Contracts & Cats (Magical Emporium of Wares #1)
by Toni Binns
My Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Cozy Fantasy
Age Category: New Adult
Blurb:
Welcome to the Magical Emporium of Wares, a bookshop that appears only to those who need to find it.When Sable answers a too-good-to-be-true job posting—cozy bookshop, perfect espresso machine, adorable black cat, and an apartment upstairs—she thought she’d finally caught a break from her crushing student loans.
But the ink on the deal is barely dry when Sable realizes that the contract is very literal. She cannot leave. Also, her new feline companion talks, the bookstore itself is a sentient enigma with an excellent espresso machine, and magic isn’t just for storybooks–it’s woven into her new reality.
Bound to the shop as the mystical Cat’s voice and hands in the human world, the bookstore’s true purpose begins to unfold, and Sable must choose. Will she embrace the impossible magic blooming around her, or cling to the mundane life she thought she wanted, risking the fate of the shop and its curious inhabitants?
If you love the heartwarming charm of found family, the gentle unraveling of an enchanting mystery, and the quiet wonder of magic woven into everyday life, then this is your next favorite read.
Discover the secrets of the bookstore and join Sable’s extraordinary journey – pick up your copy of Meow: Magical Emporium of Wares today!
My Review
I received a free copy from the author and through Netgalley and voluntarily reviewed it.
Contracts & Cats caught my eye when I saw it on Netgalley. I’ve been really in the mood for cozy fantasy books this year and this one sounded like the perfect fit for my reading mood. I requested it on Netgalley, then looked around on the author’s social media and also requested it through a form she had there. I got approved for both and was excited to read this book.
I am so glad I gave this one a chance as I had a great time reading this one. The story follows Sable as she finds a too-good-to-be-true job offering to work at a coffee shop, she quickly finds out the shop is magical, there’s a cat who is more than he seems and can talk with her telepathically and she can’t leave the shop during her one year contract. Along the way she meets various supernatural creatures and slowly becomes more familiar with the magical worlds and creatures that are out there.
This book was just such a joy to read, it was cozy and comforting. It had that nice slice of life vibe, but there was still plenty going on as well. Some chapters just followed Sable’s daily life at the bookstore and some chapters were obviously part of longer ongoing plot lines that continued later on. Often a few chapters dealt with the same day or topic before switching to the next. This made it easy to read in small sitting, which I loved. I liked slowly finding out more about the magical worlds and I kept guessing about what happened with the cat and my predictions were actually spot on. The ending felt a bit abrupt after a big reveal and I am just sad book 2 isn’t available yet.
I liked Sable and seeing her grow accustomed to her new job, I liked how much she enjoyed running the shop and how much she grows to care for the Cat as well as Indigo who joins the shop later. She makes some new friendships and powerful allies. I liked reading about her tending to the shop, making coffee or making lunch or baking cookies. I liked seeing how she made a difference in the lives of those who visits the shop and it was awesome learning more about the world. I also liked the bits that were from the Cat’s point of view as that added some additional information that sable didn’t have as well as how he saw Sable.
To summarize: This was such a fun and cozy read, it had comforting slice of life vibes, but there was still enough going on as well. I really enjoyed reading about Sable, the Cat, Indigo and the magical bookstore. There are usually a few chapters about the same day of topics before switching to another one, despite this there are also overarching plot lines or topics/ characters that come back later in the story. I had such a great time reading this one and really enjoyed getting to know the characters and world more. I also liked the slight mystery surrounding the Cat and it was great to find out my predictions were pretty spot on when his past is revealed later on. I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait for the next book in the series. This one fit my mood perfectly and I can definitely recommend it if you want a fun comforting slice of life cozy fantasy read.
This sounds fun.
It was a fun read 🙂