5.5 stars

"We'd be playing with fire."
"Then let's watch it burn."

Within the first few pages of this book I was hooked and by chapter two I was completely addicted. Catherine Cowles has already dominated the romantic suspense trope but this story truly sees her writing shine as it focuses more on the suspense with a side of romance. Now I'm not saying this isn't a romance - the relationship and chemistry between these characters is seriously amazing - but the mystery and suspense are the shining stars. The twists and turns had me glued to the pages, my only goal was unraveling this mystery. Spoiler alert, I didn't.

I adored these characters, from the bubbly heroine to the grumpy sheriff to the quirky inhabitants of the town. And my absolute favorite, Tater, and her tooth hugs! This story truly has it all - the mystery kept me on the edge of my seat, the banter had me laughing throughout, and the chemistry had me fanning myself - and I absolutely loved it.

I am truly blown away by this boo. I’ve never really gotten vested in the “true crime” genre but this book absolutely fascinated me. The author did a phenomenal job developing these intense characters and weaving in one of my favorite plot twists ever into this dark, heartbreaking, and beautifully healing story.

I absolutely loved this story! Being a fellow true crime podcast lover, the whole concept of the book was right up my alley. There were interviews, multiple suspects and logical methodology that are typically included in a good true crime podcast, but put into a romantic suspense story! Basically, many things that I love were incorporated.

Another aspect of the book that I love was the setting and characters. With its stunning lakes and mountain views, I felt like I was right there experiencing the sites. I couldn’t get enough of Ridley’s cat, Tater and her “tooth hugs”! Additionally, the enemies-to-lovers trope was full on between the two MCs. The two’s chemistry was sizzling and I was here for it. The cast of secondary characters deserved an Oscar. They had depth, strategically contributing to the story by keeping the pacing of the story running along and making me want to know them all as friends.

Overall, this felt quite different than a lot of Catherine’s stories and she did a spectacular job in crafting this story.

I LOVED this book so much! This was my very first Catherine Cowles book, and I truly don't think I could have chosen a better one to start with. I didn't want to stop reading this once I started and stayed up two nights in a row into the wee hours of the morning to read as much as I could.

A true crime junkie will devour this book whether they listen to podcast or watch the documentaries. The suspense, the romance, the constant who done it, so so good. I, for one, was completely shocked with the "who done it" and didn't figure it out on my own. That is how you know you it's a great suspense story.

Ridley and Colt's constant push and pull of angst was perfection. I have so much respect for Ridley and Emerson, for that matter. Both women are braver than I ever thought about being. There's so much heartbreak, loss and grief, determination, and grit, love, and loyalty wrapped up in the pages of this book. I highly recommend this one!!

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own!!

✨You look beautiful. A kind of beauty that would make any man stop in his tracks. But it’s only matched by your fierceness.” ✨

First off, I absolutely loved this book! Ridley was such a sweet girl and I just loved everything about her! She’s definitely one of my favorite FMC written by Catherine. 😍 This is a small town romantic suspense that features a podcaster who’s trying to find out how her sister disappeared. Along the way she meets a broody town sheriff who’s not to happy she’s in his town but soon things turn. 🤭🤭

✨ “Be safe, Chaos. It’s going to piss me the hell off if you end up dead.”

“You say the sweetest things, Law Man.” ✨

Once Colt finds out more about Ridley, he gets so protective over her and omg my heart just melted. I loved that this book had so much suspenseful plot and when the spice hit, it was just the perfect amount. 🙌🏻

✨ “Don’t,”

“It’s a bad idea,” “We’d be playing with fire.”

“Then let’s watch it burn.” ✨

Also the cute pets in this book?!? Like ugh I love them.🥰 As I was getting towards the ending of this book, I definitely got teary and felt so much emotions for these characters. ❤️ Thank you so much Catherine for the ARC! Forever grateful 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻

✨ “Love you, Chaos.”
“Love you, Law Man.”✨

Tropes:
•Small Town Romance
•Podcaster/Sheriff
•Hate to Love
•Romantic Suspense
•Forced Proximity
•Grumpy/Sunshine

I’d never read this author before but I was expecting more of thriller/ suspense and not so much of a romance. I liked the idea of the storyline. Ridley’s sister vanishes and then she starts a podcast that becomes very popular, researching unsolved cases. That brought her to a small town where she meets Colt. Gumpy x sunshine sheriff. They have banter and a connection. There were some thriller aspects that I did like but overall, just not what I was expecting. If I went into it knowing it was romance based I might have had a different opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

2024 🤝🏻 my catherine cowles era

i’m glad i got to end the year (and my reading goal) with this gem of a romance thriller 💜 thank you to catherine and sourcebooks for giving me the opportunity to read this arc!

i finished this book in one weekend - vastly different from my normal 3-5 business days consistency lol. that’s how you know i enjoyed it!

i’ve always known i was a thriller girly and this was clearly no exception. a murder mystery about a cold case that happened to a twin sister ten years ago? a viral podcast where the surviving twin uses her platform to bring other cold cases into the light to help connect the dots to her sister’s case? sign me up.

not to mention a grumpy, overprotective sheriff getting in her way? yes yes yes.

i loved every bit of this story. from ridley’s sunshine attitude (in spite of all the dark she’s been through) to her bravery and determination to see this case through. i wanted to scream at her to stop searching (since she was going to get herself killed), but also to keep going at the same time 😭😭 i was being pulled in all different directions !!

and to see how a small town comes together to protect their loved ones made my heart so so full. everyone made an impact and the banter between each person made the story more lighthearted!

and that ending 🤯 i normally can seek the predictable, but i was definitely not expecting who it was in the end. good job catherine!!

can’t wait to continue this mystery series 🫶🏻💜

4 Stars I finally did it! I finally guessed the correct bad guy in a Catherine Cowles novel! All the Missing Pieces is an all new standalone hate to love, grumpy/sunshine, close proximity, romantic suspense.

Ever since her twin sister Avery was abducted five years ago, true crime podcaster Ridley Sawyer has dedicated her life to bringing new attention to cold cases and finding justice for those like her sister. When a failed abduction case brings her to the small California town of Shady Cove, Ridley immediately butts heads with the town sheriff, Colter Brooks. The cold case heats up and puts Ridley into a killer’s crosshairs. As Ridley and Colt get closer to the truth, they get closer to one another and can’t deny the feelings between them.

True crime podcast lovers are going to enjoy All the Missing Pieces! It has just the right balance of romance and suspense as Colt and Ridley work together to solve the case. Catherine Cowles knows how to precisely build up the tension to keep you on the edge of your seat, turning the pages as fast as you can to see what happens next. Another trademark of a Catherine Cowles novel is an entertaining cast of characters and the residents of Shady Cove were great. I loved Emerson and Trey, especially together. Keeping my fingers crossed for a book about them next!

Thank you Sourcebooks Casablanca and Catherine Cowles for the ARC! All the Missing Pieces releases January 7th!

When right from the beginning I love the main character, a new author, to me, has me vested. That’s the case with Catherine Cowles' All the Missing Pieces. When she introduces a male character, a sheriff no less, who just fits the part to a T, and naturally they are going to be opposites, and you watch their meeting develop the story, add another plus for the author. Then lets get to the plot, a true crime podcaster roams the country to solve crimes in her little bus Bessie. She is quite successful but always looking for the answer to her twin sister’s disappearance years before. Could it be by a serial killer who got his start in the sheriff’s hometown? Add the plot twists, the delightful town characters who naturally fall for Ridley, our podcaster, Sheriff Cole protecting his town and his sister, and oh you can’t forget Tater. When the surprise ending hits, you’ll find yourself, like me, looking forward to the next book by Cowles and wishing you could meet the characters again. A totally A+ romantic suspense novel and I’ve now added Cowles to my favorite author list. Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for the ARC

DNF @ 12%, so I won't be rating this one on any of my review platforms.

All the Missing Pieces was a book I really wanted to like, and from the blurb, I <i>should</i> have. The author's books are constantly popping up in my timeline with rave reviews that made me hopeful. But there were many things that didn't work for me. It was overwritten, and I found some of the description was odd. (Acres of hair? Really?) The MFC was giving off 'not like other girl' vibes, but she was like so many other heroines I've read. The banter between the couple was annoying and so familiar. Unfortunately, this one just missed the mark for me.

All The Missing Pieces by Cathrine Cowles delivers a gripping suspenseful story with a plot that keeps you engaged. The twists and turns are well-crafted, and the mystery surrounding the characters’ pasts adds a strong layer of intrigue. However, the romance felt a bit too rushed for my taste. The “insta-love” dynamic didn’t allow for the tension and buildup I was hoping for. More banter and gradual development between the characters would have made their connection feel more authentic. Overall, a solid read for suspense lovers, but the romance could have been more compelling. 3.5 out of 5. Thanks Catherine Cowles for the eARC.

Catherine Cowles can do no wrong!! Her books never fail to suck me in and capture my attention from page one. She brings the swoons and the mystery.

This book was no different! I loved the true crime podcast element and how all the characters’ stories were woven together.

Ridley is sunshine and fire. She has seen the darkest and most sinister side of life, and she doesn’t let that stop her. She turned it into fuel to fight for a better place.

Colt is the grumpy to her sunshine. His view of the world has been defined by a dark time and it might just take Ridley’s light to show him the good in the world.

I really enjoyed the premise of this book!

Catherine Cowels does an excellent job of making you suspect everyone, while trying to figure out the who done it aspect of her books. This one completely took me by surprise! (And I love it when that happens).

This is an enemies to benefits to lovers, with a great cast of side characters, and a small town cast of characters that is unique. Colt and Ridley (of Chaos as Colt calls her), have great tension between them, the entire book.

This is definitely an emotional book, but also a lot of moments of hope. This is definitely one of my favorite Catherine Cowels books I’ve read.

I absolutely loved this book! I've been a fan of Catherine's for awhile, and she has the ability to weave such an inciting story every time! This is one of my favorites by her - the true crime podcaster was such a fun spin, and something I've not read before!

I will say - I'm a little biased, because Catherine had asked me a long time ago if she could name a cat Tater after my cat, Tater!

I can't wait for this book to be out in the world!

“You’ve had me breaking all the rules since the day I met you."
•

after her sister disappears the night before their college graduation, Ridley devotes her life and career to exposing cold case files through her true crime podcast. all the while, she’s also privately working to solve her sister’s case. in doing so, it leads her to the small town of Shady Cov — the place she believes to be the genesis of a series of heinous crimes and the key to uncovering what happened to her sister.

but first she has to break through the wall of overprotective townsfolk, including the grumpy sheriff who wants nothing more than for her to turn her van around and take her sassy three-legged cat with her as she leaves town. little does she know that Colt has a difficult history with cold cases himself. slowly but surely, these two warm up to one another enough to compare notes and potentially crack the case wide open.

while the subject matter is heavy, All the Missing Pieces wasn’t so intense that I couldn’t stomach the journey. I felt like I was alongside Ridley as she investigated the string of cold cases, while also feeling the deep emotions the cast of characters experienced.

I’m still relatively new to the romantic suspense genre, and of the Catherine Cowles books I’ve read so far, this is my favorite!
•

this and that:
♡ cat parents
♡ cold case solving
♡ dual pov
♡ frenemies-with-benefits
♡ hurt x comfort
♡ loathe-to-love
♡ open door spice
♡ podcaster x sheriff
♡ small towns
♡ suspenseful romance
♡ true crime podcasts
•

triggers:
☞ agoraphobia
☞ death of a loved one
☞ grooming (discussed, occurs off-page)
☞ kidnapping
☞ missing person
☞ murder (off-page)
☞ physical attacks and violence
☞ rape (mentioned, does not occur on page)

Oh you want to talk about All The Missing Pieces? Well, IT LEFT ME IN PEICES. Sobbing on the floor gasping for air but GAH DAMN I LOVED THIS BOOK.

Not only did Catherine give us a story full of love and hope and grief and light. But anyone who has ever lost anyone they loved can relate with Ridley. Any reader who picks up this book will feel the heart and soul that went into this book. Colt and Ridleys stories were painful but beautifully written and it made me want to hug them but also go hug my sister tight and never let her go.

"I’d gotten the privilege of loving Avery for twenty-two years in this life and forever in the next."

I have never met a Catherine Cowles man that I did not fall in love with and Colter Brooks is NOT the exception. This man is a specimen of the FINEST caliber 🥵 watching his grumpy side soften for Ridley as he learned more pieces of her story made me feel all warm and gooey inside. And Ridley, oh my strong brave girl. She was a light of hope in this story, never failing to rise no matter what was thrown at her. She is the sister we all deserve to have and the sister I hope I can live up to.

“Is it fitting that I’m laughing and crying when I’ve told you I love you?”

“Baby, you’re chaos. Of course it is.”

In this story we meet a new small town in the Catherine Cowles universe and as always it is charming and full of loveable side characters. I know this story is a standalone but there are so many characters I want to learn more about!

With an audiobook its important that the narrators embody the emotions of the characters, especially in a story such as this one. Andi and Sebastian did an amazing job. They had perfect voice inflections and I could feel the emotion that they were putting into the story as much as I felt the words. They brought Shady Cove to live in a way that made this book and audiobook one of my top reads of 2024.

But seriously. This book was something incredible. There are parts of this story that I will carry with me long after I've finished reading 🤍🧩

Thank you endlessly to Catherine and Sourcebooks for the ARC of this story!

Welcome to Shady Cove, California, an all new series by the queen of small town romantic suspense herself, Catherine Cowles. And if she was a queen before All the Missing Pieces, she’s a dang Empress now!

Ridley is a true-crime podcaster, traveling the country with her VW van, her paddleboard, her recording equipment, and her cat. When she gets to Shady Cove to look into a botched kidnapping attempt from over a decade ago. As more of the story comes to light, readers will be on the rollercoaster ride of a lifetime, racing the clock before it’s too late and someone silences Ridley before she uncovers what really happened. Add in a broody sheriff, who just happens to be big brother of said kidnapping victim, his town bartender best friend, and a host of other delightful townfolk and I hope we get to stay in Shady Cove a while. I loved these characters and this town.

All the Missing Pieces takes every element of a Catherine Cowles novel that you have come to love and expect and then dials them all up to eleven (hundred!). The banter is hilarious, the dirty talk will steam up the room, and the first time Ridley and Colt get together. No one is ready for that chapter! Red herrings abound and the reader will truly never see it coming. I even went in knowing that she had teased that this one was harder than most to predict the baddie and even deliberately looking for the out of the box character to be the bad guy I missed it. Catherine Cowles is one of the few authors that can keep me guessing right up to the very end. This is without a doubt my favorite Catherine Cowles book and though it is one of my last reads of 2024, it soared to the top of that list too! I never thought anything could beat Tattered Stars for me but at the very least, this one ties for top billing.

Catherine Cowles truly reigns supreme in the realm of romantic suspense. I was eager to discover how this tale would unfold, and once again, I found myself wrong as to who I thought the villain was. The ties that Ridley and Colt share with the plot were well portrayed. I thoroughly enjoyed this read and fell head over heels for yet another charming small town and its delightful cast of characters. The enemies-to-lovers theme was a fantastic start, and I adored all the characters, loved Colt (Law Man), Ridley (Chaos), Tater the cat (what a great name) and Bowser the dog. I can’t wait for more stories set in Shady Cove! 💜💜

*AHHHHHHHHH*

That’s basically how this book made me feel the entire time. I LOVED it! And what I found interesting and fun this time around is that it was a standalone (there are possible future books but not anything concrete at the moment). And having it as a standalone meant that I did not trust ANYBODY. I don’t care how good of a friend or family member you are, I had my eyes on scoping out who would be apart of that final reveal. AND I WAS STILL SHOCKED. The craftiness of CC’s writing and story telling continues to amaze me. Gosh I love her books.

The enemies banter was on point. I loved the sassiness and comebacks and the groveling and heat. It’s all there and such a delight. The loving family members and support system were strong and highlighted many wonderful side characters.

Obsessed with the audiobook. The narrators did a fantastic job and y’all know that dual POV is superior in all the ways. Not one negative thing to say, I could not get enough of this book.

Overall audience notes:

Romantic Suspense
Language: moderate
Romance: open door
Violence: moderate – high
Content Warnings: murder, attempted murder, ser!al k!ller, loss of a loved one

When my BBF said she was in love with Catherine Cowles writing, I knew I had to read her soon. I've been grabbing up her books since another author (Harper Sloan) absolutely raved about her, but never pulled the trigger because...huge TBR and all that. When NG offered a chance to read this story, I jumped on it and have not a single regret. This story has everything I love in a story. Suspenseful as heck... YES! A storyline that keeps you completely hooked...YES! Romance and steam... Absolutely! A thrilling and unsuspecting who done it...OMG YES!!! I love to "guess" who the perpetrator is and this one had me clueless and my jaw dropped when they were finally revealed. Off to put ALL this authors books on my TBR because I'm completely invested now!