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

Fabulous narration for this grumpy x sunshine, small town romance

Andi Arndt and Zachary Webber did such an amazing job bringing this book to life. I cannot imagine any better narrators for this audiobook.

I was completely hooked from the very beginning and couldn’t put this book down. I am completely invested in new town in the world Catherine Cowles has created and a family that proves when you find your people who support and love you it doesn’t matter if you are related or not. The found family vibes are strong in this book and continuing into the series. It is so heartwarming seeing these people with broken pasts finding their person to support them in life.

Anson and Rhodes are the quintessential grumpy x sunshine couple that make this my favorite trope. I completely melted watching Anson open up and make room for biscuit and then Rhodes in his life when he has been so closed off. He is so tortured and withdrawn but Rhodes gives him an opening to open up without pushing and he was the support she needed without smothering her with worry and care. These two were exactly what the other needed and I loved watching them come together and help each other heal from their past traumas.

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.

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.

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.

great start to new series!

🅰🆄🅳🅸🅾🅱🅾🅾🅺 🆁🅴🆅🅸🅴🆆

Catherine knows how to make a reader not only love the main characters but also the secondary characters. She always paints a picture perfect small town setting that has me wanting to visit these fictional towns!
The romance took center stage for me, and the backstory for both Ro and Anson pulled on my heart strings!
I don't know how Catherine keeps writing these suspenseful romances without getting too predictable, but I'm here for it!
Narration by Andi Arndt and Zachary Webber, who are 2 of the best voices on audio!
Can't wait for the rest of the books this 6 book series!!

Outstanding story with phenomenal narration

Every single book Catherine writes gets better and better. I feel she turned this one up a notch with the action and suspense…there were several times where my heart was racing. lol Catherine’s characters are a little broken, have amazing hearts and find a way to build others up when they are facing an issue. Anson and Rhodes are a delight. They have amazing banter, chemistry and work great as a team. I love the build up to them confessing and acting on their feelings…fabulous!!! The aide characters/ family were amazing additions with their love, additional banter and overall protectiveness. Andi Arndt and Zachary Webber delivered an outstanding performance. I love Andi’s voice and how she gives these characters perfect emotion and personality. She is vulnerable when needed but also very strong. Zachary has an amazing voice that is filled with strength, care and protectiveness. He also gives the characters perfect emotion and personality. I love how narrators take authors words and give us a whole new experience to enjoy the story.

LOVED Rhodes and Anson so much!

All the feels! Fragile Sanctuary by Catherine Cowles was small town suspenseful heartfelt perfection that kept me swooning and guessing till the very end. One book into Catherine’s new series, and I can already tell the citizens of Sparrow Falls will nestle deep down in my heart. Rhodes and Anson’s journey to HEA is full of healing and so much heart, that I fell so hard for these two.

Andi Arndt and Zachary Webber perform this audiobook in dual narration. These two can always elevate Catherine’s books to the next level and make you feel every single emotion. Andi’s soft, passionate tone captured Rhodes’ colorful, vibrant spirit and you couldn’t help but hope for her peace and happiness with Anson. Zachary’s warm mellow tone for Anson gave the perfect touch of grumpy sunshine turned charismatic, protective lover. Plus, both narrators created just the right amount of steamy tension and longing that added to their meant-to-be chemistry.

Overall, I LOVED the book. If you are a fan of a small-town suspenseful romance with a broody former FBI profiler, a heroine who loves colorful flowers, a foster dog named Biscuit, healing from the past, dick flowers, loyal loving found family, suspicious arson, home-cooked meals, dedicated best friends, forced proximity, house restoration, dangerous threats, slow burn steamy times, a jaw-dropping climax, and a HEA that will do “Reckless” things to your heart, then you will love Rhodes and Anson’s story. I always look forward to more from Catherine Cowles.

Perfect start to a new series!

No one builds a world quite like Catherine Cowles does! It’s impossible not to fall in love with the towns and families she creates. As always Zachary Webber and Andi Arndt are perfection together! I have been looking forward to Anson's story since Ashes of You and it did not disappoint! Tropes: small town romance, h@te to love, age gap, grumpy x sunshine, forced proximity, brother's best friend, broken hero, ex profiler, touch her and 💀 vibes, belt scene, hilarious grandma, and found family.