Credence

In Credence novel, bestselling author Penelope Douglas delivers a provocative, emotionally charged contemporary romance that explores grief, identity, power, and desire in total isolation from society. The novel follows Tiernan de Haas, a young woman who has grown up surrounded by fame and wealth but starved of genuine connection. As the only child of a powerful film producer and his glamorous actress wife, Tiernan’s life has been defined by neglect, boarding schools, and the constant shadow of her parents’ celebrity. Love, stability, and purpose were never part of the equation.

When her parents die suddenly, the expected devastation never arrives. For Tiernan, loneliness is nothing new. With no one else to claim her, guardianship falls to Jake Van der Berg, her father’s stepbrother, just weeks before she turns eighteen. Jake takes Tiernan far from the artificial world she knows and into the remote mountains of Colorado, where he lives with his two sons, Noah and Kaleb.

Life in the wilderness is raw, demanding, and unforgiving. Cut off from modern comforts and outside judgment, Tiernan is forced to learn how to work, survive, and depend on others for the first time in her life. Under Jake’s stern guidance and the watchful presence of Noah and Kaleb, she begins to shed the emptiness that once defined her. Slowly, she discovers belonging—not just with them, but within herself.

Yet isolation changes everything. Without society’s rules, boundaries blur and emotions intensify. Attraction grows complicated, desires deepen, and moral lines become dangerously thin. Each man represents something different: protection, temptation, and obsession. As tensions rise, Tiernan realizes she is no longer just a guest in their world—she is part of it.

Dark, sensual, and deeply unsettling at times, Credence challenges readers to confront uncomfortable questions about consent, control, and emotional dependence. Penelope Douglas crafts a story that is both intimate and controversial, blending survival, romance, and psychological tension into a narrative that lingers long after the final page.