Review: Of Lost Things by Ariana Rose

Note: An advance reader copy (ARC) was provided by the author via Give Me Books Promotions.

Ariana Rose is a new-to-me author, so her newest standalone was my introduction to her writing. While it may have been my first read from her, it most certainly won't be the last. Color me impressed because Of Lost Things was a well-written romance about finding love after heartbreak and that age really is nothing more than a number when it comes to matters of the heart. The cast of characters is led by Nina Caufield née Carson and Tyler Mason; she's a forty-one-year-old single mother to thirteen-year-old Mia, and he's a twenty-eight-year-old police sergeant in the town that Nina and Mia have just moved to. The implosion of her marriage came as a surprise to Nina, but then she thought happily-ever-after was a given when you've been with someone for twenty years, eighteen of which were believed to be in wedded bliss. Now, she's trying her best to recreate a home for herself and Mia while figuring what to do with a life that was no longer focused on helping her husband be a success. When Mia gets in trouble and Tyler happens to be the one who catches her, the last thing Nina expects is for the younger man to become such a presence in not only her life but Mia's as well. Is Nina ready and willing to lose her fragile heart on this new, maybe true love she's found with Tyler? With everything she's lost, what else is waiting to be found?

This book! These characters! Their love story! GAH! Nina was such a wonderful female main character--flawed yet brave, knowing she had to be the primary parent and strongest source of support for Mia while also trying to figure out what her life would look like now that she and her cheating ex were divorced. I appreciated her vulnerability and strength and cheered her on, especially whenever she had to be firm when it came to matters involving her daughter. And Tyler? The pessimist in me would be say he was too good to be true, but the hopeless romantic side of me thinks that there are still good men in the world, so why shouldn't some of them be found between the covers of a romance novel? He was such a protector, whether it came to his sister and her family or Nina and her daughter. When he was all in, he was all in, and he didn't have a single iota of hesitation of regret because he believed the time and effort he was putting in was worthwhile. These main characters shared a stellar connection, but I need to tip my hat off to the peripheral characters as well, particularly, Mia (Nina's daughter), Kelly (Tyler's older sister), Ashley (Nina's best friend), and Ryan (Tyler's best friend and partner). My one quibble? Whatever happened to Smoky, a cat introduced early in the story and then there was no other mention of him, only to have another cat, Moose, make an appearance in the epilogue. Overall, Of Lost Things is a highly commendable book, both with its story and the storytelling, which is why I'm handing it five stars.

Release Date: 27 September 2023

Date Read: 25 September 2023

Learn more about Ariana Rose.

Purchase Of Lost Things on Amazon.