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

Beautiful Mix of Romance and Suspense

“Life doesn’t always take us on a path we understand, but I know that even with the moments you think will break you, there’s always something beautiful waiting. If you keep pushing on.”

This was such a compelling story about grief and the different ways we cope with it in order to heal ourselves. Taylor and Walker have both suffered unthinkable loses, something that has shaped their future and relationships in different ways. And not only is this a beautiful romance story it has the unexpected suspense elements of missing women, dead bodies and mysterious hunters - so this story ticks all the boxes for a great audiobook. Maxine and Aaron bring Walker and Taylor to life in such a way that I got chills from several of the scenes.

Pushing everyone away so she can deal with the grief, Taylor is especially hesitant to let anyone new close, including the town cop Walker Cole. Yet Walker isn’t one to let someone suffer alone when he knows similar grief. Building a friendship with Walker, Taylor didn’t expect to want or need him but he ended up being the exact solace her heart was looking for. I absolutely loved his unending support for Taylor and could only hope for someone like him in my time of need.

Beautiful story brought to life

Maxine Mitchel and Aaron Sherlock brought this story to life. Hearing Taylor struggling to cope after her mom passed away and building a new life in a new town with the deputy chief, Walker Cole, of the police department of the small town and someone the whole town adores. Walker’s eccentric grandma will make you laugh with her schemes and lack of filter.

Sutter Home is a usually sleepy town that gets hit with a serial killer. With that comes unexpected turns and Walker with the help of his best friend Tucker do everything they can to keep their town safe and bring justice to whoever is killing the innocent women.

This book will warm your heart and keep you wanting to know what happens next especially when there are more killings and they get more personal.

Amazing!

I didn't think it was possible to love this book any more than I already did until I just listened to it and it came alive even more.

Very disappointed

Story -
The plot is weak. The main characters are supposed to be adults in positions of authority, but they often act like 12 year-olds.
Taylor has recently lost her mother to cancer after a three battle with the disease. The loss of her mom debilitates Taylor to the point that she is pushing everyone away, decides that the pain of death is greater than the joy of love. She is also almost unable to function when others are around experiencing joy.

I know the loss of a loved one is hard, but Taylor is in her mid to late 20's. She taught 5th grade in LA long enough to make four very close friends and then went home to Texas to nurse her mom for 3 years.

The male character is deputy chief of police in a small town in Oregon. Instead of telling Taylor that she shouldn't go on her 10-mile runs alone in the wilderness because two women in the area are missing, one who was found dead, he tells it isn't safe because she is a city girl and there may be animals.

When he discovers he cares about Taylor deeply, instead of telling her his feelings, therefore doing away with pages of angst, he thinks the only way to make her love him in return is to take it very slowly and treat only as a friend. It produces mixed signals that could have been solved with a short conversation.

My biggest problem with the man is his love for the f-word. I am no prude and have no problem with judicially placed 'four letter words'. But I got sick and tired of him saying, "She is so f-ing beautiful, or she is so f-ing this or that." Thinking back I don't think another character in the book uses strong language at all. It felt very out of place.

Performance:
There is an 8 year-old child in the book and the voice for him is terrible.
The book is told from the point of view of the two main characters. When it is Taylor a woman speaks when it is the male, a man speaks. Often in the sections where the man is speaking he carried the conversation for a male and a female. This does not work at all. The man's female voice sounded childish.

I would not buy any of the other books in this series after reading this one and would return it if I could.

To the Moon and Back

This was my first Catherine Cowles book. Before I even finished it I bought the other 2 in the series. Grief takes different paths for each of us and Catherine captured this beautifully. This was a sad break your heart then make you pump your fist in joy book. Walker was pretty fantastic- swoon worthy and I enjoyed his relationship with his family and Tucker. I enjoy a book even more when secondary characters make you fall in love with them too! This book has done that too..., I look forward to going back to Sutter Lake💙

Pretty good

I could not put this book down. It was pretty good .It reminds me of Author’s like Kristen Higgins and Abbi Glines.

Loved this romantic suspense!

Taylor is mourning the death of her mother and seeking the quiet healing a small town can bring. Walker, a local police office, convinced he won’t find another love after tragically losing his first, meets Taylor when he rents her his family’s cabin. Their past and present come together when women begin turning up dead and Taylor finds herself in the crosshairs. I loved the way Walker and Taylor’s romance isn’t forced and it’s natural growth, overcoming emotional hurdles and painful pasts. The narrators are great. Maxine Mitchell is incredible as always. I will definitely be reading/listening to the next book in this series!

Mystery and romance

Great story with a budding romance that built slowly. The suspense and mystery also added a lot to the story.

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.

Small town romantic suspense QUEEN!

I'm fairly new to this author, but after listening to my very first book by her I knew that I was going to end up doing a backlog binge. And so here we are. The first book of the Sutter Lake series.

What I love about this book:
1. The range of emotions is REAL. We get everything from heart-wrenching grief to heartfelt declarations. The angsty grasp of a murder mystery, with the low burn of a steamy romance. I ADORED every minute!
2. The way Walker was able to understand Taylor's grief and help her to work through all of the emotions one deals with after the death of a loved one.
3. The murder/mystery portion of the storyline was fabulous! I never would've guessed who it was! lol
4. OBVIOUSLY, I'm going to be a fan of the steamy parts. And boy does this book deliver! Walker sure knows how to talk to a lady!

If you're looking for a small-town romance with a murder/mystery twist, this one is a winner! Go for the DL!

Secrets in a romance

🎧 AUDIO REVIEW 🎧

AUDIO 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
BOOK 🌟🌟🌟🌟


Lovely story of a women Taylor who moves to a small town who struggles with loss. She finds love and happiness in the small town and becomes one of them.

A very sweet hero. Lovely story.

emotions 💕 romance, heartache and betrayal

Both Taylor and Walker have suffered deep loss which has affected their outlook regarding any committed relationships, but are surprised by the reaction they have towards each other.
Walker's job on the local police keeps him busy as several young women go missing
Definitely worth reading ❤