Love Blooms on Main Street by Olivia Miles (Briar Creek #4)

Description

Fans of Jill Shalvis, Susan Mallery, and RaeAnne Thayne will love the fourth book in Olivia Miles's Briar Creek series.

Love is always in season . . .

Florist Ivy Birch fantasizes about the day a man will surprise her with a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Especially if that man happens to be Brett Hastings. One stolen kiss at her best friend's wedding and Ivy can't get the sexy ER doctor out of her head.

In the small town of Briar Creek, you can't avoid anyone for very long. Not that Brett has been trying to avoid Ivy. He just can't afford to let anything distract him from his work-not again. So when a hospital fundraiser throws them together, love is the last thing on his mind. But with her quick wit and sweet laugh, soon the one woman he's tried to keep at arm's length is capturing his heart...

• Series: The Briar Creek Series (Book 4)
• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Forever (July 26, 2016)

My review: Love Blooms on Main Street by Olivia Miles  (Briar Creek #4)

4 STARS

I like the characters, the town, the pace and drama.  Didn't like all the content about eating and taking medicine for diabetes.  Yes I was feeling guilty at times reading. Also there are love scenes.

Ivy Birch keeps day dreaming about a kiss months before.  How Brett will call her or ask for a date. But he never does.  Ivy owns her own florist shop.  She also kept the secret from almost everyone that she is a diabetic. 

Ivy is involved with her town and has good friends.  Her twin brother and his wife care for her and worry about her health.  They had a rough time growing up.

Brett Hastings is a emergency doctor recently working in Boston.  He has come back home to Briar Creek for a temporary job.  He needed a break from fast pace,  He does not plan to get involved and stay in town.

Brett tells Ivy that. They both plan to stay away from each other but kept getting thrown together. Finally they stop trying.

Some of the things I could tell where the story was heading but it was still a good ride getting there. 

There are a lot of other characters that we get involved in there lives from previous books and hopefully from future ones too.

 I was given a ARC to read for free from NetGalley. .   In return I agreed to give a honest review of Love Blooms on Main Street.

I would love to go back and read the books in the series that I missed reading.  Also will look forward to new ones by Olivia Miles.

Deadly Fate by Heather Graham (Krewe of Hunters #19)

Description

www.TheOriginalHeatherGraham.com

Alaska—the final frontier? 

When Clara Avery, an entertainer working on the Fate, an Alaskan cruise ship, goes to nearby Bear Island, she comes across a scene of bloody mayhem. She also comes across Thor Erikson, who will soon be a member of the FBI's elite paranormal unit, the Krewe of Hunters.

Thor's been sent from the Alaska field office to investigate several grotesque killings, with the dead posed to resemble the victims of notorious murderers. The prime suspect is a serial killer Thor once put behind bars. The man escaped from a prison in the Midwest, and all the evidence says he was headed to Alaska…

Thor and Clara share an unusual skill: the ability to communicate with the dead. Their growing love—and their contact with the ghosts of the victims—brings them together to solve the case…and prevent a deadly fate of their own!

• Series: Krewe of Hunters
• Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Mira (July 26, 2016)

My review: Deadly Fate by Heather Graham (Krewe of Hunters #19)

4 STARS

Deadly Fate is the 19th Krewe of Hunters.  Heather Graham is still keeping the stories fresh.  

This is full of gore, some of it is fake but some is real.  A reality show is set up on Bear Island with a fake bloody scene to play a prank on some actors. But a real killer adds his own kill to it.  The descriptions are hard to read and imagine.  

There are some twists that you might not expect and some that you might guess.

There are some love scenes but if you want are easy to skim over.

 Clara Avery is a actress with some othAer actors that first appeared in Haunted Destiny.  Finds a deadly mess. She is on a private island in Alaska.  She is glad when she sees FBI Agent Jackson Crow. Clara finds it hard to accept that now she can see a ghost.  I would freak out too. if a ghost popped up in my room. 

Thor Erikson is a FBI Agent from Alaska.  He has a dream about a old case he worked years ago with Jackson Crow his old partner.  So when he gets a weird murder and finds that Jackson Crow is coming to work a case with him he is not surprised.

I like Heather Graham writing.  The touch of ghosts are a fun part of the story.

The setting for this book is Alaska in summer.

I was given this ebook to read for free from NetGalley and Harlequin.  In return I agreed to give a honest review of Deadly Fate.

The Secrets She Kept by Brenda Novak

Exciting, emotional, intense. The thrilling follow-up to 
New York Times bestselling author Brenda Novak's highly acclaimed The Secret Sister. The things that happen in families are always surprising and sometimes shocking! 

The rich and powerful Josephine Lazarow, matriarch of Fairham Island, is dead. The police say it's suicide, but Keith, her estranged son, doesn't believe it. 

Keith bears scars—both physical and emotional—from his childhood, but he's worked hard to overcome the past. After walking away from his mother and her controlling ways five years ago, he's built a new life in LA. He's also accumulated a fortune of his own. But as soon as he learns of his mother's death, he returns to Fairham. He feels he owes it to his grandfather to put the family empire together again—and he's determined to find his mother's killer. 

Problem is…coming home to Fairham puts him back in contact with Nancy Dellinger, the woman he hurt so badly when he left before. And digging that deep into his mother's final days and hours entails a very real risk. 

Because the person who killed her could be someone he loves…

Paperback: 384 pages

Publisher: Mira (July 26, 2016)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0778319067

ISBN-13: 978-0778319061

My review: The Secrets She Kept by Brenda Novak

4 STARS

This can stand alone but is better having read The Secret Sister.  The Secrets She Kept is a murder mystery romance.  It is full of twists you don't see and some you do.   There are plenty of secrets.  There is some love scenes.

Josephine Lazarow is a powerful rich mother of three.  She is found dead in her bathtub.  She makes lots of enemies.  The police think she committed suicide her kids do not believe that.

Keith Lazarow has not seen his mother or talked to her for five years.  That is also how long he has been off of drugs.  He has turned his life around and made his own fortune.

Nancy Dellinger has worked for Josephine for seven years.  She is not sad to see her dead.  She helped Keith years ago when he was on drugs.  She fell in love with him but he just used her.

Some of the suspects and why they are suspects part of the story line seems week but I don't want to give it away.  A lot of lives are messed up because of Josephine ego and affairs.

I never guessed where the story would take me next.

I was given this ebook to read by NetGalley and Harlequin.  In return I agreed to give a honest review of The Secrets She Kept.

Wolf Creek Wife by Penny Richards (Wolf Creek #5)

Description

A Marriage of Inconvenience!

After a storm strands her overnight in Will Slade's cabin, Blythe Granville's reputation is in shambles. The townspeople doubt that she was innocently nursing him back to health after saving his life. Now Blythe must accept Will's proposal: a marriage in name only to save her good name. But the former socialite is determined not to fall for her new husband…even if she's drawn to the gruff stranger who's vowed to stand by her, in sickness and in health.

Will never wanted to remarry after his ex-wife betrayed him. But now he finds himself hitched to a city girl who has no idea how to keep a house…but is somehow chiseling her way into his heart. As Blythe melts Will's crusty facade, though, they're discovering that this most unexpected union might just lead to true love.

• Series: Love Inspired Historical
• Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Love Inspired (August 9, 2016)

My review: Wolf Creek Wife by Penny Richards (Wolf Creek #5)

4 STARS

Good clean historical romance and Christian book.  

Strong female character that at times is very strong and yet other times very young.  I really like Blythe Granville and most of her choices.  Blythe fell in love and eloped.  Later she found out that he stole her money and they were not really married,  Her family sent her away from Boston to a small town where she has two brothers and her mother.

Blythe is now a school teacher.  One day she went for a ride by herself out in the countryside and a big dog wants her to follow him.  She founds a man in the woods really sick.  Blythe gets him to his house and spends the night taking care of him.

She is rescued the next morning by the search party to find her.  Her brother and the preacher demand that Will Slade marry her.

Will never has been so sick before.  He does not want to marry again.  His first wife divorced him and left for another man.  He fell into drinking.  Will stopped drinking.  He owns the sawmill in town. Blythe's brother wants to buy it from him and no way does he want to sell to Granville. His ex-wife wants him back.

I am glad that I do not have to cook on wood stove or arranged marriages.  It is a nice look of what life might have been like at that time.

I do like Wolf Creek and would like to read the whole series someday.

I was given this ARC to read for free by NetGalley and in return I agreed to give a honest review of Wolf Creek Wife.

Heating Up by Stacy Finz (Nugget #7)

Description

Nugget, California, is remote, picturesque—and the perfect place to fall in love. Even when you're trying desperately not to…

Dana Calloway is tired of being second choice. No question she was her parents' consolation prize, and now she's placed second in the race for a guy's heart—a guy she could have sworn was The One. Is it any wonder such a normally type A person accidentally burns down her house in one distracted moment?

Cal Fire arson investigator Aidan McBride came to Nugget to do a little soul searching about his commitment phobia. But there's only one available apartment in this tiny town, and the headstrong woman who just had a house fire needs it too. Of course, there are worse things than sharing living quarters with someone so beautiful…

Dana's determined to resist her sexy new roommate, but it isn't long before Aidan realizes he doesn't have a commitment problem when she's around. And the hotter things get in their apartment, the brighter the blaze when someone finally ignites that first spark…

• File Size: 2498 KB
• Print Length: 274 pages
• Publisher: Lyrical Shine (July 19, 2016)
• Publication Date: July 19, 2016
• Sold by: Penguin Random House Publisher Services

My review:  Heating Up by Stacy Finz (Nugget #7)

4 STARS

I have enjoyed reading this series and Heating Up fits right into it.  I like the small town feel, get new characters and some new ones too. Drama, romance and a little mystery too.  Some steamy scenes from the fires and sex scenes, how steamy I don't know I skimmed them.

Aidan McBride is pretty new to Nugget CA, He is the new fireman and CAL Fire arson investigator.  He moved from Chicago.  His sister Sloan is Nugget cop.

Dana Calloway  burned her house down by for getting .   There is only one rental property that is where she needs and Aidan just signed for it.  Aiden felt bad and offered her that they could share the two bedroom house.

Dana is shy and has no real friends in Nugget.  She sells property.  She loves order in her life.  She keeps getting dumped by her boyfriends going back to the other women.

Aidan last girlfriend left him six months ago she is getting married. So Aidan lets people think they are getting closer than they are.  Aidan makes friends easily and kids love him.

I like seeing the old familiar characters and seeing what they are doing now.  You can read this alone but it helps to keep up with the different characters to read in order 

The setting is Nugget California a small mountain town.  Lots of ranches, cabins and small business.

Good small town feeling, good drama, likable characters, some mystery, some romance and a few sex scenes. 
I was given this ARC to read for free from NetGalley and in return I agreed to give a honest review of Heating Up.

The Pursuit by Janet Evanovich, Lee Goldberg (Fox and O'Hare #5)

Description

Janet Evanovich's novels are: 'Pithy, witty and fast-paced' (The Sunday Times); 'Non-stop laughs with plenty of high jinks' (USA Today); 'Razor-sharp' (Sunday Express).

FBI agent Kate O'Hare's covert partner has been kidnapped. But she is in hot pursuit...

Nicolas Fox, con man, thief, and one of the top ten fugitives on the most-wanted list, has been kidnapped from a retreat in Hawaii. The kidnapper doesn't know that Nick Fox has been secretly working for the FBI and that his partner, Special Agent Kate O'Hare, is on their trail.

The pursuit leads to Belgium, France and Italy, and pits Nick and Kate against a deadly adversary: Dragan Kovic, an ex-military officer from Serbia. He's plotting a crime that will net him billions... and cost thousands of lives.

Nick and Kate have to mount an audacious con to avert catastrophe. The pressure's on for them to make this work - even if they have to lay their lives on the line...

• Series: Fox and O'Hare (Book 5)
• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Bantam; 1st edition (June 21, 2016)

My review: The Pursuit by Janet Evanovich, Lee Goldberg  (Fox and O'Hare #5)

5 stars

The Pursuit is a funny con chase story.  It has explosions, car chases, thefts and you never know what is going to happen next.  I did not want to put the book down.  

It has fast witty conversations, Nick can double talk anyone.  He is smart and the best thief and con artist and wanted all over.  He has been secretly working for the FBI with only a few knowing it.

Special Agent FBI Agent Kate O'Hare has chased Nick for years.  When she finally caught him they let him go.  Officially she is still chasing him.  Now they have her working with him in secret to take down bad guys. Kate used to be by the book.  Now she is dating a crook.

Now someone has kidnapped him to help with a diamond heist. Terrorists want to let a virus lose in the U.S.

Kate and Nick have to work together to stop them without official help.

The setting is all over the world from U.S., Belgium, France and other countries.

It is scary world thinking about viruses in the hands of those who want to let them lose to cause havoc.

I look forward to read more books by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg.  They are a fun exciting storytellers.

I was given this ARC to read by NetGalley.  In return I agreed to give a honest review of The Pursuit.

Borrowing Death by Cathy Pegau (Charlotte Brody Mystery #2)

Description

Suffragette and journalist Charlotte Brody is bracing herself for her first winter in the frontier town of Cordova in the Alaska Territory. But the chilling murder of a local store owner is what really makes her blood run cold. . .

After three months in Cordova, Charlotte is getting accustomed to frontier life. She is filing articles for the local paper--including a provocative editorial against Prohibition--and enjoying a reunion with her brother Michael, the town doctor and coroner. Michael's services are soon called upon when a fire claims the life of hardware store owner Lyle Fiske. A frontier firebug is suspected of arson, but when Michael determines Fiske was stabbed before his store was set ablaze, the town of Cordova has another murder to solve.

Her journalist's curiosity whetted, Charlotte begins to sort through the smoldering ruins of Lyle Fiske's life, only to discover any number of people who might have wanted him dead. As the days grow shorter, Charlotte's investigation turns increasingly complex. She may be distant from the trappings of civilization, but untangling the motives for murder will require plumbing the very depths of Charlotte's investigative acumen. . .

Available Editions

EDITION	Paperback
ISBN	9781496700568
PRICE	$15.00 (USD)

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Links

• Pre-Order from your local Indie Bookstore
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• Visit Cathy's Website
• Follow Cathy on Facebook
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My review:  Borrowing Death by Cathy Pegau  (Charlotte Brody Mystery C#2)

4 Stars

I like this series. Charlotte Brody is a smart, strong character.and follows her own path.  Though I find that I am more like the Chrurch ladies than her on issues.

Charlotte has come to Cordova in Alaska Territory to get away from home and visit her brother.  She writes for local newspaper and articles she sends back to the States.  She is fighting for ending prohibition, right to abortion and women right to vote.

She likes the deputy but has only flirted with him and shared some kisses.  Charlotte wants to figure out who killed a local businessman.  Along the way she gets into some trouble.

This is set in Territory of Alaska.  

It is a good cozy mystery.  Lots of interesting facts about life during that time.  Interesting ending and want to see how that will work out in the future..

I look forward to reading more from Cathy Pegau in the future.

I was given this ARC to read for  free from NetGalley and Kensington Books.  I agreed to give a honest review of Borrowing Death.

Curious Minds by Janet Evanovich, Phoef Sutton (Knight and Moon #1)

Description

CURIOUS MINDS by No. 1 bestselling author Janet Evanovich and screenwriter Phoef Sutton is a must-read thriller for fans of the Stephanie Plum mysteries including ONE FOR THE MONEY and TRICKY TWENTY-TWO.

They couldn't be less compatible, but they make a great team...

Emerson Knight is introverted, eccentric, and has little-to-no sense of social etiquette. Good thing he's also brilliant, rich and (some people might say) handsome.

Riley Moon has just graduated from Harvard. Her assertive (some people might say aggressive) spitfire attitude has helped land a dream job at Blane-Grunwald bank. At least, Riley Moon thinks it's her dream job until she is given her first assignment: babysitting Emerson Knight.

An inquiry about missing Knight money leads to a missing man, missing gold and a life-and-death race across the country. Through the streets of Washington D.C., and down into the underground vault of the Federal Reserve in New York City, an evil plan is exposed. A plan so sinister that only a megalomaniac could think it up, and only the unlikely duo of the irrepressibly charming Emerson Knight and the tenacious Riley Moon could hope to stop it...

• File Size: 2855 KB
• Print Length: 336 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (August 16, 2016)

My review:  Curious Minds by Janet Evanovich, Phoef Sutton   (Knight and Moon #1)

5 STARS

A fun new series from Janet Evanovich , Phoef Sutton.  The characters are a hoot.  A conspiracy with gold, rich single man, bad guys who are not afraid to be bad. Never sure where the story was going to go or what would happen next,  Did not put it down.

Riley Moon has started her dream job in Washington D.C. working for a big world bank.  She has been sent to reasure Emerson Knight that his money is safe.  Riley is smart just graduated from Harvard law and business degrees.

Emerson Knight is eccentric, brilliant and rich.  You think a lot  of the time that he is crazy,  He lives in a mansion with animals running around inside and out. Like zebras, armadillo and others.  He wants to see his money.  Especially his gold in person.  His banker has turned up missing and threes others have had died.

There are car chases, explosions, mystery and laughs as you read the story.  Pretty clean read too.

The setting goes across the U.S. as they follow the gold trail and to get proof of what is going on.  I learned somethings about gold that I did not know.

I would read more books in this series in the future.

I was given a ARC to read from NetGalley and in return I agreed to give a honest review of Curious Minds.

Wed by Fortune by Judy Duarte (The Fortunes of Texas: All Fortune's Children #6)

Description

You are cordially invited to witness the courtship of Graham Fortune Robinson & Sasha-Marie Gibault Smith 

Graham has always thought of Sasha as his "little sister." 

Sasha has always considered the rugged rancher out of her league. 

Now that Sasha is all grown up, there is nothing keeping them apart… Except she has a daughter. An ex-husband. And a very noticeable baby bump. And the always proper Graham suddenly finds himself thinking very sexy thoughts about the sweet single mom! 

Perhaps Fortune is finally smiling on Graham—in the form of the true love this rich, unencumbered cowboy has always longed for!

• Series: The Fortunes of Texas: All Fortune's Children (Book 2479)
• Mass Market Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin (May 24, 2016)

My review: Wed by Fortune by Judy Duarte (The Fortunes of Texas: All Fortune's Children #6)

4 stars

Sweet romance, love the characters,  wish the story could have been longer and we got to see more of the different characters.  

If you have been reading this series you have to get this one book has a lot of answers that you have been waiting for.  Now I have only read a few of the series but I wish I had the time to read them all and in row.  I feel that it would have been even better.

Graham Fortune Robinson is helping his good friend's father build a ranch for troubled teens. His friend did not survive his bad choices.  Graham could have lived the easy life with rich father but that was not his choice.  He is good with children.

Sasha has come to stay with her Uncle Roger after her marriage ended.  She is seven months pregnant and has a cute little girl Maddie too.  Sasha had a crush on Graham when she was a teenager.  She stills likes him.

The setting is a ranch in Texas.  They are getting ready to open a boys ranch.

I liked that they are making  a difference in the teens lives. I would have liked to see more of the teens.

There is drama, cute kid, one love scene at the end of the book.

I was given this ARC to read by NetGalley and Harlequin and in return I agree to give a honest review of Wed by Fortune.

Safe in His Sight by Regan Black (Escape Club Heroes #1)

Description

USA TODAY bestselling author Regan Black thrills us with this adrenaline-fueled romance in her new series, Escape Club Heroes!

The stalker shadowing lawyer Julia Cooper's every move is vowing to ruin her life—unless she discloses information about a major criminal case. For discreet help, she turns to the shadowy Escape Club, where investigative brainpower and brawn are for hire. Mitch Galway, a firefighter on leave, becomes Julia's round-the-clock bodyguard. All sculpted biceps, sexy bravado and conflicted past, Mitch works overtime to uncover the identity of the person hunting her. But as they track the creep getting way too close, Julia must share more of herself with the intriguing man protecting her…which puts them both high on a lunatic's hit list.

• File Size: 2664 KB
• Print Length: 288 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin Romantic Suspense (September 1, 2016)
• Publication Date: September 1, 2016

My review: Safe in His Sight by Regan Black  (Escape Club Heroes #1)

4 STARS

Julia Cooper is a smart, strong female character that I like and admired.  I would have caved in sooner.  Julia has had a tough life and she has pulled herself up.  She is a lawyer on the fast track until someone unknown to her takes her control over her life away along with her bank account.

They threaten everyone around her.

Julia does not give up and fights back.  She knows about the Escape Club run by a former policeman who can offer help when the police can't.  It is a nightclub and more.

Mitch Galway is a firefighter who is laid off till his case is resolved.  Grant has  hired him on as a barkeeper till he is cleared back to work.

Mitch is from a close family with secrets of his own.  He is determined to help keep Julia safe and find who is behind the blackmail..

Lots of drama, mystery, suspense and romance.   The tension that Julia is feeling shows really well.  There is a couple of love scenes. Easy to skip over if you want.

I would read more of Escape Club heroes.

I was given an ARC to read for free in exchange for a honest review from NetGalley and Harlequin.

The Forbidden Prince by Alison Roberts

Description

The man behind the crown…

The clock is ticking for Prince Raoul de Poitier—he's been granted one month of freedom before he must marry and assume the crown. Temporarily setting aside his royal identity, he heads to gorgeous Italy, where he meets captivating Mika Gordon…

Street kid turned photographer Mika doesn't trust easily. But seemingly ordinary Raoul challenges her to open up. Their whirlwind fling can only ever be a perfect holiday romance… until Mika discovers that she is carrying the next heir to the throne!

• File Size: 2316 KB
• Print Length: 256 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin Romance; Large Print edition (August 1, 2016

My review: The Forbidden Prince by Alison Roberts

3 1/2 stars

A charming romance.  A beautiful setting.  I love the scene where she tells him to imagine that they are in a ballroom dancing.

One love scene.

Prince Raoul will soon be married in a arrange marriage that will unite two countries.  But first he wants to go on a month vacation as a regular man.  He goes with different name and papers.

He rescues Mika Gordon and loses his wallet and everything he has.  So he decides to face the challenges himself.

He takes a job as a dishwasher and sleeps on a couch. Whole new look at life.

Mika is alone in the world and is strong, brave and kind.  She works hard to be what she wants to be.  I like her.

A good nice beach read.  Makes me want to go play in ocean.

I was given this ARC to read for free and in exchange I agree to give a honest review of The Forbidden Prince.

Cats in Cahoots: A Klepto Cat Mystery book 18 by Patricia Fry

Strange things are happening in Savannah and Michael Iveys’ neighborhood. Items are going missing; some of them mysteriously reappearing. Rags, the klepto cat, is caught pilfering some of the small stuff, but who or what is carrying off the larger objects and why? Is the horse involved or do the new kids on the block have sticky fingers? Perhaps Rags’s new feline friend, the golden girl, is a mystical being. 

In the meantime, when Michael volunteers in an out of state animal abuse case, Savannah invites her sister and mother to spend the week at the Ivey home and the women soon find themselves hostages of angry jewel thieves. A cousin Savannah hasn’t seen since they were children arrives with her family and a pleasant outing becomes a close call for Savannah and her baby, Lily. A mysterious young man courageously thwarts tragedy that day, then runs off before he can be identified. It takes a child to solve the neighborhood thievery and to reveal the identity of the true hero in this story. You’ll delight at the feel-good ending to this light mystery. 

• File Size: 2347 KB
• Print Length: 172 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Matilija Press (June 18, 2016)

My review: Cats in Cahoots: A Klepto Cat Mystery book 18 by Patricia Fry

4 STARS 

Good cozy mystery.  The characters are old friends by now.  I want to see what trouble they get up to now.  The books can stand alone but much better to read the series in order to follow the characters lives.

Plenty of drama, cats, mystery and humor, plus a clean read too.

Savannah and Michael have new neighbors.   There is a lot of things going on in their neighborhood.  Weird sounds, things taken and then turn up later. Some of the things that are taken  are water can , skateboard and others are small items.

The mystery is easier to guess in this story but still good to read.  I like the new characters and like how some turn out.  I thought they might go some other way but I guessed wrong.

I will read more stories from Patricia Fry in the future.

I was given this book to read for free and in return agreed to give a honest review of Cats in Cahoots.