Silent Deception (Wattys 2025)

Watty's 2025 Shortlist

Samantha Bricks wanted a quiet life.

After cutting ties with her controlling family and carving out a modest career as a schoolteacher, she thought peace was finally hers. But then the letters begin. Red. Handwritten. Obsessive. Always unsigned. Each note presses deeper under her skin, unraveling the fragile sense of safety she's worked so hard to rebuild.

Then there's Holland St. Claire-a mute little girl in her class with haunted eyes and disturbing paintings. She doesn't speak. Barely even reacts. But Samantha sees her, understands her in a way no one else does. And when Holland's father begins showing up late and aloof, Samantha assumes the worst. Until she meets Julian St. Claire, and everything shifts. Their first encounter is sharp, electric-an intimacy that unsettles her. Julian offers her a job babysitting Holland. But soon, he wants more. Her time. Her body. Her focus. And his secrets run dark and deep.

Just as she starts slipping into Julian's magnetic orbit, Crown Prince Evander De Navarre of New Everest shows up-entitled, intoxicating, and sinfully persuasive. He's used to getting what he wants. And what he wants is Samantha. Suddenly, she's trapped between two powerful, complicated men: Julian, brooding and unreadable. Evander, dangerous in a way she can't quite name.

But this isn't just a twisted romance. As the love notes grow more threatening and her ex's mysterious disappearance begins to resurface, Samantha realizes the truth is far darker than she ever imagined. This isn't about desire. It's about control. It's about survival. And someone is watching her every move.