Today for Fiction Friday I’m sharing my book recommendation for Fragile Designs, an excellent romantic suspense novel by Colleen Coble.
Here’s the Book Description:
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 immediately gets to work clearing out the house. 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 Bennett 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’s vulnerable to an unexpected kind of danger. And he’s helpless to stop the freefall. 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.
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I enjoyed reading Fragile Designs and I read it quickly, within a day, because I couldn’t put it down. Carly is a widow with an infant son, Noah, and they’re living with her grandmother in Beaufort, South Carolina. Carly’s late husband is a police officer who was murdered before he knew Carly was pregnant. The murder case is unsolved at the start of the story.
Carly’s grandmother is renovating her large home in the coastal tourist area and they have plans to convert it into a B&B. Carly’s two sisters visit to assist with the renovation. Their family relationships are complicated and old secrets are discovered that threaten to tear apart their family.
Lucas is a homicide detective and his brother is Carly’s ex-boyfriend who’s renovating her grandma’s house next door. Lucas doesn’t have a high opinion of Carly, in part because he knew her late husband. Lucas and Carly are drawn together when Carly needs his help to find out why her late husband was murdered and her family are in danger.
Lucas and Carly’s friends-to-more romance is sweet and they both have issues to resolve before they can commit to a relationship. Carly has a big heart and she is prepared to make sacrifices for her loved ones. Lucas can’t help doting on baby Noah. I loved how Lucas got to know Carly and put aside his preconceived ideas in order to protect her and her family.
The Russian history of the famous Faberge eggs is fascinating and I appreciated how it played an integral role in the story. The suspense story elements build as Lucas and Carly discover new clues and work together to solve the mysteries that have put them in perilous situations.
I recommend Fragile Designs to romantic suspense readers who like single parent romances with adorable babies, an intriguing family mystery, a relevant faith element, and a compelling suspense thread that’s complex and kept me guessing until the story reached a satisfying conclusion.
