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

Stellar performance

Talk about phenomenal performance. I swear to you Zach’s voice was made for Anson’s character. And Andi… she was Rhodes to a tee. Her voice was sunshine on a dreary day. I adored the characters, the small town and all the words. Listening to this audiobook was an experience I wish I could relive over and over again.

Perfectly cast!

I am thrilled!! There is a new Catherine Cowles world to dive into. I couldn’t wait to meet a new batch of friends and neighbors haha. It did not disappoint. I’m looking forward to finding out what stories and secrets every character has to reveal.
This series starts with Anson and Rhodes (love the name). Grumpy-Sunshine at its best. I loved that despite her tragic beginning Rhodes has the best outlook on life. She is the perfect amount of sunshine to brighten up Anson’s dark past. So much was here in this book. I loved almost the two stories happening side by side. Anson’s past that was never far behind mixed with Rhodes and her increasingly frightening present. I couldn’t read fast enough. I had to know what was going to happen. I am pleased to say I did not see it coming with this story. An absolute thrill ride to read.

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.

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.

WOW!!!!

My mind was blown….. Just when I thought I knew who it was. I love the way this author does Romance & Suspense. Can’t wait for the next book!!!!

As for the narration it was PERFECTION! These two are my favorite, Andi A & Zackary W can read a phone book & I’ll buy it!!!!
Great start to the series

Loved it

Narration is awesome 👏🏻
Story and characters are amazing. Love Super Granny 😂 All the siblings are great, leaving me intrigued to learn their stories.
Eager for the next installment!

Love the Dual Narration!

Wow. This book was such an amazing start to the series, and I am dying to get my hands on the rest of them. First of all, meeting Anson in Ashes of You got me so invested in him as a character, and curious about what his backstory was. It was great to see how grumpy/closed off he was, and how that changes throughout the story. It felt like Rhoades was made for him. I loved getting to know Rhoades, and I loved the found family that she has. Every single sibling is someone I’m looking forward to getting a story about. I seriously feel like I need to know what their story is going to be! Not only are the characters amazing, there is also the overarching suspense plot that’s happening. There’s stuff happening to both Rhoades and Anson which readers get to see play out throughout the whole story. Seeing how they go through it and the impact it has not only on them, but everyone around them kept me so invested. Catherine did a wonderful job making it hard to guess the bad guy, as usual. I also loved how she introduced all the different characters throughout the book, and how we get a good taste of who they are and what’s in store for future books. I cannot wait for book 2, Delicate Escape. We get a single dad in there that I’m sure we’re all going to love as Catherine Cowles readers. 

I also think there was just something so special about Anson & Rhoades and the development of their relationship with the trauma that connected them. These two definitely had chemistry, and I liked how it builds up over the first half of the book. When they finally give in, it is so satisfying. Catherine just did such a good job with this one, and she really started the series with a bang! It reminded me of how I felt when I read her Tattered and Torn series–which I love so much! Sparrow Falls is definitely going to be a contender for one of my favorite series by Catherine Cowles.

Absolute perfection!

The narration gives the extra dash to bring this book completely to life. 10/10

From the prologue to the last page I couldn’t put this book down. The prologue had me sobbing. I was on the edge of my seat trying to figure out who had done it and I loved every moment.

The tiny glimpse we got of Anson in Ashes of You I knew his story would be an amazing one. His backstory was so heartbreaking. He is such an amazing man and I loved seeing him throughout this story and how he came out of his shell more and more.

Rhodes past was equally heartbreaking! The emotions felt so real and I was rooting for her immediately. I adored Biscuit and all of Sparrow Falls.

The found family is unmatched. I love how different everyone is and how fiercely protective they are of each other. I can not wait for more of them. Especially Grandma Lolli and her flowers.

New Favorite

I. Have. No. Words. Just read this book. Sooooo good!!! I love that it had a lot of my favorites. Just a hint of hockey- so I have a feeling we will get at least one hockey book in this series. Brothers BFF. Found Family. Grumpyxsunshine. With some serial killer/criminal minds vibes.

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.