Love Lost

Tails from the Alpha Art Gallery #5

by Cynthia St. Aubin

So now you’re the Alpha.

For neophyte werewolf Hanna Harvey, life is a wedge of triple crème room-temperature brie. Sure, there’s a crew of Furries aggressively adoring her right there in the bakery aisle and not everyone is excited about the abrupt change of command within the shifter kingdom, but what’s the occasional run-in with a cat-suit wearing lady assassin when you have a pygmy goat coffee butler—with a sweater vest!

Only, the threats have become a smidge too frequent—and graphic—and Abernathy is on high alert. Which, for a six-and-a-half-foot tall werewolf, looks a lot like making end tables with the spines of your enemies. Super awkward when it comes time for entertaining—which is exactly what Hanna has in mind for Abernathy’s upcoming birthday.

The party plans come to a screeching halt when ex-detective Morrison—now a cryptid conspiracy-obsessed freelance paranormal PI—insists that her life is in imminent danger (again). When a powerful enemy from Hanna’s past re-surfaces, she’s tempted to tap into the magic of an ancient ally.

Genres: Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Audiobook, Fantasy, Werewolves, Adult, Romance

Kindle Edition

Published December 20, 2022

About the author

USA Today bestselling author Cynthia St. Aubin wrote her first play at age eight and made her brothers perform it for the admission price of gum wrappers. A steal, considering she provided the wrappers in advance. Though her early work debuted to mixed reviews, she never quite gave up on the writing thing, even while earning a mostly useless master's degree in art history and taking her turn as a cube monkey in the corporate warren.

Because the voices in her head kept talking to her, and they discourage drinking at work, she started writing instead. When she's not standing in front of the fridge eating cheese, she's hard at work figuring out which mythological, art historical, or paranormal friends to play with next. She lives in Colorado with the love of her life and three surly cats.

Reviews

[Steph · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sooooooooo frustrating! Can I please throat punch Abernathy?

Just a few spoilery things to say and ask ...
Wolves mate for life and are suuuuuper possessive, yes? Yet, Abernathy is suddenly okay with sharing Hanna with the guy, now vampire, who he's wanted to kill from the moment Hanna met him? 🤔

Helena did have an odd reaction when she tried to attach herself to Mark after having mated (unknowingly, at the time) to Kirkpatrick, yes? Yet, now that (King) Mark decides he's suddenly okay sharing, there's no such reaction on Hanna's part or his, for that matter? 🤔

My humble option: readers love or, at the very least, like Morrison (much) more than Abernathy + Hanna chose Abernathy = readers sad. Morrison's Strigoi status was short-lived and he's now same/same + vampy and Abernathy is same/same + ass-holery = Trupple? 🤔

So, to make said thruppling work, author ignores preset shifter qualities that would interfere with said thruppling? 🤔

Things that make me go hmmmmmm, WTF? Don't get me wrong, as one who absolutely prefers Morrison as a choice over Abernathy, I'm not pretending to be 100% turned off by the idea. I'm just 100% confused by the how and why of it all. I'm not buying Abernathy's reasons given. Just don't see it being his go-to choice of resolution. Instead, he should've pulled his head outta his ass, talked to his mate and made things right between the two of them.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a tough review because i was really looking forward to this book, after the first 4 books.

However, the ending.....just felt so out of left field, and so out of character. I mean Mark spends 4 books being a jealous, possessive, alpha of all alphas, and then out of nowhere is like "oh sure let's have a throuple with your vampire ex whom i hate"

First, in the prior books, it's established that once mated, it's for life, and exclusive. So....this makes zero sense. And for the record, I have no problem with why choose romances, there are quite a few that I love, this just makes zero sense for THESE characters.

Logistics aside, since mated pairs aren't even supposed to be able to enjoy making out with others (this is mentioned with Helena and Kirkpatrick), It's so out of character that Hannah literally passes out and thinks she's dreaming.

I'm wondering if all the tension and hatred between Mark and Morrison was supposed to read as attraction - but it didn't.

I really didn't like Mark in this book. At all. He wasn't there for her, he wasn't noticing her struggles, he was just......a jerk. And it was clear she still wanted marriage, and he's all "best i can do is a throuple with your ex", and yet that seems to solve their problems? Because he feels like it's a "prize" for Morrison after looking out for Hannah?

So awkward. It also made me want to reread the other books, as I hadn't read them in awhile and i thought maybe it WAS in character, and I had missed it. But all the re-reads did was made me realize how many inconsistencies there are throughout all of the books, which is a bummer.

[Sibel Gandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5 / 5
Okuması kolay, eğlenceli bir seriydi genel olarak. Sadece bu son kitabı pek sevemedim. Biraz karman çormandı sanki. Bir de o sona ne gerek vardı ki. Yazar kimseyi üzmek istememiş sanırım 😏

[Terra Clotfelter G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy surprise ending 😱

Karli, this quote is for you 🤭 “Bro, you ever see Return to Oz?…How the hell did they ever get away with calling that absolute dystopian hellscape a kids’ movie?! I mean, the Wheelers!”

“…also known as the title track from Dirty Dancing, the movie that had pretty much been responsible for my adolescent sexual awakening, along with Star Trek: The Next Generation, that is.” 😂

“…as he brought the bag to his lips and punctured it like a macabre Capri Sun.” 🩸🤢


If you want fast-paced, Gilmore-Girls-esque narration, this series is for you. Rife with pop-culture and historical references, Hannah, the FMC, narrates her story a mile a minute in each book of this series. (I listened to the audiobooks, but I know reading the book would give the same feeling.)

This was better than the fourth book in the series. I don’t know why exactly, but the vibes were better ✨ The book ended on a note that left room for future books, although I feel like the story should end here.

[Diana (DomesticGoddess) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reads as a rush job and kind of an afterthought to the series. The twist is pretty much implausible IMO, it ends abruptly, and there are lots of typos, which were not noticeable in the other novels. Overall, a bit of a disappointment.

[Jen (That's What I'm Talking About) · Rating 3 out of 5]

After I devoured Love Bites, the first book in the Tails from the Alpha Art Gallery series, I immediately purchased the next four titles (all books available) and read a total of four of the five books. By the time I finished the fourth book, I was discouraged by the writing and disappointed by the lack of forward progress in the relationship between main character Hanna and her werewolf mate, Mark, so I never read the final book. Finishing the series with the fifth book, Love Lost, seems like a good fit for January’s #TBRChallenge theme “Still Here.”

Picking up about two years after the events in the first four books, Love Lost opens with a stressed out Hanna who is overwhelmed by almost nightly bad dreams and exhausted from being Alpha. Mark is moody, and surprise… her mom shows up out of the blue. The story quickly ramps up with a series of odd encounters with furries, shifters, and cryptids.

My favorite parts of the Tails from the Alpha Art Gallery books are the humor, lighthearted hijinks, and the exciting adventures, and there are plenty of those things to go around. Unfortunately, the issues I had with the last couple of books spill into Love Lost. Hanna finds herself under-prepared for and overwhelmed by the challenges to her leadership. It’s been a couple of years and yet, she hasn’t seem to progress in her ability to manage her life or be alpha. She leaps into action without thought.

The story itself is interesting and exciting, but gets bogged down by too many layers and twists. Also, the storytelling sometimes jumps into events, leaving me a bit confused. I had to re-read sections to make sure I followed the action correctly. And sometimes the situations were over-the-top ridiculous, like Hanna having to (and quickly willing to) take a drug to follow a lead. Hanna acts without consideration. She doesn’t seem to take her role seriously. She whines about her relationship with Mark but doesn’t work on it.

Finally, I continue to be frustrated with the romance between Mark and Hanna. Often they could be happy if they would only communicate. It’s been two years and yet they still have the same issues. Meanwhile, her ex, former detective Morrison, now a vampire is putting on the moves. While the author does (finally? once again?) address some of the issues in the ending of the book, I fear that it won’t stick, because nothing did in the past. That said, I don’t know if there will be anymore titles in the series, since this book came out in 2022.

In the end, I’m glad I finally read Love Lost and can put this series to rest. I really enjoyed the first couple of books and loved the premise and setting, but the antics and lack of character growth have me saying farewell.

My Rating: C/C-

[Stefany · Rating 2 out of 5]

This review is in 2 parts.
The first 9 hours of the 10 hour audiobook: 3 to 4 stars
The last hour of the 10 hour audiobook: 1 star
Kind of averaging those together and weighting the ending more because it was the end of the 5 book series (almost 50 hours of audiobook and the last hour just... ugh): 2 stars overall

Ok, so first part. I liked seeing Hannah bringing some new perspective to being the shifter alpha. She's so done with all the "we do it this way because we've done it that way for the past 200 years" BS and it's great. The mystery involving the Sasquatches and other cryptids was interesting for the most part, until the end when the reveal was just kind of stupid. I'm not a fan of the "big bad" being the same boring big bad that we were done with books ago.

I am really unsure about what Veda (/Sal/Salvation) *is*. Is she a shifter? A witch? A spirit? It didn't make any sense and seemed to change due to whatever the plot needed.

Ok, so that last hour. What was that? Are you really asking me to believe that super controlling king alphahole Abernathy, who *literally* growls whenever another man is near Hannah and has shown 0 growth as a character in 5 books (as well as in the past however many years he's been trying to get Hannah as alpha, for some reason), is suddenly willing to share his *mate* with someone, especially Morrison? Is it that *one* session with a therapist? Even with the hand-wavey "oh, he was really Veda (???) for part of this book" -- we've known him for 5 books, even if there was something weird in this book, we know how he is. And then that last scene was just... gross, honestly, the way Abernathy was just using both Hannah and Morrison.

I've thought this for several books, but the ending of this book really highlighted it: Abernathy is a bad character and a bad person who doesn't actually care about Hannah. I've never really liked him (I'm not a fan of the alphahole, in general). His only positive attributes are that he's tall and physically attractive. Personality-wise, 0/10.

Morrison is such a better character. He cares about Hannah, even though she picked Abernathy. He's been through a lot -- finding out about the supernatural world, actually dying to help Abernathy (because that's what Hannah wanted) He's basically been there supporting Hannah at every turn. I wish that the ending would have been Abernathy dying (he could have heroically sacrificed himself for Hannah instead of just using her, then people can remember him as a hero) and Hannah ending up with Morrison -- 1000% better than the actual ending.

Why choose is a legitimate option, but you need to actually set it up. You can't just throw it in there at the 98% point with no logic or reasoning. This was awful. Just awful

[Sass · Rating 3 out of 5]

This whole series gave me a little of the Sookie Stackhouse vibes: vampire/shifter/other politics and a supernatural woman in the centre of it all, but more lighthearted and silly.

This book gave me a sense of satisfaction with where the story is headed (unlike Sookie's books), but definitely needed a bit more editing/polishing.

[Yuuki · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yani o son hiç olmuş mu ? Son dakikada nasıl saçmalarım demiş ve yapmış…😒

[Ashley Yungbluth · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Love Lost" is the fifth book in the "Tails from the Alpha Art Gallery" by Cynthia St. Aubin. All I can say is wow!!! This book was absolutely fantastic and just what I needed. The scene towards the ending had my jaw dropping. I have found myself growing more and more attached to these characters. I am drawn to Cynthia's humor and her writing style. I was chuckling when Hanna was in panic mode, needing to get ready for her art show. Thankfully, Morrison was there to lend a hand. I can't wait for the next book to be released because I am ready to continue this series.

[Brynn Gabby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay. What?

I don’t know what to do with myself right now. I don’t know that I’ve ever- like, quite possibly in my life- been as completely flabbergasted as I was when this series (at the end of the fifth and I think final book, mind you) suddenly turned “why choose.” Maybe I should’ve seen it coming… I mean, we did get a WHOLE lot of Morrison in this book (and basically zero Abernathy). I, however, have literally never read a why choose/reverse harem/whatever the fuck book, so forgive me for missing the signs.

Am I… mad? I mean… I DON’T KNOW, BUT I THINK YES. On the one hand: the relationship development (and frankly the relationship, period) between Hanna and Abernathy REALLY fell off during the last few books of the series. A big part of me feels like if the author had focused on developing their relationship instead of simultaneously keeping the thing with Morrison going, it might have been better overall. On the other hand: the scene was kind of hot. But the more I think about it… was it even THAT hot, really?

I agree with some other reviews that point out it was totally out of left-field and that it isn’t very satisfying or romantic for Abernathy to essentially be a neglectful asshole for like two books and then “solve” it by becoming a throuple.

The plot in this book was also pretty wacky and out of left-field, but frankly, I can’t even remember much of it because the ending shocked me so thoroughly.

So TL;DR: wishing the series had just built something solid with Abernathy instead.

BUT, overall, still a great series, especially the first three books.

[Bookishlor · Rating 2 out of 5]

2/5 stars
7% DNF
*Spoiler*


I really loved the series as a whole. Hanna is such a fun, crazy character you love and root for, but the last few books had some typos and then to find out it ends with Why Choose. No thanks. All that built up tension between Hanna and Mark and then a meh ending. So sad cause this series was so much fun!

[Whitney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was worth waiting for. Reading this newest installment of the Tails from the Alpha Art Gallery series felt like coming home. Over the last 4 books readers have fallen in love with this motley group of characters and it was amazing the see them all again. I wasn't quite sure where this book was going to go, as Love Binds was originally supposed to be the end of this series. But Cynthia St. Aubin didn't disappoint and, OMG, between the plot twists and easter eggs, I couldn't but this book down.
This book is filled with all the trademarks of a good book - great dialogue, interesting plot, off-beat humor, and cats (yes, I said cats). There is something so relatable to the main character Hanna Harvey, she's an endearing mix of awkwardness, humor, and she is who I want to be when I grow up. And not enough yummy things can be said about Mark Abernathy, her hot werewolf mate, and James Morrison, her ex-boyfriend and still relatively new vampire. This entire series is a must read!

I received this book from the publisher/author at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.

[Carissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

So read this if you want Bella to be with both Edward and Jacob. I'm very upset with this book and wasted a Hoopla audio credit, I'm sure if I physically read I'd probably dnf'd. It's been a few years since this was released, but is this really the ending?! It doesn't feel concluded. This story was so boring and the characters went really out of character. It lacked the mystery element plot line of each book that it had in prior. And where is my Alpha Abernathy, I thought werewolves mate for life and 1 mate so having Morrison also added in is ok? Not once did I think he would ever be with Hanna because Abernathy was it for her, but now they're a throuple and its okay. Where did it go wrong. Hanna was a bit over the top explaining her long winded sentences that I just wanted her to get to the point. Both Hanna (in this one specifically) and her mother were super annoying and what is the point of Steven if he didn't add anything to the plot besides being long lost Brother.

[Judy Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is nothing short of AMAZING. Not your typical shifter/paranormal, it's perfect for everyone who likes to read well-written with lots of laugh-out-loud moments and all of this only adds to the story. One of the best things about this book is you can just pick it up without having read any of the others (but believe me YOU WANT TO GO BACK if this is your into) in this series and be immediately consumed without needing tons of backstory. The descriptions and background let the reader make easy connections as to how the current relationships evolved and where the story began. Tons of snark, a story that keeps you turning the pages, and WOW, after a lot of heat and adventure, an ending that NO ONE would ever guess. Heat factor 10 out of 5.
Get this book now, you won't be sorry and if this is your first time reading Cynthia St Aubin, you will have a new favorite author.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Princess Izzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

10/10 - So excited to have an early release copy of this book to review after how much I’ve enjoyed the series. I loved this, I wasn’t sure where the book would go after the definitive ending of the last one but this didn’t disappoint we. I have always loved Morrison so really enjoyed getting more of him in this book AND DID NOT SEE THE ENDING COMING. Loved getting Katherine’s back story and version of events felt like this really fleshed everything out perfectly.
I just love how well romance, humour and paranormal elements are woven in these books it’s such a perfect balance.
This book releases on April 23rd (my birthday!) and anyone who likes rom com, paranormal romance, murder mystery books should run for this series its such a gem.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this installment of the series. Love the Costco scene with the furries! Hanna is having terrible dreams of her demise. Morrison stops by the gallery to talk with Hanna about the cryptids and their imminent uprising against her. To top Hanna’s life off, Mark is acting very aloof towards her. With her plate full the last thing she needs is her mother showing up! This story is quite a rollercoaster! There were several plot twists that I didn’t see coming. I am looking forward to the next book to find out how things are going!

[Alexis Huffman · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

OK, so I liked this one a little less than some of the other others in the series but with that being said, it was still pretty damn good. I will say I’m a little bit shocked with the way things turned out by the end. Don’t get me wrong I am a big fan of why does it need to be a love triangle when it can be why choose!!! however I just wasn’t expecting it. Like the others in the series this was insanely funny but the constant oh my God what in the world is happening did get a tiny bit annoying. The narrator once again did an absolutely phenomenal job!

[Anima · Rating 4 out of 5]

Must read the previous books before this one. There’s so much happening in this book but there is always a reason for the madness. Hanna is the Alpha of supernaturals but based a deal made years ago, something she is unaware of, some supes are not pleased. Getting down to the nitty gritty of this deal takes some effort. It’s a wild adventure with Abernathy, Morrison and a few others. Be ready for vampires, fae, werewolves and mom. I got an early copy and left this review voluntarily.

[Sahar's Honest Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twisted, Paranormal Romance

Hanna is a new alpha, and she has enemies gunning for her. There will be magic, mayhem, and murder. Who are Hanna’s enemies?

This book has a lot happening, and I had trouble following the plot at times. However, I enjoyed the story. It does come together in the end. If you like stories with vampires, werewolves, and other creatures that go bump in the night, you might like this story. I recommend starting the series from the beginning.

[Mary Heron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always fun to read this episode is no different. A mysterious enemy called Freiki is after Halli and Abernathy is being no help, in fact he has become rather distant and Gallus doesn't know why. Having no other.choice she has to rely on her.old friend and.loved Morrison for help when cryptoids start being murdered around her................... And if that wasn't bad enough her mother has chosen now.to visit.........

[Stephanie Villere · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Lost!

Love Lost, Tails from the Alpha Art Gallery book 5, written by Cynthia St Aubin. Mark, Hanna and James are still trying to save her from the shifter world and constantly fighting for her attention. This one gets a little bit dirty and sexy along with all of the other amazing shifters. I want a unicorn of my very own who farts glitter! Where can I get it? It’s a great series!

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

The ending was insanity. I legitimately thought she was going to wake up from a weird sex dream and the world was going to be right again.
After 4 books everything came to a very abrupt and very unfitting ending. These characters made absolutely no indication that this ending would be within the realm of possibility for 4 whole books.
The mother and Steve storyline I felt like was also rushed. You know what, just say everything was rushed and not consistent with the other books.

[Sydney Hopke · Rating 4 out of 5]

LOVE this series and was thrilled for more! Love Hannah, her personality is the best, and her and Abernathy just work. Having Morrison back was a plus also. There's so much going on in this book you're not going to want to put it down, it has you either laughing (of course) or going WHAT?! With new characters and those we already know (and love...maybe) and surprises it's a ride that only this author can take you on!

[Leah Hines · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story so much! All your favorite characters. Tension and suspense. I kept holding my breath. Tons of humor. Then those final chapters! Made me want to grab the author, jump up and down, and squeeze her with the biggest hug. I cannot recommend this story enough!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Mary Myers-Huff Barscz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once more Hannah is back at it. All the characters you love are here, including Morrison.
You will laugh, you will shake your head, in the end you will be satisfied with how this series goes.
I'd like to hug Cynthia. She really knows how to hook her readers and keep them coming back again and again.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book felt really out of left field compared to the other four books in the series (iykyk). After loving the rest of this series, this one was just meh for me.

The characters didn't feel like themselves, especially Abernathy. The lore built up around the mating bond went to shambles and left me all the way confused.

Steve is my favorite character forever and always.

[Lisa Eastman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do love this series, but this book was so hard to follow. I felt like I need a thesaurus to keep up. I read a lot, so I know I'm not stupid, but this was a lot of work. The ending was fantastic though!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted more, and I got it. I wasn't ready and don't think I ever will be ready to let this world go. I love Hannas crazy, from insatiable appetite to her one-sided conversations with her cats. But the one thing she will never lack is a world of good people willing to fight with her to the end, and she's definitely going to need it with what's coming for her. Hold on to your seats it's going to be a bumpy ride with twists you never saw coming.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy hell, I did not expect that conclusion to the love triangle. I am all there for it, though! I really liked many of the characters in the series and thought Hannah's way of leadership was realistic and needed.