Amazing Story & Narration🎧Consuming & Heartfelt!

All the Missing Pieces
Shady Cove, Book 1
By: Catherine Cowles
Narrated by: Andi Arndt, Sebastian York

Wow, Catherine Cowles never ceases to amaze me with her brilliant and creative mind, and her ability to captivate my attention to where nothing else matters except what is going to happen next in her stories. “All The Missing Pieces” did that and so much more, an all-consuming story with descriptive details that brings you alongside the characters, allowing you to experience everything they are, what they are seeing, thinking and feeling. Ridley Sawyer’s twin sister, Avery, disappeared the night before their High School graduation, not only did she blame herself for bringing her to a party she did not want to go to, but she made it her life mission to find out what happened to her. She became a true crime podcaster, and she tries to find answers for others who lost loved ones in similar ways, to find justice and closure for the victims and families. Traveling in a van with her cat, she is in search of her next lead, and she thinks she found the first victim of the serial killer and kidnapper, the only survivor, Emerson, who lives in Shady Cove. She wants to interview witnesses and hopefully Emerson, but she runs into trouble with the town sheriff, Colter Brooks, Emerson’s brother, who is super protective of his sister and does not want her to relive her trauma. Ridley and Colter bonked heads from the moment they met, but he has her all wrong and it takes his best friend and other townfolk to make him realize that. Ridley quickly became one of my favorite characters, and Colt slowly creeped up my list of favorites, too. I loved all the layers of this story and how it all played out, with plenty of drama, including relationship drama and crime drama, mystery, thrilling suspense, heartfelt emotions, and a slow burn but so worth the wait romance. Loved watching Ridley and Colt get to know each other and watch the solving of the case, having my own thoughts and suspicions along the way. As always, the writing, plot and world building are incredible, as are the character growth and development. Catherine Cowles, thank you for another brilliant story and emotional rollercoaster ride.

🎧📚🎧  Catherine Cowles chose the perfect cast to bring her characters to life, Andi Arndt and Sebastian York, two seasoned voice artists whose talent knows no bounds. They were a natural in their roles, as if the characters were written just for them, and they showcased every aspect of their character’s personality perfectly, with a grumpy/sunshine demeanor. Andi Arndt, nailing it as Ridley and Sebastian York, as Colt, both were just as fabulous performing the roles of the side and secondary characters, too. Setting the right tone for the story, they capture all the characters’ emotions and have you feeling every single one. These entertaining storytellers are a pleasure to listen to and their performance elevates the already brilliant story to another level.

Well this was a pleasant surprise! I went into it expecting it to be a thriller but it's a thriller with some romance.

I loved the side characters here so much! Tater is the MVP.

This story clearly shows how one traumatic event affects the person but so many other people as well. Emerson was the one who went through this traumatic experience but colt was affected, her parents, colts best friend and the town itself was. When you live in a small town and something this terrifying happens, it makes everyone feel unsafe and on edge especially when the person who is responsible hasn't been found.

It's the same thing for Ridley (which btw, LOVE that name). Her life "continued" but it never fully did after the loss of her sister. The guilt, the questions, the feeling of always being unsure was a constant in her life. I loved seeing how this huge thing changed the course of her life as well. We also see how it affected Ridley's relationship with her parents and their relationship with each other.

This was a complex, emotionally heavy book that I enjoyed immensely. The narrators we fantastic!! My one thing I don't quite get is why they don't have the actors always do their characters voice but that's just an audio voice thing for me!

Keep an eye out for this one guys and definitely add it to your tbr!

Thanks team Catherine and netgalley for the ARC and ALC!

I loved this one!! This is my first book by this author but I will be reading more. I loved the characters. Main characters we have a true crime podcaster and a grumpy sherif. The podcaster is trying to solve her twin sister’s disappearance and the grumpy sherif has a sister who may be a link to that crime. I loved the twists and turns and was shocked with the ending ~ I did not see that coming! I also loved their nicknames for each other! Romantic suspense. Thriller. A little bit of spice.

*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

All the Missing Pieces is a new, romantic suspense from Catherine Cowles and this delivers on small town, true crime, and suspense!

“Colt, you helped me find all the missing pieces. Even the ones I didn’t realize I needed.”

Ridley is a true crime podcaster (Sounds like Serial) who investigates cold cases hoping to find answers for families. She ends up in Shady Cove for a story she wants to work on that she has a personal attachment to as well. There she meets Colt, the grumpy sheriff in town who is not happy with her poking around in town. He has personal reasons why he doesn’t want her in town stirring things up, but he also isn’t a fan of anyone trying to come in town and exploit their tragedy. Over time, they both figure out more about one another and as Ridley breaks down the walls, he starts to help her on the case instead!

“Haven’t you figured it out yet, Chaos? You’ve had me breaking all the rules since the day I met you.”

I’m always a sucker for a Catherine Cowles book, she does romantic suspense so well and I couldn’t wait to see how this story played out! The prologue immediately grabbed my attention and I was along for the ride with Ridley. The personal, emotional connections both Ridley and Colt have to the story was just so well done. I really enjoyed this one, plus fell in love with another small town and slew of characters Catherine wrote! All the moments: Law Man and Chaos, Tater the cat, glow in the dark stars on the ceiling, Emerson (oh how I love her), Bowser the dog, all the side characters, the true crime aspect! Another win from Catherine Cowles, I hope we get more in Shady Cove! 👀

I received an audio ALC, all thoughts in this review are my own! The audiobook narrators are fantastic and really brought the story, and characters, to life

Staying true to her form, Catherine delivers an engaging romantic suspense focused on Ridley and Colt in the small town of Shady Cove. Ridley is a podcaster looking to break a cold case wide open but that case relates to Colt and he’s not keen or her opening up old wounds and bringing up the trauma that the town was starting to heal from. But this case is personal and nothing is going to stop her from investigating a serial killer who may also be connected to the death of her sister and many others.

I love a good true-crime podcast and have listened to almost all of those that Catharine references in her acknowledgments. I loved the concept of this story focusing on a podcaster who doesn’t just tell the story, but also cracks cold cases and brings closure to those affected by the tragedies, in the same vain that Up and Vanished used their podcast and investigative journalism to uncover new information that eventually led to solving the case of missing person, Tara Grinstead.

Mix-in an ornery cat, an overprotective brother who happens to be the town sheriff, and a little bit of trauma bonding and you’ve got a recipe for one of her best romantic suspense stories yet!

This one focused more on the suspense than the romance but I still loved how the two came together and filled a void neither of them knew needed to be filled, each learning to trust again and let their guards down and become vulnerable. I especially liked Emerson’s character. She showed a lot of resilience and strength despite the trauma she endured and that continues to haunt her. As usual, I had no idea who to suspect and was surprised by the reveal.

Thank you to Catherine Cowles @catherinecowlesauthor Dream Scape Media @dreamscape_media Sourcebooks Casablanca @sourcebookscasa NetGalley @netgalley and her team for providing me this ARC and ALC in exchange for my honest review!

📳 Dual POV/ Dual Narration: Andi Arndt and Sebastian York, Never a complaint when these two narrate for any of my romances or romantic suspense books. Andi manages to pull off part independent woman, part vulnerable at the same time really well and Sebastian’s gruff voice always fits perfectly with the overprotective hypermasculine characters.

Audiobook and Book Review

💙 Grumpy Law Man
💜 Sunny Chaos Podcaster
🩷 Three legged cat
💙 St@lker
💜 K!ller mystery
🩷 Evidence unraveled
💙 Forced proximity
💜 Small town
🩷 Found family

Story: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Narration: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was unlike any book *I* have ever read. I know there are many people out there who read books with a “whodunnit” vibe, but that’s not usually my go to. This crime podcast based story is one of a kind to me. As soon as Catherine Cowles announced she was bringing this story to life, AND with the likes of Sebastian York and Andi Arndt as the narrators?! I. Was. SOLD. I preordered the physical book before I even read/listened to this one because I KNEW it was going to be amazing! And guess what? Cowles NAILED IT! I loved it so much!

Ridley is a podcaster who travels the country trying to solve cold cases to help victims and their families find peace. Her own experience has kept her on the road for the last four years, trying like hell to find closure for others as well as for herself. It’s this determination as well as many clues, that brings her to Shady Cove. Her intuition is telling her there is something in this small town that could help her finally solve the mystery of her sister, and the other women who have gone missing. Little did she know that there would be a grumpy, interfering sheriff who would get in her way. Colter Brooks is on a mission to keep his town, and his sister, as safe as possible. So when chaos in the form of a beautiful blonde comes into town in an old camper van with a three legged cat, he knows there’s going to be trouble.

Colt and Ridley have that enemies to lovers vibe right from the get go. They both were attracted to each other but obviously didn’t want to admit it. The tension built in a slow burn with lots of banter, appreciative glances (when the other wasn’t looking of course!), and some steamy inner thoughts. There is a serious underlying trouble that spurs Ridley to keep on the search for justice, at the same time it makes Colt hesitant. Hesitant *about* Ridley, and *for* Ridley. Someone is out there, someone dangerous who doesn’t want to be stopped on their hunt for their next k!ll. They will stop at nothing to prevent anyone, especially Ridley, from finding out who they are.

Let’s talk narration, because that was one of the “selling points” (besides the master wordsmith that is Catherine Cowles! 😅) that led me to this book. Sebastian York has always been a top narrator for me. Absolutely brilliant in every one of his performances. I feel that his best work is when he plays the broody, protective grump, who falls hard for the girl. And let me tell you…UTTER PERFECTION. He’s such a rockstar! Speaking of rockstar, Ho-Ly Andi Arndt! I FREAKING LOVE HER! Omg. Andi Arndt is a true legend when it comes to narration. She was FLAWLESS as Ridley! Every single word she voiced in this performance was exactly who I would envision Ridley to be and to sound like. I loved everything about it! York and Arndt are a true masterful duo. I can’t imagine anyone else voicing these characters, they were MAGNIFICENT.

I don’t want to give too much away about this amazing story, but just know that I loved everything about this book! The tension, the witty banter, the steamy scenes, the suspense, the mystery, and the tooth hugs! This is everything a small town romantic suspense/mystery story should be! I am so thankful that Catherine Cowles and her team allowed me to read/listen to this ARC/ALC and review! Definitely one of my favorites of the year! Because this story deals with st@lking, k!dnapping, d3ath, and physical trauma, please check the warnings, as your mental health is extremely important! If those things are not troublesome for you, then PLEASE dive into this amazing story!

🐱“I did not need to know that this woman who smelled like smoky sunshine and looked like a walking temptation had a taste for my whiskey.”
🚔“Who. The. Hell. Did. This. To. You?”
🐱“Sleep, Chaos. No one’s going to hurt you here.” I’d make damned sure of it.
🚔“It’s a bad idea,” I rasped. “We’d be playing with fire.” “Then let’s watch it burn.”
🐱“God, you’re pretty when you beg. Think that deserves a reward.”
🚔“I’m a little scared of you. You know that?” She just grinned wider, as if I’d told her she was the most beautiful woman in the world. “Thank you.” “It wasn’t a compliment,” I muttered. “Actually, it was,”
🐱“Grab the headboard, Chaos.”
🚔“I don’t know what it says about my dedication to the feminist cause that I like when you manhandle me,” she grumbled. I chuckled. “It says you need others to respect that you can do it yourself, but sometimes it’s nice to have someone do it for you.”

4.25⭐
2🌶️

.Grumpy/sunshine
.Forced proximity
.Small town
.Hate to love
.Comfort after a nightmare
.Frenemies with benefits

This was so much fun. I've read a couple of this author's previous books, and I always eat them up. They're quick reads with just the right touch of mystery to keep you hooked, and this one was no exception. I finished it in a day, it became absolutely addictive.

The suspense was very well crafted. I couldn’t figure out who the killer was, and the twist at the end caught me completely by surprise. The plot was perfectly paced, making it hard to put down.

Ridley is everything you could want in a heroine. She’s resilient, intelligent, and even while navigating her grief, she manages to bring comfort to those around her. Colt, on the other hand, is the quintessential small-town sheriff. A protective, steady presence you can’t help but adore. Together, their dynamic was electric. That banter!

The romance was a perfect slow burn, filled with tension that pays off beautifully. Their connection felt authentic, and their mutual nicknames added such a sweet touch.
The next book will likely focus on Colt’s sister and his best friend, and I can’t wait to see where their story goes.
I had the pleasure of listening to the audiobook, and it was a great experience. Both narrators did a fantastic job, though the male voice sounded a bit older than I imagined for a man in his thirties.

If you’re a fan of romance with a side of suspense, this is definitely one to pick up.

My goodness, Catherine Cowles knows how to weave an absolutely INCREDIBLE mystery filled with so much care and love. I was hooked from word one, wondering what would happen. The love Colt and Ridley had for their sisters made them incredibly strong individuals who would stop at nothing to find the justice they deserved, and I loved it so, so much. I hope we get to see more of these characters in the future!!!

The narrators really breathed life into Ridley and Colt-they honestly could not have been two better options!!!

“Colt, you helped me find all the missing pieces. Even the ones I didn’t realize I needed.”

The way I was sucked into the story from the very beginning. How does Catherine do it every single time. The characters and their stories are captivating and the mystery always has you on the edge of your seat whether you are trying to figure it out too or wanting to know how it all ends. Ridley and Colt were two broken people but had so much in common underneath all the pain and so much love to give. In different ways they helped each other heal, grow and find love. Their relationship starts with plenty of banter and slowly morphs into forgiveness, understanding and the feelings grow. Ridley is independent, hard working and dedicated to help families through her true crime podcast and this new one that has brought her Shady Cove hits close to home. Colt wasn’t happy with Ridley coming to town as this particular case hits close to him too causing hard feelings between them. I loved how everything developed in this story, they started working together and breaking down their walls to open up. I was NOT expecting the end result. I was speechless. This has got to be my favorite book of Catherine’s now and the audio was so good as usual. I loved all the characters and of course the town of Shady Cove was a place you would love to escape too.

I am always here for a book written by Catherine Cowles! This book has mystery, suspense, and romance that I absolutely love! This one however is a little different than her other books which I loved. This book is centered around our fmc who has a podcast focused on serial killers and closed cases. I loved getting to follow our FMC trace leads and interview people to figure out what truly happened. The romance was amazing! I love how they connected with one another and could rely on each other while their past continued to follow them. The banter between them was incredible!! I live for a book with great banter and this one did not disappoint! The narrators did an amazing job bringing this book to life. And give our characters the life and narration they deserve! It made the tensions and moments for our characters all the better! Another favorite from Catherine no doubt!

Catherine Cowles is a one-click author for me. This story is another example of her exquisite ability to weave a tale of suspense and romance. Ridley is equal parts sweet and tough as nails. Colt believes the weight of the world is on him as sheriff. From the moment "chaos" enters his world, things are never the same, all for the better.

UM HELLO?! Catherine Cowles came into the ring absolutely SWINGING with this masterpiece! I've never been much of a true crime girlie, but All the Missing Pieces had me rethinking that with the investigation I was having in my own mind.
Catherine's ability to write a compelling mystery while simultaneously giving us the romance and world building that we so desperately need is amazing to say the least. I couldn't get enough of this story, and I have a feeling you'll feel the same way when you read this!

I did a fully immersive read and I was a huge fan of this audiobook. Andi Arndt and Sebastian York did an outstanding job of bringing Ridley and Colt to life. This is one I can foresee myself re-reading in the future.

Did Catherine Cowles just make my heart explode with grief and love and laughter?? Yes she did. This is the second book I've read by this author and I was moved yet again by the skillful way she writes her characters and creates depth to their relationships. I enjoy the mystery and suspense, but for me, the romantic development is what really captures my attention and brings on the emotions that make her novels unputdownable. I listened to the audiobook and Andi Arndt and Sebastian York are just fabulous as the narrators and I highly recommend listening to them bring this fantastic story to life.

This may be my favorite catherine cowles book of all time. I adored the romance, was mind blown by the suspense and could not put the book down, even during all the holiday chaos. Def one to pick up! And if you like audio, the narrators did a fabulous job too!

Leave it to Catherine to combine all the things I love… True Crime Podcasts, hot sheriffs, romantic suspense, enemies to lovers and then she even topped it off with a three legged cat (who I loved!).

After the disappearance of Ridley’s twin sister she travels the country covering cold cases for her true crime podcast, which brings her to Sheriff Colter Brooks town. To say he is not a fan of her being there or her poking her nose into the cold case is putting it mildly. He doesn’t want her stirring up trouble in his town. The thing about Ridley is that she is good at solving cases… which definitely brings trouble.

I absolutely ate up the enemies to lovers vibes between Ridley and Colt and OMG when she is in danger and moves into his house?! Please and thank you.

To say my bar was set high for this book after seeing the tropes is an understatement and luckily I was not disappointed! Yet again, I did not know who the culprit was until the very end, which makes the suspense and twists that much better. I feel like this book had a more intricate suspense plot than other Catherine books but also still delivered on the romance. This is easily one of my top 3 favorite Catherine Cowles books.

The narration was on point and added another layer to an already strong plot.

Catherine just does it again. I got close to figuring out the suspect, but she threw out another twist I wasn't expecting! It's always so fun to read her books because I know I'm going to still be left surprised and it's nice not guessing what's going to happen. Ridley and Colt were so good together. I'm always happy and impressed when enemies (or them not liking each other) become lovers. I did the first half on my kindle and then the last half on audio and both were just amazing!

I very much enjoyed this book, but it does feel eerily similar to other Catherine Cowles novels. The characters have very little originality in comparison to her other characters. With that being said, I enjoyed my time listening to this book and think that readers who enjoy this author will love this book and story.

Catherine has done it again! She has delivered us another beautiful story. Colt and Ridley have my entire heart. I love how fiesty Ridley is and how surly Colt is. The tension and chemistry between these two kept me glued to the book when I read it and swooning when I listened to it. Sebastian York and Andi Arndt did an amazing job bringing these characters to life. Please check trigger warnings if you have any.

✨ All the Missing Pieces ✨

Ms. Cowles!!!! You just wrote the most PERFECT romantic suspense book that I have ever read. I loved every SECOND of 𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙋𝙞𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙨 and already want to read it again. This is officially my new favorite book by Catherine Cowles and I will recommend it to anyone who will listen!

Ridley was such a fantastically different heroine than I have read in a long time. She's independent, outspoken, and confident. She doesn't take crap from anyone and I just adored her spirit. She has been through so much. Her story broke my heart completely and I found myself so invested in her story and her finding the truth. Colt was ohhhh so grumpy on the outside but soft for the people he loves on the inside. I loved how protective he was. I'm not going to lie- he made me so mad early on, but I think a flawed character is so much more fun to root for. When Colt and Ridley finally stopped fighting their attraction, the fireworks were out of this world. Their connection was a slow and steady growth and felt so real. I loved their love so much.

And we can't talk Catherine Cowles without talking about the ending. I could not put this down and played the "who done it" game throughout the entire book. The ending had me so shook.

I love, love, loved this book. Stop what you're doing NOW and read it!

✨ Romantic Suspense
✨ True Crime Podcaster
✨ Police Officer
✨ Serial Unaliver
✨ Grumpy x Sunshine
✨ Forced Proximity
✨ Traumatic Experiences

📚 Book: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🎧 Audio: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🔥Spice Rating: ❤️

🎧 𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼...
EEEP!! I loved this audiobook so much. Andi Arndt and Sebastian York are two narrators that I always enjoy, but this is the first time I have listened to them together. They were SO GOOD. They were the most perfect Ridley and Colt. I recommend this audiobook to anyone who enjoys audiobooks. It was FANTASTIC!

Thank you so much to Catherine Cowles and Dreamscape Media for this gifted audiobook.

Spice Rating
🤍 clean romance
💗 closed door/ fade to black
❤️ spicy content (a few detailed scenes)
❤️‍🔥 explicit, play-by-play (major part of the plot)
🖤 graphic, more than vanilla