The fur is going to fly . . .
Wedding bells will soon be ringing in Whisker Jog, New Hampshire. But instead of church bells, they may be tinkling above the door of Bowker’s Coffee Stop. Lara Caphart’s best friend Sherry and her fiancé David want to tie the knot where they met—in her family’s coffee shop. Lara is overjoyed for her friend, but as she feeds and grooms the kitties at the High Cliff Shelter for Cats in her aunt Fran’s Folk Victorian, she can’t help but wonder when her own beau, lawyer Gideon Halley, will stop hinting and make their union legal.
It doesn’t help that Gideon’s old flame, Megan Haskell, just showed up with a tearful yarn about being fired that smells fishier than a can of tuna. But Blue, the Ragdoll cat who only Lara can see, appears to be on Megan’s side. Should she ignore her green-eyed monster of jealousy in favor of her blue-eyed spirit cat? When Megan’s ex-boss is found dead, Lara has to retract her claws long enough to follow Blue’s uncanny clues and clear her rival of a murder charge . . .
Release Date: May 25, 2020
Series: A Cat Lady Mystery
Book: 5
Publisher: Kensington
Imprint: Lyrical Press
Price: $7.99
Lara Caphart is happy to take time out from her work as an artist and from running a cat rescue shelter to help her best friend Sherry plan her wedding. Lara is excited that her friend is marrying her true love, but can’t help hoping she’ll soon be planning her own wedding to boyfriend Gideon in the near future. However, when Gideon’s ex-girlfriend, Megan, comes to town looking for help from the handsome attorney, things begin to change between the couple. Now Lara is worried she and Gideon may break up in spite of their love for each other. However, she is still committed to get to the truth of a recent murder, no matter what the cost.
I was drawn to this book by the clever title and was surprised when that titular girl turns out to be a murder suspect. The setting at a New England cat shelter and the loving relationship the main character, Lara, has with Aunt Fran with whom she runs the shelter kept me interested. Lara can be a little judgemental, especially when it comes to things related to cats, but overall she is a loyal and caring person. I like how compassionate she is to Megan, even when she doesn’t quite trust her. I wasn’t sure if I should be rooting for Lara to work things out with Gideon or not, but coming into the middle of the series, II know I missed a lot of background between the two. I would have liked to know what Gideon was like when the couple first got together, because I assume he isn’t at his best in this book. He comes across very overprotective and immature, especially when Lara is trying to help an old friend of his. I like that they eventually discuss their issues in a calm and mature manner.
The mystery is interesting, but I wasn’t able to suspend disbelief enough to get behind the main premises of the book. The spirit of a cat that died the day Lara was born appears to her when she is sad, troubled, or in danger. Blue is her spiritual guardian and gives her clues to help solve the mystery and physically intervenes during a dangerous situation. Blue appears throughout the book and although I’m sure some readers will enjoy this, I just couldn’t get into that aspect of the book. Other than her spiritual helper, I like the way Lara is able to gather clues and put them together to help solve the case. This series has a lot of fans that will like this installment. New readers looking for a clean, cozy mystery will find a lot to enjoy in the book even though it wasn’t my favorite.
~ Christine
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