New to Diane’s books? Start with Payback Mountain.
Love protective partners, resilient women, and small‑town danger that feels all too real?
Then you’ll fall hard for the Payback Mountain series.
In the heart of the Sierras, the residents of Sisters, California navigate shifting loyalties, hidden threats, and unexpected passion. Among orchards, mountain trails, and tight‑knit friendships, they confront danger… and discover that trusting someone with your heart may be the bravest act of all.
Start with Book 1: Dangerous Secrets
From USA Today bestselling author Diane Benefiel comes a gripping romantic suspense about justice, redemption, and hope.
A second‑chance, enemies‑to‑lovers romantic suspense.
Eight years is a long time to brew on the injustice done to Walker McGrath — but he needed space to get his head straight. To learn to breathe without rage urging him toward violence.
Payback Mountain Series
Set in the rugged Sierras, the small town of Sisters, California looks peaceful from the outside—orchards, groves, and mountain views. But beneath the beauty, danger runs deep. The men and women of Sisters are fighting people with deadly intent… and risking everything for the one thing worth saving: love.
Book 1: Dangerous Secrets
From USA Today bestselling author Diane Benefiel comes a gripping romantic suspense about justice, redemption, and hope.
A second‑chance, enemies‑to‑lovers romantic suspense.
Eight years is a long time to brew on the injustice done to Walker McGrath — but he needed space to get his head straight. To learn to breathe without rage urging him toward violence.
Book 2: Honest Secrets
A captivating small‑town romantic suspense about family secrets, greed, and a rancher whose protective streak is as strong as the rugged Sierras.
A Western romantic suspense.
Emery Marino didn’t plan on staying in Sisters, California. But a letter from a woman claiming to be her grandmother — and the shocking revelation that she has sisters — changes everything.
Book 3: Secret Lies
A small‑town romantic suspense about a woman on the run from a dangerous past — and the last man she ever expected to protect her.
A woman‑on‑the‑run romantic suspense.
Cameron King is living under an assumed identity in Sisters, California. As the baker at Cider Mill Farm, she’s grateful for the people who’ve taken her in — but safety still feels out of reach.
Book 4: Guarded Secrets
A grumpy/sunshine small‑town romantic suspense about a woman everyone loves — and the one man who pretends he can’t stand her.
When Keeley is attacked and a woman she knows is murdered, the last person she expects to swoop in as her protector becomes her fiercest defender.
A bossy, overbearing avenger.
Book 5: Forbidden Secrets (Latest Release)
If you love small towns, strong heroines, and protective heroes, this is the book for you.
Some secrets refuse to stay buried.
Melanie Brennan’s world revolves around her daughter — a life built on safety and love. But when a disturbing incident shakes their quiet town, she turns to former FBI agent Gage Landry, the one man she shouldn’t trust… but can’t ignore.
About Diane
An avid reader for as long as she can remember, Diane has always gravitated toward stories with strong, capable women—characters who face danger head‑on, outthink their enemies, and carve their own path. It’s no surprise that those are the kinds of heroines she brings to life in her romantic suspense novels today.
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