Ashes of You by Catherine Cowles

Narrated by Ava Erickson and Sebastian York

5th in a series. Can stand alone.

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I have been SO EXCITED to FINALLY get Lawson’s book! I knew Catherine Cowles would make Ashes of You my favorite of The Lost & Found Series. I love everything she writes, but single dads and teen kids are some of my favorite things in books and Catherine nailed it.

Being the chief of police in a town that has more than its share of crazy criminals, Lawson Hartley has played a big part in each of the Lost and Found Series books. He is the 38-year-old big brother of the Hartley family and a single dad to 3 boys: Charlie is six and lovable and adorable; Drew is a 13-year-old ladies’ man who loves the word “bruh”; and Luke is the angsty 16-year-old who has been wearing black and withdrawing.

Add to that being chief in a town with a ton of crazy crimes that mostly involve his family, and Lawson is more than a little stressed. He needs a nanny and he needs one yesterday, but the ones he has interviewed so far have just been awful.

Lawson was “Strong yet gentle. Protective yet able to let those around him find their way. Stoic yet laughed easily.”

5 years ago Hallie endured torture that broke most other women, but nearly dead, she was saved by a man with blue eyes she would never forget. 25 and still dealing with panic attacks and anxiety, she wants to face her fears and go back to the mountains she loves. She has worked as a nanny in Chicago and the listing for a nanny for three young boys sounded like the perfect job for her. But when she walked in for the interview, there he was, “Blue”.

“It’s you, Blue. You’re the one who brought me out of the ashes. It’s always been you.”

It didn’t matter that they were 13 years apart in age, Lawson and Hallie were meant to be. She was so great with his boys, and immediately turned the whole house around and got everything in order, finally giving Lawson time to breathe. He tried so hard to ignore the attraction, but when a serial killer was on the loose and she needed to move in, there was no denying it anymore.

“Can’t imagine doing life without you. Not now. Hallie, you’ve ruined me. But I’d burn myself to ash over and over if it meant getting you in the end.”

Likes:

I absolutely loved Hallie. She was so strong!
Lawson finally got his HEA.
Those boys of his were wonderfully written, I loved the dynamics.
Visiting with all the Hartleys.
I bawled my eyes out with HAPPY tears.
It stood well on its own.
I am about to listen again, I loved it so much.
The prologue for her next series.

Dislikes:

Catherine’s patterns tend to be the same in all of the stories and I find myself looking for the dangerous suspect in everyone and I’m guessing a bit too easily.
Why the fuck would Hallie go back to those particular mountains?

The Narration:

Absolutely FABULOUS narration. Ava Erickson so perfectly embodied Hallie’s trauma and Sebastian York always nails the level-headed hero. I think their performance added so much to the story that I can’t imagine reading instead of listening.

The Down & Dirty:

We have been waiting a year for Lawson’s story and I knew it would be the best. Catherine didn’t disappoint. I couldn’t imagine a couple more perfect for each other than Hallie and Lawson. There was less spice than the others in the series, but it worked for the story. Ashes of You was the perfect end to the series because this poor town needs a freaking break!

Rating: 4.75 Stars, 2.5 heat, 5 narration

My thanks to Catherine Cowles for providing an advance copy for review purposes. Ana’s Attic accepts no compensation for reviews, and all reviews contain my honest opinion.