Fragile Sanctuary

By: Catherine Cowles

Narrated by: Zachary Webber, Andi Arndt

Length: 11 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

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…

©2024 Catherine Cowles (P)2024 Catherine Cowles

Exceptional Story & Listen🎧 Riveting & Emotional!

Wow, I love, love, loved this book, Catherine Cowles never ceases to amaze me with her brilliant mind and ability to create stories that not only captivate my attention, but tug at my heartstrings, too, a story that will stay with me for a very long time. “Fragile Sanctuary” is the first book of her new “Sparrow Falls” series and is a small-town romantic suspense featuring Rhodes and Anson. There are some great secondary/support characters and I am looking forward to their stories, too. Rhodes suffered from a devastating loss when she was 13 and her life was forever changed. Fourteen years later, she is ready to face her past and returns to her childhood home with plans to bring it back to its glory. She has her brother Shep working on the house and he brings in his friend Anson, a restoration specialist. Rhodes and Anson’s first interaction did not go so well, the man is a grump like no other, but Rhodes does not let that bother her. Rhodes is living on the property while the house is being worked on, so she gets to see Anson often, and she sees beyond the facade he has put up. Anson has had his share of loss and not only did he build a wall around his heart, but he prefers to keep his distance from everyone. Despite everything Rhodes has been through, she has a sunny disposition, which warms Anson's icy demeanor. It was wonderful to watch their relationship blossom, and I thought they were great together and for each other. When her past comes back to haunt her, he goes into protective mode. And when his past comes back to haunt him it, he remembers why he never allowed himself to get close to anyone and his guilt surfaces over what happened in the past. I loved how everything played out in this book, all the layers to the story and the complexity of the characters. As always, the writing, plot and world building are phenomenal, as are the character growth and development. The story has the perfect balance of drama, angst, mystery, thrilling suspense, heartfelt emotions and steamy romance. The suspense storylines are well crafted; each time I thought I had it solved, I was proven wrong, resulting in a surprising ending. Catherine Cowles, thank you for another amazing story and emotional rollercoaster ride. 

🎧📚🎧 Andi Arndt and Zachary Webber did a fantastic job bringing these characters to life and did so with a complete understanding of who they were portraying, and I loved how they took each role and made it their own, sounding believable and just as I imagined the characters to sound. Webber’s Anson was spot on, perfectly grumpy, and he grew as his character did. Arndt was just as amazing as Rhodes, grasping her sunny demeanor. Both were fabulous performing the roles of the secondary characters, too. They set the right tone for the story, captured all the characters’ emotions and had you feeling them all. These two entertaining storytellers are a pleasure to listen to and their performance elevates this already amazing story to another level. Thank you for another fabulous listen.

An amazing story with incredible narration

I seriously think this is my new favorite of Catherine Cowles books! I am a sucker for a grumpy sunshine story, and Anson was so deliciously grumpy. Zachary Webber did such a great job bringing Ansons character to life!

And umm excuse me!! The spice! 🔥 this is Catherine’s steamiest book yet and I AM HERE FOR IT!!

Once again the suspense blew my mind l was so confident I had it figured out and nope the rug was ripped from under me. Once everything was revealed I was soooo shocked!

Seriously, if you’re a small town romantic suspense lover, this book is perfect! I highly recommend listening to it, Andi Arndt and Zachary Webber truly bring these characters to life and make this such a vivid and amazing listening experience!

4 words Zachary Webber & Andi Arnt !

My Goodness !!!! How do they do it ? 🔥 These are the only 2 narrator's that should be on Audible, seriously! Shane East is good too, Andi & Zachary need Oscars 🏆🏆 There's is no one else that comes close. Zachary W. has one of those voices like Morgan Freeman, u know his voice as soon as u hear it, yet can play multiple roles.
U get so caught up in Zachary's performance, u forget the characters don't exist! Andi is the perfect female narrator! There is NO other female on here, that's on her level! 👌🏽I won't even listen to a story if they're names aren't on it. Real talk! If u guy's are reading this, You're the best ! U guys smashed it again 💪🏽👏🏽 🥇🥇

LOVED IT!

Great start to a new series! You can never go wrong with the dynamic narrating duo of Andi Arndt and Zachary Webber. They are the best at bringing the characters to life. I lived the chemistry between the two characters. I know I will be listening to this book again and again.

Awesome start to a New Series!

This book is an awesome start to this new series that I couldn’t help but devour it in one sitting.  The Prologue was very sad, telling Rhodes story of how she lost her family in a fire and how she struggled with survivor’s guilt and all the time it took her to heal.  She is a very strong woman with a surprisingly strong attitude now. Her brother Shep and his best friend Anson, who is very grumpy and a loner, is going to help rebuild her old family house for her.  She is at the house when she meets Anson and they don’t know each other and have a “not so friendly” first meeting.  Anson has a lot of things from his past that he is keeping hidden from everyone, except for Shep since he has known him for a long time.  Things start happening around Rhodes, and Anson is always by her side to help her out.  As always in Catherine’s stories, the suspense picks up and we have to start to figure out who is involved in everything going on.  This mystery had a lot to think about, and I didn’t figure this one out.  I loved how Anson and Rhodes got closer and eventually shared their past with each other.  They were so sweet and loving to each other and were such a great couple together.  The other characters in this series were great and I can’t wait to hear all their stories.  I loved that Rhodes fostered animals and I especially adored her dog biscuit.  I found myself laughing out loud at times in this story, especially with Grandma’s flowers!  The narration was fantastic!  Andi and Zachary were perfection bringing out all of the emotion and grumpiness and sunshine of Anson and Rhodes.  They made the story very enjoyable to listen to.

Romance and Criminal Minds Vibes

I went into this fully expecting a cutesy romance novel..
Well, it DID tick that box.. it was also so much more.
Romance, suspense, murder, found family, grief, rescue dogs and kittens ♡
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I loved Anson and Rhodes separately from the beginning.
Loving BOTH the main characters in a story is rare for me so I was THRILLED.
He's a bit grumpy, closed off. 
He's dealt with trauma and isn't spilling the deets.
She's sunshine, everyone's bestie.
She has her own trauma and everyone knows about it in this small town.
Anson becomes protective over Rhodes because that's how he's hardwired after everything he has been through.
They start falling for each other and it's perfect.
Except, both of their pasts are coming together and everything starts to unravel.
THINGS GET INTENSE GUYS!

Also, I loved the duel narration!

Great story

I honestly didn't see that guy being the killer. usually I can call it from early on but nope. I want to listen to this one again and see if I can tell. so good. the performances had me feeling all the feels at times. these narrators are amazing. always have been. I highly recommend.

I love this new series

I really enjoy Catherine Cowles writing. Her books have such depth and the stories are never one dimensional. this story had a little bit of it all- mystery, romance, suspense, and a feel-good quality. She is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.

Simply Phenomenal!!

This is a stunning story! Rhodes lost her family in a fire at age thirteen. She bears the scars of her near escape. Years later, she is ready to refurbish the home and face her memories. Taken in by her best friend's parents, she has multiple “chosen siblings”. Her brother Shep heads the construction on the house. Anson, his best friend from college, is assisting. Anson is broody and withdrawn. He has his own past issues.

Foster pups and kittens, simple kindness, splashes of color, and a breaking down of walls. When sabotage and attacks occur, real feelings become impossible to deny. Edge-of-your-seat-action, danger, intrigue and being there for your person. An absolute stunner of a story!

I thoroughly enjoyed this audio - the narration added greatly to my enjoyment.

This story blew me away

Catherine seriously outdid herself.  She is the Queen of Romantic Suspense for a reason! Did I totally have a suspect list going while reading…why yes I did.
 
Anson and Rhodes are such complex characters that I was instantly drawn to, and then you throw in all the other characters….this series is going to be EPIC. The way that this story emotionally grabbed ahold of me and refused to let go…I am OBSESSED and I will never be over it.
 
What to expect:
•Small Town Romance
•Brother’s Best Friend
•Grumpy/Sunshine
•Age-Gap
•Found Family
 
Anson and Rohdes are two people who have had to endure things that no one should have to, and you will feel their trauma and struggles all the way down to your core. Their chemistry and draw to one another is so powerful, so beautiful, and will give you all the feels. Not to sound cheesy, but these two are like peanut butter and jelly. They are truly meant to be, and I love them together.
 
I was not expecting Anson’s mouth though!! I mean holy heat wave people….umm yes please. Whew!
 
Also, can we give a shout out to Grandma Lolli!!! She is hilarious and I wish I could have her in real life!