Two Authors in One

Authors using a pen name (pseudonym) isn’t anything new. They have been doing it for centuries. Still, I was surprised when I discovered an author I frequently read had authored books under an entirely different name and in a genre I wasn’t aware she wrote.

That author is Rachel Hawkins, also known as Erin Sterling.

The first book I read by Rachel Hawkins was Rebel Belle, the first book in her trilogy of the same name. It’s a young adult mashup of fantasy, romance and a bit of humor, as evidenced by the first line: “Looking back, none of this would have happened if I’d brought lip gloss the night of the Homecoming Dance.” That first line, along with the pretty pink cover with a dagger holding up a string of pearls, piqued my curiosity. It was a fun read about Harper, a Southern Belle who discovers she has superhuman powers and is meant to guard the person she can’t stand the most.

Hawkins has another young adult trilogy, Hex Hall, about a teenage witch sent away to a reform school for the supernatural after a spell goes awry at the prom. She also writes middle grade fiction - Ruby & Olivia, a mystery about an abandoned mansion and unlikely friends.

Fast forward a few years and I saw Rachel Hawkins had started writing adult suspense with a gothic twist. I immediately picked up The Wife Upstairs, published in 2021. In this twist on Jane Eyre, Jane is a broke dog walker who has a handful of clients in a Birmingham, Alabama gated community. She quickly finds herself involved with Eddie Rochester, a widowed resident surrounded by mystery. This novel was a wild ride and I was all in. Ms. Hawkins has gone on to publish a suspense novel every year since, with her most recent novel being The Heiress. If you enjoy your suspense/thriller novels full of twists and turns, then she will not disappoint.

So, I placed Rachel Hawkins firmly in the adult suspense genre. And then I read The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling. I was in the mood for a fall romance and this witchy novel was exactly what I was looking for. The Ex Hex is an enemies to lovers story set in a small college town with rival witches hiding in plain sight. I always read the author’s notes and biography otherwise I would have never known that Erin Sterling is Rachel Hawkins’ pen name when she writes in the romance genre. I am now fully invested in her Graves Glen series. I just finished the second book, The Kiss Curse, and can’t wait to start her most recent release, The Wedding Witch.

After this surprising discovery, I have two pieces of advice for other readers - always read the author’s note and don’t sleep on Rachel Hawkins and/or Erin Sterling!

Order Rachel Hawkins' books from Neighborhood Reads here!

Order Erin Sterling's books from Neighborhood Reads here!