The Dossier of Subtle Repercussions
by Lorna Tedder
Fiction · The Payback Archives #3 · Secret Lives of Librarians Universe
Think La Femme Nikita–style covert ops collide with the dark academia spell‑slinging of The Magicians and the snark‑sleuth vibes of Veronica Mars in a surveillance mission about learning to trust again after your ex-boyfriend chooses the international book thief over you.
Description
Empathic agent Lilah Burns learned the hard way that trust is a luxury she can’t afford—especially after her ex chose an international book thief over her. When Professor Drusilla St. Augustine assigns her a routine surveillance mission at a historic Florida lodge, Lilah expects to watch a simple trap catch book thieves.
She’s dead wrong.
The mission is actually bait to expose a mole in their own organization—someone’s been leaking classified intel, and Dru’s elaborate setup is designed to flush them out. All Lilah and her partner Raven Darbyshire have to do is observe and report back. But when the stakes turn deadly and betrayal hits closer to home than expected, Lilah realizes the most dangerous part of the mission isn’t the surveillance.
It’s letting Raven matter enough to break down the walls she’s spent years building around her heart.
Genre
Urban Fantasy Romance, Romantic Suspense
Tone
Emotionally complex, quietly hopeful, romantically satisfying, psychologically grounded
Tropes
- Empathic heroine in workplace romance
- Secret society librarians
- Betrayal by ex-boyfriend
- Slow burn with competent, protective hero
- Found family in magical libraries
Why You’ll Love It
Delivers emotional healing for readers who’ve questioned their worth after betrayal, offering the possibility that trust can be rebuilt carefully, one honest moment at a time, even when your picker has been spectacularly broken before.
Trigger Warnings
- Emotional betrayal and workplace romantic tension
- Life-threatening situations
- References to past trauma
- Character death
About the Author
Lorna Tedder is a non-denominational minister, volunteer grief counselor, and full-time writer after a long career in public service. She writes fiction that crosses genres — from paranormal thrillers to romantic suspense to speculative women’s fiction — and non-fiction on spirituality, manifestation, grief, and personal growth. She lives in the Florida Panhandle with her family.