Review: Into the Fading Twilight by Catherine Cowles (Starlight Grove #2)

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

"All of you is beautiful," he rasped. "Your hope and your fear. Your joy and your pain. Because all of it is you." 

"There is nothing more comforting than knowing, down to your bones, that you are loved for exactly who you are. That is the most precious gift I'll ever be given."

It goes without saying that I've been eagerly awaiting the release of Into the Fading Twilight ever since the events that unfolded in the first Starlight Grove novel, Across the Vanishing Sky. That's the thing with Catherine Cowles's writing--she hooks you in for the next book in the series just as the current story is wrapping up. But how could anyone who's read the series starter not have book two on their list of most anticipated reads, what with needing to know how Nova Monroe was doing after everything she endured?! And then there's the man who found her just as she was giving up hope--Kol Archer. I also needed to satisfy my burning curiosity about a theory I had while reading book one, desperate to see if I was right.

Twenty-seven-year-old Nova Monroe is no longer the person she once was. Not after having been kept in captivity for over a year. The man who kidnapped and tortured her may have been neutralized, but the scars, physical and otherwise, remain. Four months on, all she wants is to relish in the freedom that once took for granted--but she's not as alone as she thinks she is. Not when Kol Archer continues to be there for her. The thirtysomething investigator for the Forest Service and single dad to his eight-year-old daughter, Skylar, seems to have a knack for providing Nova what she needs, whether it be space, support, or simply being there for her. Friendship between them is one thing, but this has always felt like something...more. But it appears like someone out there still refuses to allow Nova her happily-ever-after.

Remember that whole thing about me needing to satisfy my curiosity about a theory I had formed in my head from book one? Well, consider my curiosity very much satisfied, and even if it makes me insufferable, I need to say it: I was right! Yep, this has to do what who the villain is in book two, although by the time it was all revealed, I was a wee bit torn. You'll get why when you read Into the Fading Twilight. Nova may have survived her time in captivity, but she truly thrived with the love and support from Kol. These two were swoony, but with Sky, they were the family they were always meant to be. And while I know Mav gets his book next, I'm already super curious as to what awaits the eldest Archer brother, Wylder, and the middle brother, Orion, although I suspect I know who he's going to be paired with, but nothing is ever 100% sure when it comes to this author's devious (genius!) mind! Five-plus stars!

Release Date: 07 July 2026

Date Read: 01 July 2026

Learn more about Catherine Cowles.

Purchase Into the Fading Twilight on Amazon.