What do you think?
Rate this book
The Secret She Keeps: Four Paranormal Romance Stories
Four novellas filled with passion, magic and deep, dark secrets… Shadow of Truth by Shannon K. ButcherSocially awkward nerd and video game designer Winnifred Archer has a rich fantasy life. So, when a badass, sword-wielding warrior decides he wants her, she’s not sure whether or not he’s real. She’s not equipped to handle a man like him, or the things he wants from her, but she must find a way to face her fears and fight by his side or she will lose everyone she loves. Badass Bear by Kathy LyonsHiding from the secret that ended her last relationship, flight attendant Margaret Taylor settled for the next best thing to a friends-only status with her handsome, paraplegic neighbor, Gary Baldner. But Gary has a secret, too. It’s about to break free, upend their worlds, and bring them both perfect happiness.Nowhere to Hide by Terri L. AustinRunning for her life, Hailey managed to escape from the psychotic billionaire who imprisoned and tortured her. Now using her secret clairvoyant powers, she’s trying to stay one step ahead of certain death. Sexy sorcerer, Vane, has a duty to take down Hailey’s enemy, even if it means using her as bait. Shards of Light by Anna ArgentWhen Lark witnesses a bizarre murder, a decade-old secret resurfaces and forces her to find her old flame. Dex is no longer the easygoing guy she knew. He’s dark, deadly and involved with a secret society that believes magic is real and hunts down those who abuse it. As their passion reignites, Dex must find a way to keep the darkness in his life from touching Lark or he will end up just like the things he hunts.
417 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 20, 2018
21 people are currently reading
56 people want to read
About the author
Shannon K. Butcher
36 books1,213 followersBestselling author Shannon K. Butcher, who now writes as Anna Argent, has written more than thirty titles since launching her career in 2007. She has three award-winning series, including the paranormal romance series The Sentinel Wars, the action-romance series The Edge, and the romantic suspense Delta Force Trilogy. Her alter ego Anna Argent also writes several series with a fresh and interesting spin on paranormal romance (The Lost Shards, The Taken and The Stone Men series) as well as a contemporary romance series set in a small town in the Ozarks. As a former engineer and current nerd, she frequently uses charts, graphs and tables to aid her in the mechanics of story design, world building and to keep track of all those colorful characters, magical powers and alternate worlds. An avid bead and glass artist, she spends her free time turning small sparkly bits into larger sparkly bits. She’s rarely on social media, so the best place to find out news about upcoming releases under either name is via her newsletter. You can sign up at AnnaArgent.com.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
September 21, 2018
The Secrets She Keeps - a paranormal romance anthology
Shadow of Truth by Shannon K Butcher
From the Sentinel Wars series. Winnie learned that monsters are real at the age of 4 when her mother was killed. Now she’s learned the Magic is real and so is her imaginary warrior. They were destined to share the magic and fight the demons together.
This is my first Sentinel story. It seems the magic is a mimic for sex or at least a lot of blatant symbolism. And then they have sex. Ok, there is fighting the demons, protection, and sacrifice and finally the realization of love.
An interesting world where it seems the female becomes the powerful warrior. I can get behind that. I’m glad that Winnie got over her fears and stepped up to find her true power.
Badass Bear by Kathy Lyons
The third wave of the Detroit flu has hit the city. The poisonous water activates the animal of anyone with shifter blood. Will the world finally learn about the paranormal?
A paraplegic unknowingly drinks the tainted water and turns into a bear. A walking bear. It’s very touching how gentle he is with Margaret and the steps they go through re-discovering themselves. Their close friendship and love is enviable.
Nowhere to Hide by Terri L. Austin
The abuse of magic by a powerful and evil man has Hailey on the run. The Counsel has passed a death sentence and ask Hailey to help enact it.
Written in first person, Hailey is innocent but quickly sexually interested in Vane after seeing dozens of his sexual encounters from his thoughts. Together they work to locate and stop the evil.
Vane declares Hailey is the best he’s ever had. I’m not sure why. I didn’t get the chemistry here but he sticks to it so HEA.
Shards of Light by Anna Argent
Shards of souls in the mind talk. Magical parts of dead people. Kinda creepy. Reads like a horror story. Includes a romance but this story was about killing to gain shards and serial killers with dark shadows. Too much and too creepily dark for me.
Shadow of Truth by Shannon K Butcher
From the Sentinel Wars series. Winnie learned that monsters are real at the age of 4 when her mother was killed. Now she’s learned the Magic is real and so is her imaginary warrior. They were destined to share the magic and fight the demons together.
This is my first Sentinel story. It seems the magic is a mimic for sex or at least a lot of blatant symbolism. And then they have sex. Ok, there is fighting the demons, protection, and sacrifice and finally the realization of love.
An interesting world where it seems the female becomes the powerful warrior. I can get behind that. I’m glad that Winnie got over her fears and stepped up to find her true power.
Badass Bear by Kathy Lyons
The third wave of the Detroit flu has hit the city. The poisonous water activates the animal of anyone with shifter blood. Will the world finally learn about the paranormal?
A paraplegic unknowingly drinks the tainted water and turns into a bear. A walking bear. It’s very touching how gentle he is with Margaret and the steps they go through re-discovering themselves. Their close friendship and love is enviable.
Nowhere to Hide by Terri L. Austin
The abuse of magic by a powerful and evil man has Hailey on the run. The Counsel has passed a death sentence and ask Hailey to help enact it.
Written in first person, Hailey is innocent but quickly sexually interested in Vane after seeing dozens of his sexual encounters from his thoughts. Together they work to locate and stop the evil.
Vane declares Hailey is the best he’s ever had. I’m not sure why. I didn’t get the chemistry here but he sticks to it so HEA.
Shards of Light by Anna Argent
Shards of souls in the mind talk. Magical parts of dead people. Kinda creepy. Reads like a horror story. Includes a romance but this story was about killing to gain shards and serial killers with dark shadows. Too much and too creepily dark for me.
December 29, 2021
An amazing anthology! I bought it for the two novellas:
Shadow of Truth
by Shannon K. Butcher and
Shards of Light
by Anna Argent but I ended up loving the other two novellas too.
It was such a pleasure to read Shadow of Truth, & got to revisit The Sentinel Wars series. I've been missing this series for a long while. Couldn't be happier to have met two new characters; Garet and Winnifred/Winni! Yes, the world needed more Theronai to fight the monsters/sgath.
Loved Dex and Lark in Shards of Light. so much. I've also fallen so in love with the world of Lost Shards. Couldn't get enough of their stories!
I also enjoyed Badass Bear by Kathy Lyons and Nowhere to Hide by Terri L. Austin. I'm positive you'll love the anthology!
It was such a pleasure to read Shadow of Truth, & got to revisit The Sentinel Wars series. I've been missing this series for a long while. Couldn't be happier to have met two new characters; Garet and Winnifred/Winni! Yes, the world needed more Theronai to fight the monsters/sgath.
Loved Dex and Lark in Shards of Light. so much. I've also fallen so in love with the world of Lost Shards. Couldn't get enough of their stories!
I also enjoyed Badass Bear by Kathy Lyons and Nowhere to Hide by Terri L. Austin. I'm positive you'll love the anthology!
September 2, 2018
This is an amazing anthology where each story is so unique and beautiful in its own way! I'll touch on each one briefly to give you a small synopsis as well as my impressions.
SHADOW OF TRUTH - Shannon K. Butcher
What would you do if an imaginary friend from your childhood appears before you in the flesh? Winnifred Archer meets hers in a coffee shop and soon learns that he is a Theronai warrior. Not only that but she may be the key to his salvation. So much pressure! I enjoyed this couple a lot, in particular because there was such an interesting history between them. I wanted even more, but with novellas everything has to be condensed. Regardless, I loved it and am aching for more of the Sentinel Wars series.
BADASS BEAR - Kathy Lyons
A paraplegic businessman and a quirky flight attendant are the best of friends. But he wants out of the friend zone. When the city's water is poisoned and he unknowingly drinks it, something strange happens. And it will take the both of them to make sure he survives. This was a difficult storyline to understand for a while - the heroine is asexual, which threw a wrench into things and made me wonder how the author would pull off a romance with this couple. However, I got really invested in them both as the story progressed and was so happy when they got their happy ending!
NOWHERE TO HIDE - Terri L. Austin
A girl on the run with hidden magic and a man on the hunt who is determined to find her. When Hailey Evans is attacked by one man and saved by another, she realizes her cover is blown. But her survival now depends on her staying with her rescuer, Vane Aldridge, and they must work together to defeat a common enemy. It was a bit difficult to get into this one at first, as the chemistry was a bit iffy for me. I enjoyed their partnering together though, and Hailey's strength and wit saved the day for me. She was an amazing heroine! I would have loved to have read this as a full-length, as I think they were a couple who needed it.
SHARDS OF LIGHT - Anna Argent
Childhood friends split apart by tragedy, Dex Hamilton and Lark Florence are stunned to be in the same room together ten years later. Now adults and virtual strangers, they have no choice but to stick together. Someone is hunting them both, and time is running out to stop him. This was a powerful story and really engaged me from start to finish! I loved their backstory, and Anna Argent did a great job putting a lot of information into a novella without making it feel rushed. This is definitely an author I will be reading more of.
**I received a free copy from the authors and this is my honest review.**
SHADOW OF TRUTH - Shannon K. Butcher
What would you do if an imaginary friend from your childhood appears before you in the flesh? Winnifred Archer meets hers in a coffee shop and soon learns that he is a Theronai warrior. Not only that but she may be the key to his salvation. So much pressure! I enjoyed this couple a lot, in particular because there was such an interesting history between them. I wanted even more, but with novellas everything has to be condensed. Regardless, I loved it and am aching for more of the Sentinel Wars series.
BADASS BEAR - Kathy Lyons
A paraplegic businessman and a quirky flight attendant are the best of friends. But he wants out of the friend zone. When the city's water is poisoned and he unknowingly drinks it, something strange happens. And it will take the both of them to make sure he survives. This was a difficult storyline to understand for a while - the heroine is asexual, which threw a wrench into things and made me wonder how the author would pull off a romance with this couple. However, I got really invested in them both as the story progressed and was so happy when they got their happy ending!
NOWHERE TO HIDE - Terri L. Austin
A girl on the run with hidden magic and a man on the hunt who is determined to find her. When Hailey Evans is attacked by one man and saved by another, she realizes her cover is blown. But her survival now depends on her staying with her rescuer, Vane Aldridge, and they must work together to defeat a common enemy. It was a bit difficult to get into this one at first, as the chemistry was a bit iffy for me. I enjoyed their partnering together though, and Hailey's strength and wit saved the day for me. She was an amazing heroine! I would have loved to have read this as a full-length, as I think they were a couple who needed it.
SHARDS OF LIGHT - Anna Argent
Childhood friends split apart by tragedy, Dex Hamilton and Lark Florence are stunned to be in the same room together ten years later. Now adults and virtual strangers, they have no choice but to stick together. Someone is hunting them both, and time is running out to stop him. This was a powerful story and really engaged me from start to finish! I loved their backstory, and Anna Argent did a great job putting a lot of information into a novella without making it feel rushed. This is definitely an author I will be reading more of.
**I received a free copy from the authors and this is my honest review.**
November 11, 2020
This review is based only on Shadow of Truth by Shannon K. Butcher.
This one is set in the author's Sentenial War's series. It's a good addition, let's someone not familiar with the series to get a good feel for it. I felt for Winnie, how her life was so tied to things she wasn't sure of and then learning it was real freaked her out a bit. After a rocky bit Winnie embraced her heritage and Garet. You get the feeling that from here they are going to be a solid team.
This one is set in the author's Sentenial War's series. It's a good addition, let's someone not familiar with the series to get a good feel for it. I felt for Winnie, how her life was so tied to things she wasn't sure of and then learning it was real freaked her out a bit. After a rocky bit Winnie embraced her heritage and Garet. You get the feeling that from here they are going to be a solid team.
June 10, 2021
I only read Shadow of Truth by Shannon K. Butcher. I enjoyed visiting the world of the Sentinel Wars.
September 4, 2018
These four stories were fantastic. I’ve been a fan of Shannon K. Butcher for years, and reading this anthology allowed me to discover three new paranormal authors. These novellas hooked me and kept me reading till they were done. I loved them all, even the one that I initially thought would be too short to satisfy. Let me say, I was wrong, it was very well written and satisfying. I can’t say enough good things about this anthology and definitely recommend it.
September 25, 2018
A collection of stories by different authors that come together to make a good book. I was mostly interested in this book because Shannon Butcher's Sentinel series and Anna Argents Shard series are a part of it, But I found that enjoyed this book overall and the other two stories to be fairly interesting.
I have read and reviewed this as a voluntary ARC.
5* In 'Shadow of Truth' (Sentinel series) by Shannon Butcher Winni a video game designer is shocked when she meets a dead ringer for the imaginary friend that she had designed her game hero to look like. Garet is thrilled to find the woman who is a match for his magic, but must be patient with her as she faces her tragic past and the monster that shaped it she learns that she can be strong even in the face of her greatest fear. I was exited to read his story, a continuation to the Sentinels is something I have been waiting for and it did not disappoint. it has just whetted my wish for more.
3* ' Badass Bear' by Kathy Lyons is part of the Grizzlies Gone Wild series and is about the paraplegic son of one of the Griz (a" bear gang") named Gary and he shock of a lifetime when he shifts into a bear for the first time ever, and in front of Margeret the woman that he loves. The story takes us through the rise of his hope that since his bear can use his legs, his human legs may heal as well. As Margret helps him face the new challenge in his life, he helps her face and defeat the issues that she has that make her feel "broken" and unworthy of his love.
4* 'Nowhere to Hide' by Terri Austin is connected to the A Null for Hire novels, In this story sorcerer Vane, a Council Enforcer, is out to get bad guy Du Monde before he can auction off a group of Others. Hailey escaped from Du Monde and has been in hiding for years when Vane finds her and persuades her to help him by using her psychic ability to read people and objects by touch (psychometry). Together they not only find their man, but they find in each other just what they needed.
5* In 'Shards of Light' part of the Shards series by Anna Agent Childhood friends Lark and Dex are reunited when she shows up on his doorstep to tell him of a murder that she witnessed that was a copy of the one that killed his parents. As he tries to keep her safe their bond reasserts itself and matures. In the end they not only catch the killer they realize that they were always meant to be together.
I have read and reviewed this as a voluntary ARC.
5* In 'Shadow of Truth' (Sentinel series) by Shannon Butcher Winni a video game designer is shocked when she meets a dead ringer for the imaginary friend that she had designed her game hero to look like. Garet is thrilled to find the woman who is a match for his magic, but must be patient with her as she faces her tragic past and the monster that shaped it she learns that she can be strong even in the face of her greatest fear. I was exited to read his story, a continuation to the Sentinels is something I have been waiting for and it did not disappoint. it has just whetted my wish for more.
3* ' Badass Bear' by Kathy Lyons is part of the Grizzlies Gone Wild series and is about the paraplegic son of one of the Griz (a" bear gang") named Gary and he shock of a lifetime when he shifts into a bear for the first time ever, and in front of Margeret the woman that he loves. The story takes us through the rise of his hope that since his bear can use his legs, his human legs may heal as well. As Margret helps him face the new challenge in his life, he helps her face and defeat the issues that she has that make her feel "broken" and unworthy of his love.
4* 'Nowhere to Hide' by Terri Austin is connected to the A Null for Hire novels, In this story sorcerer Vane, a Council Enforcer, is out to get bad guy Du Monde before he can auction off a group of Others. Hailey escaped from Du Monde and has been in hiding for years when Vane finds her and persuades her to help him by using her psychic ability to read people and objects by touch (psychometry). Together they not only find their man, but they find in each other just what they needed.
5* In 'Shards of Light' part of the Shards series by Anna Agent Childhood friends Lark and Dex are reunited when she shows up on his doorstep to tell him of a murder that she witnessed that was a copy of the one that killed his parents. As he tries to keep her safe their bond reasserts itself and matures. In the end they not only catch the killer they realize that they were always meant to be together.
November 1, 2019
Shadow of Truth by: Shannon K. Butcher
I really enjoyed reading this story. Winni has created this entire gaming world that turns out to be true. When her imaginary friend from childhood walks into the coffee shop and looks at her, you know things are about to go left. When Garet sees Winni, he knows his life has changed. I loved their adventure and the many emotions that were felt throughout the book. Watch as they both step up to be who they were meant to be.
Badass Bear by: Kathy Lyons
To think that you are only loved because you are safe to love. To not walk and then because you are poisoned that may all change. To be introduced into a world that you never knew existed. To overcome your fears even while your world is falling apart around you. Yes, this book is filled with thrills and chills. A must read.
Shards of Light by: Anna Argent
Wow. This book is a little bit on the darker side for me. Yes it is a love story but ummmmm....serial killers and all. I found this one hard to put down. It gave me goosebumps. Definitely some strong characters and a lot of action.
I really enjoyed reading this story. Winni has created this entire gaming world that turns out to be true. When her imaginary friend from childhood walks into the coffee shop and looks at her, you know things are about to go left. When Garet sees Winni, he knows his life has changed. I loved their adventure and the many emotions that were felt throughout the book. Watch as they both step up to be who they were meant to be.
Badass Bear by: Kathy Lyons
To think that you are only loved because you are safe to love. To not walk and then because you are poisoned that may all change. To be introduced into a world that you never knew existed. To overcome your fears even while your world is falling apart around you. Yes, this book is filled with thrills and chills. A must read.
Shards of Light by: Anna Argent
Wow. This book is a little bit on the darker side for me. Yes it is a love story but ummmmm....serial killers and all. I found this one hard to put down. It gave me goosebumps. Definitely some strong characters and a lot of action.
September 21, 2018
Shadow of Truth By Shannon K. Butcher.
I cant believe how easy it was to slip back into the world of the Sentinels a brilliant and intelligent world thats is way too hard to leave.
I really enjoyed this story, the brilliance of the characters and plot just made the journey incredibly fun and amazing.
I loved Winni, how terribly bright she is and especially imaginative.
Garet was sweet and strong and together the magic is as alive as the story.
The action packed scenes where handled with amazing and exciting flair that I cannot wait to revisit them again and again.
All up and incredible addition to the series and as a standalone as well. I cannot wait to devour more from both Shannon K. Butcher and the series.
Soon to come .....
Bad Ass Bear by Kathy Lyons
Nowhere To Hide by Terri L. Austin
Shards Of Light by Anna Argent
I cant believe how easy it was to slip back into the world of the Sentinels a brilliant and intelligent world thats is way too hard to leave.
I really enjoyed this story, the brilliance of the characters and plot just made the journey incredibly fun and amazing.
I loved Winni, how terribly bright she is and especially imaginative.
Garet was sweet and strong and together the magic is as alive as the story.
The action packed scenes where handled with amazing and exciting flair that I cannot wait to revisit them again and again.
All up and incredible addition to the series and as a standalone as well. I cannot wait to devour more from both Shannon K. Butcher and the series.
Soon to come .....
Bad Ass Bear by Kathy Lyons
Nowhere To Hide by Terri L. Austin
Shards Of Light by Anna Argent
April 27, 2019
I read "Badass Bear" by Kathy Lyons. It was...somewhat problematic. I think it was part of a series/established world, because I felt a bit lost with some of what was going on (hybrids, stinkies, the Detroit Flu...) and never really felt like I caught up. The characters' motivation and what got in the way of them getting there seemed out of whack. Then there's details like Margaret's insistence that she was asexual and "broken" and the pretty darn irresponsible way Gary's alpha decided to just let him take all the serum at once without any supervision from someone else who knew about the shifter world for more than a hot minute to make sure things didn't go haywire...yeah. I spent more time shaking my head at this one than I did getting lost in the story, unfortunately.
I'll hang on to it, though, and maybe try some of the other stories later...
Rating ("Badass Bear"): 2 stars / D
I'll hang on to it, though, and maybe try some of the other stories later...
Rating ("Badass Bear"): 2 stars / D
September 28, 2018
I really like a set like this that allows me to enjoy authors that I already love and also to find new authors for me to read. I was entranced from the first story through the last. While they all appear to be part of existing worlds, they are new stories and I didn’t feel that I was missing anything by not having read the author before. All four stories were action packed and had their own levels of humor, darkness, seriousness as well as romance. I will be reading the rest of the worlds from each of these authors:
Shadow of Truth by Shannon K Butcher
Bad Ass Bear by Kathy Lyons
Nowhere To Hide by Terri L. Austin
Shards of Light by Anna Argent
Shadow of Truth by Shannon K Butcher
Bad Ass Bear by Kathy Lyons
Nowhere To Hide by Terri L. Austin
Shards of Light by Anna Argent
July 14, 2019
Review in 4 parts: 1st story: This was my favorite of the 4. I love that the heroine was the nerdy best friend. And for all that there are demons and bad guys and what not, I love that this is not a gritty urban fantasy. It is surprisingly upbeat.
2nd story: This was also pretty upbeat and super cute. I love the dialogue and how real it is. This was my next favorite and only lost out by a hair.
3rd story: This was my least favorite, honestly. It was a standard gritty urban fantasy where love fixes the soul. I might have liked it more if not for reading the first 2. The writing and imagery is good, no fault there.
4th story: This was also pretty good. It was somewhere in between on the gritty scale. Not sure how I feel about this one really. The magic system doesn't really light my fire. Well written for sure, but not sure I want to find the larger series, like I did the first 2.
2nd story: This was also pretty upbeat and super cute. I love the dialogue and how real it is. This was my next favorite and only lost out by a hair.
3rd story: This was my least favorite, honestly. It was a standard gritty urban fantasy where love fixes the soul. I might have liked it more if not for reading the first 2. The writing and imagery is good, no fault there.
4th story: This was also pretty good. It was somewhere in between on the gritty scale. Not sure how I feel about this one really. The magic system doesn't really light my fire. Well written for sure, but not sure I want to find the larger series, like I did the first 2.
October 7, 2018
Read Shadow of Truth, the Sentinel story.
October 10, 2018
I enjoyed Shannon’s novella, but I couldn’t get past the first few pages of the bear story. I’m sorry the second a man starts thinking he’s entitled to more than friendship - pass. It was cringey.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews