All the Missing Pieces by Catherine Cowles
18+ Contains Adult Content
All the Missing Pieces follows Ridley, who is a true crime podcaster; she travels the country covering cold cases. Ridley lost her twin sister, Avery, the night before their college graduation; all that was left were Avery’s keys. Ridley knows what it feels like to lose someone and never get answers, which is what makes her a caring, sensitive and respectful podcaster. Ridley’s latest cold case takes her to Shady Grove, where she is covering a cold case from 10 years ago in which a young girl was taken, but she managed to get away. This may be the first time Ridley has a victim she can speak with, said, victim is the Sheriff’s sister, and Sheriff Colter Brooks will be damned if some podcaster comes into his town and stirs up trouble. Well, that is, until Ridley’s case goes from cold to smoking hot in one leap, putting her in danger. Colt does what any respectable Sheriff would do and moves her into his house to keep her safe.
That was the one thing these monsters didn’t realize. They thought they were only ending one life, but it was so many more. The ripple effect of cruel violence that would live on for generations to come, all of us still breathing branded by it.
•Romantic Suspense •Grumpy x Sunshine •Enemies to lovers •Small town romance •Forced proximity •He falls first •Cat who gives tooth hugs
•Kidnapping •Murder •Violence •Grief •Loss •PTSD •Stalking •Graphic sexual scenes •Explicit language •Sexual assault (secondary character) •Flashbacks •Attempted murder •agoraphobia
She oozed an effortless sort of beauty. But more than that, a light. From her golden hair to the fire in those blue eyes.
And that fire was currently pointed straight at me. And because I was a masochist, I liked it right there.
Okay, I have to start this review off by saying I LOVED this book. It was the perfect mix of romance and crime/mystery/thriller. I have now ordered a bunch more of Catherine’s books, don’t tell the husband lol.
Ridley is such an amazing character, she is strong, independent and a bit sassy. She knows what she wants, and she won’t let anybody stand in her way. When she lost her twin, she decided to live life to the fullest for both of them, which is a beautiful way to deal with loss. She has a pet cat called Tater, who is notorious for her “tooth hugs”, which makes me think of my mum’s cat; he does the same thing when you stroke him, he loves it, then bites you lol. Tater and Ridley travel the country in Bessie, Ridley’s VW Kombi van. Tater, having travelled with Ridley since she got her, is well trained in that she follows her around when she is outside, and she sits at the head of Ridley’s paddleboard. To be fair, she seems like an epic cat and is totally the MVP of this book.
Colt is broody, grumpy, protective and also quick-witted and caring. He cares very deeply for his younger sister, Emerson, and will stop anybody from making her relive the past. He carries around the guilt of Emerson’s kidnapping, which adds a layer to his broodiness. I love the way Colt and Ridley go back and forth; they are both quick-witted.
My body was an idiot. This man had been a dick of epic proportions. Rude and cruel. A grumpy-assed prick. My nipples should not be reacting to him. It was a betrayal of the highest order.
I loved the setting of Shady Grove; it seems very picturesque. A small town with forests and lakes seems like a perfect place, not gonna lie. I really enjoyed the writing style of this book too; it flowed really well and was easy to read. It was like I said, the perfect mix of romance and crime/mystery. We got all the action and the sitting on the edge of the seat trying to figure out who done it, along with the slowburn romance, the tension, the angst, and not to forget the hot spicy scenes. I like to pride myself on guessing who done it before all is revealed, but never in a million years would I have guessed this one, and I loved that!
Mariah Montoya, the author of By the Orchid and the Owl, recommended this book to me as a part of my 12 Months…12 Authors…12 Books challenge, where I asked 12 authors to recommend a book by a different author. It was a way of seeing what books my favourite authors loved, and to find new authors to read. Now, I won’t lie, when Mariah recommended this book, I hadn’t heard of the book or the author, and when I saw the cover, I wrinkled my nose at it, automatically thinking I wasn’t going to like this book. Then I read the blurb and thought hold on, this does sound like a bit of me. So, learn from my lesson, guys, do not judge a book by its cover.
I’m super glad this was recommended because I have found an author whose work is right up my alley, and one I would have skipped over because I am bad at judging books by their cover, so thank you, Mariah!
I highly recommend this book if you like mystery/thrillers and romance.
Haven’t you figured it out yet, Chaos? You’ve had me breaking all the rules since the day I met you.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️🌶️/5
