Beautifully Broken Pieces

Sutter Lake Series, Book 1

By: Catherine Cowles

Narrated by: Maxine Mitchell, Aaron Shedlock

Length: 9 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

A woman who's lost everything.

Taylor is looking for peace and quiet away from the memories of all she's lost. A small mountain town where no one knows her seems like the perfect escape.

A man battling the ghosts of his past.

Walker loves his life just the way it is. His town, his family, his brothers in blue. Everything simple and easy - until a chance encounter changes it all.

When Taylor's solitude is interrupted by the rugged cop, they find that the very thing they were avoiding might be just what they both need. As their iron wills clash and passion flares...a killer lurks.

And you never know who might be caught in the crosshairs.

©2018 Catherine Cowles and The PageSmithLLC (P)2019 Tantor

Excellent storyline

The story was great. The performance was great. The only thing i did not like was the unnecessary bad language.

Such a good story!

I was really surprised that this story turned out to be such a wonderful, romantic, exciting, suspense, and heartfelt story. And the ending you would have never guessed.. loved it loved it loved it💕

Spicy Suspense with Great Twists

5/5 ⭐
3/5 🌶️

This was my first time picking up Catherine Cowles and it certainly won't be the last. Beautifully Broken Pieces was absolutely riveting from beginning to end. I loved the characters, the story and the spice so, so much.

I listened to the audible book and absolutely loved Maxine Mitchell and Aaron Shedlock as narrators. I am always nervous when I grab a book with voice actors I haven't heard before, but both of them were fantastic and I'm already looking forward to hearing more from them.

I really enjoyed these two main characters. Both are broken with grief and in a little spin off the usual trope of optimistic girl convinces pessimistic guy, we get the opposite with BBP. Walker who despite losing his first love in a horrific manner, breaks down Taylor's walls and convinces her it's okay to love again, that not everyone leaves you by choice or in death. Their chemistry is fantastic and I really loved the spice; there wasn't a ton, but what there was hotttt.

The murderer reveal knocked me off my feet. My first guess ended up being a main character in a later book which I spoiled for myself without thinking by looking ahead. But not too much later the killer was revealed and I didn't see it coming at all. Catherine did an amazing job of laying ground work and false trails and I really can't wait for more from her. Next up is Liam and Tessa and I'm so excited for their story.

Catherine Cowles! Wow!!

Great story!! Loved the twists the romance…all of it Can’t wait to read the rest of the series!

terribly quivery narration but cute story

the story was fun, but the guy narrator was too husky/dramatic and the girl narrator was so quivery it was grating to the ears. sounded like she was about to sob or throw up when it was supposed to be an angry or sexy scene...very off-putting!

Off to a good start

I enjoyed this first book in the Sutter Lake series. I will say that I wasn't too far into the book when I had a (correct) guess about who the killer was, but while usually that would bum me out, the rest of the story kept me interested. Overall, I thought this was a good entry into the series and I look forward to the others.

Recommended

An excellent start to the 'Stutter Lake' series. The characters are interesting and varied; the mystery engaging & the couple full of chemistry. I did get tired of Taylor's self-absorbtion, that she couldn't seem to get a clue. I can't wait to see who is next.

The narrators did an terrific job bringing the story to life.

Catherine Cowles, I 💖 You!

Hands down, Catherine Cowles is my new favorite author! The Sutter Lake Series was my first introduction to her writing and it still stands as one of my favorite series. Read all of her books because they are all fantastic!

5 Beautifully Broken Stars.

Beautifully Broken Pieces is Book 1 in the Sutter Lake Series. A small town romance with the perfect balance of mystery, suspense, emotion, and heat. Taylor recently lost her mother after caring for her the past couple of years throughout her sickness. Thinking Taylor needed to get away for a little while, Taylor’s friends plan a vacation to Sutter Lake. Needing a change of scenery and thinking the fresh air will do her some good, Taylor decides to make Sutter Lake her home for the next year.

Walker, Sutter Lake’s deputy sheriff, is no stranger to pain and loss—so it’s no surprise he’s able to see both reflected in Taylor’s eyes the first time he meets her. Walker can’t help but be drawn to Taylor, even though he resists at first. He eventually gives into the chemistry between but Walker knows he’s got his got his work cut out for him when it comes to breaking down Taylor’s walls and defenses.

Just when Walker has those walls crumbling down, tragedy strikes the normally quiet town of Sutter Lakes. It seems Taylor pulling away may not be the greatest challenge Walker is facing, not when there’s a serial killer on the loose and she just might be caught in their crosshairs.

Narrators can make or break an audio for me. Aaron Shedlock and Maxine Mitchell did not disappoint. They did an excellent job bringing both Walker and Taylor’s characters to life.

This book was the first I had read by Catherine Cowles and I immediately fell in love with her writing style. I was blown away when I discovered this was only her second published novel. I’ve since read all of her subsequent books and am now working my way through the audio versions. I must say even after reading every other book she’s written this is still one of my absolute favorites.

Catherine Cowles is an author I will one-click time and time again. Zero hesitation. I don’t even have to read the blurb. I don’t say that lightly as I read/listen to 200+ books a year and there are only 2 other authors that fall in that category for me. I can confidently say there is no book Cowles could ever write that I would regret reading.

good read

Loved the characters. Narration was perfect. Story line kept me interested. I honestly didn't think I was going to like the book but it grabbed me and kept my interest.