The O'Connells Series

Secrets and Lies in a Small Town “A story of family dynamics, teenage angst and rebellion, and secrets that can tear a family apart.” Rebmay From a NY Times & USA Today bestselling author: Park ranger Ryan is shocked when Jenny, a one-night stand from years ago, moves to his Montana town with her troublesome daughter, Alison. But he can’t resist the pull he feels toward her — especially once Alison goes missing and the truth about her daughter’s real identity comes out… —“A new family series more suspenseful than the Friessens.” Karen L. Vine Voice 

Romance and suspense collide in this pulse-pounding read! NY Times & USA Today bestselling author Lorhainne Eckhart brings you an emotional O’Connell family novel that is both “Gut-wrenching & Riveting.”  A small town. A scared little girl. A man with a gun. A small cabin deep in the woods. This book was a wonderful story."  -Bev, Bookbub Reviewer Bad-boy deputy Marcus O’Connell dreads what cops know as the third call.  When Marcus takes the call the first time, he thinks it’s a prank.  The second time, he knows there’s a problem. The third time the call comes in and is patched through to him, he knows it’s something he can’t ignore.  The only thing is, the girl is terrified and keeps hanging up, and Marcus knows someone is in the house with her. Can they save a girl from a desperate situation?

A family reconciling their troubled past. A new enemy emerges. Will this unsettling development ruin the O’Connell’s hard-earned harmony? Will life ever return to normal? That’s the question everyone in the O’Connell family has asked since their lives were turned upside down by a murder charge. With their father now back from the dead, the O’Connells are coming to grips with the idea that justice isn’t equal. But despite the pending arrival of a new grandchild, and the fact that the family is settling into a new identity, trouble seems to always be one step away. This time, it could come from within, as a shadowy new enemy has found its way into the close-knit family and could ultimately destroy the bond the siblings share, forcing them to finally cut their losses and walk away from one another.

NY Times & USA Today bestselling author Lorhainne Eckhart brings you The Fallen O’Connell, “Now over eighteen years later, the truth about Raymond O’Connell has been revealed, and it has come at a cost. That cost is measured by the loss of life, the loss of innocence and the loss of what could have been.” “Hold on to your seats! This book is filled with so many twists, turns and surprising revelations that you won’t be able to put it down until you have read the last page.” (Rebmay) Thirty-five years ago, Raymond O’Connell didn’t exist, at least not until the moment Iris walked into his life. His very existence had been a secret, a carefully cultivated lie, except for the fact that he loved Iris and the six children he’d never planned on having. He’d become careless, living a life that belonged to someone else.  Becoming Raymond O’Connell had made him forget who he really was, and when he fell in love with a fantasy he knew he couldn’t have, he put his family in danger. Ultimately, he found himself covering up a murder to protect the woman he loved, and that act forced him to walk away and return to the shadows of a secret life that he couldn’t find his way out of. When he returns to Livingston with a son in tow, what he doesn’t expect is to be dragged from the shadows to protect a family that suddenly has a target on their backs. Soon, Raymond finds himself becoming part of a bigger, deadlier plot—one that could leave someone in his family, someone he’s sworn to stay away from, dead. The choice he’ll have to make to protect the O’Connells could come at a heartbreaking cost. Can Raymond choose between the son he has now and the family he walked away from?

Dealing with ex-husbands can be difficult…especially when they’ve been charged with murder in a super-charged thriller. “This is a real intriguing tale, filled with unexpected and surprising twists. Karen’s secret past comes back in the most unusual way.” Catlou Small-town lawyer Karen O’Connell receives a call from Jack Curtis, her vengeful ex-husband, whom she’s never told anyone in her family about. He’s found himself in jail charged with murder. He says he's innocent, and Karen soon learns the mysterious circumstances surrounding the murder could be the reason their hasty marriage ended so badly.

The moment Brady told his family he was engaged, his fiancée was nowhere to be found. Six months ago, Brady’s true love, Cassie Arnold, walked into his hometown and his life. Everything was perfect, including their plans for their upcoming wedding—but one night, when he came home, Cassie was gone. How could she just vanish? Brady turns to his sheriff brother, Marcus O’Connell, and is stunned by what he discovers. Not only is there no trace of her, but it’s as if she never existed. As they dig deeper into the days before Cassie vanished, Brady is stunned to learn of a series of mysterious phone calls, and he realizes his bride-to-be and her seemingly perfect smile were hiding dark secrets, including an unsolved murder at her family’s cabin in a hometown he’s never heard of. Brady soon suspects that to find Cassie, he may also have to figure out what really happened the night of the murder—and why Cassie kept it all a secret.

A small-town girl who’s a bit of a misfit. The perfect guy who’s anything but. Will his suspicious behavior reveal things she doesn’t want to know? Alison Sweetgrass-O’Connell believes she’s forever a misfit and will never fit in until she meets who she believes is the perfect guy. But when a suspicious turn of events has her fearing she’s being stalked by someone who knows one of her secrets, something no one should know, Alison soon realizes everyone's seemingly perfect lives have a dark side.   After struggling to recover from a teenage crush that dealt her a crippling blow, Alison watches from the sidelines in the small town of Livingston, Montana, which hasn’t been friendly to her. Silently, she believes everyone’s seemingly perfect lives have a dark side. And soon her beliefs prove true.   Alison meets young, attractive med student Bennett Warren, new to Livingston. Suddenly, Bennett is showing up everywhere she is—and then, in her good fortune, he turns out to have rented the apartment right next door.   At first, she’s convinced it’s fate, and maybe there is hope for her, but a suspicious turn of events has her fearing she’s being stalked by someone who knows one of her secrets, something no one should know.   She tries telling herself she’s imagining things, but she soon realizes someone has been inside her apartment, going through her very personal belongings. She finds herself looking over her shoulder, not knowing who she can trust. When she confides in Bennett, she’s convinced he thinks she’s crazy, too.   Then Alison comes across evidence that has her questioning not only her sanity but also the real reason Bennett showed up in Livingston—and even more disturbing is the possibility that him moving right next door to her wasn’t entirely coincidental.

Christmas is coming, and love is in the air. But so is some dark mayhem. Will the crime behind the curtain ruin a happy-ending holiday for the O’Connells? “Each book in the O’Connell Family series makes me fall more in love with this family.” Rebmay Owen O’Connell wants only one thing: to put a ring on the finger of his long-time girlfriend, Tessa Brooks. But when her past fears become an obstacle between them, Owen may not get the new beginning and the happily ever after he truly wants. Meanwhile, Suzanne O’Connell finds herself in a year-long slump, being the live-in girlfriend of Deputy Harold Waters. Jobless and searching for something to give her life meaning, she finds herself on the wrong side of the law when she stands up for the rights of a stranger who is targeted by the community. Suzanne, who is known for her stubbornness and her obstinate sense of right and wrong, ends up taking on a woman no one else will, and in doing so, she tests her relationship not only with Harold but with every one of the O’Connells. As the O’Connells work together to keep their sister out of jail, can big brother Owen, who has been a father figure to all his siblings, achieve the future he dreams of with the only woman he’s ever truly loved?

A newly-released prisoner who wants her daughter back. An adopted little girl suddenly in jeopardy. Will the battle over her fate be more costly than anyone can imagine? She gave her daughter up. Now she wants her back. What do you do when a woman shows up on your doorstep, suddenly wanting her daughter back? Never in a million years did Marcus and Charlotte O’Connell expect to be faced with this kind of dilemma, but when Reine Colbert is released from prison, she shows up at their house, demanding they return her daughter, Eva. Worse is the fact that Sheriff Marcus never received a courtesy call from the prison or parole board to warn him that Reine was about to be released. As far as he and Charlotte were concerned, they had followed Reine’s wishes, adopting her daughter so she could serve her time, knowing Eva was loved and in a good family. But now she’s changed her mind, and she believes Marcus is somehow responsible for her lost years with her daughter.  Though Marcus and his siblings step in to talk it through with Reine, who has been given a raw deal, little Eva is the one caught in the middle of the tug of war.  Will the O’Connells be able to reason with a woman who has no reason to trust anyone? Find out in a novel about secrets, hurts, lies, and the true of meaning of family. 

In "The Gatekeeper," Reine Colbert is ready to reclaim her life after facing devastating losses. Taken in by the O'Connells, she finds solace, but secrets linger beneath the surface. When Suzanne O'Connell uncovers a hidden truth about crimes against women, they become entangled in a dangerous web. As they confront their pasts, they must brace themselves for a perilous journey that could lead to unthinkable consequences. Will they survive, or will the price of justice be too high?

When two prisoners escape and one is found dead, Marcus O’Connell finds himself being hunted—and the hunter could be someone he trusts. One late night, Sheriff Marcus O’Connell receives a call about two escaped prisoners considered a danger to the community. A search is underway, and the warden has reason to believe the escaped convicts are headed toward Livingston. An urgent warning is issued: Shoot to kill. Hours later, Marcus is called to a crime scene. The body of one of the escaped prisoners has been discovered deep in the woods, and the scene has already been lit up, with three prison guards standing over the body, along with the sheriff and deputy from the county over and a tracker with his dogs. A story has been neatly put together, and the group at the scene tries to send Marcus on his way. Yet one prisoner is still missing. Marcus is told no investigation is necessary, that he should sign off on the case and walk away. But nothing adds up. The problem is that dead men can’t talk, and Marcus can’t shake the feeling that the story he’s being told is a coverup for something far more sinister.

The O’Connells of Livingston, Montana, are not your typical family. Follow them on their journey to the dark and dangerous side of love in a series of romantic thrillers you won’t want to miss. Raised by a single mother after their father’s mysterious disappearance eighteen years ago, the six grown siblings live in a small town with all kinds of hidden secrets, lies, and deception.  —“A new family series more suspenseful than the Friessens.” Karen L. Vine Voice  This boxed set collection in The O’Connells series includes The Neighbor, The Third Call & The Secret Husband The Neighbor: Park ranger Ryan is shocked when Jenny, a one-night stand from years ago, moves to his Montana town with her troublesome daughter, Alison. But he can’t resist the pull he feels toward her — especially once Alison goes missing and the truth about her daughter’s real identity comes out…  The Third Call: When dispatcher Charlotte Roy passes along a call to bad-boy deputy Marcus O’Connell, they learn a six-year-old child is in danger. Can they save the girl from a desperate situation? The Secret Husband: Small-town lawyer Karen O’Connell receives a call from Jack Curtis, her vengeful ex-husband, whom she’s never told anyone in her family about. He’s found himself in jail charged with murder. He says he's innocent, and Karen soon learns the mysterious circumstances surrounding the murder could be the reason their hasty marriage ended so badly.