About the Book

Book: The Curator’s Secret Author: Denise Weimer Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense Release date: March 1, 2025

It’s taken six years for Lacey Colbert to escape the heartbreak that caused her to disappear from Golden Isles Christian Camp and the life of her summer sweetheart, Trent Stevenson. Then a museum curator job at a Gilded Age resort lures her back to Georgia’s Jekyll Island. Lacey finds Trent no longer an employee in his dad’s lawn care business, but director of landscaping right in her historic district. Winter Haven cottage’s century-old mystery of a vanished fiancé compels Lacey to settle her own past with Trent. Just one thing stands in the way … the fact that someone else likes uncovering secrets, too—Lacey’s. And her unknown foe won’t hesitate to use them against her.

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About the Author

Denise Weimer writes historical and contemporary romance from her home in North Georgia and also serves as a freelance editor and the Acquisitions & Editorial Liaison for Wild Heart Books. A mother of two wonderful young adult daughters, she always pauses for coffee, chocolate, and old houses.

More from Denise

When Secrets Lead to Suspense… The Curator’s Secret is a bit of a departure from the historicals I’ve been releasing over the past year—not only in that it’s contemporary romantic suspense, and released independently rather than through a publishing house, but in its theme and setting.

Have you ever found yourself unable to keep a promise you made with the best intentions? This could happen due to unforeseen circumstances, mistakes, or information you didn’t have when you offered the pledge. The inability to follow through may break our heart, haunt us, and sever relationships. Secrets can do the same thing, stealing our ability to live authentically, blocking our blessings, and creating a stockpile of lies. Broken promises and secrets choked the life from Lacey and Trent’s youthful romance six years before the hero and heroine of The Curator’s Secret are reunited when Lacey takes a job as a curator for a historical complex on Georgia’s Jekyll Island, where Trent, unbeknownst to her, is the landscape director. Rather than the restart Lacey expects with her new career, God brings her face to face with her past—not just her first love, but also her grad school stalker who has somehow followed her to the remote island. As the threat escalates, the tale Lacey uncovers in Winter Haven Cottage of a vanished fiancé seems to parallel her own tragic romance…and possibly offer answers and healing. If her past doesn’t destroy her chance of happiness first.

The Curator’s Secret was originally written as a time slip or dual time period novel. It was my mom’s favorite story and my agent’s favorite story I’ve ever written! But somehow, we couldn’t find a publishing home for it. So at last, I’m releasing it myself to my readers who enjoy stories of faith and unique Georgia history. Even though I made the decision to pull the historical backstory out so as not to slow the modern suspense story, the history of Jekyll Island is paramount to the plot. And BONUS, I also have the historical tale of William and Clara that I can share separately to anyone who emails me from my website with their Amazon receipt number for their purchase of The Curator’s Secret. I’ll close with a fun fact. My mom and I love to take research trips when I’m gathering info for my novels. We enjoyed a beautiful stay at Jekyll for this one…until a hurricane came roaring up the coast! We had to hightail it out of there as workers boarded up the historic district. The eerie sense of impending doom sparked my idea of having a hurricane crescendo with the action in The Curator’s Secret. Imagine being trapped on an island with a storm and a stalker both bearing down on you! That’s exactly what happens to Lacey at the end of the novel. I hope you enjoy this exciting tale of redemption and romance.

Interview with the Author

Do you read books in this genre? If so, who do you like to read?

Typically, I read and write mostly historical romance. I also acquire and edit historical romances for Wild Heart Books. Most of my “reading” time is actually editing.  In the past, have definitely enjoyed some contemporary romantic suspense when I wanted to change things up.

Interestingly enough, this novel began as a dual time period story. The historical back story revealed what happened with Clara and William, the Edwardian-era couple our modern heroine is researching as she prepares to open Winter Haven Cottage to the public. Readers can email me from my website with their Amazon receipt number and request a PDF of the deleted historical scenes.

What helps you to write? Do you eat snacks, listen to music?

A cup of tea and a snack in the afternoon comes in handy when my attention starts to flag. If I’m writing a historical, I’ll occasionally turn on some historical music, such as the score from “Last of the Mohicans” for Colonials or some of my Civil War-era dance music if I’m creating a scene from that time period. Also…writing outside on my patio when the weather is nice is especially inspiring. I find that being close to nature helps the story flow. I take a lot of walks!

What is one thing readers would be surprised to learn about you?

As mentioned above, I enjoy doing living history and vintage dance. It’s the most fun when I can bring my books to an event at a historical site or festival.

What inspired you to write this book?

The Spanish moss-draped historical district on Georgia’s Jekyll Island, where Gilded Age and Edwardian millionaires spent their winters at the castle-like hotel or built fabulous “cottages” (which they considered rustic) provides inspiration in itself. The brooding atmosphere hints of romance…and secrets…both of which this novel has plenty of.

What is one question you would like readers to ask you? What would be your answer?

What’s next for you? And the answer would be…my trilogy set during the 1830s Georgia Gold Rush. Book one, The Songbird and the Surveyor, will debut this fall with Wild Heart Books. If you’d like to read a historical before then, check out my Scouts of the Georgia Frontier Series. If you prefer more contemporary romantic suspense, you might like my Restoration Trilogy.