Finley Creek Series by Calle J. Brookes

Ten years. Three months. Sixteen days. That was how long it had been since Gabby Kendall had felt safe. As a teenager, she’d witnessed the execution of four members of the Marshall family and been powerless to help. The case had remained unsolved—the killers were still out there. ​ And they knew who Gabby was. Where she lived. Who her friends were. They knew everything about her... moreTen years. Three months. Sixteen days. That was how long it had been since Gabby Kendall had felt safe. As a teenager, she’d witnessed the execution of four members of the Marshall family and been powerless to help. The case had remained unsolved—the killers were still out there. ​ And they knew who Gabby was. Where she lived. Who her friends were. They knew everything about her. ​ Elliot Marshall, Jr had never intended to take the position with the Finley Creek Texas State Police that his father had once filled. Sitting at the same desk his father had before he’d been killed brought it all rushing back. ​ Not just for Elliot. ​ For Gabby. For Gabby’s new best friend—a woman who’d known his family long ago, too. For the killers. He’d keep his late sister’s best friend out of harm’s way—no matter what the cost. ​ Gabby would gladly take his protection—but what would she do if the price of her safety was the woman who’d become her new best friend? Or Elliot? ​ She couldn’t lose someone she loved like that ever again… less

Brynna Beck had plans for her future, and those plans did not include working for the Finley Creek branch of the Texas State Police forever. Nothing was going to deter her from her goals. Until a ten-year cold case resurfaces. One with massive implications for the entire Finley Creek TSP. Brynna had loved the family that was murdered almost as much as she loved her own. And that mattered enough to have her changing her plans—just for a little while... moreBrynna Beck had plans for her future, and those plans did not include working for the Finley Creek branch of the Texas State Police forever. Nothing was going to deter her from her goals. Until a ten-year cold case resurfaces. One with massive implications for the entire Finley Creek TSP. Brynna had loved the family that was murdered almost as much as she loved her own. And that mattered enough to have her changing her plans—just for a little while. When Brynna discovers new information, she gains the notice of men who would stop at nothing to protect themselves. Even if it meant silencing Brynna forever. Former Texas Ranger Chance Marshall had spent ten years searching for them men who’d slaughtered his family and had found nothing. Until a woman barely old enough to drink approaches him in a dark parking garage, demanding his help. She’ll share what she knows—if he agrees to drive her home, three states away. She has the information he needs, but she’ll only share it with her boss, Chance’s brother. A band of killers stops them, determined to keep Brynna from sharing just what exactly she knows. If Chance wants to stop the killers, he’ll have to keep the beautiful, maddening redhead safe…while the storm rages around them. less

She was the protector, not the protected… Former TSP Homicide detective Melody Beck had spent her life standing between the evil in the world and her younger sisters. When one of those sisters is attacked and nearly killed Mel would do whatever it took to find the answers they sought. Even if those answers led straight back to the wealthiest family in Texas. To a man some said was responsible for the worst slaughter in Finley Creek history... moreShe was the protector, not the protected… Former TSP Homicide detective Melody Beck had spent her life standing between the evil in the world and her younger sisters. When one of those sisters is attacked and nearly killed Mel would do whatever it took to find the answers they sought. Even if those answers led straight back to the wealthiest family in Texas. To a man some said was responsible for the worst slaughter in Finley Creek history. And the one man she’d tried for eighteen months to forget… The world said he was the son of a killer… But Houghton Barratt knew his father was innocent. It had to be a setup, and he was going to prove that. The only hope he had of finding his father before the TSP—and protecting everything he had worked toward for decades—lay with a former homicide detective with a serious chip on her shoulder. The woman he had never forgotten. But as Houghton schemes and manipulates to get Mel back in his arms where she belongs, the real mastermind responsible for the Marshall Murders is getting closer. Only this time he’s focused on the sisters she’d do anything to keep safe, and the woman Houghton had vowed to protect… less

She didn't need a lover... He wanted to be more than a friend... Travis Worthington-Deane appreciated the good life--he'd worked his butt off to build his ranch into one of the finest in Texas. But that didn't mean he was all work and no play.He was more than willing to play with Dr. Lacy McGareth. His pretty neighbor took everything far too seriously. It became a real challenge to make her smile. To make her see that he would never hurt her, would be there the moment she needed him... moreShe didn't need a lover... He wanted to be more than a friend... Travis Worthington-Deane appreciated the good life--he'd worked his butt off to build his ranch into one of the finest in Texas. But that didn't mean he was all work and no play.He was more than willing to play with Dr. Lacy McGareth. His pretty neighbor took everything far too seriously. It became a real challenge to make her smile. To make her see that he would never hurt her, would be there the moment she needed him. To help her understand that the woman who had been alone for far too long could trust him. No matter what.Lacy just wanted to find her equilibrium again after a near tragedy had almost killed her and her best friends just a few short months ago. She was healing, but it was slow. She was finally almost able to breathe again. To love. To laugh.And Travis did make her laugh.The last thing she needed was to get involved with the governor's too charming younger brother!Travis was good at getting through her defenses. At making her trust him when she never thought she'd ever trust a man again.But someone else wanted Lacy to smile just for him. Someone with an ax to grind against those damned perfect Deane brothers.Someone who wanted more than Lacy will ever give... If the Dark Wins is the first book in the Finley Creek FCGH trilogy. less

Everyone jumped when Chief of Medicine Rafael Holden-Deane ordered them to. Everyone. He was back in Finley Creek to make the hospital the best it possibly could be. No matter what the cost. ER Nurse Jillian Beck remembered Rafe from when they’d been children--his attitude now wasn’t any better than it had been then. Especially where she was concerned. Rafe was always angry at her for something... Jillian understood anger, though... moreEveryone jumped when Chief of Medicine Rafael Holden-Deane ordered them to. Everyone. He was back in Finley Creek to make the hospital the best it possibly could be. No matter what the cost. ER Nurse Jillian Beck remembered Rafe from when they’d been children--his attitude now wasn’t any better than it had been then. Especially where she was concerned. Rafe was always angry at her for something... Jillian understood anger, though. Ever since she had almost died, she had lived with her own fury. Her own questions. Her own fears. Until she wasn’t sure she would ever be able to heal. Rafe had his own history of hurt to overcome, and the last thing he needed in his life was the one woman who snuck into his dreams at night. When she and the hospital they both love are threatened, there isn’t anything he won’t do to keep her safe... less

Governor Marcus Deane had watched the beautiful Ariella from afar for nearly a year. Drawn to her shy, sweet ways, the intense man responsible for leading the state of Texas knew he wasn't the kind of man a woman like her needed. He had to content himself to just be the friend she needed. But someone knew how he felt, and knew of her connections to some highly influential men, and they were going to use her to get exactly what they wanted... moreGovernor Marcus Deane had watched the beautiful Ariella from afar for nearly a year. Drawn to her shy, sweet ways, the intense man responsible for leading the state of Texas knew he wasn't the kind of man a woman like her needed. He had to content himself to just be the friend she needed. But someone knew how he felt, and knew of her connections to some highly influential men, and they were going to use her to get exactly what they wanted. Marc will do anything to protect this woman he loved--and the children he was raising alone. Ariella Avery needed time and space to heal from the pain she'd experienced over the last two years. Finley Creek was the place for her to do that. Until someone started targeting her... Now she has to depend on Marc. Strong, sure, handsome, and far too intense for her, Marc terrifies her on a different level. And makes her question everything she wants from her future. Because one thing is certain, if they fall for one another, it could change everything... If they survived. less

**An 80-page Finley Creek Novella** Someone had his eyes on Fin…and his attention was unwanted. Fin did her best to hide from the world behind a bubbly exterior, but it was hard to keep that up knowing someone was out there watching every move she made. Dr. Virat Patel was the born protector type... more**An 80-page Finley Creek Novella** Someone had his eyes on Fin…and his attention was unwanted. Fin did her best to hide from the world behind a bubbly exterior, but it was hard to keep that up knowing someone was out there watching every move she made. Dr. Virat Patel was the born protector type. When he learned that colleague and friend Fin Coulter was being stalked by an unwanted admirer, Virat is not about to let her face the storm alone… Now he has to keep her safe, no matter what storms may come... **Before the Rain Breaks is a prequel novella for the third Finley Creek trilogy that comes after As the Night Ends** less

She had survived. She could survive. She would survive again. After a brutal assault and cancer as a teenager, Dr. Nikkie Jean Netorre wouldn’t let herself be called a victim. Nikkie Jean wasn’t a victim. She was a survivor. Now a pediatric surgical resident at the best teaching hospital in Texas, Nikkie Jean knows there’s nothing she can’t make it through if she just keeps going. Even an F4 tornado bearing down on the hospital she loves so much. Even falling for Dr... moreShe had survived. She could survive. She would survive again. After a brutal assault and cancer as a teenager, Dr. Nikkie Jean Netorre wouldn’t let herself be called a victim. Nikkie Jean wasn’t a victim. She was a survivor. Now a pediatric surgical resident at the best teaching hospital in Texas, Nikkie Jean knows there’s nothing she can’t make it through if she just keeps going. Even an F4 tornado bearing down on the hospital she loves so much. Even falling for Dr. Caine Alvaro, Chief of Medicine at nearby Barratt County General Hospital. Caine—identical twin to one of the few men Nikkie Jean half-way trusted. Caine, the one man she doesn’t fear. The one man she had almost let in. Almost. Just when he got close to her, they both retreated behind the walls they’d erected years ago to protect their hearts. Caine’s past was just as painful as Nikkie Jean’s. They were two wounded people surviving in a world of hurt. As Nikkie Jean fights the instincts telling her to run from the one man she could love, and Caine fights the urges to protect the first woman to break through the shell around his heart after the loss of his wife two years earlier, the pain swirls around them like the storms bearing down on Finley Creek. Until the only ones they can turn to are each other. But actions have consequences—a lesson Nikkie Jean and Caine had learned long ago. Their actions have led to a very big consequence for both of them, and for Caine’s three young children. Nikkie Jean and Caine have just changed everything for everyone. But the actions of another physician are far more sinister—and Nikkie Jean just might become a victim once again. Unless Caine could keep her safe from the one threat they couldn’t see coming. less

Annie had learned long ago that she could get through just about anything life threw her way. She can even get through being forced from the home she's lived in since she was a child. She has one more chance to convince the mayor to knock down some other neighborhood for his shopping malls and banks--or she and the three little boys she's in the process of adopting are going to end up homeless... moreAnnie had learned long ago that she could get through just about anything life threw her way. She can even get through being forced from the home she's lived in since she was a child. She has one more chance to convince the mayor to knock down some other neighborhood for his shopping malls and banks--or she and the three little boys she's in the process of adopting are going to end up homeless.For shy Annie, the thought of confronting one of the wealthiest men in Finley Creek--one of the handsome, charismatic, larger-than-life Barratts--has her shaking and ready to flee. If the fight weren't so important, Annie would turn and run, avoiding the fire altogether. But Annie can't run this time. She's running out of options. She just has to get through this one meeting--and convince Mayor Turner Barratt to listen to her.Somehow.Turner Barratt takes one look at Annie Gaines, his last appointment of the day, and can't look away. Innocent, sweet, determined--Annie is one of the strongest, bravest women Turner has ever met. And he feels compelled to help her in any way he can.Then, the storm hits. The world explodes around them, throwing Annie and Turner into a nightmare neither expects.Long after they're pulled from the rubble, something makes it impossible for him to get her out of his head--even when he should be focused on helping his city recover from the F4 tornado that nearly destroyed Finley Creek.Now the entire city has to recover, and it's Turner's job to help the citizens do just that. But someone on the city council would rather profit off the disaster than help Finley Creek heal from the storm. And he will stop at nothing to keep Turner from succeeding. Even if it means someone Turner loves will pay the price--someone like Annie. less

They had argued for years, once. Before their work at the Finley Creek Texas State Police post had taken over everything else and threatened to consume them both. Now they are too damned busy trying to find the killers hiding within the TSP to even think about snarling at each other.Someone has been targeting the Major Crimes division—and they have figured out exactly how to do that for maximum impact. Through the people Major Crimes cares about most... moreThey had argued for years, once. Before their work at the Finley Creek Texas State Police post had taken over everything else and threatened to consume them both. Now they are too damned busy trying to find the killers hiding within the TSP to even think about snarling at each other.Someone has been targeting the Major Crimes division—and they have figured out exactly how to do that for maximum impact. Through the people Major Crimes cares about most.Best friends, children, lovers—none are safe from those targeting Major Crimes now.Major Crimes detective Jarrod Foster has always found the head of the forensics lab to be nothing more than an obsessive compulsive pain in his ass. But when Dr. Haldyn Harris is abducted right in front of the courthouse, there isn’t anything Jarrod and the rest of Major Crimes won’t do to get her back.Once Haldyn is back where she belongs, Jarrod’s boss hands down an assignment that feels like a death Haldyn needs a guard. Jarrod is going to be that guard.He has to keep that woman safe—no matter what.Haldyn wished any other man in Major Crimes had been assigned to protect her. Now she has the one man in the TSP who gets under her skin, makes her nervous, and just irritates her more than any other, shadowing her every move.But Jarrod isn’t the only one watching Haldyn—or her friends in the lab. That watcher has ties to some seriously dangerous people. And those people are stalking, planning, and attacking the Finley Creek TSP, too.Jarrod and Haldyn have to work together to figure out just exactly who has targeted her, and why—before people in Haldyn’s precious lab, her best friends in the world, pay the ultimate price.And innocent people get caught in the crossfire once again...HURT IN HER EYES is a complete, 500-page romantic suspense novel and is the first in the Finley Enemies Within tetralogy. The Finley Creek series contains multiple scenes of violence, adventure, dark criminal behavior, cursing by heroes, heroines and villains, a few mild-to-moderate love scenes, and references to subject matter that may distress some readers, including pregnancy loss, abductions, assaults, stalkings, mass shootings, child abuse and other dark themes. The Finley Creek series of books contain the same depth of content that can be found on a network crime drama series. Bad things happen to good characters, but GOOD always triumphs over EVIL in the end. less

◆◆◆◆◆ TAMING THE BEAST? —NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. ◆◆◆◆◆ Not when the beast is Major Crimes Detective Jake MacNamara. Sparks fly between them every time they meet. Shelby Jacobson doesn't have time to deal with him.Especially now.He is just getting in Shelby’s way as she finally fights to keep a promise made long ago.◆◆◆ HE LIVES FOR THE JOB. ◆◆◆The TSP and being a cop is so deeply entrenched in his soul Jake doesn’t know where the Texas State Police ends and he begins... more◆◆◆◆◆ TAMING THE BEAST? —NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. ◆◆◆◆◆ Not when the beast is Major Crimes Detective Jake MacNamara. Sparks fly between them every time they meet. Shelby Jacobson doesn't have time to deal with him.Especially now.He is just getting in Shelby’s way as she finally fights to keep a promise made long ago.◆◆◆ HE LIVES FOR THE JOB. ◆◆◆The TSP and being a cop is so deeply entrenched in his soul Jake doesn’t know where the Texas State Police ends and he begins.But… he has always wanted Shelby. And sometimes the woman who had inherited millions just gets too close. Tempts him too much.That makes him a bit…surly…where the sweetly shy lady is concerned.He knows he’s an ass to her, but it’s the only real defense he has against her.Jake is made for work boots and cotton T-shirts—not donning tuxedos and attending charity benefits with a woman like her. He'll just keep his distance so he doesn't do anything stupid.◆◆◆ BUT... ◆◆◆Shelby has a secret so dark and dangerous people will kill to keep it hidden. Now she's found herself entangled in the biggest case of Jake’s career—with only one man who can protect her.Only...Jake and the TSP might not be enough to keep her safe.If Jake fails, Shelby will pay the price.And Jake will lose the one woman he has ever loved forever. ★★★★★Stand Next to Me takes place one year after the events of the Finley Creek: Disaster trilogy, and is a complete, stand-alone romantic suspense novel. ★★★★★ less

Powell Barratt was used to success in real estate, business, and law… not romance.Certainly not romance with a man who could give the god Thor a real run for his money. But Detective Gunnar Erickson is right there, in front of her, vowing to keep her safe after she is nearly abducted. He’ll do anything to protect her, and she believes him. And Powell has a secret he deserves to know… Gunnar knew what it was like to lose the woman he loved. He’d lived that hell before... morePowell Barratt was used to success in real estate, business, and law… not romance.Certainly not romance with a man who could give the god Thor a real run for his money. But Detective Gunnar Erickson is right there, in front of her, vowing to keep her safe after she is nearly abducted. He’ll do anything to protect her, and she believes him. And Powell has a secret he deserves to know… Gunnar knew what it was like to lose the woman he loved. He’d lived that hell before. Now that he has Powell in his arms, he’s not about to let anything hurt her—even if he is in the midst of the biggest case of his career with the TSP. He’ll keep her safe by keeping her right next to him where she belongs. But when his enemies realize just how important Powell is, Gunnar has a fight on his hands. Before people close to them both pay the ultimate price... The Secrets She Keeps is a complete, 500-page romantic suspense novel and is the second in the Finley Enemies Within tetralogy. The Finley Creek series contains multiple scenes of violence, adventure, dark criminal behavior, cursing by heroes, heroines and villains, a few mild-to-moderate love scenes, and references to subject matter that may distress some readers, including pregnancy loss, abductions, assaults, stalkings, mass shootings, child abuse and other dark themes. The Finley Creek series of books contain the same depth of content that can be found on a network crime drama series. Bad things happen to good characters, but GOOD always triumphs over EVIL in the end. less