09/01/2022

A professional relationship turns into something more for cat café owner and veterinarian Kara Ingalls and marketing guru Ben Reese in this cozy holiday romance from Gary (All I Want Is You This Christmas). Kara and Ben have both been unlucky in love and are unwilling to risk their hearts again, but despite a dislike-at-first-sight meet-cute, the pair start to bond over a plan to save the Meow and Furrever Cat Café—and a tiny foster kitten named Chaos. Gary weaves a pleasant, low-heat tale reminiscent of dozens of holiday-themed romance books and movies, but the addition of some pretty major emotional baggage for both main characters gives the book some depth. Kara and Ben do a good job sharing the spotlight with kitties in the story, too, with descriptions and punny names of the café's adoptable residents adding a cute element to the beginning of every chapter. VERDICT Cat owners and fans of Hallmark Channel movies will relish snuggling up to read this novel during the holiday season, but some romance readers may find that there isn't enough spice to balance the sugary sweetness.—Jenny Kobiela-Mondor