There is a lot going on in this story but it works. It is a great mystery. I was invested right from the start. Would read more from this author.

I loved this book. Colleen Coble has done it again.

Carly Harris's husband was murdered. Her job finding antique treasures isn’t enough to support herself and her son. Her grandmother offers to have her move in to renovate the house to become a bed and breakfast. As she searches the attic, she finds a letter from her husband. He was investigating her grandmother’s adoption. Carly also finds a priceless antique, a Fabrege Egg, that begins a thriller of murder, secrets and family. With the help of her neighbor, Luke, they begin to try and find the truth about family and the antique.

The narrator did a great job with conveying the suspense and emotion of the characters. This was a wonderful book. Definitely fast paced as they try to uncover the secrets. I loved Carly, her strength, perseverance and faith. I listened to this book in one day. It was so well written and suspenseful that I couldn’t put it down.

I would recommend this book. Put it on your TBR and pre-order today. The book will be released on January 2, 2024.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins Christian Publishing and the author for the e-ARC.

Fragile Designs is the story of a young woman whose police officer husband is murdered on the day she planned to tell him she was pregnant. Fortunately her grandmother took her into her large house, and she continued to live there after the baby was born. She’s known her next door neighbors since childhood- a police officer and his construction worker brother. She made her living selling at flea markets so she decided to clean out her grandmother’s attic. Amazingly she found papers documenting that her grandmother had been adopted and also she had been a twin. She also found what she believed to be a very valuable Faberge egg. A couple of factions were after the egg and several more people were killed.

This was a very enjoyable read, and I loved the characters in it. The lead is an excellent character that I want to know more about, and I love that the narrative challenges us to see how both sides of a marriage can contribute to it's downfall, even if one person has done more trust breaking.
It was a lot more overtly Christian than I realized it would be (a bonus for me, though I know others may not like those bits). I felt like the talk of God and praying flowed naturally and wasn't in situations where it felt forced or contrived, so well done. More people died than I was expecting, neither good or bad, something I'm realizing as I review the book.
This is a book I'd definitely recommend to folks, it was a wholesome cozy mystery that dealt with deeper issues in ways that are approachable for PG+ audiences.

After the murder of Carly‘s husband Eric, she moved in with her grandmother Mary when her grandmother mentioned renovating her beautiful home to a bed-and-breakfast for the benefit of Carly and her two sisters she thought it was a fabulous idea. First however she would need to go through the old worthless and antique items in the attic the first thing she come up on was an old trunk belonging to her great grandmother and she found a blanket wrapped around what she thought was a painted worthless Easter egg with paper saying her grandmother was adopted and that the great grandmother was leaving it up to Carly on whether she would tell Mary about her adoption but there was something else Mary was also a twin in the egg was far from worthless it was a Faberge egg from the missing Romanoff art collection. Through her investigation her and her neighbor detective Lucas will grow much closer he will even fall in love with baby Noah she will learn about estranged relatives be disappointed in some and become much closer with others and resolve the issues she never knew her sisters had with her. Most importantly she will learn while protecting this priceless treasure that the most important things in life don’t cost a penny. It seems every time they get a good lead the Russian mafia and or the killer gets there first and what does all of this have to do with Erickson murder? When she goes to question his ex partner Kelly she learns she too has a little baby name Caroline but when Carly and Lucas go to bring the baby a gift Kelly isn’t as friendly as Carly remembers her being but why? All these questions are answered by the end of the book and what a great book it is! I know saying this book had great characters can sometimes be a throwaway comment but in the case of fragile designs by Colleen Coble it is absolutely true they have great characters a great message it is inspirational heartwarming romantic scary intriguing mysterious an old soul so good. There is something that is so much better about sweet romance as a post to they meet have sex and then fall in love kind of books and that is what this book has a sweet sweet romance and I’m going to stop here because all I want to do is talk about how great this book is but I said that and so if you love a good mystery with sweet romance in suspense then you definitely love this book as I said I certainly did! I can’t believe I almost forgot to mention Karen peaks awesome narration she has great character distinction and it’s so easy to tell who is talking as she does the voices she is a superb narrator and I would definitely listen to another audiobook done by her simply brilliant this whole book is five stars across the board. I want to thank Harper Christian audio and Net Galley for my free Ark copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

This was my first Colleen Coble book and it will not be my last. I absolutely loved the thrill, the romance, and the mystery of this book! Each page has you guessing where the book was going to go. It was a roller coaster of a ride and I would’ve never guessed a few of the players in trying to steal the egg! The narrator did a fantastic job at reading the book.
This was a very enjoyable book. Highly recommend & cannot wait to share on release day.
Thank you NetGalley & the publisher for this ARC of Fragile Designs by Colleen Coble!

(NetGalley audio book review)
What an incredible thriller! This is a story of mystery, heartbreak, and tragedy, backed by the strength from love and family and friends. Murder and intrigue around missing valuables...then finding them and dealing with the safety concerns that threaten their families. The way the author blends suspense and fear with hope and love is just amazing. This book is excellent your young readers and those that dont like the 'spice' aspect. This story will have you on the edge if your seat and will also warm your hearts in so many places sprinkled throughout the book. Savor and enjoy this story!

Is this mystery novel?
Is this action/adventure ?
Is this family drama ? Oh ! its all of the above.

In my local language, we call it as 'masala'(spicy) entertainer. There is something from every popular trope : separated twins, sibling rivalry, estranged father, adultery, robbery, murder, mafia, lost treasure, and ofcourse, second chance at love. I am giving it a high rating because it has somehow managed to balance this mashup and chaos of genres and tropes. It doesnt feel rushed, and nor any of the sub-plots feel unnecessary introduced.

I though felt that Carly always look towards Lucas for protection, even from her family. It feels conflicting trait, as her character is projected as strong, independent and responsible woman. Also, there are way too many characters and its been attempted to give all of them a happy ending. The Indian Jones references also feel like name dropping and pushing reader to derive resemblance.

Narration by Karen Peakes is quite entertaining and very well executed. Its easy to follow and kept me engrossed.

I loved this book! I am a huge fan of Ms. Coble, and this story may be my favorite of hers yet. The action and suspense were nail-biting. The storyline was heart-wrenching, and the romance was heart-warming. It had all the elements for a 5 star read. I actually listened to the book, and the narrator did a fabulous job.
*I was given a copy of this book by Thomas Nelson Publishers, and this is my honest opinion.

Rounding my review up a star because this was originally presented to me as a mystery/thriller, which was only fractionally true. The premise was interesting to me, but read much more like a romance novel than a thriller or mystery to me.

The entire middle and ending was filled with more details than necessary, and I thought a lot of the story was lost on half-hearted character introductions and "what-ifs" from the main characters. It always seems a bit cheap to have the characters vocalize what they think is going on in their own story.

The redeeming quality of this book was that it made me think about the logistics of discovering a lost artifact worth a lot of money:
- Who do you contact to sell such an item?
- How do you confirm that the buyer is who they say they are?
- Do you allow the buyer to know where you live/etc?

Big thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me an advance copy of this audio book!

The discovery of a family secret puts Carly and her entire family in danger. Luckily for her her neighbor Simon is a family friend and a police officer. They join forces to try to figure out the secret and who will not stop at anything to get it. Will they figure out what is going on before it is too late?

The narrator did a good job of pulling the listener into the story.

This was a cute little mystery that was an easy, but enjoyable read!

I've not read anything by Colleen Coble before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. It was fast paced and the narrator did a phenomenal job keeping me engaged in the story. I almost got a little teary a few times - which is a good thing!

Eric, a police officer, dies living behind his pregnant wife, Carly. After giving birth to a baby boy named Noah, Carly discovers that her grandmother is adopted and some other family secrets. She suspects that her husband is dead due to this discovery and tries to unravel the mystery with the help of Lukas, another police officer.

I find super fascinating how the story unravels and how the romance evolves. Also, I think it discusses some real staff that needs to be discussed. All in all, an interesting story and a decent ending.

Fragile Designs by Colleen Coble is phenomenal! Carly has been through so much and she is just trying to live her best life to help her family and her son. She discovers a missing Faberge egg while cleaning out the garage and all of a sudden, life as she knows it is turned upside down. She starts researching and more comes to light than she ever bargained for. Thankfully, Lucas is not only smart enough to aid in her research, but he is also a sworn officer and helps protect her when things take a deadly turn. I really enjoyed how their friendship blossomed as they both realize there is more to the other than they had previously realized. Before long, the twists and turns will leave you wondering who is who, and who can be trusted. It took no time at all to suck me in and I could not stop or put it down until the end. I was not ready for it to end, but all the loose ends fit together perfectly. Not only does this book have a great mystery, but it also has a wonderful romance. I had the bonus of enjoying an audiobook narrated by Karen Peakes, which really brought the story to life in my mind. I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are solely my own, freely given.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins Christian Publishing/Thomas Nelson Fiction for an advance audiobook copy.

Carly Harris is so newly pregnant, she hasn’t even told her police officer husband Eric the news. Not long married, they were just settling into their new suburban home. Relations between them had been strained for some time, which she attributes to his overbearing mother. The older Mrs Harris disapproves of Carly’s occasional brief trips to sell the antiques that she curates and restores. She is not the perfect little wife.

But neither is Eric the perfect husband, mnor even the dedicated cop admired by all. When Carly discovers him lying in a pool of blood in their garage, being widowed and left with a baby, not yet born, to raise on her own becomes the least of the changes in her post-Eric life. She moves into her loving grandmother’s home, undertakes a difficult renovation to transform it into a bed and breakfast, deals with her resentful and angry younger sisters, forms a trusting friendship with the boy next door—Lucas, who is a detective, was a friend of Eric’s, and doesn’t seem to trust her.

Enter the mystery: in a trunk of her great-grandmother’s memorabilia, bequeathed to her but long ignored, she finds an envelope addressed to her. It contains stunning news about her grandmother. She also finds a red egg-shaped toy intended, but never given to, her grandmother. Of course this is not an ordinary egg, as her expert eye soon reveals.

With baby Noah on her arm and the highly protective and increasingly smitten Lucas, Carly embarks on a mission to uncover her grandmother’s family history and the story behind the egg. This involves a number of increasingly dangerous home invasions, murders and attempted murders, arson and poisoning, even international intrigue. Two ruthless sets of Russians are also looking for the egg. As the stakes get higher, Carly finds out more and more about the nature of deception and the value of love and family.

Colleen Coble has written a taut, tense, fast-paced story that operates on the level of Christian domestic fiction and also mystery-thriller. This is no small feat, and she succeeds admirably.

Oh my goodness! Colleen Coble knows how to write a good cozy mystery!

Fragile Designs really has it all, characters you love, mystery, a splash of romance and growth all over the place!

I listened to the audiobook and Karen Peakes knocks it out of the park. She really nails the characters voices and made it an absolute delight to listen to...that feels weird to say since it is a murder mystery!

I really loved this book and would for sure recommend it!

Big thanks to HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Thomas Nelson Fiction, and NetGalley for the advance copy!❤️✨

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐+⭐
Fragile Designs by Colleen Coble an audiobook narrated by Karen Peakes is... I am speechless! It's... I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH WORDS TO DESCRIBE IT! It's one of the OMG stories! It's one of YOU DEFINITELY MUST READ/LISTEN book! Seriously, I could scream now!
There is everything! This book is for everyone!
Do you love suspense? - This book is for you!
Do you love romance? - This book is for you!
Do you love historical fiction? - This book is for you!
Do you love murder mystery? - This book is for you!
Do you love unexpected twists? - THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU!
I am so grateful (so privileged) for an advance copy but I can't wait for publication sate 2 Jan 2024 because I NEED A COPY of this book for my collection! I need to keep this forever!

Carly lived her perfect-imperfect life with her police officer husband and domestic situations were the highlight of her life. Now he is dead and Carly is trying to get over her grief to settle in cousy B&B that she will run after renovating her grandma's house. Her newborn son who will never meet his dad is the biggest motivation... So simple, right?
So wrong!
From this point, Carly will get everything! Mystery! Drama!Historical secrets! Jaw-dropping twists! Betrail! Compassion! Mafia! Treasure lost for centuries!
Like - you name it - this book has it all!

HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Thomas Nelson Fiction, and NetGalley - I don't have words to describe my gratefulness to have this book before it's even for order!

p.s. my life stopped today and I knew there was nothing before I finished this book!

Good story with well developed characters. Deals with loss, adoption, family relations, family member perceptions and misunderstandings.

This was an intriguing cozy mystery and I enjoyed it very much it was well written and I could follow it easily I would recommend it to my friends who like cozy mystery and it's a book I would read more than once the narrator was very good and had a good speed

Carly Harris has a lot going on. In the wake of her husband's murder, she's been tapped by her Grandmother to renovate and restore a family home and turn it into a B&B business. As if she doesn't have enough on her plate, going through all of the things in the house turns up a potentially priceless antique that might cause her more trouble than even it is worth.

I liked the idea of this book because it was very unique. There are (to my knowledge) no other crime books about Faberge Eggs. The setting of a Bed and Breakfast was interesting, the narration was good, it was a good listen. The only issue I had was that there were a couple things that didn't make sense to a distracting level. I have two examples:

Carly leaves the baby with her police office neighbor and takes said neighbor's truck to the bank. (1) I know he's a PO but why are we leaving our baby with someone we don't know well. (2) The PO says to his brother that Carly took his truck and left the baby because it would have taken too long to go home and get her car (with a car seat) and the bank would close..... but didn't she walk here? I went back and listened to the scene again and then just wrote it off and figured I missed something but then later in the book she again walks to his house.

In another section, Carly says she wrote checks out to someone and someone else cashed them and used the money to put a down payment on the house they're buying. I have so many questions. How do you cash a big check (or any check?) without ID? How did the mortgage person just take all that extra money w no questions (or see the deposit but not the name on the check)? Any person who has ever gotten a mortgage knows every penny is accounted for. When I bought, I pulled down payment money out of a retirement account that's in my name and provided the paper trail and it still look additional documentation there is no way a bank would just be like 'Cool extra money yay'. Maybe there is a way that gets overlooked but for me it was just very distracting.