This book was so suspenseful and full of intrigue! I really enjoyed learning more about the Faberge eggs as well. Even though the families had a lot of dysfunction, I enjoyed how they worked together. My favorite characters were Carly, Lucas and Noah.



Thanks so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc. The opinions are my own.

Carly’s husband is murdered and she comes back to live with her Grandmother and to restore the family home. She finds a valuable Faberge egg in the attic and then the mayhem begins. I really liked this book and the characters.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
There are so many layers to this book! Carly Harris has had more than her fair share of deception, neglect and strife. Determined to put her husbands murder behind her and build a life with her newborn son Noah, she embarks on her greatest journey yet to remodel her grandmothers home into a bed and breakfast along side her estranged sisters. Fueled by her Faith and sheer determination she begins to find restoration, hope and just maybe unconditional love. A must read!

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own." eARC provided NetGalley and Thomas-Nelson Fiction

I've read most of Colleen Coble's books, and this one is my new favorite. She weaves history with mystery and gives the reader a page-turning story with characters you'll want to embrace. In the beginning of the story, Carly's life is a mess, but she has her grandmother to help her. Lucas hesitates to get involved, but he's a police officer and he's responsible to assist the folks in his town. One thing Coble added to the story, that I loved, is a sweet baby. Little Noah plays a key role in bringing people together. And the mystery... wow. Let me just say Faberge. There is a race to find and authenticate a rare antiquity and too many people have greedy eyes and will go to great lengths to steal the prize. Under all the craziness and chaos a beautiful story of family emerges. If you enjoy romantic suspense, you'll want to read Fragile Designs. I received a free copy. Opinions are my own.

"Fragile Designs" is a Christian romantic suspense. Carly feels like she has to earn her family's love and that it's her responsibility to make her younger sisters happy after being abandoned by their father. She has been taking the blame even when she knows it's not her fault because she doesn't want her sisters to dislike their father or her husband, with the result that they dislike her. She comes to realize that her behavior isn't helping anyone, and she attempts to change.

Initially, she's thrilled to find the historic, valuable Fabergé egg and is eager to research the story behind how it came to be in her possession. But when several groups come after it and aren't afraid to kill anyone standing in their way (mainly each other), she worries for her family. They're more valuable than the millions that the egg's worth. Her neighbor, detective Lucas, helps protect them while solving who's after the egg.

The main characters were likable, complex, and reacted realistically to events. The suspense came from the danger to her family and anyone connected to or after the egg. There was also plenty of family drama adding to the mix. Lucas supported Carly in her effort to no longer take blame and guilt from her family, and he protected them all during the danger. Carly and Lucas came to admire each other's character as they spent time together. Carly hadn't the best experience with marriage while Lucas didn't feel he could find a wife able to deal with his job, so both had to overcome their reservations about marriage.

There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this complex and interesting suspense novel.

Carly couldn't find her police officer husband Eric anywhere, she was excited to tell him about her pregnancy. Eric had promised to go through and organize the items her great - grandmother had left her so she checked the shop and the garage. Finally she called his phone, it rang and she went to the shop where some boxes had been sorted and found Eric on his stomach with a wound on his back that stained through his shirt - his body was already cool to the touch and Carly screamed..
Nine months later Carly is raising Noah at her grandmother's house, an 1800's mansion in Beaufort, South Carolina. Mary Tucker approached Carly with the idea of renovating the old house and turning it into a bed and breakfast and Carly could run it.
As Carly investigates the furniture in the attic, she finds a document that proves that her grandmother is adopted and has a twin sister. But she also finds a priceless Russian treasure that will affect Carly's family, the Russian mob, and secrets that uncover who murdered her husband and what they will do to find what she has. Totally engrossing story - I had to read it in one day!

Having read numerous books by Colleen Coble before, I was excited to see that she has a new book coming out! "Fragile Designs" is based on Carly Harris, a now-single mom after her police officer husband was mysteriously murdered. After moving back into her grandmother's estate, the mystery deepens and she's in more danger than ever. Thankfully, her neighbor and childhood friend (Lucas) is happy to help, but their friendship quickly turns into romance.

While this book has many things I enjoy, such as romance and mystery, there were so many superfluous plot elements that distracted me from the main story. These include the strange Russian angle, hard to follow storyline, adoption, antiques, and home renovation. One thing I did enjoy was reading about places from the Lowcountry of South Carolina that were familiar to me.

I usually enjoy Coble's books, but this one was a miss for me. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Fragile Designs" by Colleen Coble is a captivating standalone romantic suspense novel that I thoroughly enjoyed from the very beginning. The story immediately drew me in, and I found myself completely engrossed throughout.

The chemistry between the main characters, Carly and Lucas, was palpable, yet the romance remains subtle and skillfully balanced with the mystery at the heart of the plot. As a Christian Fiction story, the book incorporates a faith-based element, which I appreciated and felt added another layer to the characters' relationship.

Colleen Coble's talent as a writer shines through in this book, and I eagerly anticipate each new addition to her already impressive collection of novels. Her ability to weave engaging stories with relatable characters is truly commendable.

I want to express my gratitude to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for their generosity in providing me with a complimentary copy of this amazing eARC. As stated, all opinions in this review are entirely my own. #FragileDesigns #NetGalley

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

There are many plots to be unwrapped in the story. That makes for a satisfying ending. The main character is not at first likeable. I was neutral in my opinion. Then aspects of her personality began to be unraveled like an onion. This was a story that I looked forward to reading and was sad when it had to end.

This is a fascinating Christian suspense novel by one of my favorite authors. Thank you to the publisher, to Net Galley and to the author for the opportunity. My review opinions are my own.

This has all the elements suspense readers enjoy. Carly is a new widow with a young child. Her husband was a police officer involved in underground neferious activities. She moves in with a family member to help create a bed and breakfast that will support her and her child. She finds evidence of her husbands activities and a Faberage Egg that others will kill for. Soon she realizes the danger she is in and must reach out for help to a old friend to save herself and her family.

This was a book I read cover to cover. It is non stop action and a thrilling read. I love her books for the Christian element that has no sex or unpleasant reading. The charcters were outstanding and well crafted. The sleuth was exciting to conclusion. I highly recommend this book for your reading enjoyment.

This book should come with a warning “do not start if you don’t have time to finish”, I could not put it down! The characters come alive, you feel their pain, anger, hope, anguish, compassion, sorrow, and love. Carly and Lucas are so amazing, as they weave through this incredible, well written plot that has so many twists, turns and surprises. This is a must read!

Fragile Designs will keep you up all night because you can’t put it down until you figure out how it will end! A story of faith lost and found with unexpected twists and turns make a compelling read.

Wow, this book takes you on a wild ride! I was so excited to read this story because the history on Fabergé eggs is fascinating to me. Right from the first chapter the reader is caught up in a murder investigation. Carly is trying to take care of her son and start over with life and very strange things keep happening. I really like the setting and Lucas basically makes this whole story worth reading. He delivers some superb dialogue that had me cheering out loud. He isn’t wishy washy and is just a plain all around terrific hero. There are some pretty obvious things and situations that weren’t really suspenseful but did add to the layers that make up the plot. The romance is subtle as the main focus is the mystery plot. There are a lot of casualties in this story and I was really confused why the main characters weren’t more concerned for their lives. I am not sure the reactions in the story are very accurate. However, this is a good read that will hold your attention and surprise you in the end. I recommend for lovers of suspense and Colleen Coble.

Four Stars!!

"I received this book from NetGalley for free. All opinions are my own and I was not required to write a positive review."

Fragile Designs by Colleen Coble is a standalone, romantic suspense story.
This is another story written by Colleen that I enjoyed from the very beginning.
I was captivated with this book, and was immediately drawn to the story.
There was definitely chemistry between Carly and Lucas, but the romance is light and does not overpower the mystery. This is a Christian Fiction story, so there is a faith basis to the story. I enjoyed the spiritual aspects in the book that added another level to the relationship.
Coble is a talented writer and I look forward to each new addition she adds to her growing list of excellent novels she has written.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I never hesitate to suggest a Colleen Coble book. If you enjoy clean, romantic suspense, you will love her stories. The only warning, I have is the possibility of losing some sleep. I often keep reading way too late because her books are impossible to put down.

This fascinating story begins with the introduction of Carly, who makes a living going to flea markets selling the collectibles she is found at estate sales, garage sales and online websites. Her dream however, since she was a teenager is to author a historical novel someday.

Upon arriving home, she looks for Eric, her husband, and finally wanders out to her shop, where she keeps and sorts through all the treasures including some antiques she and her sisters inherited. Not finding him, she calls his phone and hears it ringing from back in the corner of her shop. She finds him lying face down on the floor with his shirt soaked in blood. That night she was planning to tell him she was pregnant.

The story picks up nine months later when baby Noah is two months old and Carly lives with her grandmother in Beaufort, South Carolina. While searching through the attic, she makes a shocking discovery, as well as finding a treasure wrapped in an old shawl, that changes not only the direction of all their lives, but their safety and well-being as well.

This is a fascinating, captivating story with many moving parts that kept me turning the pages until the end. The characters are relatable and got right into my heart from the very beginning.

This book should be a movie on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. It has all the components of a good mystery that keeps you on the edge of your seat, as well as some romance mixed in.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This book was very enjoyable. I like a good mystery and this was a good one with some surprises along the way. I had heard of faberge eggs, but did not know much of their history and how much they can be worth. Quite amazing.! I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinion expressed in this review are completely my own.

this is a page turning story to the end. carly is a widow with a new baby that her husband never knew about they move in with her grandmother and while looking in the attic she finds a case and finds a treasure. ger sisters are coming to help renovate the house into a b and b but brake ins start to happen and she calls her neighbor lucas to help keep everyone safe i was given a copy by netgalley but this is an honest review

Such a depth of conflict & love in this book. The storyline was immensely complicated but griping from the start. A reminder that God holds used walks with us even when it feels fragile.

“Our lives are so fragile. Maybe it’s by design so we look to God.”
In the aftermath of her husband Eric’s unsolved murder, Carly must raise her son alone. As she learns more about what Eric was really into, the secrets he kept bring her entire household into danger. Discovering a valuable Faberge egg, enduring attacks from the Russian mafia, and finding unknown family members all collide until the truth is uncovered once and for all. Life is fragile and not everyone will survive, but Carly trusts God and His plans while fighting hard against the evil surrounding her.
This is an action packed story, sprinkled with a little bit of romance, that is hard to put down. A complex plot with many characters, it was difficult to keep it all straight at times. I found myself searching for a character’s name on my kindle to refresh my memory. But it is a fast paced, enjoyable read from a top notch author and well worth the time. If you like Christian fiction, suspense, or romance, this is the book for you.
*I received a complimentary copy of this e-book from NetGalley and Thomas Nelson-Fiction. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The story and characters, especially Carly, pulled me in, and I couldn't put it down.
It is the story of Carly, who is married to police officer Eric. They have been fighting a lot, but she just found out that she's pregnant, and she's hoping he will take this news well. When she goes to tell him, she finds him murdered.
She moves in with her grandmother since her mother died, and her father has always been absent. Months later, she finally starts going through antiques that were left to her so she can sell them. In doing so, she finds a Fabergé egg worth millions. She enlists the help of her neighbor, Lucas, who is a police officer she trusts from knowing him when she dated his brother, Ryan. Then horrible things start happening, including break-ins and murder.
What ensues is a mystery, a romance, and a story of finding one's self and their place in their family.