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 … 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.
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This is book one in A Sutter Lake Series and it is Taylor and Walker’s story and omg what a amazing start to a new series and it is a must read. Taylor was devastated after her mum died after a battle with cancer and Taylor was struggling to cope so her best friends decided to take her away on a break to Sutter Lake and Taylor loved the place so much that she decided to stay for a year to see what she wanted to do next in her life. Walker is a police officer in Sutter Lake but when he met Taylor there was something about her that called to him as he could see her pain especially as he had felt the same way when Julie the girl that he was in love with was killed so he decided to see if he could help her. The chemistry between Taylor and Walker was so strong but she had her walls so high that Walker wondered if he would ever be able to get through to her. There are twists and turns that you don’t see coming but you have to keep turning the pages to see what would happen next and it is so emotional and Addictive that I couldn’t put this book down. The characters and storyline pulled you in right from the first page until the last and I definitely recommend you read this book and you will definitely not be disappointed.
A couple months after loosing her mother to years long battle with cancer, Taylor’s friends force her to take a vacation to Sutter Lake. While in Sutter Lake she finds a peace that calls to her so she decides to move there for a year much to her friend’s dismay. The place that she finds to rent is on the family property of the local sheriff, Walker. Taylor’s friends have asked Walker to look out for her and while he agrees he can’t help but also be drawn to her. But neither one of them want to start anything – Walker can’t do forever and Taylor is only staying for a year.
I avoid grief or love after loss books as much as I can. I have said this before, all of the anguish/guilt they feel over moving on to someone knew makes it hard for me to enjoy the book and it makes me feel like the are settling for second best – it just isn’t my favorite. So during my week long binge of all things Catherine Cowles, this one was hard for me to get into. I was really worried that I wasn’t going to like it but I was very very pleasantly surprised. Grief was still a very prevalent issue in this story but not in the way that I am used to seeing so it wasn’t as much of an issue for me. This story had all of the things that I have come to love from this author – the swooning, the tears, the laughter, the chemistry, the suspense – it was all there and I loved all of it.
Catherine Cowles does not disappoint! An amazing storyteller! I was fully engrossed in the story right from the beginning. And this book has everything, an intriguing storyline, the right amount of angst, drama, suspense, sizzling chemistry between Walker and Taylor, fun and witty banter, wonderful, fun and interesting characters, incredible world building (I want to live in Sutter Lake!) This is my first book of hers and definitely won’t be my last. I already 1-clicked book 2 of the series.
Beautifully Broken Pieces is the first book I’ve read by Catherine Cowles and it left me in awe with her writing and storytelling skills. The characters are amazing and compelling. The story simply sucks you in. It’s a small town, second chance romance and it’s perfect. Can’t wait to read the rest of the series.
Loved the story of Walker and Taylor. Was definitely a page turner. Hard to put down.
With all the high five, raving reviews, I was pleased as punch when I first discovered I actually already owned a free copy of this “new to me” author book, but acquired it so long ago I completely forgot about it. Sadly, I mostly wish now I hadn’t made that discovery.
Color me crazy, but the OTT non-stop, perpetual woo is me, sappy, weak, weepy so she was always crying about something, too emotional, overly soft spoken, skittish like a baby deer, snowflake heroine bored me to absolute tears. Even her cool celebrity friends couldn’t fix that, folks. Her character’s emotional turmoil was pathetically way over done, IMHO. It didn’t help when she did try to come across strong she was being stupid in the process.. Need an example? Being warned by the locals about the dangers of jogging/hiking alone, especially at night, because there are cougars, mountain lions, and bears in the area. Let alone the fact she was not familiar with the trails so could easily get lost.
The sad story thrown in to drum up sympathy for a hero whose heart was still beating in love with a dead childhood sweetheart was sort of out there, as well, but I just rolled with it. I actually don’t consider myself overly picky. I can put up with a lot. Thankfully here, you could tell his instant attraction to this heroine was somehow magically going to fix that pesky problem. Something that his soon dumped clingy girlfriend, who he didn’t really consider a girlfriend, though they acted like a couple enough everyone thought they were one didn’t accomplish.
Unfortunately, I could not pretend the mechanical, lackluster, slow paced, snooze fest writing wasn’t happening, especially starting when the perilous drama kicked in. Yeah, just when I should have been sitting on the edge of my seat/hanging onto every word because lives were at stake, I instead found myself tuning out due to the robotic writing.
So in conclusion, it had an intriguing synopsis and concept but the overall delivery of it just didn’t appeal to me.
Title: Beautifully Broken Pieces, Series: Sutter Lake (Book 1), Author: Catherine Cowles, Pages: 300, pub date: 2/25/19, started off OK, annoying, too emotionally weak heroine, meandered at a slow pace then robotic writing killed it for me.
(I voluntarily read and reviewed a free copy of this book via Amazon. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not given any payment or compensation for this review. There is no affiliation or relationship between this reviewer and the author, publisher, or any PR firm.)
Taylor is broken and grieving and Walker’s just the guy to help her find her footing in a new town. But a killer on the loose threatens all they hold dear! Great romance, great suspense, great chemistry, great HEA!
Beautifully Broken Pieces was my first Catherine Cowles book. It most definitely will not be my last. Catherine Cowles has become one of my one-click authors after the last few I’ve read.
This story is so emotional and real. I really connected with Walker and Taylor while reading this book. I love it when I can feel such a connection to characters and I have to consume all the words as quickly as possible. When they feel a little like family, they become true favorites that I can read again and again.
Taylor and Walker are both such ..well like the title says haha beautifully broken people and I so enjoy experiencing them come together to get their HEA. The characters in this book are so wonderful and remind me of my family and the small-town life. The feeling of love and togetherness in small-town romances is my favorite.
I just finished my second read of this book before I dive deep in for a Catherine Cowles marathon. I cannot wait for more of this series. I’ve been collecting them all the last few months waiting until I owned them all and could really get lost in Sutter Lake. I can’t wait!!
A very engaging story full of love and suspense. The author handled the first person narrative very well. Sexual situations and the F word.
I’ve been eyeing this series for a long time now, and I am so happy I jumped in! This small town romance is sweet, steamy, angsty, and suspenseful! This book follows Taylor Lawson who we meet in Further to Fall, and Walker Cole, Deputy Chief of police in Sutter Lake. I am glad we got to read into Taylor’s story. She is strong, independent, and resilient. Oh my, freaking Walker Cole. He’s hot, sweet, a country boy and cop? A perfect combination. Another great ready by Catherine Cowles! <3
Taylor is left broken after losing the only family she had and has built tall walls around her heart, determined not to let anyone in. She realizes that she doesn’t want to return to Houston or LA because they no longer feel like home. She needs an escape and decides to move to Sutter Lake, the town she is vacationing in with her friends. But when Walker comes into her life, she slowly begins to open herself up to him and those around her who are proving to love and care for her.
“Walker Cole had me wrapped up in a spell so strong, so intricate, I knew it would take me years to unravel.”
Walker, town cop, is dealing with his own loss and never getting the closure he so desperately wanted and needed. He doesn’t think he will ever be able to fully give another woman his heart. That is, until he steps foot on Taylor’s front porch. He made a promise that he would keep Taylor safe while she was living in Sutter Lake, and he has come to see how much Taylor is hurting and he ends up caring for her and his feelings toward her grow. He begins breaking down her walls so that he can prove to her that she isn’t going to lose him.
“Taylor Lawson was fire and ice. And the combination had intrigued me from the moment I met her.”
During the time Taylor has been living in Sutter Lake, a number of women have disappeared and their bodies have been found. These murders hit close to home for Walker, and him and his team are making every effort they can to catch whoever is behind this, especially when it comes to the women he’s falling in love with.
Recommended reading order: Further to Fall then the Sutter Lake series.
I received an ARC of beautifully broken pieces in exchange for an honest review.
As with most series starters, I found it took a few chapters to really settle into the storyline. The author has managed to create, in those first few chapters, a beautiful little town in my mind, with stunning views and friendly faces wherever you turn.
The secondary characters are all so fun and lovable, by the time you finish the book you are praying for the next book to be written and wondering who it could be about!
Walker and Taylor have a rocky start to their story, but I’m glad she was able to see past her grief and find light.
With all of the twists and turns of this story, I was absolutely hooked. I stayed up most of the night to finish it because I couldn’t put it down. I needed to know what happened next. I was chasing the end but didn’t ever want it to end!
Overall I give this book a big 5 stars.
This was my first time reading a book by this author, Catherine Cowles, and it won’t be my last. I loved it. The romance of Walker and Taylor plus the mystery of who the serial killer is. This all takes place in a small town in Oregon. This book was hard to put down after I started reading it with all the ups and downs with the high intensity of kidnapping and murders. I highly recommend this book, and I look forward to reading more books by this author. There are more books in this series, but each is a standalone using characters found in the previous book who each have their own story.
You know it’s an amazing book when you can’t put it down long enough to bother with feeding yourself lol. I sat and read this book almost start to finish and ate peanut butter out of the jar because I could not put this book down long enough to bother with anything else! This book. Oh, man. How did I not find this series sooner?! It’s absolutely everything I look for and need in a book. I loved Walker and I’ve wanted Taylor’s story since Further to Fall. I laughed, almost cried, was on complete edge and may have snapped at my hubby to be quiet when crap hit the fan in this story. The character development was phenomenal and the plot had me engrossed in this story immediately. I loved the touch of suspense in this book so much and everything was written beautifully. Catherine totally slayed it with this book. I can’t wait to read the rest. My weekend is completely cleared so I can binge the rest of this series. More than 5 stars!!!!
I love Catherine Cowley’s Further to Fall that I knew I had to read Beautifully Broken Pieces. Further to Fall introduces our main character for Beautifully Broken Pieces, Taylor. I would estimate that Beautifully Broken Pieces start about 18-20 months after Further to Fall. We find out that Austin & Carter (along with Liam) brought Taylor on vacation at Sutter Lake to help her get through her grief of recently losing her mom. She stays behind in Sutter Lake to get away and have some peace and quiet. Taylor meets Walker Cole, the son of the owner of the place she is renting and Sutter Lake’s deputy chief. There is a instant attraction for Walker and Taylor. Walker has his own ghosts. Walker helps Taylor through her grief. There are weird disappearances of females occurring in the town that has Walker concerned that something sinister is afoot. I kept trying to figure out who could be behind the disappearances and I was right in the end! I literally screamed, “I knew it!!! I. KNEW. IT!” I also loved the secondary characters in this book. Walker’s grandma is a hoot! Jensen, Walker’s younger sister, is amazing. Jensen will be the star character in the third book of the Sutter Lake series. I can’t wait! The next book, I believe Liam is the star character along with Tessa who works alongside Jensen. We do get to read a little update of Carter and Austin for all fellow Further to Fall fans.
This was an amazing book. It was well written. And I loved all the characters. I can’t wait to read the next book.
Beautiful romantic story filled with suspense. You really felt like you were in the story and things not happening the way you expect. Great read!
** spoiler alert ** Taylor just wants to be left alone. Walker doesn’t think he will ever be able to love again. The heart wants what it wants. Will Taylor allow her walls down? Will Walker be able to prove love is worth it?
Have to say this book definitely gave me the feels. I didn’t blame Taylor after what she had suffered through, but loved seeing her slowly learning to live again. I absolutely loved how determined Walker was to be there for her and how he was determined to figure out what was going on in their little town. Great read!
I loved this book so much! I was captivated by the very beginning. The emotions in this book were so raw and real. I had no idea what I was getting into with this book. I went in blind not knowing anything about it. I’m so glad I did. This was my first book by Catherine Cowles. Won’t be my last! I going into the next book now! I would absolutely recommend this book!
Grief does crazy things to some people. But not as crazy as some others in this story. I loved the characters. Great small town. Great family. I’ll read more from this author about these characters. One tiny issue is that the epilogue time line ought to have been no more than a month
It was a good story line dealing with grief and also had a little mystery drama added as well. The use of the f word was really unnecessary and felt it detracted from the dialog.