Romantic Suspense · Sisters, California

Payback Mountain

A family worth fighting for.

Some families are made of blood. Others are made of the people who refuse to let go. In Sisters, California, a scattered family finds its way home — one hard-fought love story at a time. A wrongfully convicted man clearing his name. Sisters separated by secrets, searching for where they belong. Friends and neighbors who become family along the way. The Payback Mountain series is about the wounds we carry, the people who come home, and the small mountain town that holds them all.

Found Family Second Chances Mountain Town Protective Heroes Romantic Suspense
Begin the Series

Start With Dangerous Secrets

Meet Sisters, California, and begin the Payback Mountain story where the family—and the secrets—start coming home.

Dangerous Secrets by Diane Benefiel
Payback Mountain · Book 1

Dangerous Secrets

He came home to clear his name—and found the woman he never stopped loving.

Wrongfully convicted, Walker McGrath returns to Sisters after eight years away—and to Delaney Bryant, the woman he never stopped loving. As danger creeps into town, his vow to protect her collides with her determination never to be vulnerable again.

Second Chance Wrongfully Convicted Small Town
Start With Dangerous Secrets
Continue the Series
Honest Secrets by Diane Benefiel
Book 2

Honest Secrets

A letter reveals Emery Marino has sisters she never knew—and pulls her into Sisters, California, and into rancher Shane Keller's arms. When danger follows her home, Shane risks everything to keep her safe.

Read Honest Secrets
Secret Lies by Diane Benefiel
Book 3

Secret Lies

Cameron King is hiding under a false name in Sisters, terrified of the past catching up to her. Deputy Sawyer McGrath doesn't trust her secrets—but when danger arrives, he won’t let her run alone.

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Guarded Secrets by Diane Benefiel
Book 4

Guarded Secrets

When Keeley is attacked, grumpy bar owner Owen Hardesty becomes her unwanted protector. She doesn't need managing, but keeping her close means risking his guarded heart.

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Forbidden Secrets by Diane Benefiel
Book 5

Forbidden Secrets

Melanie Brennan built a safe, quiet life for her daughter until danger shatters it. Former FBI agent Gage Landry is the one man she shouldn't trust—but as old secrets surface, he's the only one she can.

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Wrapped Up in Love anthology featuring The Gift of Us
Payback Mountain Novella

The Gift of Us

Firefighter Mateo and ER nurse Juliette have been flirting for months. When a storm hits and three babies arrive at the clinic in one wild night, giving in to Mateo may be the best thing that's happened to her.

Exclusively available in the multi-author anthology Wrapped Up in Love. View Wrapped Up in Love
New to Payback Mountain?

Start at the Beginning

Meet the people of Sisters, California, discover the family at the heart of Payback Mountain, and begin with Walker and Delaney in Dangerous Secrets.

Read Dangerous Secrets