Review: Shadows of You by Catherine Cowles (Lost & Found #4)

Note: An advance reader copy (ARC) was provided by the author.

I pressed a hand to his chest, feeling the steady beat there. It wasn't an I love you; it was so much better. It was raw and real and...Roan.

Gahd! I had a feeling that this novel was going to hit me more than the others because it was going to be Roan Hartley's story, but I sure as heck wasn't prepared for the immensity of it all. There were tears, and it's been what feels like forever since the last time a book made me cry. But I'm getting ahead of myself, aren't I? Well, allow me to let me tell you a bit about Shadows of You, the fourth and penultimate book in Catherine Cowles's Lost & Found series. Set in the small town of Cedar Ridge, Washington, the series features the Hartley siblings--Lawson, Roan, Holt, Nash, and Grae--and the lives they lead and fighting for the ones they love in their hometown. Roan, who I'm guessing to either be twenty-eight or twenty-nine, is a game warden for Harrison County Fish and Wildlife and is the loner in his family. When he's called to the property of a single mother and her young daughter to check on an injured doe, Roan has no idea just how much his life is about to change. Aspen Barlow, who's twenty-six or twenty-seven, has a wariness to her, but her six-year-old, Cady, is the bright light in her life. Roan is a protector by nature, but it's obvious that it's more than that when it comes to these two. When Aspen's past forces its way into their present, Roan's fear of losing this newfound family engages his basic and protective instincts.

I cried at one particularly moving point while reading this book, and let me tell you, tears are not a good thing when you're sick in bed. But do I have regrets? Nope, not when what I got--other than my cold becoming worse--was this story that I've been waiting for ever since Roan made his grumpy presence felt. There were clearly reasons why he was the way he was, but I don't think I was ready for what those reasons were because talk about heartrending. He preferred to be in the shadows, and it took Aspen and Cady being in a part of his life to actually bring him back to life and live in the light. I loved how this mother and daughter saw what others couldn't and how they encouraged him to be exactly who he was because that man was someone who was awe-inspiring. The part where the tears just couldn't be held back felt like a long time coming, and I swear, I thought I couldn't love the Hartleys more than already did, but I guess I actually could. As always, Catherine Cowles brought the romance and the suspense to a small town setting, and she continues to keep it fresh and her readers on their proverbial toes. Giving Shadows of You is just easy-peasy, and I can't wait for the last Hartley to finally get his happily-ever-after.

(Side Note: I'm going to continue holding out hope that Cady and Charlie get their own HEA. I don't even need it to be the start of a new series. I'd be perfectly happy with it being a standalone spin-off. But no, I don't think I'd be okay with a novella or short story. I'm so going to need the whole, full-length shebang!)

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Read my reviews for the Lost & Found series:

Whispers of You (book one) - five stars - My Review

Echoes of You (book two) - five-plus stars - My Review

Glimmers of You (book three) - five-plus stars - My Review

Shadows of You (book four) - five-plus stars - My Review (posted above)

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Release Date: 19 October 2023

Date Read: 13 October 2023

Learn more about Catherine Cowles.

Purchase Shadows of You on Amazon.