Keeping Carmen Ruiz

The Lost & Found Series, Book 2

By: Alyson Root

Narrated by: Sadie Provost

Finding Molly Parsons was just the beginning for this group of friends-turned-family.

Faith has found her soulmate in Nathalie, while Mateo finally reels in his long-time crush, Daniel. And just when Molly thinks it might be her turn, love slips right through her fingers. Carmen Ruiz has gone in search of the something—or someone—that placed the first shackle around her heart. She knows that the key to her future lies in her past. What she doesn’t realize is that her journey will be the catalyst for an unforgettable, cross-country quest for love and liberation.

An unexpected reckoning leads Faith and Molly back to the heart of Kentucky. A fire station delivers more than just eye candy for Enid. And a mysterious woman named Mariana receives a guest she’s been waiting 37 years to meet again. With the ever-sparkling Mateo and the incorrigible Enid Butcher by their sides, Faith, Molly, and Carmen travel from one coast to the other, making amends on their way back to The Sunflower Ranch.

This place that first brought them all together now poses questions that will test their bonds. Will Faith mend the strained relationship with her mother, Maureen? Can Mateo forge a life without his big sister and protector? And is Molly ready to keep Carmen’s heart—for good?

In this story of forgiveness, closure, and redemption, the Ruiz-Parsons clan navigate uncharted territory, facing each new challenge together. Through it all, they reaffirm that family bonds forged by choice are the most unbreakable, and that true love is always worth the wait.

©2024 Alyson Root (P)2025 Alyson Root

Might just be my favorite found family series

I'm a big fan of Alyson Root, and this series in particular. I just adore all of the characters and the found family is amazing, which is critical in a character-focused series like this. If there was a way to give more than 5 stars, this book would have them.

I already loved Molly from the initial installment in this series, Finding Molly Parsons (read it first if you haven't yet, because it's just as fabulous and you really do need the back story to truly get everything that's happening here), but damn do I love her even more. She's just such a caring, supportive woman, and her strength in facing her own demons so that she can open herself up to love is just wonderful. It certainly doesn't hurt that I could listen to Sadie Provost's audiobook characterization of Molly all day long, either.

I really enjoyed getting more details and insight into Carmen's history. I don't want to get into it too much because then I'd be getting into spoiler territory, but Root handles some pretty serious subject matter with care, but also a healthy dose of levity through Enid. Oh, Enid. She may be the comic relief, but don't let that fool you. She's one of the biggest sources of support for Carmen, pushing her and being her biggest cheerleader, but also for the other characters, and she's just so surprising in unexpected ways—although maybe they shouldn't be so unexpected.

Faith is back, and she's grown so much from where she was at the start of the first book, and her relationship with Nathalie and their communication and openness with each other is inspiring. Really, I could go on and on about how wonderful everyone is, but you should just read or listen to it and see for yourself.