Steena Holmes

In this novel from a New York Times bestselling author, the search for truth is defined by secrets and lies. Elle is a survivor. She's managed to piece together a solid life from a childhood of broken memories and fairy tales her mom told her to explain away bad dreams. But weekly visits to her mother still fill Elle with a paralyzing fear she can't explain. It's just another of so many unanswered questions she grew up with in a family estranged by silence and secrets. Elle's world turns upside down when she receives a deathbed request from her grandfather, a man she was told had died years ago. Racked by grief, regrets, and a haunted conscience, he has a tale of his own to tell Elle: about her mother, an imaginary friend, and two strangers who came to the house one night and never left. As Elle's past unfolds, so does the truth--if she can believe it. She must face the reasons for her inexplicable dread. As dark as they are, Elle must listen...before her grandfather's death buries the family's secrets forever.

The Forgotten Ones

"Megan sees her daughter Emma everywhere. She's the little girl standing in the supermarket, the child waiting for the swings at the playground, the girl with ice cream dripping down her face. But it's never Emma. Because Emma's been missing for two years. Unable to handle the constant heartache of all the false sightings, Megan's husband threatens to walk away unless Megan can agree to accept Emma is gone. Megan's life and marriage is crumbling all around her and she realizes she may have to do the thing she dreads most: move on"--Page 4 of cover.

Finding Emma

A therapist must face her own worst fear--one of her patients is a serial killer. Danielle Rycroft suspects someone close to her has a dark secret. In the confidential setting of therapy, her patients share their anxieties and fears. Now, with a string of murders in town putting her on edge, Danielle's own worries come close to eclipsing her patients'. In each case, the pattern is the same: parents killed while their children sleep blissfully unaware in their beds. Her best friend, Detective Tami Sloan, is the only person she has confided in. Danielle believes that there's still a secret one patient has yet to share. But which one? Behind a familiar face is a stranger who'll do anything to hide their worst compulsions. The anxiety brings Danielle to her own therapist's office, seeking counsel and comfort. But what is she willing to risk, and how much closer must she get, to stop them?

The Patient

Emma's Secret For two years, Megan, Peter, and their two older daughters, Alexis and Hannah, dream of nothing but being reunited with the family's youngest child, Emma, who was kidnapped just before her third birthday. When Emma is miraculously found living with an elderly couple just miles from the family's home, they are hopeful that her return will heal the wounds her disappearance created. But Emma is vastly different from the sunny toddler they remember. She barely remembers her parents or her older sisters. She is quiet and withdrawn, and, worst of all, longs for the very people who kidnapped her. Megan is consumed with bitterness, while Peter works later and later nights in the company of his gorgeous business partner. And in the middle of everything, Megan's best friend has become suddenly distant and secretive. Then a chance encounter in town leads to a secret that changes everything again for Emma. And Peter must decide between the happiness of his youngest daughter and the trust of his family.

Emma's Secret

All children's book illustrator Claire Turner ever wanted was to be a mother. After six years of trying to conceive, she and her husband, Josh, have finally accepted that she will never be pregnant with a child of their own. Yet once they give up hope, the couple gets the miracle they've been waiting for. For the first few months of her pregnancy, Claire and Josh are living on cloud nine. But when she begins to experience debilitating headaches, blurred vision, and even fainting spells, the soon-to-be mother goes to the doctor and receives a terrifying diagnosis. Since any treatment could put their unborn baby's life at risk, the Turners must carefully weigh their limited options. And as her symptoms worsen, Claire will have to make an impossible decision: Save her own life, or save her child's? USA Today and New York Times bestselling author Steena Holmes brings us an unforgettable story of one woman's courage and love.

Saving Abby

Twenty-year-old Abigail Turner has only known her mother, Claire-who died shortly after she was born-through letters, videos, postcards, and journals. Abby's father, Josh, has raised his precious daughter himself, but his overprotectiveness has become stifling. Abby longs to forge out on her own and see the world after a childhood trapped indoors: she suffers from bronchopulmonary dysplasia, which means a case of the sniffles can rapidly escalate into life-threatening pneumonia. But when Abby's doctor declares her healthy-for now-her grandmother Millie whisks her away to Europe to visit the Christmas markets that her mother cherished and chronicled in her travel journals. Despite her father's objections, Abby and Millie embark on a journey of discovery in which Abby will learn secrets that force her to reevaluate her image of her mother and come to a more mature understanding of a parent-child bond that transcends death. New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Steena Holmes offers a tender and heartfelt exploration of parental love and a daughter's longing for connection in the poignant next chapter following Saving Abby.

Abby's Journey

When Brian finds out that his wife, Diane, is pregnant, he is elated. He's been patiently waiting for twelve years to become a father. But Diane has always been nervous about having children because of her family's dark past. The timing of the pregnancy also isn't ideal--Diane has just been promoted, and Brian is being called away to open a new London office for his company. Fast-forward one year: being a mother has brought Diane a sense of joy that she'd never imagined and she's head over heels for her new baby, Grace. But things are far from perfect: Brian has still not returned from London, and Diane fears leaving the baby for even a moment. As unsettling changes in those around Diane began to emerge, it becomes clear that all is not as it seems. A woman's dark past collides head-on with her mysterious present in this surreal and gripping family drama.

The Memory Child

For overprotective parent Alyson Ward, any time her daughter, Lyla, is out of sight is reason to panic. So it's a big step for her when she lets Lyla attend a sleepover at her cousin's house. Comforted by the knowledge that her sister, Tricia, is the chaperone, Alyson does the one thing she never thought possible: she lets go and trusts that her daughter will be safe. But Alyson's sense of peace is short lived. When Lyla comes home the next morning, she reveals something that could tear apart not only their family but also the entire community. Now, Alyson and Tricia must confront their painful shared past as they come together to help a little girl who they fear might be harboring terrible secrets similar to their own. Will the sisters be strong enough to face their demons in order to protect the child, even if it means telling their most private truths?

The Word Game

Sweet Memories

Dottie is a woman with a heart full of emotions but unable to express them unless through her journals. When Jack goes off to war, Dottie is left behind having to be strong for their young daughter, Mary. While Jack is away, she keeps a journal full of letters for Jack, for him to read when he comes home. Except, word comes that Jack has gone missing and leaves Dottie to fend for herself. She keeps hope that her husband is alive and will be coming home, until Jack's personal effects are returned to her by a member of Jack's unit. When Doug, her husband's best friend, shares with her a letter Jack wrote for her in case he never came home her world falls apart and it's all she can do to hold herself together for Mary.

Dear Jack

She has a killer of a secret she's just dying to tell... This page-turning, psychological suspense is a "twisted, diabolical web of deceit, manipulation, and murder that grips from the very first line," according to Samantha M. Bailey, #1 bestselling author of Woman on the Edge. Everyone has secrets-some deadlier than others. She was on cloud nine after accepting an offer of a lifetime. A simpler life than what she was accustomed to. What could go wrong? Starla Bishop learned to survive in the foster-care-to-jail system in New York City. There she learned the tools and skills she put to work later to con jewel thieves, drug traffickers, and mobsters out their fortunes. Now fresh out of her latest stint in jail, she accepts a too-good-to-refuse offer-a perfect life on a silver platter. Starla has everything she ever wished for: a simpler life, a normal life, a new start with new job, a straight job-as receptionist for Soil and Springs Landscaping run by a famous botanist. And it got even better-a whirlwind romance and engagement to her boss's charming ex-husband. But everything comes with a price. When bodies start turning up in the gardens of her employer, Soil and Springs Landscaping, Starla and her fiancé are hauled into jail for questioning. The revelation of Starla's secret, previous life and her special skills make her a prime suspect. How much does Starla want the perfect life, and did she use her special skills to keep it, or is this just her biggest con yet? The shocking truth is closer than anyone thinks? Everyone has secrets, some worth killing for.

The Perfect Secret

Jillian thought she knew her husband. They’ve been married for twenty years. But she doesn’t know him at all.

Jillian Harper thought moving to a quiet little town in Montana would be the fresh start her family needed. A charming farmhouse, friendly neighbors, and endless open fields — it was supposed to be perfect.

Until the bodies are found.

Buried deep on their land. Hidden for years.

The police are everywhere. The town is whispering. And Tucker — her devoted husband — is acting . . . strange. He won’t tell her where he was all day. He won’t explain why his phone was off. And worst of all — he won’t meet her eyes.

Jillian knows Tucker is lying. She just doesn’t know why.

But the truth is far worse than she imagined . . .

The Girls in The Basement 

Did Dottie really think Emma was Mary, her long lost daughter? Have you ever wondered what went through Dottie's mind on the day she found Emma and then leading up to her death? Did she understand the magnitude of what she'd done? Why did she keep it a secret from Jack? This 5000 word excerpt contains deleted journal entries from Emma's Secret - entries that might be of interest to those who fell in love with the Finding Emma series. Proceeds from this short excerpt will be donated to The Missing Children's Society of Canada to help reunite families. Thank you for making that possible!

A Finding Emma Novella

Dottie's Memories

What is normal when a kidnapped daughter returns home? Emma is now home and Jack, the man Emma calls Papa is part of their family. Life should be good, right?Except Jack is dying and no one is quite ready to say goodbye.This novella follows the life of Jack and Emma throughout the past year and if you thought your heart had already broke while reading Finding Emma and Emma’s Secret - get ready. You’ll need kleenex and lots of it. Each of the monthly stories found in this novella were available to Steena’s newsletter subscribers as a special bonus but now they are available for everyone. Enjoy!

Megan's Hope

"After losing her son in an elementary school shooting that devastates the tight-knit community of Stillwater Bay, Jennifer Crowne finds herself unable to settle back into her role of perfect stay-at-home mom and committee organizer. Meanwhile, her best friend, Mayor Charlotte Stone, struggles to keep the town together, and Charlotte's husband, the school principal, may not be the hero everyone thinks him to be. As they try to heal from this irrevocable trauma, Jenn and Charlotte find themselves at a crossroads--within the town and within their friendship. For Jenn, broken and grieving, there is no going back, and she demands that the school be closed so that she can bury the past. Yet Charlotte is equally desperate to hold the town together, fighting the school closure and helping the shooter's mother regain her place in the community. Jenn and Charlotte's relationship is put to the ultimate test as each weighs her own interests against the bonds of their friendship"--Page [4] of cover.

Stillwater Rising

Twenty-year-old Abigail Turner has only known her mother, Claire, who died shortly after she was born, through letters, videos, postcards and journals. Abby's father, Josh, has raised his precious daughter himself, but his overprotectiveness has become stifling. Abby longs to forge out on her own and see the world after a childhood trapped indoors: she suffers from bronchopulmonary dysplasia, which means a case of the sniffles can rapidly escalate into life-threatening pneumonia. But when Abby's doctor declares her healthy, for now, her grandmother Millie whisks her away to Europe to visit the Christmas markets that her mother cherished and chronicled in her travel journals. Despite her father's objections, Abby and Millie embark on a journey of discovery in which Abby will learn secrets that force her to reevaluate her image of her mother and come to a more mature understanding of a parent-child bond that transcends death.

Abby's journey [MP3]

"Megan spuściła córkę z oka tylko na kilka sekund. Wydawało się, że nic złego nie miało prawa się stać. Tymczasem mała Emma zniknęła bez śladu. Rodzina i policjanci byli bezsilni. Dziewczynka jakby zapadła się pod ziemię. Mijały dni, tygodnie miesiące... Wszyscy stracili już nadzieję. Tylko Megan nie chciała pogodzić się z myślą, że nie nigdy nie odzyska córki. Szukając Emmy to opowieść o sile matczynej miłości i o tym, jak wiara i nadzieja pozwalają pokonać największe nawet przeszkody."

Szukając Emmy

Elena Aitken

By USA Today Bestselling Author Steena Holmes and Elena Aitken comes their latest story sure to tug at the heartstrings of those who understand the depth of a mother's love. Nikki Landon walked away from her small town, Halfway, Montana, ten years ago, with no intentions of setting foot there again. But, when her mother dies unexpectedly, Nikki has no choice but to return, and this time with the child she was trying to hide—ten year old, Ryan. Becky Jennings is living her happily-ever-after. She’s married to the man of her dreams and even though that means being the wife of a Christmas tree farmer, she’s happy. There’s only one thing missing from her fairy-tale life: a child to hold in her arms. After countless miscarriages, she’s struggling to accept that might be one dream that will never come true. As teenagers, Nikki would have done anything to protect her best friend, Becky from heartache, which is why she left. But ten years later, there’s nowhere to hide in a small town where everyone can see the truth of the secret she can no longer keep. Could Nikki’s son be the child Becky has always longed for? And if he is, can the already fragile bond between the two friends, withstand the heartache?

Steena Holmes

About

Books

Join the club