The Secret

GOLD WINNER- 2025 GLOBAL BOOK AWARDS

She guarded her past life with her current one. 

Forced into starting a new life alone after a shocking and life-altering personal tragedy, Morgan O'Connell gambled with everything she had left. Forging ahead with sheer grit and determination, she built Harmony Hills Equestrian Center from the ground up into one of the finest horse facilities in Arizona. 

With new friend Ty Stanton at her side, she begins the painstaking task of learning how to truly live again while privately navigating her past. With Ty's encouragement and unconditional support, she makes the terrifying decision to date again. 

After a brief and momentous encounter with the woman rushing by him, Josh Wright feels like he's been punched in the gut. But she disappeared just as quickly as she'd arrived. Captivated by her beauty, and their undeniable connection, Josh seeks her out. But as he later discovered, she had a dangerous secret that couldn't stay hidden forever. 

Book One in the multiple Award-Winning "The Women of Strength, Courage, and Hope Series," The Secret is praised by The Prairies Book Review in part by saying, "...Standridge's prose is vivid yet unpretentious, the dialogue authentic, and the pacing perfectly suited...She brings the ache of grief and the promise of healing to life with quiet emotional precision."