Unauthorized Tour & Giveaway

About the Book

Book: Unauthorized, a prequel novella

Author: Sherri Wilson Johnson

Genre: Faith-Based Contemporary Romantic Suspense

Release Date: October 7, 2025

Daisy Blackwood has always played by the rules. As a meticulous budget analyst in Nashville, she’s built a life of quiet routines and steady work—until one discovery shatters everything. She uncovers evidence of embezzlement at her firm and sets off a chain of events that leaves Daisy framed, frightened, and fighting to clear her name.

With her career—and freedom—on the line, Daisy finds an unexpected ally in Owen Mackenzie, a sharp-witted IT auditor who’s more comfortable behind a screen than in the middle of corporate chaos. As danger closes in, Owen steps out of the shadows to protect her, and a slow-burning connection sparks into something deeper.

Set against the soulful backdrop of Nashville, this heartwarming romantic suspense blends “wrongfully accused,” “slow burn romance,” and “protective hero” tropes into a story of courage, trust, and unexpected love.

As Daisy and Owen dig deeper into a dangerous conspiracy, they’ll have to risk everything—including their hearts—to uncover the truth.

* Unauthorized is the prequel novella to book one in Sherri’s The Silas Holcomb Legacy series, coming out in the fall of 2025.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Sherri Wilson Johnson writes romantic suspense from her home in Georgia where she lives with her husband, their two dogs and spoiled Bombay cat. Sherri loves spending time with family, vacationing at the beach, reading or working on her current work-in-progress. She dreams of a second home on some beach somewhere some day, where she can plot romantically suspenseful novels around the clock.

More from Sherri

When I started dreaming up the Silas Holcomb Legacy series, I knew I didn’t want to write about traditional heroes and heroines. You know the type—confident, charismatic, effortlessly brave. Instead, I wanted to explore the quieter, quirkier people we often overlook. The dependable coworker. The quiet thinker in the back of the meeting room. The ones who aren’t flashy or bold or naturally brave. The ones who doubt themselves more than they should. The ones who never imagined they’d find themselves at the center of a high-stakes mystery… or a love story.

That’s the heart of The Silas Holcomb Legacy series, and specifically the vibe you’ll feel in Unauthorized, the prequel novella. Daisy and Owen are the kinds of people who don’t usually get the spotlight—but should.

Daisy is a sharp-minded budget analyst working in the competitive corporate world of Nashville. She’s smart, driven, and meticulous—but doesn’t exactly stand out in a room. (Well, to Owen—the quiet, nerdy guy from IT—she does, but she doesn’t know that!) After the recent death of her estranged grandfather, she’s emotionally raw and not at all ready to play detective. But when she stumbles across an embezzlement scheme and someone tries to frame her for it, she’s forced to step into a role she never imagined: the one who solves the mystery.

And she doesn’t do it alone.

Owen is not your typical romantic lead—he knows more about server logs than small talk. He’s not suave, he’s not smooth, but he’s steady and loyal and brilliant in all the ways that matter. Together, they dig into the company’s secrets, unravel a trail of deception, and prove that you don’t need to be the loudest person in the room to change the story.

This story is about rising to the occasion, even when you don’t feel like the kind of person who’s supposed to save the day. It’s about finding strength when you’d rather hide. About realizing you were never a side character—you were just waiting for your moment to lead.

And yes, it’s about love that grows not from charm or swagger, but from courage and kindness. Daisy and Owen prove that sometimes, the least likely heroes are exactly the ones we need. Their journey is close to my heart, and I hope their story encourages readers to believe in their own quiet kind of brave.

And the most exciting part? This is the first book in a thrilling and mysterious new series that brings an estranged family back together. Will they stay together? Well, you’ll have to stay tuned for the rest of the series to find out!

I can’t wait to show you what’s next.

Sherri

MY REVIEW

What starts out as an inquiry into discrepancies in the accounting books, Daisy quickly finds there is something very suspicious going on. I like how Daisy is focused on finding out why the budgets aren’t adding up. I was not prepared for the unexpected encounter with someone in the parking garage. Daisy was so focused on her evening with Owen that the pain in her body was a shock. Who is warning her about sniffing around where she is not wanted? This is a wonderful way to grab readers attention as I immediately became very intrigued.

Owen is a quiet guy who works behind the scenes at the company with Daisy. He has had a crush on her for awhile when an opportunity to spend time with her presents itself. The author portrays him as a kind person who is not afraid to help someone out. His fierce protective nature takes over when he finds Daisy still in the parking lot. Can you imagine what was going thru his mind when he sees her in disarray ? He had just left her moments ago to pick up food to bring to her apartment. The author reminds us how quickly life can change in the blink of an eye.

Let’s set aside all the action right now so I can point out how clever the author’s writing is. There is a scene where Daisy and Owen are getting ready to eat chicken tenders and homemade Mac and cheese. Here comes the creative part. Owen is taking out the chicken tenders that he refers to as, “edible fire hydrants.” I had to read that one sentence several times before I got what the author meant. It made me laugh at such an ingenious way to describe food. This allows readers to get a glimpse of the writing technique of the author. I was very impressed and knew from this moment on, the author would become one of my favorites.

The story starts to get deeper into technology and when someone tries to sabotage Daisy. I like the trail the author gives us as clues start to make sense. Now I already had the guilty person picked out. However is it too obvious to be that person and why are they doing it? Oh my is this book giving me so many different ideas, that I don’t know which direction to go.

Be prepared for the ending that leads me to believe that there is some unfinished business. Oh I hope we see a book coming soon in this series. Did you figure out who was behind the embezzlement? I have a feeling we may see more from this very talented author.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.