Catherine Cowles is a pretty popular romance author and I’ve been wanting to read a book by her for quite some time. Fragile Sanctuary is her newest release and the book I finally read to give her writing a try! This book had me wondering why it took me so long to pick up a Catherine Cowles book. Today I want to tell you about this book and what I thought. Keep on reading to find out more!
The scowl should’ve been my first clue to stay far away from Anson Hunt. The sexy smirk and the fact that he’s my brother’s best friend? Reasons two and three. Not to mention, he’s the new contractor working on my house.
He’s everything I’m not: grumpy, rude, and more than a little attached to his solitude. It doesn’t matter how many times I try to kill him with kindness; the man simply won’t crack.
Until he sees me shatter.
Because when my world comes crashing down around me, Anson is the one catching me as I fall. And as so-called accidents start plaguing every part of my life, it’s Anson who steps in to keep me safe.
As he does, I can’t help but feel a flicker of heat. And it only takes a single moment for that spark to ignite into flames, engulfing us both.
But Anson’s a man with secrets, and they have a price. When they’re revealed, neither of us will make it out unscathed…
Review
“You can’t truly live without some sort of hurt. If you’re so focused on avoiding discomfort, you end up living a half-life. You might get to skip the lowest lows, but you don’t get the highest highs either.”
Fragile Sanctuary starts off with a punch and gives us a look at what happens to Rho as a teenager. Thirteen years later and she’s trying to put the pieces back together. The author has a way of pulling you right into this story and the town it takes place in.
Rho is such a strong character. Losing so much at a young age also made her keep the walls up a bit, but she’s definitely the sunshine in this romance. She tries not to let her past stop her and is determined to make her old house her home. Anson is the grumpy one in this romance and you know something has happened with him. I was so intrigued from the start and loved how protective he was. You just want to see him get his happily ever after.
The romance in this story starts off slow, but works so well for both of our characters. Anson not wanting to ever connect with anyone again and Rho afraid to lose anything she starts to love again. They can’t deny the tension though and it jumps off the page! Catherine Cowles knows how to write romance and some steamy scenes. The romance between our two characters is very believable.
Of course, we can’t forget the suspense side of this story and that’s weaves in so well. It left me guessing and every time I thought I had it figured out, the author fooled me once again. All I can say is that I couldn’t put this one down. I was laughing, crying, and on the edge of my seat hoping the characters I became invested in would make it.
And last, but not least, I can’t not mention Rho’s family in this story. The grandmother was definitely my favorite, but each and every one of these people would do anything for each other. I would go visit them in a heartbeat. I can’t wait for more in this world!
I think it’s safe to say I now need to read all of Catherine Cowles’ backlist. Also, I need a book from every one of Rho’s siblings. This is a family I want to read more about! Have you read anything by this author? Or did you discover a new author you love? Let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear from you!
