5⭐️ 3🌶️

I am firmly in my romantic suspense era and I think this might be my favorite Catherine Cowles book yet! I was hooked from the start and couldn’t put this down.

A woman whose sister vanished under mysterious and violent circumstances traveling all over the country trying to solve cold cases and reporting about on her podcast. Sign me up.

I absolutely adored Ridley. She was so strong and selfless using her trauma not only as motivation to live her life to the fullest for both her and her sister but also to finding ways to help others get answers and find closure. Ridley was smart and compassionate and while she cared deeply about the feelings of others she wasn’t a push over. I loved watching her but heads with Colt the grumpy but dedicated sheriff.

I loved Colt so much. He was such a dedicated protector who carried the weight of his sister’s attack on his shoulders. His love for his sister and his community was undeniable.

This book kept me guessing the whole time and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. I just hope we get Emerson and Trey’s story. I loved this town with its quirky citizens and I would love to go back.

This may now be my favorite book to date from Catherine! No one can write romantic suspense quite like she does. Once I started, I could not put this book down! Catherine always has a way of sucking you in from the Prologue and not letting go until the last page. I was so engrossed with Colt and Ridley’s story. I truly thought I had the perp figured out from the beginning, but Catherine had me second-guessing myself with every twist and turn... and once again, I was way off base.

Ridley is the host of a true crime podcast, and she travels the country investigating cold cases with her trusty three-legged sidekick Tater. Her own personal tragedy is the driving force behind finding answers for victims and the hope of helping their families find peace.

It’s this determination, along with the knowledge of a woman escaping her abductor that brings her to Shady Cove. She is convinced this small town holds the missing pieces to finally solving her twin sister’s disappearance, and nothing will stop her. Especially the grumpy town sheriff that is not too happy with her arrival and her disrupting his town.

I loved Ridley and Colt so much! Their banter, driving force to help each and ultimately fall in love was breathtaking to witness. They both have their own tragedies that hang over their heads and only want peace and answers. But will they be able to put their stubbornness aside and help each other? Or will the case remain unsolved?

Basically, if you’re a true crime podcast lover, you are going to absolutely love this book!

The romantic suspense QUEEN created one of my fave worlds. I am CRIME JUNKIE PODCAST enthusiast and absolutely adored the FMC Ridley. As always, the prologue to this book had me completely hooked and searching for answers. Catherine always does such a good job and weaving romance through her stories, no matter the topic (even darker ones). She also ALWAYS has the absolute best side characters: both human and animal. I have been such a fan of Catherine’s writing. The fast pace and plot twists keep me coming back for more! Adored this one.

Catherine has done it again, the queen of small town suspense!!! I ate this one up! I absolutely loved the dynamic between Colt & Ridley and the way they pushed each other’s buttons! My heart absolutely broke for the pain these two have been carrying around with them, and loved that they found a safe space and understanding in each other…even if it took them a hot minute to get there! Tater was such a fun addition to the story (she truly was living the life like the princess she is), and I loved getting to know all the people in Shady Cove along the way. I couldn’t put this one down and was absolutely shocked at the unsub reveal. Catherine truly is a master at her craft, and I just love her books so much. There might be serial unalivers running around all her stories, but they feel like such big warm hugs and I love them. This one’s going to be living in my head rent free for a while. Absolutely obsessed.

This is definitely one of my favourite Catherine Cowles book to date. Right from the get go, I was engaged with the plot and character dynamics. I loved that although this dealt with darker subject matter, the focus was kept on the victims. I actually enjoyed the pacing of Ridley and Colt’s relationship and this story had the perfect ratio of romance to suspense. In true Catherine Cowles fashion, I was shocked on who the villain was! Do yourself a favor and pick this one up if you enjoy true crime with a touch a spice. You won’t be disappointed!

Thank you Sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC!

4.5 stars
Ridley has found new purpose in her life last few years and she travels the country in her custom VW bus looking at cold cases for her true crime podcast trying to help find closure for those without answers. This trip she’s in Shady Grove and it’s not long before entering the town that she has a not-so-meet-cute with Sheriff Colter Brooks. He’s big, imposing, stoic, rude, and distrustful of her from the beginning. They challenge and taunt each other with fiery banter. But he’s watching her while she’s trying to get the lay of the land in the town so that she can start her own investigation into a missing person case. She has her own personal reasons for doing this and no one‘s going to stop her.

This hero is grumpy and broody for the first half of the book and is really good at putting his foot in his mouth with her. And she is strong-willed, bold, sassy, and independent-minded and challenges him at every turn. They are both so stubborn and opinionated. But that same friction and intensity also follow them into the bedroom when they start to enjoy a frenemies-with-benefits situation. As Colt gets more and more protective of her and the threats become more serious, it’s easier to see what really scares him and that’s failing again or letting someone else he cares about get hurt.

Together they’ll try to put the missing pieces together to solve the string of abductions that affected both of them and hopefully keep her safe in the process. This book kept me interested throughout. I was turning pages trying to put the pieces together myself and figure it all out. I had figured out one thing, but other things completely surprised me. But I can honestly say there were still a few things that I kept wondering about after the fact. But it was more that had to do with the case than the romance. It was a simmering slow burn and it seemed like they were still fighting for half the book, but then things seemed to burn hot and get more emotional fairly quickly. I enjoyed seeing them be more vulnerable and also start to fill the holes left in their own lives due to their pasts and find new perspectives and fulfillment.

This is a feisty, mysterious, opposites-attract, grumpy sunshine, hurt-comfort, small-town romantic suspense. This was my first book by this author and I did really enjoy it. I loved the characters in this close-knit small town and I’m interested in some of the side characters and hope this is a series starter. Even the animals have big personalities. So I will definitely be picking up more from this author.

This was a highly anticipated read for me and this is proven by the fact that I put it off for quite a while. I do this when I think I’m going to love books. It makes a lot of sense.

Full transparency: I spent a chunk of this book preemptively upset with Catherine because I totally thought she had made someone I liked the culprit. Happy to report that this didn’t end up being the case. ALL IS WELL.

Mostly.

While I give her a lot of credit for completely switching it up, I felt like this book lacked the meticulous balance between romance and suspense that Catherine usually succeeds at. The slow start on all fronts (with both the romance and suspense) truly threw off my enjoyment and undermined the development of the story. This read to me a lot more like another romantic suspense author I’ve read, who I usually enjoy less. For this reason it wasn’t a total hit for me.

Saying this is my lowest rated Catherine Cowles book and noting that this rating is 4/5 to encourage you to still read her books. I’m looking forward to what she writes next!

Um what?! I did not see that coming my mind is blown in the best way. This was such an incredible read. From the prologue to the epilogue I was hooked.

Catherine Cowles has a way of hooking you into her characters lives from the very beginning and taking you on a journey of mystery, crime, who did this to you. Add incredible love stories and it’s the perfect mix.

All the Missing Pieces is a complete standalone. New town, new people, itty bitty easter eggs.

I adored Ridley so much, her strength, determination and resilience throughout was admirable and had me rooting for her. I loved her cause and podcast.

Colt! This man was perfect. His skepticism, and love for his family made him feel so real and lovable. I love how determined he was to protect his town and those he loved.

I don’t want to give anything away but I will say this was the perfect book and I can’t recommend it enough.

THIS. BOOK . IS. EVERYTHING!!!!!!

I am a massive fan of Catherine and I always say the book I just read is my favorite, but this book seriously just topped every other book of hers I have read. This book had me in a chokehold from the very beginning literally until the last page. If you love small town, romantic suspense, who hurt you vibes, grumpy sunshine, top notch banter and some feisty pets this is the book for you. Ridley is a true crime podcaster who comes to Shady Cove to work on a podcast series. Colt is the town sheriff and also the sister of the victim she is hoping to interview. Colt is definitely not a fan of Ridley from the beginning, he doesn't want her stirring up past trauma for his sister Emerson.

While Law Man and Chaos were the MCs, there was an incredible cast of characters including Colt's sister Emerson and best friend Trey. There were some cooky old timers that added fun to the story as well as a 3 legged cat that gives tooth hugs.

I legit had NO IDEA who the suspect was. I consider myself pretty savvy and usually can figure it out but this one left me completely shocked. I loved the way that Colt and Ridley came together. Their connection, shared grief and trauma all created such an incredible bond. Even when he didn't want to care, he did.

I hope and pray that this becomes a series or least that Emerson gets a book. This was an incredible start to my year of reading.

Catherine Cowles completely and utterly nailed it again!! I don't think I have ever given any of her books less than five stars, because how can I?? Her books are perfection, and this one is no exception!

I absolutely loved the whole setting in this book. The suspense, as always, is off the fcking charts! Catherine is a queen and a true mastermind at crafting stories that fully immerse you from the very first word.
And the podcast detail? Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant. Honestly, everything in this book was executed to perfection, and this just proves that a) Catherine can do no wrong; and b) she is, undoubtedly, one of my all time favourite authors. There's nothing she writes that I won't read.

I am absolutely feral over the fact that the FMC is a true crime podcast host.
Ridley is probably one of my favourite FMCs of all time. I love her strength and her fiery personality. This woman is tenacious, and she's also sensitive, empathetic, and resilient.

She finds herself in Shady Cove working on one of the cold cases, as this is where she believes the serial killer had his first victim. However, doing her job proves to be more challenging than she anticipated thanks to the local Sheriff, Colter Brooks.
But Ridley isn't familiar with the word "giving up", and nothing has ever stopped her before. Neither will this Sheriff guy.

Colt has lived in Shady Cove his whole life, and now being a Sheriff he takes on a mission of protecting his people very seriously. Of course having an outsider asking questions about a case that happened years ago and left everyone very shaken isn't something he's happy about. In fact, he'd much rather this woman looking for a few minutes of fame to leave his hometown altogether and never come back. But Ridley didn't come to play.

I fell for these two characters from the very start. They bicker like cats and dogs and cannot stand each other. At the same time, many of their interactions put genuine smiles on my face.
The tension between them, this amazing hate to love are the most delicious *chef's kiss*.
And the more Colt learns about Ridley, the more he softens towards her. You see, Ridley herself has been through something horrible five years ago, and this case is so much bigger than he realises.

I loved, loved, LOVED how little by little both of them learn to trust each other and start opening up together. They lowered the walls down, and the moment that "fvck it" happened I was ready to get on my knees for them.
Seeing Ridley and Colt go from enemies with benefits to more meant everything.

I made it my mission to find out who the villain is in Catherine's books. So far, I have been failing miserably. The villain in this book, however, ended up on my list of suspects, and, needless to say, I was ecstatic about it! Does it count as guessing it correctly? Probably not, but I'll take it as a small win of mine. 🤭

Everything about this book is pure perfection: the small town, the characters, the setting, the plot and twists. I can never get enough of Catherine's books, and I had the biggest blast with this read.

To everyone doubting if happiness exists, I'll just point them to Catherine Cowles' books.

Oh, and if Catherine ever decided to write more books for this series, I'm sure she'd make many of us happy—she'd definitely make me very, very happy. 💗

Wow, Catherine Cowles proves once again, that she is the Queen of suspenseful romance. This book was jammed packed with suspense and plot as Ridley traveled to Shady Cove to hopefully track down her sister’s killer. While in Shady Cove she meets the local sheriff, Colt, who is not convinced of Ridley’s intentions. If you like suspense and romance, this book will have you on the edge of your seat and you will not be able to put it down until the very last word!

*4.5 Stars

I absolutely loved all the true crime aspects of this!! This was such a fun way to start off a new series and I think it's one of my favorite set ups from Catherine!

The plot had me hooked from the start. I loved seeing Ridley kick butt with her podcast and that she never gave up on finding out what happened with her sister. Her storyline broke my heart but seeing how everything came together and was connected was great. Once again, I did not guess who the bad guy was haha I had some theories that were once again, wrong. But I love that Catherine continues to fool me!!

Aside from the plot, I really did like our characters. Specifically, I love a good grumpy Sheriff so Colt is my kind of hero! I loved how Colt and Ridley met and how she got under his skin. I loved how they had a shared love for whiskey and their furry friends!! They were slow to burn but when they burned, it was hot!! They truly got each other and I loved that Ridley was able to find a home with Colt and Shady Cove. I really did like some of the side characters too, so I'm excited to see if we get more from Shady Cove!!

I did feel like the romance was a little slow in the first half of the book, at least compared to some of Catherine's other books. So the feel of everything was just a tad different. But once we got the romance, it was perfect and I had a great time! If you are a true crime fan, I bet you will love this and highly recommend!

Thank you so much to Catherine Cowles and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the eARC and ALC!

Ridley is a true crime podcaster who investigates cold cases. She hopes to find answers for the family members left behind and give them peace of mind. Ridley started this career after a similar experience in her own family.

She hopes to help other people find the closure she never had.

In her own time, she researches clues for a case. She has a personal attachment to it, and that search leads to Shady Cove. Because of this case, she is working and clashes with Colt, the sheriff in town. Colt is unhappy with Ridley trying to dig up the past when he has a personal attachment to it that he would like to forget. They keep crossing paths with each other when Ridley will not stop her investigation. Eventually, they open up about the things that happened in their past and realize they have more in common than they thought. Because of this, Colt decides to help Ridley with her investigation because they both have a personal connection to

This book was so good. I loved how Ridley and Colt not only helped each other with this investigation but also coped with their past traumas.
I need to reread all the missing pieces on the audiobook at some point.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for an arc of all the missing pieces. All thoughts and opinions are my own

My first 5 star read of 2025!! Thank you SO MUCH to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Casablanca and Catherine Cowles for allowing me to be an early reader. All thoughts are my own.

Podcaster who tries to find the serial killer who killed her sister and other innocent victims with the help of the hot sheriff in town.

Definitely one of my favorite Catherine books! The romantic suspense plotline was definitely stronger in this book and I was very shocked by the reveal. I am usually not the biggest fan of nicknames and I didn’t mind the ones in this book (Chaos and Law Man). I loved the spice and thought it was timed to happen perfectly.

Read if you like:
- podcasts
- strong female characters
- enemies to lovers
- romantic suspense
- open door spice
- dual POV

Ridley is a traveling true crime podcaster who arrives in Shady Cove to work on the case of Emerson, who was abducted but survived. Ridley’s own sister was abducted five years ago and she believes the cases are related.

Ridley has a run in with the small town’s Sheriff, Colter Brooks. He isn’t pleased with her nosying around in his town—especially since Emerson is his sister.

Catherine Cowles is the queen of romantic suspense. This time, I felt like the romance was overshadowed by the suspense plot. Super slow burn. It felt like insta love when it did happen, because they barely knew each other/anything about each other.

I listened to the ALC along with the book. It is narrated by AndI Arndt and Sebastian York. Very well done.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca, Dreamscape Media, NetGalley and the author for an advanced readers copy/advanced listeners copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I absolutely devoured this story. The suspense and mystery of it had me completely hooked and I had to know who was behind everything.

Ridley has experienced something that completely changed the course of her life and she is using that to help others. Colt is a small town sheriff and not a fan of Ridley from the moment they met. She is pushing buttons and bringing back some hard memories from the past. However, despite the annoyance he feels towards her there is also a shared connection.

If you’re a suspense lover this book is 100% for you. It had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I loved forming theories and guesses along the way as more information was provided.

I already can’t wait to return to Shady Cove. I have fallen in love with this small town.

If you’re looking for a small town, enemies to lovers, romantic suspense check this one out.

This was my first Catherine Cowles and I flew through it. It reminded me a lot of Indigo Ridge which is a favorite of mine. I listened to the audio at 1.8x and loved the narrators. It was a super easy listen.

I'm a sucker for suspense themes in romance and this has such a great balance. I was more focused on the themes of the story and the character development than the romance so the romance wasn't distracting. Instead I felt like we got to know the characters really well which made the romance feel very authentic. And the small town vibes were immaculate.

One pepper for spice and it take a while to get to it because the plot was being developed and the spice was definitely not a focus of the story. This worked really well for me. I felt the characters relationship was very authentic and didn't feel forced like some romance books.

Thank you to Casablanca and Libro for introducing me to this author and providing a review copy!

“You helped me find all the missing pieces. Even the ones I didn’t realize I needed.”
This book was amazing! I spent the entire time reading trying to figure out the bad guy was but was completely shocked at the end. (I formally apologize to all the characters I accused in my head)

Ridley Sawyer’s twin sister was taken their last night of college. Ridley dedicates her life to finding the person who took her sister while helping other families get closure along the way with her True Crime podcast. Ridley is convinced that Shady Cove is going to be where she finds all her answers. She just needs to figure out how to deal with the grumpy sheriff.

Colter Brooks has lived the past ten years with guilt over what happened in his family. He became sheriff so he could stop anything like it happening again, so when Ridley shows up wanting to open old wounds he wants her gone.

Ridley and Colter unfortunately had the worst parts of their lives in common. However they were effected in such different ways, but when the two team up they are able to discover so much more than just evidence for the case.
“It just means we have to hold onto the good that much more. The only thing that can cast out darkness is light.”

Shady Cove was a town effected by trashed but one that came together to protect their own. I enjoyed my time there and getting to know everyone. I especially loved the furry friends!
Thank you @catherinecowlesauthor and @netgalley for the ARC!
Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🔥: “You don’t know what you’re playing at, Chaos.”

Catherine Cowles could punch me in the teeth and I would say thank you. It doesn’t matter what this woman writes; I’m devouring it every single time. She’s more than earned her place on the Casablanca team.

Ridley has spent years trying to solve her twin sister’s mysterious disappearance. Her search has brought her to Shady Cove where she believes she’s found the first victim of the deadly serial killer that took her twin all those years ago. She’s determined to solve this cold case ...If only the grumpy sheriff will get out of her way.

All the Missing Pieces was such an exciting ride, that left me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Catherine just does romantic suspense so well. She had me laughing out loud and thoroughly spooked all in one sitting. There was a brief scare during the beginning that genuinely made me scream out loud. As if I had just witnessed a full on jump scare in book form. After recovering from the way I honked like a startled goose, I couldn’t help but giggle, because that’s never happened to me before. I’m always a weenie, but normally react to written scares with shocked silence.

While I had my suspicions about who the killer was purely out of silly personal reasons, I was still shocked when it all came together. I love the way Catherine weaves in clues that all come to light during the big whodunnit reveal. I ended this book in a mess of happy tears. I loved it so much. It was funny, it was endearing, it was suspenseful, and oh so good!

The biggest thank you to both NetGalley and Catherine Cowles for this eARC. I cannot wait to see what happens next in the CC world!

ALL THE STARS!

I am SO happy I decided to make All the Missing Pieces my first book of 2025. I devoured this story so quickly and it easily became a five star as well as a book that will certainly fall under my top 10 books of the year. I've read a few of Catherine's books and this was takes my #1 spot. I am determined to read her entirely backlist at some point. I loved the storyline, the twists, and I never got the villain right (yet again!) I don't think I've read a book where the closer I get to the ending and the reveal of the bad person did my anxiety get the best of me. When all was revealed I literally shrieked and couldn't believe it. The one thing I love most about Catherine's writing is although I'm not a thriller reader I get some thriller aspect in each of her stories. I loved the MCs Ridley and Colt and how they gravitated towards each other for protection but also because they could relate to the other's hurt so. well. Colt may not have lost his sister in the same way Ridley did but he lost his sister in a way that she couldn't lead the life or live out the dreams she may have once had. I REALLY and hoping and keeping my fingers crossed that Emerson and Trey get a book of their own.

Many thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Catherine for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. I've already told all my friends that they must read this book! I'll will forever stay on this bandwagon.