Book Review: “Waifs and Strays” & “Dark Desires”

About Waifs and Strays

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.

Waifs And Strays is the first book in a new urban fantasy crime series. Expect mystery, magic and adventure with a heroine who will keep you turning pages late into the night. There will also be a lot of cats.

Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Hiss-Magic-Lady-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B0DLFQPYHB

My Review of Waifs and Strays

I purchased a digital copy of Waifs and Strays, by Helen Harper from a KindofBook deal, and I am providing an honest review. All opinions stated here are my own. I chose this book because I liked the title, and the cover was pretty cool, too.

Kit McCafferty is more than just a middle-aged cat lady and ex-assassin with specialized skills. When Nick, a teenaged werewolf determined to be a lone wolf after the deaths of his parents leaves him an orphan, shows up at her doorstep wanting to rent her extra room, she has no idea what she’s getting into. It turns out Nick comes from the MacTire pack, a powerful group of werewolves, who don’t like to take no for an answer. When they can’t convince her to turn Nick out, his uncle makes it clear that he holds her personally responsible for his nephew’s safety.

When she returns home to find that young Nick has been abducted, you can imagine her concern. She takes a personal interest in finding him. Her search for Nick takes her into the depths of Coldstream, the magically town in which she lives, where she meets many of its interesting inhabitants, to uncover a dastardly plot to raise a demon and take over Coldstream and rule the world.

I loved everything about this cozy mystery tale. It is filled with surprises! I love the character of Kit, I love her uniquely feline family, and all the colorful characters who inhabit Coldstream. I give Waifs and Strays five quills.

About Dark Desires

Betrayed by those she trusted, penniless and alone, Darcie Finch is forced to accept a position that no one else dares, as the assistant to dangerously attractive Dr. Damien Cole. Ignoring the whispered warnings and rumors that he’s a man to fear, she takes her position at his eerie estate, where she quickly discovers that nothing is at it seems, least of all her handsome and brooding employer.

As Darcie struggles with her fierce attraction to Damien, she must also deal with the blood, the disappearances … and the murders. With her options dwindling and time running out, Darcie must rely on her instincts as she confronts the man she is falling in love with. Is he innocent … or is he a remorseless killer who prowls the East End streets?

Historical gothic romance set in London’s shadowed East End, blending dangerous attraction with a twisting murder-mystery. Features a desperate heroine, a brilliant and brooding physician, whispered rumors of evil, and a maze of disappearances, blood, and suspicion.

Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Desires-Gothic-Book-ebook/dp/B006E905OW

My Review of Dark Desires

I purchased a digital copy of Dark Desires: Historical Gothic Romance, by Eve Silver through a KindofBook deal. I’m offering an honest review. All opinions stated here are my own.

I was drawn to this story because of the genre. Although I don’t read a lot of romance, I do like historical fiction and gothic mysteries. I’ve never read a historical gothic romance before, but the idea of this genre combination, Historical Gothic Mystery Romance sparked my interest, so I thought I’d give it a try. And I am glad that I did.

Darcie is a young woman who finds herself desperate and alone on the dangerous and sinister streets of Whitechapel. Her estranged sister, Abigail, or Mrs. Feather, offers her no sanctuary, but she calls in a favor and sends her to seek employment at the home of Dr. Damien Cole. With a cloak of foreboding fallen over her, Dr. Cole is an enigma, as he brings her home in his coach with a cadaver for company. And glimpses of late-night deliveries only casts more suspicion upon him, but there is something about him that draws her to him in spite of her secret fears. Even as she fears the worst, she finds herself unable to resist being near him. And Darcie is not the only one with suspicions and, as another woman is brutally murdered and Dr. Cole’s scalpel is found on the scene, they are all drawn in to the web of murder that has fallen near to them.

The gothic flavor of this tale is lovely, and the romance element provides an appropriate counterweight to explain the character’s actions, even as Darcie mulls over her own doubts and fears, yet she continues on in her pursuit of the man with whom she is quickly falling in love. Although it seems a slow build suspense and foreboding are sprinkled throughout, and the climax is quite satisfying.

Sinister and suspenseful, Dark Desires is a delectable mixture of genres. I give it five quills.

About Kaye Lynne Booth

For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets; Books 1 & 2 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah and Sarah, and book 1 in her Time-Travel Adventure series, The Rock Star & The Outlaw, as well as her poetry collection, Small Wonders and The D.I.Y. Author writing resource.

Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press, where she edits and publishes two short fiction anthologies and one poetry anthology every year amidst her many writing projects. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.

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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review on the Book Review tab above.