Secrets & Shadows: A Ferntree Falls Story: Where the dead whisper—and the shadows listen

by Patti Roberts, Paradox Book Cover Design and Formatting (Illustrator)

The Witch’s Brew has always been more than a bookshop. Tish just never knew how much more.

Readers who enjoy magical shops, small-town paranormal mysteries, slow-burn romantic tension, family secrets and animal familiars.

Returning to rain-soaked Ferntree Falls after her grandmother’s death, Tish plans to reopen the beloved shop and begin again. But the building seems to recognise her. A bent silver spoon whispers a warning. A stopped clock moves when no one is watching. And a black kitten named Pippi behaves as though she has guarded the place for years.

Then Tish discovers the message Tilly left Beware the ones who walk in shadow.

Rowan Carmichael—the wary local mechanic with a raven tattoo and a missing mother—clearly knows more than he will admit. So does James, the magnetic new chef whose charm hides a connection to an ancient archive. Both men want to protect Tish. Neither has told her the whole truth.

As familiar faces begin casting impossible shadows, Tish must unravel her family’s magic, expose the presence wearing a trusted human life and finish the spell her grandmother died defending. But the final ward demands a sacrifice—and Tish refuses to let love become another name for loss.

Secrets & Shadows is a romantic paranormal mystery filled with enchanted books, small-town secrets, dangerous attraction and a courageous black kitten with magic in her eyes.

Based on the Witchwood Estate Series

320 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 16, 2026

About the author

Patti Roberts is an Australian author and book cover designer based in Cairns, Queensland. She is the creative force behind Paradox Book Covers & Formatting and the author of the Witchwood Estate, Paradox, and Return to the Source series, as well as the contemporary drama, Whoever Said Love Was Easy? In the About Three Authors series. Patti writes across genres—from middle-grade adventure to young adult sci-fi and supernatural fantasy—often weaving together ancient mysteries, magical realism, and heartfelt characters.

Her vivid worldbuilding and cinematic storytelling have captivated readers around the world. Patti is also passionate about supporting fellow authors through her design studio, where she creates captivating book covers and interiors that bring stories to life.

When she’s not writing or designing, Patti enjoys creating plant-based food, reducing her footprint on the planet, exploring natural remedies, investigating unexplained phenomena, and envisioning a compassionate future shaped by curiosity, creativity, and consciousness.


Standalone contemporary romance, About Three Authors - Whoever said love was easy?

Non- fiction. Surviving Tracy, featuring true stories from survivors of Cyclone Tracy which devastated Darwin in the Northern Territory in 1974.