Waifs and Strays by Helen Harper

Title: Waifs and Strays

Author: Helen Harper

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Series: The Cat Lady Chronicles # 1

298 pages, Paperback

Publication: February 10, 2025

Source: Personal Library

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Nobody is just a cat lady.

Kit McCafferty's life is quiet, unremarkable and filled with cat hair. In the magical city of Coldstream, located on the border between Scotland and England, Kit is viewed as little more than mildly eccentric and mostly harmless. She passes her days caring for her family of five cats, feeding the local feral moggies, and maintaining relatively good relations with her neighbours.

All that changes, however, when a teenage werewolf shows up at her door in the desperate hope of renting out a nearby vacant flat. Kit knows that the smart move is to tell him to leave. The last thing she needs is to become embroiled in complicated shapeshifter politics. But something about the secretive young werewolf tugs at her heartstrings.

It's not long before Kit ends up caught in a maelstrom of mysterious crime and magical wrong-doing. Fortunately, there's far more to Kit McCafferty than meets the eye and she has a few dark secrets of her own.

Of course, anyone with an ounce of intelligence knows that you underestimate a cat lady at your own peril.

MY THOUGHTS

I stumbled upon Waifs and Strays during one of those free eBook days. I loved the cover, it felt playful and the synopsis was interesting enough. Plus, I’m always looking for a good Urban Fantasy. It’s not every day that I find an Urban Fantasy set in the UK or one featuring a heroine in her forties, which piqued my interest even more.

The beginning of the book took a little getting used to. As the title and series name suggest, there are a lot of cats in the story. However, their names are pretty unconventional. They play a significant role, and as the book progressed, I did get used to their unique naming style. The worldbuilding is straightforward: it’s an open world where supernaturals are known to the public. Coldstream, where Kit lives, is mostly inhabited by magical folk like fae, vampires, werewolves, and all sorts of other creatures.

At first glance, Kit is known around the neighborhood as the innocuous, middle-aged cat lady. She’s anything but simple, as we eventually discover. Kit was a likable heroine. I enjoyed learning about her past profession and magical abilities and seeing them come into play when a young werewolf is abducted. She’s essentially the local superhero or maybe vigilante, despite trying to live a quiet, normal life. I also liked what I assume will become the supporting cast, though it’s still too early to tell. Is it weird that I’m hoping for a love triangle between Thane and the Alpha? Lol.

I thought Waifs and Strays was a great introduction to The Cat Lady Chronicles. The pacing was solid, and the book was well written. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I ended up enjoying it. I’m about to start the second book, the series feels promising.

These Fleeting Shadows by Kate Alice Marshall

Title: These Fleeting Shadows

Author: Kate Alice Marshall

Genre: Paranormal YA

Series: N/A

Hardcover, 336 pages 

Publication: August 9, 2022 by Viking Books for Young Readers

Source: I received a review copy in exchange for honest review.
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Helen Vaughan doesn't know why she and her mother left their ancestral home at Harrowstone Hall, called Harrow, or why they haven't spoken to their extended family since. So when her grandfather dies, she's shocked to learn that he has left everything—the house, the grounds, and the money—to her. The inheritance comes with one condition: she must stay on the grounds of Harrow for one full year, or she'll be left with nothing.

There is more at stake than money. For as long as she can remember, Harrow has haunted Helen's dreams—and now those dreams have become a waking nightmare. Helen knows that if she is going to survive the year, she needs to uncover the secrets of Harrow. Why is the house built like a labyrinth? What is digging the holes that appear in the woods each night?And why does the house itself seem to be making her sick?

With each twisted revelation, Helen questions what she knows about Harrow, her family, and even herself. She no longer wonders if she wants to leave…but if she can.

 MY THOUGHTS

It’s October, you know what that means…Spooky Season! These Fleeting Shadows fit the bill perfectly and checked off all the boxes in what I was looking for. Gothic Victorian manor, Check. Mysterious deaths, Check. Spirits and Spectorals? Check. Witches, Check. Morally gray characters....or just straight-up unhinged? Check.

These Fleeting Shadows was pitched as a cross between Haunting of Hill House and Knives Out, which was a pretty accurate description in my opinion. Our main protagonist, Helen, grew up with only her mother and knows nothing of her mother’s family or past; until they’re called home after the patriarch of the family passes away. Meeting your relatives for the first time may be awkward and strange but what’s more discerning was the fact that Helen’s grandfather left the estate and millions of dollars to Helen. But the caveat is that she must reside at Harrowstone for the duration of one-year. Helen, tired of moving, her mother struggling and finding out why she’s afflicted with blackouts and visions agrees to the term only to later discover that her family didn’t disclose everything about Harrowstone and that the binding agreement may lead to her prosperity or death.

I was captivated within the first few chapters. The setting was perfect, an ancestral home and the family that resides there; steeped in secrets and mystery. Readers follow along with Helen, the Harrow Witch and her cousins Cecilia and Desmond as they uncover Harrow and Leopold’s secrets. I loved Marshall’s description of Harrowstone, a labyrinth home built on sacred grounds, where each room and floor were purposely crafted for occultism or numerology reasons. Where right is left and up is down with ‘secret’ rooms and stairways hidden in plain sight. Add to the creep factor was that people weren’t allowed to go out past twilight and all rooms were locked because monsters roam the halls.

My only criticism for These Fleeting Shadows was the pacing was a bit slow. The middle section felt like it was dragging with not much happening. However, I thought the characters were three-dimensional, very developed and the writing well done. I also appreciated learning about the history of the family, ancestors through the journal style. It was both mysterious and suspenseful as Helen and Desmond decoded the entries piece by piece culminating in a terrifying revelation that I didn't see coming! I love when things aren’t predictable and I get genuinely surprised, they’re my favorite kind.

Overall, I enjoyed These Fleeting Shadows, it was a quick spooky read. This is my first KAM novel and it surely won’t be my last. I highly recommended These Fleeting Shadows for anyone looking for a quick, not too scary read.

 

 

Devils & Thieves by Jennifer Rush

Title: Devils & Thieves
Author: Jennifer Rush
Genre: Paranormal, New Adult
Series: Devils & Thieves # 1

Hardcover, 336 Pages
Publication: October 3, 2017 by Little Brown BFYR

Source: I received a review copy (arc) from the publisher in exchange for a honest review. 

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Power corrupts. Magic kills.

Eighteen-year-old Jemmie Carmichael is surrounded by magic in the quiet town of Hawthorne, New York. In her world, magic users are called “kindled,” and Jemmie would count herself among them if only she could cast a simple spell without completely falling apart. It doesn't help that she was also recently snubbed by Crowe—the dangerous and enigmatic leader of Hawthorne’s kindled motorcycle gang, the Devils’ League.

When the entire kindled community rolls into Hawthorne for an annual festival, a rumor spreads that someone is practicing forbidden magic. Then people start to go missing. With threats closing in from every side, no one can be trusted. Jemmie and Crowe will have to put aside their tumultuous history to find their loved ones, and the only thing that might save them is the very flaw that keeps Jemmie from fully harnessing her magic. For all her years of feeling useless, Jemmie may just be the most powerful kindled of all.

Devils and Thieves is what you’d get if you mixed Sons of Anarchy and The Covenant. Has anyone seen the show or movie? It’s pretty good. I loved the SOA show and all things witches, so I was more than eager to read this new series. But to be honest, I had some trepidation before starting Devils and Thieves. There were more negative reviews than positive, and I had such high hopes for this new book…I mean, come on, magical biker gangs?! How awesome does that sound?

The world of Devils and Thieves is comprised of multiple motorcycle gangs, all with their own powers that’s past on from one generation to the next. The ability ranges from locating/hiding animate and inanimate objects, controlling peoples’ feelings and thoughts, talking to animals, visions and communicating with the dead, to changing peoples’ perception, etc. The world set-up was interesting but it was poorly developed and executed. There were twelve different types of magic and the author just rattled them off and went in to a very basic and brief explanation of each which left me lost and confused for half of the book. The author tried to distinguished each set of magic with smells and colors, which can only be seen by Jemmie…but all of it still got lost in the shuffle. Another issue I had was there were way too many characters. With the annual kindled festivities, all the MCs came into town and it was difficult to remember which person belonged to which charter. I think the information would’ve felt less chaotic if there were only 1-3 types of magic and charter, because sometimes less is more.

Jemmie took awhile to grow on me, it wasn’t until the end that I found her less annoying. She came off as whiny and clingy at the start of the book. And for the majority of the time she was constantly moping about Crowe; all because they shared one kissed and he dismissed her right after. It’s been a year…she should of moved on. But she didn't. Jemmie isn’t the greatest of female leads, but she definitely redeemed herself in the end. Many also complained about a love-triangle in the book…I’m not a fan of those either. However, it oddly didn’t bother me like it normally does. Probably because it wasn’t really a love-triangle. There was never a doubt who Jemmie loved and wanted to be with. Sad to say but other guy was just a rebound/distraction, she barely interacted with him beside face-timing  and seeing him at the festival for 3 days.

Devils and Thieves is a flawed New Adult (not sure why it’s labeled as YA since the characters are 18 and over) but it still provided a quick, engaging and good read. For the most part, I enjoyed it. Yes, the romance aspect was predictable, but the mystery surprised me. The kidnapper in the book was the last person I’d suspect! The ending was a game changer and has me curious to see what happens next with Jemmie and Co. With that said, it you like witches, or the show SOA; I suggest checking out Devils and Thieves…you might enjoy it!

Nightshades by Melissa F. Olson

Title: Nightshades
Author: Melissa F. Olson
Genre: Paranormal Thriller, Urban Fantasy 
Series: N/A

Trade Paperback, 208 Pages
Publication: July 19, 2016 by Tor

Source: I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

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Alex McKenna is the new Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago office of the Bureau of Paranormal Investigations―the division tasked with investigating crimes involving shades.

Or vampires, as they’re more widely known.

Children have been going missing, and agents are routinely being slaughtered. It’s up to McKenna, and some unlikely allies, to get to the bottom of the problem, and find the kids before it’s too late.

I’ve been a fan of Olsen’s work since the debut of her first novel Dead Spots. What I’ve come to notice from Olsen’s work is her characters are realistic and well developed, her writing is always engaging and she puts a spin on vampires like no one else. Vampires have saturated the market for years and for some it’s become too familiar and monotonous. However, Olsen always finds a way to breathe new life into the overused supernatural creature of the undead, making it fresh and exciting; which is what readers will find when they pick up Nightshades.

New series means new location. Olsen opts for a change of scenery for her vampires in Heavenly, Chicago. Unlike her Scarlett Bernard Series, the vampires of Nightshades are undomesticated and are looking to over throw the human population. And they’re freakin’ scary and ruthless as hell. If you’re looking for the sparkly, glorified, domesticated kind of vamps then you’ll need to look elsewhere. Olsen’s vampires A.K.A Shades are dangerous hunters who believe they shouldn’t remain in the shadows anymore and that they’re the superior species, and that humans are nothing but blood bags for the taking. Which takes us to the main issue at hand; teenagers are being snatched all over Chicago and the BPI, Bureau of Paranormal Investigation is taking lead on the case with Alex, a newbie Agent at its helm.

I thought Alex and Lindy were both great leads. The book is pretty short, less than 200 pages but Olsen did a great job at building the world and foundation for subsequent books. And what little I saw of Alex and Lindy, I thought they worked well as partners, and hinting that there may be more to their relationship other than work, but again, it’s too early to tell. Alex is a typical male lead, he knows when to play and when to work and when to be a friend and boss. The most interesting character of the bunch is definitely Lindy. I don’t want to spoil the fun for anyone, but let me just say there’s more than meets the eye and at a glance readers might find Lindy a demure introvert but she is full of surprises. That ending, was just…WOW. Character crush!

Overall, I really liked Nightshades. The story wrapped up nicely but the ending left a lot open for future books. I’m crossing my fingers that this is the start of a new series and that the next book will be longer because this book felt way too short. I didn’t want it to be over yet, especially when things were getting so good! I highly recommend Nightshades to all Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, and police procedural readers. And if you haven’t tried any of Olsen’s books yet, Nightshades would be a great place to start!