain. The two grow even further apart when Adam’s job takes him to Mexico where he joins a mysterious woman rancher in her quest to find a hidden cache of jewels. Meanwhile Sophie is falling for a friend who wishes to be so much more. As things heat up between Sophie and her new man, you begin to wonder if Adam will ever make it back to the US to fight for his marriage.

Memorable characters and lush, detailed descriptions of two disparate worlds makes this a stand-out. Definitely recommended.

[Paul Jantzen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Double-Crossing the Border begins like a lovely landscape painting with wonderful brush strokes using vivid colors when the sun is at that magical hour and it shifts to an abstract painter splashing paint purposefully on a canvas. Then it is touched up with a few perfectly placed brush strokes again. What's left in the end is art.

Sarah Nakawatase has a wonderful grasp for bringing the goods to her reader. Double-Crossing the Border is a brilliant and clever love story that brings the reader into a new culture. She paints that picture for us early. Personally, I love being introduced to new worlds, foods and languages. Nakawatase delivers solid prose and a great pace as you're traveling along in her world and not forced to go where the author takes you.

Much as in real life, this story will twist about leaving you tormented and in pain but that's a testament to the craft of Nakawatase. It is a love story and a bit more. What love story doesn't come with a little pain. Well done.

[Travis Tougaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don’t miss Double-Crossing the Border! The novel starts with a bang and continues to deliver surprising twists all the way to the conclusion. In the process, it provides a timely look at immigration, different cultures, and the common threads of love, family, and ambition that run throughout humanity.

Adam and Sophie are a couple on the brink. He wants career advancement at all costs; she longs for a family. When a career opportunity opens up in Mexico, Adam jumps at the opportunity, but Sophie declines to go with them. During their separation, they’ll learn about themselves and the cultures of the people they get involved with. As Sophie’s life moves in a new direction, Adam finds himself embroiled in a family saga south of the border with a jaw-dropping resolution.

Written with lively action and a keen eye for detail, Sarah Nakawatase’s Double-Crossing the Border is the rare fast-paced, page-turning novel that will also give you plenty to think about regarding one of the important issues of our day.

[Lena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nakawatase tells a tale spanning both time and the US-Mexico border. When tragedy strikes during a Mexican uprising in 1910, a wealthy landowner's wife and her daughters flee the destruction, carrying the family wealth in jewels. They are split up, and the rubies disappear. In the present, the corporate climber and cheating Adam is sent from the US to manage a construction site in Mexico. Oblivious to the needs of anyone except himself, he meets some locals and is drawn into the legend of the missing rubies, and begins to search. Meanwhile, his estranged wife finds happiness in his absence and begins divorce proceedings. Double-Crossing the Border moves from tragedy to tragedy, highlighting themes of love versus greed as the fate of the rubies is revealed while modern characters search for happiness. An intergenerational puzzle and story revealed at the perfect pace, this is a highly recommended read.

[Karen K Brees · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The love of money is the root of all evil.” It’s an old, old saying, but it’s true. In Double-Crossing the Border, Nakawatase weaves a complex tale of how the search for a lost fortune plays out in Mexico during the revolution and reaches into present time. Some want to keep what they’ve amassed, others want to claim these treasures as their own, some seek love and security, and some just want to survive. As the story progresses, we learn the complex history of the characters involved and how their lives intertwine. We root for some and hope others fail and get what they deserve. It’s a fascinating tale, and one that has direct bearing on what we are experiencing today as the border between Mexico and the US becomes goal, obstacle, and a chance at redemption.

---Karen K. Brees, Amazon #1 best-selling author of The WWII Adventures of MI6 Agent Katrin Nissen series and The Esposito Family Chronicles.

[Kate Laack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sarah Lauer Nakawatase’s Double-Crossing the Border is a captivating historical novel full of vivid storytelling and a powerful exploration of family and resilience. Told as a dual narrative between Catalina, a wealthy hacienda owner's wife living in 1910 Mexico, and Adam, a project manager living in modern-day Baltimore, the story explores how decisions, loyalties, and legacies carry across miles, cultures, and time.

Nakawatase excels in creating strong, layered characters and using vibrant prose to bring their worlds to life. Catalina, in particular, evolves as a character that readers will want to root for. Lots of thoughtful and thought-provoking ideas in this one! I would highly recommend for fans of historical fiction who appreciate a contemporary twist.

[Laura Pulaski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Catalina knows that money is not all it's cracked up to be, when in 1910 she and her two young daughters are forced to leave the family ranch and their wealth behind, with nothing but a few family jewels. Survival is what's important. A hundred years later, the jewels are still a hot topic, although they seem to have been lost to time. Adam, who is now working in Mexico, hears about the jewels and is determined to find them. In the search and with a possible divorce looming, he realizes there are more important things in life. Nakawatase has blended the years, cultures and lifestyles in a way that will leave the reader glued to every page.
LeeAnne James, Award-winning author of The Thin Blue Line Series

[Niamh McAnally · Rating 5 out of 5]

This intricately woven novel explores the aftermath of Adam and Sophie's separation, set against a vivid backdrop of rural Mexico. The author's deep understanding of Mexican history, customs, and culture enriches the story, offering an authentic glimpse into life far from urban centers. The narrative feels almost like two books in one: on one hand, a classic treasure hunt propels Adam into danger, leading to a wrongful murder accusation. On the other hand, Sophie, long accustomed to putting others first, finally gives in to the attraction between her and her employee, Rigo. Fans of relationship dramas and culturally rich adventure tales, will enjoy how Double Crossing the Border blends emotional depth with suspense.

[Lucille Guarino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Betrayal and suspense wind stealthily through the pages of Double-Crossing the Border with such intrigue, it’s hard to put down. The story of Adam and Sophie and how their lives diverged kept me interested throughout. Marisol’s story was sad, and entirely unexpected. The mystery of the lost jewels, the corruption and greed, and the way everything connected made for a satisfying conclusion. The characters are all quite believable, and the Mexican culture was strongly felt. A suspenseful and riveting read.

[A.J. McCarthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel intertwines historical drama with contemporary romance, transporting you from the turbulent hills of Mexico during the revolution to the wreckage of an American marriage more than a hundred years later. The story blends suspense, romance, and intrigue, both historical and present day, with richly drawn characters, vivid settings, and a twist-filled plot. A captivating read for fans of cross-cultural sagas and storytelling filled with tension and meaning.

[Cam Torrens · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Double-Crossing the Border" is a wonderfully woven tale of romance, riches, and wrong choices. Nakawatase’s cross-cultural story sends one protagonist to Mexico in search of success, while the other remains in the States and slowly falls for a Mexican immigrant. With multiple timelines, a rich setting, and an ending that keeps the reader flipping pages, "Double-Crossing the Border" is a novel you don’t want to miss!

[Karen Osborne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Double-Crossing The Border is a fun and exciting read filled with rich historical details, complex characters and tons of action. I loved how deftly the author managed the dual timeline. The rich mix of action, romance, and second chances kept me turning pages until the end. -- Karen E Osborne, Author of Justice for Emerson and True Grace

[Christopher Amato · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hits the Bullseye

A powerfully told story that spans generations, Sarah Nakawatase skillfully weaves an intriguing story about life, trust, and love as seen through the eyes of various fascinating and colorful characters. The suspense builds to a crescendo, ending in a surprising and very satisfying manner. Nakawatase delivers with a sexy five-star read!

[Hannah McNamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sarah Nakawatase knocks it out of the park with Double Crossing the Border, a sensational story that has it all—intriguing mystery, steamy romance, and buried treasure. Nakawatase's elaborate plot will pull readers into a gripping dual timeline as they follow complex characters who need to untangle both their past and present to find who they really are.

[Kate Tkach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun stories intertwined with unexpected twists and turns along the way