DEEPER THAN NEED - Shiloh Walker
A Secrets and Shadows Novel, Book 1
St Martin's Paperbacks
ISBN: 978-1-250-03240-9
June 2014
Romantic Suspense

Madison, Ohio - Present Day

For twenty years, Noah Benningfield has lived in a fog, first an alcohol-induced stupor, now a numbness that isolates him from life.  Beyond his work as a general contractor, Noah also, through online forums, counsels local teens about alcohol abuse.  The arrival of Trinity Ewing into their small town sparks something inside Noah, and the erotic dreams he has about her are as surprising as his sudden desire to do more than simply exist.

Moving from New York to Ohio was supposed to be a fresh start for Trinity Ewing and her son Micah, but things have not gone quite as planned.  The house she bought is a bit creepy, and there is a lot more work to be done than she'd thought.  The only bright spot is Noah, but after everything that happened with her ex, she's not sure she wants to be involved in a romance, especially not with a former preacher who doesn't seem all that interested in her.

Then the floor falls out beneath Trinity?literally?and buried in the cellar below her pantry is a mostly decomposed body.  Noah is sure that the body is Lana, his high school girlfriend who, along with the Sutter family, disappeared one night in their senior year.  Finding the body brings Noah and Trinity closer together, but it also stirs up a lot of ghosts in the seemingly quiet small town.

DEEPER THAN NEED is the first book in the Secrets and Shadows series; however there were three novellas previously released that connect to the book.  DEEPER THAN NEED focuses primarily on Noah and Trinity (and the occasionally scene-stealing Micah), while also introducing readers to several other characters in the small town.  The disappearance of his girlfriend was difficult enough, but most of the town was more concerned with the Sutter family who disappeared the same night.  David Sutter was a classmate whom Lana had befriended, and his parents were not only wealthy but also prominent community members.  After that night, Noah's life spiraled into a pit of depression, and he used alcohol and women to forget.  While he no longer drinks?or dates?he's still weighted down by the past.  Working on Trinity's house with her and getting to know her precocious son has him interested in living again, but it's truly the discovery of the body in her cellar that gives him the kick he needs to act on his attraction.  Trinity's life hasn't been as traumatic as Noah's, but she has her own past issues to deal with, but the moment she met Noah she felt as though she'd been waiting for him forever, and she's able to put the past behind her.

The quaint small town seems normal on the surface, but there are secrets buried deep that cover up a dark, disturbing past.  Unfortunately, we find out that not all of this is in the past, and Noah will have to deal with this as well.  His friend, Adam, also a recovering alcoholic, is still battling some of his demons, and it's his story that we will be treated to next.  A complex mystery as well as a sexy sweet romance between real and likeable characters, DEEPER THAN NEED is a must read.

Jennifer Bishop