Fragile Designs
By: Colleen Coble

Genre:
Fiction Thriller, Romantic Suspense

Summary:
A pregnant Carly suffers the tragic loss of her husband who is a police officer, and is killed during a home invasion. This leaves Carly as a single mother who is forced to make a choice, raise sweet baby Noah on her own or move in with her grandma.

Grandma has a plan to make her home into a Bed and Breakfast, which allows Carly to leave her job, focus on her writing and help grandma with the renovations. While cleaning through the attic Carly makes an unbelievable discovery. Once that will rock her family to the core.

Review:
I love reading Colleen Coble, and she doesn’t disappoint in Fragile Designs! It is fast paced, action packed, and full of unpredictable suspense! The plotline and transitions flow perfectly, the tension between Carly and her sisters, and the romantic suspense between Carly and Lucas is unbelievable! I did receive an audio version of this novel and the narrator pulled off the southern accent and charm. It was truly engaging! Highly Recommend this read or listen.

Thank you to Colleen Coble, Thomas Nelson, Zondervan Audio, and NetGalley for the Advanced Readers Copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

#netgalley #colleencoble #fragiledesigns #Thomasnelson #ARC #Zondervanaudio

It is hard for me to admit that Fragile Designs was my first book that I have read by Colleen Coble. One thing that I can promise is that it will not be my last. I really liked so much about Fragile Designs. It had all the elements necessary for it to be a successful romantic suspenseful mystery. Fragile Designs was fast paced and well plotted. The characters were not only likable but so well developed. Of course, there were a handful of characters that were difficult to like, as well. I appreciated that Colleen Coble put a strong, capable and caring woman protagonist at the center of this story. From what I gathered about Colleen Coble’s distinctive signature aspects of her writing, Fragile Designs included a “clean” romance and also had elements that included distinctive Christian values that were apparent in the fictional characters in this book. Fragile Designs took place in both South Carolina and Georgia. I listened to the audiobook that was so well narrated by Karen Peakes. Her interpretation of and the distinction between the characters was outstanding.

Carly Tucker/ Harris had been married to her police officer husband, Eric, for three years when Carly discovered that she was pregnant with their first child. She had not worked up the courage yet to tell Eric her news. Perhaps today would be the day that she would tell Eric that he was going to become a father. Things had not been great between Carly and Eric lately. Maybe that was why she hadn’t shared her news with him yet. Carly was shocked by what she discovered when she arrived home and went to find Eric. When Carly found Eric, he lay brutally murdered on the floor of their garage. In that instant, Carly became a widow and she would become a single mother.

A little over nine months later, Carly was living with her beloved grandmother, Mary Tucker, in her old but rather large home in Beaufort, South Carolina. The home had been in Carly’s grandmother’s family for generations. It sat on scenic waterfront property but the house was in dire need of many repairs and updates. Carly’s grandmother had been contemplating a renovation and an idea of turning the house into a bed-and-breakfast. Mary Tucker thought that a bed-and-breakfast was exactly what would secure Carly’s and her infant son, Noah’s, livelihood and futures. Ryan, Carly’s high school boyfriend, who happened to live next door, agreed to do the needed renovations. Carly’s grandmother envisioned that Carly and her two younger sisters could all have a share in the planning of the bed-and-breakfast and its future. The sisters were informed about the plans and arrived ready to do their part. Carly and her sisters’ relationship was not one that was warm and loving. Her sisters resented Carly and blamed Carly for many things. They were downright nasty and even cruel to Carly. After their mother died and their father disappeared from their lives, Carly felt responsible for her sisters and practically raised them. Carly’s sisters showed no signs of appreciation or love for her.

Carly and her grandmother agreed that the first thing that needed to be done was cleaning out the house. There were so many pieces of furniture that Carly’s grandmother had inherited from her mother that had been stored in the attic. Since Carly had the knack and talent for recognizing valuable pieces and pieces that were not worth anything but sentimental value, she was tasked with cleaning out the attic. Carly would decide what to keep and what to sell. During Carly’s first attempt at this task, she discovered a letter in an old chest with life changing information. The contents of the letter revealed a long kept secret. Shaken by the contents of the letter, Carly continued to go through the abandoned items and furniture only to discover a true treasure. If the treasure was what Carly suspected it was, her life and perhaps her safety and that of her family could be affected. Carly began to wonder if her husband’s death could have had anything to do with the things she just discovered? All this was way beyond Carly’s comfort level and knowledge. She knew that she needed help but who could she trust with this newly acquired knowledge? Carly decided to seek out Lucas Bennet’s assistance. Lucas was Ryan’s older brother. He was a homicide detective and lived next door to Carly’s grandmother. Even though Carly believed that Lucas disliked Carly ever since she broke up with his brother back when she was in high school, Carly decided to take a chance on Lucas. Would Lucas be able and willing to help Carly?

I really enjoyed Carly’s character. She was strong, capable, determined, caring and always thinking of others before herself. Carly enjoyed taking care of others and she was a great mom to Noah. She held her discoveries close to her heart until she had enough evidence and proof that they were true. She did not want to lift hopes without verifying the facts. I enjoyed the relationship that blossomed between Carly and Lucas. It was unexpected for both but so undeniably beautiful. Both Carly and Lucas were faced with many challenges and questions throughout the book. Fragile Designs was about secrets, murders, long lost and recovered treasures, deceit, family dynamics and drama, gangs, Russian mafia and adoption. I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook of Fragile Designs by Colleen Coble and highly recommend it.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson for allowing me to listen to the audiobook, Fragile Designs by Colleen Coble, through Netgalley in exchange for a honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This story began with a high level of intensity and immediately captured my attention. After reading the synopsis, I had high hopes for this release from an author who I have enjoyed reading over the years. However, this book was not my favorite of Colleen’s. I loved the part where Carly finally stood up to her sisters. The story was quite a ride. The narrator was good. I think she held my attention, so I enjoyed the book more.
Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collin’s for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first book by Colleen Coble and I really enjoyed it. I thought it had a little bit of everything, mystery, suspense, family drama, faith, and clean romance. I thought the writing was fantastic and the characters were well drawn out. I enjoyed watching the romance between Carly and Lucas bloom and thought plot surrounding the family and their connection with the faberge egg was refreshingly creative.

A hearty thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Thomas Nelson, for the opportunity to preview an advance listening copy. The narration by Karen Peakes was enjoyable to listen too. The opinions above are my own and this is my honest review.

I enjoyed listening to this mystery -- it had all the elements: paperwork found in a dusty attic, long lost twin, Fabergé egg, Russian hitmen, a race against time, etc. I haven't read too many Colleen Coble novels and I consider her a Christian author -- her story is a mystery but the characters will at times stop to prayer and discuss their faith. I listened to this while driving to work on the interminable commute and I enjoyed the cadence and tone of the narrator. Thank you for this audiobook!

So good! I remember watching a movie that mentioned the eggs and was fascinated by them. This was so well written and captivating from the beginning. What I really enjoyed was I myself noticed that they were leaving a lot of avenues unfollowed and instead of just leaving it that way they addressed it themselves, I loved that.

Carly returns home after just finding out she's pregnant only to find her husband dead. After his death she moves in with her grandmother who helps raise baby Noah. Grandma Mary decides to remodel their large beautiful home into a bed and breakfast, but first Carly will have to go through the attic and the items that she inherited from her great grandmother upon her passing. After opening an old trunk Carly finds a strange red painted egg, after cleaning it up she begins to wonder if this beautiful white egg could actually be a Faberge egg!

The only problem is that she may not have been the first one to find it and now others have begun looking for it. Carly's husband had found the egg first and not only told his mistress but also put the word out with the wrong people and now they're looking for it and they don't intend to do it quietly.

Luckily Carly and her grandmother live next door to Carly's ex-boyfriend and his brother who just so happens to be a police detective. When someone breaks into Carly's house and Lucas is there to save the day feelings begin to develop between them. But who is out to try and steal the egg and to what lengths will they go to take it from them?

I have been provided with a review copy of Fragile Designs from NetGalley for an impartial review. I was just drawn into this wonderful story and I just couldn’t get enough of it. It was just so easy to get lost in this great story. I just didn’t want it to end. I just lost myself in and I just couldn’t get enough of these interesting characters. I can’t wait to see what’s next from this author.

I’m hooked Colleen Coble. I was lucky enough to find her on the NetGalley website and have been a fan since. Fragile Designs is her best yet! The plot really pulled me in. If you love romantic suspense novels I highly recommend the author and all of her books!

This was my first Colleen Coble read and my first Christian Fiction/Romance. Boy, was it a great introduction to her and this genre! I read this via audiobook.
Carly Tucker finds herself in the middle of a dangerous family secret following the murder of her police-officer husband. After the death of her husband, Carly and her 7-month-old son moved in with Carly's grandmother. While going through things that her great-grandmother gave her upon her death in the attic of her grandmother's home in preparations for renovations, Carly finds a note from her great-grandmother telling her that her grandmother was adopted. With the note, Carly finds a fur shawl and a red egg with chipped paint. This egg turns out to potentially be a lost Faberge egg from the Romanov treasures. Carly gets help from her neighbor, Lucas, who is also her ex-boyfriend's brother. Lucas and Carly work closely together as they try to solve the mystery of the egg and her grandmother's adoption. Their work together develops into a protecting and loving relationship.
This story has good character development and multiple twists. It was an exciting read that kept me vested into learning what came next. The narrator, Karen Peakes, read the story at an appropriate pace and there was clear delineation between character voices. The use of a Southern accent helped bring the characters to live. The break between chapters was easily identified. While this was a Christian fiction, religion was not pushed and was subtle throughout the story with the mention of prayer and discussions of God's plan. The romance aspect of the book was pretty vanilla but since it was categorized as a Christian fiction, I wasn't expecting too much spice. Overall, I definitely recommend this book and personally, I will be looking into other Colleen Coble books.
Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins Christian Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this Advanced Readers Copy of Fragile Designs.

Really great suspense book that takes place in the low country which is one of my favorite places to be. Lots of characters keeping you guessing on who the bad guy really is. I highly recommend this to everyone if you love suspense books! Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for a chance to read and review this book in exchange for an honest review.

Fragile Designs by Colleen Coble
This book was an enjoyable and entertaining. The characters were well rounded and each had their own personalities that were engaging. The very beginning of the book felt a little slow to me but then picked up and took off. There is a little bit of everything in this book. Murder, mystery, separated twins, romance, friction, treasure and some historical fiction thrown in too. Having read most of her books, Colleen Coble doesn’t disappoint with this one. I listened to this as an audiobook and the narrator was excellent with different accents that matched the characters personalities perfectly.
I received this complimentary audiobook from Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Audio through NetGalley. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Fragile Designs is the first Colleen Coble book I've read/listened to. It was such an entertaining & easy read. I enjoyed how this book included a bit of everything. There's some mystery/suspense, murder, a bit of romance, family drama, & even some historical fiction. I was hooked from the beginning. I was also pleasantly surprised at how clean the content was. I'll definitely look for some more of Mrs. Coble's books.

I was gifted this book by NetGalley & the publisher. I was under no obligation to leave a review.

I’m trying to give fewer five star reviews because I think I give too many, but Fragile Designs certainly earns one. Imagine coming home to tell your husband he’s going to be father, only to discover him dead on the floor. This story start with a bang and keeps going.

For Carly Harris, the discovery turns her world upside down, even though her marriage was troubled. as she starts to rebuild, a shock discovery put Carly’s life, and those around her, in danger. She’s forced to ask her neighbor Lucas for help.

Homicide Detective Lucas Bennett isn’t Carly’s biggest fan, believing she broke his brother’s heart. But he can’t seem to leave her alone to face the danger, especially not with an infant.

So the pair work together to figure out what’s going on and who is threatening Carly. As the body count rises, feelings between the two emerge and Lucas realizes he has the wrong impression altogether.

I really liked how clever this story is with each chapter peeling back another layer and keeping me guessing until the very end. The characters all leapt from the page and I was cheering for Carly and Lucas very quickly.

I highly recommend Fragile Designs for anyone who enjoys romantic suspense. I received an audiobook copy from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions are my own.

I have been a fan of Colleen Coble for quite some time and I think this is one of the best books I have read by her in recent years. This story was full of romance, family secrets, surprises, and an amazing coastal setting. I think what I liked best about the story is the unique aspect of the plot which centers around what is believed to be a Faberge egg. I really enjoyed learning more about the story behind the valuable Faberge eggs. Carly, the main character, who finds the egg quickly figures out there are others who will stop at nothing to get their hands on it. She seeks help from her neighbor, Simon, who is a homicide detective as well as the older brother of Carly's ex. This makes for an interesting dynamic as their relationship grows throughout the book. This story is full of dangerous situations and a surprise ending that will keep lovers of suspense on the edge of their seats.

I enjoyed listening to the audio version of this book, The narrator was very easy to listen to and she did a great job with the different character voices. This was quite a challenge as there were many characters. I had no issues that distracted me from listening and enjoying the story.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this audiobook. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book was unlike most thrillers that I read. It was a bit flat for me. While it kept my attention, I found the plot to be so outlandish. Definitely more fiction/suspense than thriller. Overall, if you're looking for an entertaining story with a few thrills, it might be worth a try.

Colleen Coble’s new book, Fragile Designs, is like her other books: filled with tons of intrigue, action, and romance.

In this book, we find Carly Harris, a young, widowed mom struggling to make ends meet and to always pleasing her family, in a vain effort to win their very conditional love. She tries to make money by buying garage sale finds and then selling them on after she cleans them up, be it merely unwanted items or actual antiques.

Her great grandmother has left her items in her attic through her will, and when Carly stops coming up with excuses to not go through the treasures, she finds a life-altering surprise: a famed Fabergé egg!

Unfortunately, there are others who have been hunting it for years, and have closed in on where it could be. This brings her neighbor, Detective Lucas Bennett back into her life. In a very Pride and Prejudice move, Lucas has despised Carly ever since she seemed to have broken his brother’s heart years earlier. Since the players who want the egg are not playing games, they murder others who are in their way or are loose ends, and Lucas has to try to keep Carly safe, thus letting them both get to know each other better.

Thanks a million to NetGalley and Harper Collins Christian Publishing for this intriguing audio ARC!!!! Loved it!

This review is 100% my opinion of Fragile Designs by Colleen Coble. Thank you NetGalley for giving me access to listen to this complimentary audiobook.

What would you do if your family’s safety was in jeopardy? Feelings are high, kidnappings are not out of the question, fear, concern, family drama, friendships and love are all wrapped into this novel.

It starts with a mysterious murder of Carly’s husband, Eric. Carly had trouble supporting herself and her son Noah after her husband’s death as an antique dealer or a novelist. It is suggested for Carly and her two sisters to restore their large family home and turn it into a bed and breakfast. While she begins work on the house, a family secret and family heirloom is not something she suspected to uncover, but the mystery begins.

A family friend, Lucas is a detective who Carly reaches out to after she learned about a very expensive antique, a Faberge egg. It could be worth millions and others want it. They’re willing to do anything which makes this novel quite the page-turner and a tangled web when trying to determine the murderer.

Stand alone novel, romantic suspense and inspirational genre! Great read, kept me guessing and lots of narrator voice inflections to better understand the novel while they narrated. Overall, I really enjoyed this audiobook and greatly enjoyed the suspense it offered with faith weaved throughout the pages too.

2.5 out of 5 stars

Thank you to Colleen Coble, NetGalley, and Harper Collins Christian Publishing for an eARC of Fragile Designs.

I need to preface this review by saying this book is published by a Christian Publisher. I didn't notice that before reading and the description of the book doesn't indicate any religious connection so the constant mentions of God and Faith were unexpected and, as a very non-religious person, detracted from the book for me. If you are a practicing Christian, you would probably enjoy this book more than I did.

I really wanted to enjoy this book. I loved the premise and the thought it would be an interesting mix of history and action. Instead, it was a mix of action and corny lines about love and God. The plot is super intriguing and there is a lot of action, but at every turn I found the characters praying about something or other. There were lots of mentions of unfaithful people and honestly I felt like so many of the characters in the book were portrayed as bad people that the author was trying to make the few good characters seem very holier-than-thou.

I found the writing to be very cheesy and just when I would think things were getting intriguing a line about trusting in God's process would be thrown in completely killing my reading vibe. As a non-religious person these moments detracted from the flow of the book and with the amount of murder, death, cheating, and manipulation seemed incredibly out of place.

I will say I enjoyed the overall plot - The minimal history provided about the Faberge eggs (which was repeated over and over and over) was interesting and made me want to look into them a bit more. I would have loved some more history about the raiding of the Romanov's castle and theories as to who stole the eggs, but that information never really came.

In the end - I wouldn't recommend this book to my non-religious friends, but Christians who enjoy thrillers may like this one.

Classic edge-of-your-seat Coble! Chock full of intrigue and danger paired with bourgeoning romance. And, oh, the family drama! Yikes but I wanted to shake some sense into Carly’s entitled sisters! Gah! I thought the author handled the reasons for the family dynamics and the way they are revealed and resolved really well…but I still want to purse whomp somebody! 🙂

Love the genealogical aspect to the mystery. It brought a bit more edge and emotional rawness to the story. And the Faberge egg angle is unique and captured my imagination. I went on a google deep dive for images and history during the read. Love when a work of fiction prompts me to do that!

The romance is a bit of enemies to more and at first I wasn’t sure I’d become invested in the love story since Carly is recently widowed and a new mother, BUT the author develops the pull between this hero and heroine in a way that had me rooting for them…and swooning over Lucas. Happy sigh. Baby Noah was a heart stealer as well. And when baby-shy Lucas falls for the little guy, well, my heart did happy dancing flip-flops!

Of course, in true Coble style, there’s plenty of intrigue and ominous danger to wade through before the twisty-turny plot can straighten out into a happily ever after and I hung on every last word!

My thanks to the Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Audio and Net Galley for providing me with an audio edition of Fragile Designs. Narrator Karen Peakes has a soothing, easy-to-listen-to voice which captures the nuances of individual characters perfectly — both male and female. Highly recommend the audio edition if you are an avid bibliophile listener like I am!

I enjoyed this audiobook. It was entertaining for the entirety. I wasn’t shocked at any of the twists but it was still intense. Great Read. I appreciated the faith elements throughout.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for giving me the opportunity to listen to this audiobook.