WHAT’S INSIDE THIS PACKAGE
⭐️ Story Premise — high-concept romantic suspense western with wolf-poaching investigation and full market-matched positioning
⭐️ Complete Codex — full story bible with New Mexico canyon-country world-building, wildlife investigation authenticity, and dual POV voice system
⭐️ Chapter-by-Chapter Outline — 32 chapters + epilogue with escalating suspense and romance pacing
⭐️ AI-Ready Chapter Prompts — detailed writing instructions for every single chapter (copy-paste ready)
⭐️ Marketing Copy — Amazon listing, tropes, positioning, and social media campaigns
⭐️ Implementation Guide — step-by-step writing workflow plus a 3-book Painted Rock series roadmap
One buyer. One story. Exclusively yours.
DEVIL’S BACKBONE
She’s investigating wolf poaching.
He’s the prime suspect.
And someone wants them both dead.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Special Agent Sloane Mercer was sent to Painted Rock, New Mexico to build a case. Two protected wolves have been shot. The evidence points straight at one man.
Cash Wilder.
Third-generation rancher.
Outspoken opponent of the wolf reintroduction program.
And the only person with access to the land where the kills happened.
He looks guilty on paper.
He looks dangerous in person.
And he swears he didn’t do it.
Sloane’s job is to prove he did.
But the deeper she digs, the less the evidence makes sense.
The timeline is too perfect.
The clues are too convenient.
And someone is watching her before she’s even been in town a week.
Then the first shot is fired.
Now the investigator and her suspect are forced to work together — tracking movement across canyon country, uncovering a commercial poaching ring, and trying to stay alive long enough to expose it.
The attraction between them is immediate.
Inconvenient.
And increasingly dangerous.
Because the closer they get to the truth, the more obvious it becomes:
Cash isn’t the target.
He’s the cover.
Enemies to lovers.
Federal agent vs rancher.
High-stakes romantic suspense in the New Mexico canyon country.
And a case that could destroy them both.
WHY THIS WILL SELL
→ Romantic suspense is one of the highest-volume romance categories
→ Enemies-to-lovers + investigation creates built-in tension
→ Alpha rancher hero + federal agent heroine flips the usual power dynamic
→ Wolf reintroduction conflict adds real-world stakes and authenticity
→ Western setting taps into high-performing cowboy romance demand
→ Series-ready location supports strong read-through
TROPES
• Enemies to Lovers
• Forced Proximity
• Investigator / Suspect
• Romantic Suspense
• Alpha Rancher
• Law Enforcement Heroine
• Small Town New Mexico
• External Threat
• Survival Romance
• Slow Burn to Steamy
• Canyon Country Setting
• High-Stakes Romance
HEAT LEVEL: Steamy slow burn — first intimate scene after canyon ambush, HEA payoff ending
Perfect for fans of: Devney Perry, Katie Ruggle, Rebecca Zanetti, Catherine Cowles, and Sandra Brown