Fragile Designs

by Colleen Coble

I woke up in the middle of the night and continued my reading of Fragile Designs. Unfortunately it did not make me sleepy as I had hoped. Instead I finished the book. I wanted to “help” put all the loose ends together, and it was worth the lost sleep time. What a good read! 

The main character Carly is a really nice person, always putting others’ needs ahead of her own. Family circumstances made her take on a mothering role for her sisters, but they ended up resenting her and expecting life on a silver platter. Part of the book revolves around family drama. Several of the characters have breakthroughs and get a new perspective on life and love of all kinds.

When she becomes a widow with a new baby three years into her marriage, Carly is taken in by her grandmother Mary and offered an opportunity along with her sisters to refurbish the huge family home and transform it into a bed and breakfast with Carly as the manager giving Carly a flexible schedule with her baby and perhaps the opportunity to explore writing as a career.

Along the way, Carly becomes reacquainted with the two handsome brothers next door. The murder of her husband who was in law enforcement was never solved, but Carly discovers clues, a Fabergé egg, and a huge secret her husband had been hiding. There is a slow burn, clean romance. Carly’s neighbor Lucas is a law enforcement officer who shows a protective streak for the whole family next door, but especially for Carly and her adorable son Noah, when they are endangered by an intruder, thief, stalker, and murderer. What is worth killing over and who is doing it?

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Christian, Mystery, Romance

Notes: standalone

Publication:   January 2,2024—Thomas Nelson

Memorable Lines:

What she’d wanted to do since she was a teenager was to write historical novels. Selling collectable items had seemed a good option instead of putting a toe in the craziness of the publishing world, but the itch to create her own novel had blossomed lately. Maybe was finally ready to try.

She might have been beautiful with the perfect skin that needed no makeup, but the petulant twist of her mouth and the angry slant of her eyes erased anything attractive in her angular face.

She eased down two steps and paused to listen. The headlamps went out, and the bottom of the stairs went dark. With the bat in one hand and her phone in the other, she slipped down two more steps.