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 my first time in reading this author with it being a piece of gold in a find. also the thing about escapes I discovered is sooner or later something is gotta give. It was interesting to see how these pieces would go or where they would be put anywhere even. You follow Walker and Taylor with their story with this author able to pull out the stops and the pull on the heart strings like a pro. This one has heat but it also has suspense with it weaving through each other. This one is certainly a winner with giving a reader the best they had to give.
4.5 amazing stars!!
Catherine is a new author here in the indie world and her first book Further to Fall was such an awesome read. I loved Carter and Austin. Here in Beautifully Broken Pieces, we have Carter’s best friend Taylor and this is her book.
Taylor is still grieving and her friends Austin, Carter and Liam take a little vacation. Taylor wants a new start to help forget all that she’s lost. Enter Walker. *Sigh*
Walker..what can I say? I just love him. He’s one of the officers in the town and it just happens that Taylor is renting from his family. The attraction is there, but the both of them are so guarded. Walker lost someone too so he can relate to how Taylor is feeling. In this midst of their growing friendship/relationship, danger lurks. What happens? You have to read to find out. So many twists and turns!!
I loved Walker’s family and how they embraced Taylor. This was a wonderful read with all the feels. I am so excited for Liam’s story. I can tell that’s going to be something else!! This is the start of a great series and Catherine has become an automatic one click for me.
This was really heart warming and touching romance.I loved it and I enjoyed reading it.
I was sucked into the story pretty fast.
After her mother dies,Taylor is left heartbroken.She feels lost and lonely,so she decides that a little change of scenery and new beginning is all she needs.And what better place than small town in the middle of nowhere,Oregon.I loved how this place was pictured,I imagine a life in small place is a nice one.Anyway,while Taylor slowly makes herself at home in this little town she meets a local police officer Walker.And oh God,I wish I could meet a guy like Walker too.He is literary everything a girl would want in a boyfriend.Sexy,witty,smart,good,amazing,knows how to cook and did I mention sexy.Walker is literary the best part of this book.
And while they are slowly falling in love,weird thing are happening in their little tow.Women are dissapiering.Now,I loved the mysterious part of this book.It was written really god.
Actually the whole book was written amazingly.
I don’t want to giveaway all the stuff that were happening,but know that this book will hold your attention.It really nice,touching romance.
And this author is really good one.
Definitely recommendation from me.
5 brilliant stars!
Review by Nancy
Late Night Reviewer
Up All Night w/ Books Blog
A beautifully written, heart pumping story! Beautifully Broken Pieces by Catherine Cowles is nothing short of perfection. I was sucked in from the very first page, became completely submerged in her writing and could not put the book down!
This book is so much more than a love story. It had my heart racing a million miles a minute. There is so much suspense, agony, love, hate, and lust. It is one big ball of emotions. Catherine Cowles threw me a curveball I was not expecting, but it made me love the story that much more.
Taylor has had a rough go at life. She is beautiful, smart and all alone. After her mother’s passing, she puts up a wall and tries to keep everyone out. But her friends are not having it. They try to rescue what is left of the beautiful person they know Taylor to be. Taking her away to a small mountain town, they expect her to find peace and quiet. What Taylor finds is an escape and the solitude she is wanting. She then decides to make her trip permanent. Little did she know solitude is far from what she will continue to get.
Walker had his heart broken at an early age. He loves his life but keeps women at arm’s length. He already had his “one” true love and life took her from him. Walker is an amazing, caring, handsome man that every girl would be lucky to have. The problem is: he is not interested. That is until he meets Taylor. He sees her as no one else does. He sees her pain and hurt. It is the same one he once experienced, the loss of a loved one. As much as Taylor pushes him away, Walker is going to make sure he breaks through her walls.
Little do they know, there is someone lurking in the shadows. A menacing evil waiting for the perfect opportunity to take away the happiness they found in each other.
Catherine Cowles has made a fan out of me. This book is the first in the Sutter Lake series and I cannot wait to see what the next book will bring! This book is extremely captivating! I did not have it in me to set it down! Hands down one of my favorite reads this year!
OMG this is such an emotional story. Taylor thinks that everyone she loves will eventually leave her so she keeps everyone at arms length never letting anyone in. Walker sees the pain she is trying to hide and slowly breaks down the walls. There are so many emotions in this book that will have you laughing and crying along with Taylor. You will also be frustrated right along with Walker as he is trying to find out who is killing people on the trails, especially when the killer knocks Liam unconscious and kidnaps Taylor. Will Walker and Tuck be able to find Taylor after she is kidnapped from her home before it is too late? You will be surprised by who the killer is and why some of the women died and Walker will finally get justice for Julie’s death after a decade.
HOLY CANNOLI THIS BOOK! I had no expectations going into reading this, and it is the first book I read of Catherine’s, but let me tell you that I am a lifer after this book! Personally, I love books that have both a suspenseful/thriller theme in addition to the romance and this one is probably in my top 5. The emotion I could feel coming off the pages from Taylor made my heart break and tear up as if she was real. I could also feel how Walker’s past had shaped his entire life in addition to dictating his future. Seeing the two come together was the best thing for both of them, as they helped each other heal as individuals as well as a couple. I was completely thrown when finding out who was killing the women, and while I had a feeling I knew the reason why the women were being taken, I was so shocked in finding out who it was! And by the end with the second twist – holy cannoli I did not see that one coming at all! I also enjoyed Catherine’s style of writing; the flow of the story was perfect, and while I hadn’t read any previous books, I felt that in the beginning the backstory and prologue was enough that I was caught up and understood moving forward. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, between the characters, the storyline, and the author that I actually couldn’t put the book down and ended up staying up way past my bedtime and finishing it in one sitting. I will definitely be catching up on all Catherine’s books and pre-ordering the next installment in this series because there are so many questions I have and characters I want to see next!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
Beautifully Broken Pieces is book one in the Sutter Lake series. You will see that one of the main characters in this story, Taylor who is BF with Carter (from another book by this author-Further to Fall) appear in this story; however, you do not need to read that book to read this story or to fall in love with the secondary characters. But…the bonus is if you have read the other book then you know instantly that seeing Carter, her hubby Austin and Liam again is awesome. It’s a sweet piece of chocolate either way if this is your first time meeting these characters or not!
Taylor is dealing with the loss of her mom and is basically a shell of herself so what do good friends do? Well they try to help get you out of your funk! It is decided that they will take a little vacation to help Taylor out of her environment and hopefully it will get her to become herself again while overcoming the loss. She loves her friends dearly, but wants to be alone and knows they mean well though, but doesn’t think she will heal anytime soon. What she finds out though is that she loves Sutter Lake and will be extending her stay when her friends go back.
Walker is a Deputy Chief in town and his family owns a ranch which happens to be where Taylor will be extending her stay by renting a small cottage on their ranch. He suffers from his own loss from years ago that still haunts him, but something sparks when he sees Taylor and knows he needs to get to know her whether it is as friends or it leads to more when they are both ready.
The town gets quite a scare and that is putting it mildly cause holy smokes that was scary and has you sitting on the edge of the seat hoping it didn’t go down and repeat history! I won’t say more so that you get the full emotions reading this story. Loved seeing the characters from her prior book and meeting new characters in here. This story was Beautifully written even thought it broke us like the characters, but don’t worry the author Pieces your Broken self-back in the end. I look forward to reading more by this author as both books to date are beyond five star reads and her writing is not only beautiful, but tells a story that helps others may have been in similar situations.
Taylor Lawson’s mother has passed away and she doesn’t know if she will be able to recover. Her good friends are concerned for her, but she needs time alone, to heal and to grieve. She ends up in Sutter Lake and believes she has found the perfect place. Walker Cole, Deputy Chief of Police in the small town, has his own tragic past and has not yet found a way to completely deal with the death of the woman who he was going to marry years ago. Walker feels an attraction to Taylor, although she makes it clear that she is not interested…at least not now. When young women turn up missing and a serial killer is believed to be responsible, Walker will be working to find the killer and worried about Taylor’s safety. Not everything is as it seems and the killer may be closer than they know. A very enjoyable romantic suspense with a twist that I didn’t see coming. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)
What an amazing read! This book has every single emotion you can have in one story! Just in the first few pages your heart is breaking for the main characters and the deeper in you get the more it breaks but then starts to mend. Losing someone affects each of us in our own ways and what we do to try and stop further hurt is also individual in how it’s done. The story of Walker and Taylor is so well written I was sad to see it end! I know this is the first in a series so I am hopeful I will see more of them in future books!
Taylor pushes herself because she is scared to care and lose. Walker has also suffered loss but as a cop he also suffers frustration with a big crime and also with the way Taylor pushes people away. You ache for them both and you can understand each viewpoint because Catherine Cowles has a way with a story. I pulled for them to make it and for the crime to be solved.
The greatest love stories can come from ultimate loss and feelings like Walker and Taylor have for each other can overcome if they just don’t give up!
You will also fall head over heels for Walkers family! Especially his grandma!
Happy reading!
4.5 Stars!
Beautifully Broken Pieces kicks off the exciting new Sutter Lake Series by author Catherine Cowles. Beautifully Broken Pieces follows the story of Walker and Taylor. Taylor’s life has had a lot of ups and downs. After the loss of her beloved mother, Taylor decides she needs a change. And Sutter Lake looks like it may have all the answers that she’s looking for. Her heart has known loss and she’s afraid to let anyone get close. So, when Walker enters her life, her perfectly erected walls don’t stand a chance. From the moment Walker laid eyes on Taylor he was totally captivated. He knew she had ghosts that haunted her and wanted nothing more than to bring some joy into her life. Walker’s life hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows either. He’s known pain, heartache and loss as well. Even though he’s got his own pain, he’s happy with the life he lives…that is until Taylor turns his entire world upside down. Taylor and Walker are the perfect match. It’s just so beautifully easy and their chemistry burns hotter than ever. Will Taylor and Walker take a chance on love and be able to mend their broken hearts? There’s only one way to find out…..
I knew from the moment I read Catherine Cowles debut novel, that she was going to be an author to watch out for and boy did she prove me right. It’s so hard to believe that Beautifully Broken Pieces is just her second novel. It is so incredibly well written and reads like she’s been writing forever. Beautifully Broken Pieces is an emotional and heartwarming romance with a great mix of mystery and suspense. The story-line will pull you in instantly and the characters will keep you begging for more.
I thought that romance between Taylor and Walker was just perfection. It was perfectly paced with a delicious slow burn. I loved watching their relationship build from a reluctant friendship to an inferno that couldn’t be denied. Taylor is beautifully complicated with skyhigh walls that I just couldn’t wait for Walker to break down. I couldn’t wait to see her broken pieces be put back together.
Beautifully Broken Pieces isn’t just a romance. It’s a story of loss and heartache. It’s a story of accepting the past and learning to move forward. There’s drama. There’s angst. There’s action, suspense and a couple of twists that will just keep you glued to the pages. Yep, this book hit all the marks for me and was a seriously entertaining read.
I think this new series from Catherine Cowles is off to a terrific start and I’m excited to see what she’ll have in store for us next!
This story was an emotional roller coaster read for me. I felt so bad for Taylor because she sacrificed everything in her life to take care of her ailing mother. When her mother passes away her friends think its time for Taylor to have a vacation and get away from it all and just be able to sit and relax and not have to worry about anything or anybody.
So they take a trip up to Sutter Lake where she can get some much needed rest and relaxation. Only when she gets there she meets the handsome and rugged Deputy Chief of Police Walker and boy oh boy does he get her heart racing and as she becomes friends with him the chemistry they begin to develop is amazing.
Walker has known pain for years and he wears it well. No one knows what he feels like underneath because he keeps it all inside until the day he meets Taylor. Taylor changes everything for him and makes him want to do things with her and open up to her and he does. As these two navigate through this friendship that just may be leading to more they have to worry about a killer on the lose and who will be the next victim.
So much anxiety, sadness and grief in this book.
The story is also a sweet romance with lots of chemistry, funny bits and suspense.
A thoroughly enjoyable read
This is my first book by Catherine Cowles and will definitely be reading more of her work.
I received a free copy of this book via Hidden Gems and am voluntarily leaving a review.
To say Catherine Cowles blew me away with this one is an understatement. I’m trying my hardest to come up with enough words that could possible describe how Beautifully Broken Pieces made me feel but honestly I’m so blown away my brain just is not functioning. It’s still the beginning of 2019 but I can honestly say this may be one of the greatest books this year. Taylor and Walker have a powerfully moving story that goes beyond romance and captures you literally on the first page.
It also makes you ugly cry so grab those tissues boo! Because these two will have you sobbing with all that swooning. In all seriousness I connected with Taylor on a level I rarely do. Her story hit extremely close to home for me and Catherine perfectly captured the emotions of loss and grief in a way that it was almost like a reflection of everything I have felt in my own life recently. Taylor is so real and those emotions so raw it was painful and healing all at once for me.
But this is a magnificent romance after all, so to heal my heart there was Walker along with his entire family and of course characters I’d already fallen in love with from her previous book Carter, Austin and Liam. Walker’s family brings a warm-hearted lightness to the story breaking up the heavier emotion as Taylor’s heart begins to open when it comes to Walker. Where Taylor is one of my all time favorite characters because of how much I relate to her, Walker is one because of how flat out wonderful he is. A unique mix of being gentle while still giving Taylor the push she needs to knock down her walls he stole my heart over and over again.
The chemistry they have is not only immediate it’s also magnetic, pulling them together even when they try to resist and making for some great banter and sparks to go hand in hand with the sweet and sexy that blossoms between them. There aren’t enough stars in the world for what this book deserves because Beautifully Broken Pieces deserves every last star in the universe.
Beautifully Broken Pieces is book one of the Sutter Lake series by Catherine Cowles. This is my second book by Catherine. I first read Further To Fall and fell in love with it. With all the love I had for the first book, though, I think I loved this one even more!
Taylor Lawson is best friends with Carter whom we met in Further To Fall. Taylor has spent the last two years in Texas caring for her sick mother. It’s been three months now since her mother has passed. Taylor has given everything in the last two years and now all she has is the pain of loss. Carter and her husband Austin and their friend Liam decide that what Taylor needs is a vacation. So they all head off to the cozy Oregon town of Sutter Lake.
Taylor loves her friends but she is tired of the way they look at her, at the way they worry about saying the wrong thing. She just wants to be alone. Because if you are alone, if you isolate yourself away from others, then you can’t feel loss if you lose them like she did her mother. She falls in love with this wonderful small town. She feels more peaceful here than she has in a long time and decides she wants to stay for a year.
Walker Cole is the Deputy Chief of police in Sutter Lake. His family owns a huge ranch and it’s on his family’s property that Taylor rents a small cottage. The first time he sees her he’s intrigued. Walker has suffered loss himself. It’s been ten years but he never completely got over his loss. But, there is something about this woman he just met that gets under his skin and wakes him up in a way he hasn’t felt in a long time.
“Taylor Lawson was fire and ice. And the combination had intrigued me from the moment I met her.”
The entire Cole family sort of adopts Taylor but she still tries to keep herself at a distance. Where Taylor used to despise exercise, she now runs or swims like her life depends on it. As far as she’s concerned, it does. It’s the only time she feels peace! Walker has decided that he wants to get to know her better, that he can’t ignore his growing feelings for her but he knows he is going to have to go slow or he’ll scare her away.
“I don’t have my guard up.”
“Oh honey, your guard is up so high, you can’t even see over it. But, maybe one of these days, you’ll lower it enough to see that letting people really know you isn’t the worst thing.”
While Taylor and Walker are trying to find their way to one another, their little town is shaken up by the disappearance and murder of local women. Walker is torn between feeling the happiest he’s felt in his life when he’s with Taylor and at the same time, dealing with the gruesome facts his job forces him to face.
“You are here for me. You made me smile on a day when I thought that would be impossible. And when I feel your body next to mine, my soul settles somehow. I feel at peace. So, you are here for me in every way I need.”
I’ll stop here because you need to find the rest out for yourself, because this is an amazing book and you just HAVE to read it! I loved getting to spend some time with Austin and Carter from Further To Fall. There is a new character in this book that I am already pretty much in love with, Tucker, Walker’s best friend. I’m told I might be seeing him in a future book and I can’t wait. The next book, though, will be Liam’s book, Beautifully Broken Life. I am so excited to get his story. But, back to this book, I loved Taylor’s journey as she dealt with her grief and with the progression of her feelings for Walker. I too lost my mom a few years ago after a lengthy illness. And while I dealt with my feelings in a different way, I do understand her grief. This was sweet and sexy but I wasn’t prepared for how suspenseful it was! I was on the edge of my seat. The epilogue was perfect and left me with a huge smile.
I hope that somehow I have convinced you to give this book a try, because I loved it so much. Catherine Cowles has quickly become the author that is an automatic yes for me. Maybe you will feel the same way!
This is such a great book! Taylor is grieving and not in a good place but Walker and his entire family are so good and so patient with her. I can’t wait for the rest of the series!
Whoa! My first book by Catherine Cowles was a good mix of emotional and mysterious. The opening alone was enough to put my feels on alert.
I’m not going to lie, a big part of my love for Beautifully Broken Pieces was Walker. The patient, swoony, protective and sweet man. But a bigger part was Taylor. Heartbroken and lost. Seeking solace and peace she found herself drawn to the small lake town that her friends took her to.
It didn’t take long for Walker to be struck by the lust bug. One meeting was all it took. But being the standup guy that he was, he kept himself in check. I liked that he gave Taylor the friendship and shoulder she needed to heal. He gave her what she asked for and as they slowly started to spend more time together, both of their feelings grew deeper and stronger than either expected.
But within this quiet place was someone playing a dangerous game. It was driving Walker out of his mind trying to figure out who was behind a slew of gruesome crimes in his peaceful town. And when Taylor got caught in the crosshairs, all bets were off.
Walker wasn’t letting the culprit get away with it this time. It was a race against time and the forest to find her. But it was Taylor, the warrior within her, that had the hardest work to do. I loved seeing her strength and fight come out when it mattered the most. The final chapters of this book had my heart pumping. And that final shocking reveal had my eyes bugging out of my skull!
All in all, my first venture into the writing of Catherine Cowles was a good one. The balance between romance and danger in Beautifully Broken Pieces was spot on. Not too much of one and not enough of another. Both characters had their flaws and fears but together they battled them down and came out stronger on the other side. Taylor’s journey of heartbreak and survival and healing left me wanting more and I can’t wait to go back to the small town of Sutter Lake.
I received a free copy of this book from the author.
Beautifully Broken Pieces is a novel I highly recommend you pick up. It’s pretty rare for me to start a review out that way but I’m telling you. No matter what else I have to say in this review – you need to read this book.
Catherine has constructed a beautiful love story between two individuals (Taylor & Walker) who have long time had an attraction for one another but were never able to act upon it…until now. When Taylor’s grandmother passes it brings her back to her hometown and face to face with the Sheriff.
Walker Cole was the guy who she thought might be her forever kind of guy but he never seemed to look her way. Or so she thought. Always pestering him, Taylor was definitely someone he noticed. Though now, as an adult, he’s definitely taking notice.
Something isn’t quite right in their hometown of Sutter Lake. If these two aren’t careful the bad stuff will come for them next! What more could a woman ask for than a knight in shining armor – in the form of a blue Sheriff’s uniform?
Gosh, I want to tell you so much about this story. Just take my word for it and one click it today! I’m 99.9% sure you’ll love this small town romance.
Beautifully Broken Pieces was absolutely perfect. Walker is sexy, loyal, stubborn, and caring. To top it off our hero is a cop… who doesn’t love a man in uniform?? Taylor is broken and scared, but Walker knows he can tear down her walls if he tries hard enough. Their story is one that is heartbreaking but oh, so worth it in the end. You do not want to miss this sweet read!!
Beautifully broken pieces by Catherine Cowles is simply a masterpiece! Taylor is looking to escape pain and loss that she has been dealt in her life and stumbles upon a small Mountainside town where no one knows her name and she can heal in solitude. Walker’s family is a huge part of this town, one of it to founding families. Walker is also trying to navigate the ghosts of his past. He is the town’s deputy chief and has seen a lot of tragedy. Unfortunately for Taylor there seems to be some suspicious activity that will threaten her solitude, but will also bring her and Walker closer together. If you like suspense and romance, this is a must read for you!
Taylor Lawson is on a getaway arranged by her best friend. She has lost her Mom, and feels adrift. The week in Sutter Lake with her friends who are like family made her realize she longed for the peace and quiet of this lovely small town. Her friends don’t want to leave her, but she wants time to herself.
She quickly finds the perfect job at a local tea house, and just as luckily finds a home as well. Jensen, her boss, has family that owns a cottage they are willing to rent. Things are falling into place.
Walker Cole, Jensen’s brother, is a local police officer, and lives in his own home on his family’s ranch. He suffered a tragic loss years ago, when his girlfriend disappeared, and days later her body was found. No one was ever arrested for the crime, and it is his major reason for becoming a cop. Since his family has taken Taylor under their wing, they see each other frequently, and their attraction starts heating up. Walker and Taylor both have strong personalities, and the more protective Walker tries to be, the more she pushes him away. After a very frightening encounter on a hike, all her walls fall and she lets Walker in.
Hikers are disappearing, the town is on edge and underlying danger seems to be everywhere. The suspense is riveting and will keep you holding your breath.
This is a contemporary romance, with suspense and amazing heat. . While writing my review I ended up reading it a second time! This first in the series is a must read!
I thank the publisher and author for allowing me to read and review this fascinating story.
Pat Fordyce