Review: “Fractured Sky” by Catherine Cowles

Series: Tattered & Torn #5

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Steam: 🔥🔥🔥

Release Date: October 25th, 2022

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CW: past—kidnapping, physical abuse, domestic abuse, time spent in prison; on page—stalking, physical violence, threats and blackmail, references to child and animal abuse

Damaged. Broken. Destroyed. I’ve heard it all. A single moment of trusting the wrong person shattered my life into pieces, and my family has never looked at me the same. It’s impossible to convince them that I’m anything more than the broken girl they rescued all those years ago.

Until I meet him.

Ramsey’s surly demeanor and menacing scowl scare most of the world away. But not me. Not when I’ve seen his gentle hands soothe an abused colt or comfort a terrified mare.

And when I finally get up the courage to strike out on my own, Ramsey’s there. Roommates felt like such a safe proposition until Ramsey’s lingering touches and wicked smile light a fire in me I don’t think will ever be extinguished. And he feels it, too…

But just as my new life begins to take root, an evil from my past emerges from the shadows, casting a darkness on my newfound freedom. And this time, they won’t settle for pieces of me. They want everything…

 

Catherine Cowles’ Tattered & Torn series has me in a chokehold, so you can imagine how desperately I was waiting for Shiloh’s book. And not a single minute of it was disappointing. We’ve been watching quiet and cautious Shiloh slowly find her strength through four books, so to have her be able to tell her story, see her fall in love and find the peace she’s been missing for so long was quite something. I’m glad I managed to read Shattered Sea before this, so I could meet Ramsey. I gotta say, when I saw him interacting with Boden, I imagined him to be a gruff old cowboy. But who he really is? So much better.

In Fractured Sky, you’ll find:

✨ age gap

✨ grumpy x sunshine-ish

✨ forced proximity

✨ protective hero

✨ damaged heroine

✨ cowboys, horses and dogs

✨ two incredible kids

✨ ALL OF THE FEELS

✨ a delicious slow burn

✨ small town romantic suspense

When it comes to Catherine’s books, you know you’re going to be experiencing all of the emotions all at once and this series has been delivering blow after blow of emotions that have just completely shattered me in all the best ways. From book one, we’ve seen how the Easton family has been affected by the tragedy that almost broke them, and we’ve watched Shiloh move around her family silently and quietly as she makes sense of her life. I have always loved Shiloh for her softness and her peace, for the way she handles herself without asking anybody for anything or demanding attention. Her struggles are hers to deal with and nobody else’s. She’s the strongest character in this series and in reading this book, you’ll see that.

Ramsey and Shiloh’s bond is unlike any other. As a horse whisperer/trainer, Ramsey taught himself patience and peace and silence. He lives a quiet life on a secluded ranch where he gets tortured, damaged and broken horses back to their original selves. Seeing him through Boden’s eyes in Shattered Sea was quite incredible, but seeing him through Shiloh’s eyes really puts him in a whole new light. Shiloh, like a lot of the horses that show up on Ramsey’s ranch, is damaged, broken and lost. And together, while they heal the horses, they heal each other. And that’s what this book is, as much as it is a romance and about falling in love, it’s also about healing yourself.

“What do you feel for me?” 

Ramsey’s fingers twined with mine. “I don’t think there’s a word for it in the English language. But it burns through me. And I don’t want to ever let it go.”

The suspense in this book is insane. So much happens, so keep your eyes peeled. There’s going to be a few moments where everything feels lost and you’re worried for these characters, but that’s the magic of Catherine’s writing. She puts Shiloh and Ramsey through the ringer in this one, but every single time, they come out stronger. There’s also a lot of great family moments between Shiloh and her siblings, her parents and even Everly and Addie. This book really ties together all of the stories and characters in the series in the best way possible.

Prepare to cry, gasp, smile a whole lot, but also just feel so worn out (in the best ways!) by the end of it. I can’t believe that this is the end of this series, because I feel like I was just getting started with this gang of characters!

Thanks to Social Butterfly PR for generously providing me with an advance copy. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.