Princess Fuzzypants here: Sometimes we just need a mindless escape. We need a book with a little bit of magic, a little bit of whimsy, a lot of cats and romance. A journey to Cats Paw Cove is always a good way to satisfy the yearning. This book is no exception.
Shape shifter Leda has been in witness protection for years but now she needs to disappear and lead a new life. She heads to Florida to find the magical place of which she has heard so much from a friend. Shortly after her arrival, a cat finds her and leads her to a compass that then whisks her away to another time. There she meets the dashing love of her life and the two have adventures together as he tries to find a magical rose that King George I wants returned to England.
Neither Drake nor his sister seem to have any problems with both time travel and shape shifting and both come in handy when Drake discovers his dyslexia has caused him to make a bad deal with the Crown, one that may cost him and his men dearly. So when Leda’s human form is of no use, her swan form helps save the day and her hero.
When Davy, the cat, takes them both back to 2020, they realize they should be together but back in 1717. Like all of these stories, there is a happy and romantic ending. It makes for perfect summertime reading.
Five purrs and two paws up.

Fun mixture of time-travel and magic. Leda is a former detective who has been in witness protection for several years. She decided that she wants her life back and slipped away from those guarding her. Her destination is Moon Mist Manor on a island in Cat's Paw Cove, a place she heard about from her former partner. During a brief stop in the Cove itself, she makes the acquaintance of a very special cat named Davy, who follows her to the Manor. Though she made her reservation under an assumed name, everyone at the Manor seems to know her real name, something that disturbs her. Then, while exploring the island, she finds a compass which whisks her back in time 300 years when she opens it.

Captain Drake Reid is a Royal Navy captain who is on a secret mission for the king. A storm forced him to stop at Cat's Paw Cove for repairs. He is frustrated at the delay, and also by his sister. Eleanor traveled with him so she could stay with an aunt In Charles Town and look for a husband. Instead, she spends way too much time with the son of the local Indian chief. While trying to track her down yet again, Drake spots a woman sitting on the rocks.

I enjoyed the first meeting between Drake and Leda. He is determined to keep her from being seen by his crew and takes her onboard his ship. Leda isn't happy about being there at first, especially after she learns WHEN she is. If she's going to get back to her own time, she thinks she should stay put. But Drake is in a time crunch and insists she goes along. He'll bring her back when he has what he needs. Drake was amazingly accepting of Leda's time travel claim, thanks to stories heard from his grandmother. He's a little warier of her other secret, an ability to shape-shift into a swan, and fears she'd be burned as a witch if anyone else discovers it.

I liked seeing the relationship develop between Drake and Leda. There were sparks from the beginning, and an undeniable fascination with each other. But both were also aware that Leda would likely return to her own time. A fun twist enabled Drake to get a taste of Leda's world, however, the question remained. Would they find a way to be together in the past or the future, or would fate separate them forever? Both Drake and Leda had some serious soul searching to do to discover what was meant to be. I loved Leda's conversation with one of the fairies, who gave her some pretty blunt advice. The ending was sweet and romantic.

I also enjoyed the mission that Drake had to complete. He has some secrets himself, one of which adds complications to his plans. Though he and his partner-in-crime thought they had everything covered, an unexpected appearance threw those plans into disarray. There were some very tense moments when the success of the mission and their safety were in doubt. It was fun to see how the mission was saved and the unexpected and important results of it.

I love this series and I loved this book. It's an excellent mix of humour and romance and I'm always happy to be back to Cat's Paw Cove and meet the quirky characters.
I strongly recommend it.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Another installment of the Cat’s Paw Cove series! I’ve loved them all and this one continues the trend. This book involves time travel into the history of Cat’s Paw Cove, which is interesting. It was good to visit with characters I have known from previous books. Humor and romance were well represented in this one. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.