Fragile Designs by Colleen Coble

Fragile Designs
by Colleen Coble

ISBN-13: 9780785253853
Hardcover: 354 pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Released: January 2, 2024

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
There’s only one thing more dangerous than family secrets. Since her police-officer husband Eric’s mysterious murder, Carly Harris has been struggling to support herself and their infant son. Her career as an antique dealer isn’t sustainable, nor is her dream of becoming a novelist. So when her grandmother proposes she and her two sisters restore the family’s large Beaufort home and turn it into a bed-and-breakfast, she gets to work on preparing for sale some old items from her great-grandmother. In the process, she uncovers a family secret that Eric kept hidden. And an heirloom that the wrong person wouldn’t hesitate to kill for.

Homicide detective Lucas Bennet isn’t his neighbor’s biggest fan, not since she broke his brother’s heart years ago. But when Carly turns to Lucas for help, believing she’s found a lost Fabergé egg that would be worth millions and that could put her family’s lives in danger, he can’t help but get involved. Soon, they’re entangled in a mystery with threads that lead all the way to the Russian mafia. Lucas has gotten in deep, and while he trusts his ability to keep Carly and her family safe, he begins to realize he misjudged Carly. As they continue working closely together, Carly and Lucas realize they may have found something more precious than gold. Yet it’s only a matter of time before Carly—or, worse, someone she loves—gets hurt.


My Review:
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.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.