Thank you to Harlequin for my review copy, my opinions are my own.

Look, history told through the eyes of a ghost feline? Immediately sold. This was a sweet book filled with interesting characters, and of course Grimalkin - who is the best cat ever. I loved his story and his jumps through time to show off little slices of time of the 20th century in Edinburgh (which is a bucket list destination of mine). I started this and pretty much read it in one sitting, it's a comforting read.

Highly recommend.

I was initially drawn to this book because it's being compared to Before the Coffee Gets Cold and while I can see why that comparison is being made, I will say that the books have completely different feelings to them. They can definitely be compared in that they feature a number of connected vignettes being Grimalkin's 9 lives. I found this book to be utterly charming and cozy as Grimalkin makes his way through his lives while being a ghost cat. Though we could have used more detail and depth to each life, they were filled with intriguing personalities that I would have loved to see more of. It's understandable as everything is told through Grimalkin's eyes and voice, but the different humans he encounters could have built out with more depth.

Scotland + a time-traveling paranormal cat? Say no more. Except--say more. The premise of this book is 5 stars, but the execution for me, specifically the characterization, fell short. A cozy, speculative historical story spanning 120 years in the same flat in Edenborough, Scotland, it follows the adorable Ghost Cat, Grimalkin, and his beloved owner, Eilidh. The relationship between the two and the ethereal Cat-Sith are standouts in this novel for me. Unfortunately, most of the characters in this story were not memorable or I just couldn't connect with them. The language was often very affected and full of “slang of the day” which became grating and didn't translate to deeper representation of the characters. However, I will warmly remember the spunky Ghost Cat Grimalkin and look forward to reading other stories by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing/Hanover Square Press for a complimentary copy of this book for review. My opinions are my own.

Grimalkin is dead, to begin with. (The opening line to Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is a gift that just keeps on giving.)

Grimalkin is a house cat, in fact THE house cat, at 7/7 Marchmont Crescent, born in 1887 and dead at the rather battered age of 15 in 1902. The thing about Grimalkin’s death that makes the story work is that the cat gods, in the person of Cat-Sìth who comes to visit Grimalkin upon the occasion of his death have to admit that they’ve fallen down on the job. As a cat, his spirit if not his body is entitled to nine lives, and he’s been shorted out of eight of them.

Something must be done in redress.

Grimalkin is given a choice even if the full measure of it isn’t clear to him at the time. He can go to his eternal sleep – or – he can have his eight remaining lives as a ghost cat. He’ll be able to experience the world, but generally not affect it – at least until his final three lives. He’ll be granted two more lives to ‘stay’ as he did in his first, corporeal life, three lives to ‘stray’ and three lives to ‘play’ as a poltergeist.

He’ll get to see how his human, Eilidh, is doing even if he won’t be able to actually be with her. He’ll get to see how the place he lived is getting on over the years. He’ll experience a bit of the world as it changes. But only for one day in each life.

His body will no longer feel pain, and he’ll be incapable of being harmed. But harm to the body isn’t half as painful as harm to the heart and the soul. There will be times when the world will have moved too fast for him to cope with. There will be occasions that will break his heart. There will be times when he’ll want to give up and go to his final, eternal catnap right meow.

But he’ll also have a few opportunities to change the world – not in a big way – but in small and important ways to make sure that a person or two gets EXACTLY what they deserve. Whether what they deserve is salvation – or damnation.

In Grimalkin’s case, the old saying proves to be absolutely true. “Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.”

Escape Rating B: First, let me admit the obvious. I’ve been picking a lot of books with cats recently because I miss Lucifer something fierce. Each person deals with their emotions in different ways – for me it’s books.

(The above comment does not apply to Junkyard Roadhouse. I’ve been following that series for four years now and would have grabbed that audiobook the minute it arrived no matter when it came. The series is totally awesome. Review coming later this week.)

Pivoting from my digression, I also have to say that I’m glad I read this AFTER the trip to Glasgow and not before – even though this is set in Edinburgh. There are a few things – like the ubiquitous presence of IRN BRU – that just had a bit more immediacy and resonance after such a recent trip to Scotland – and Britain more generally – than they would have before.

As a story, The Ghost Cat feels like a timeslip story mixed with quite a bit of magical realism as well as a touch of the musical Cats and just a hint of the cat wizards in Diane Duane’s The Book of Night with Moon.

I loved Grimalkin as a character, even though his particular existence conflicted with the laws of the universe in ways that are detailed in the rather long Reviewer’s Note at the end. Grimalkin the cat displays the feelings that we all hope that our companion animals have for us, specifically that he has chosen his person and loves her unconditionally. His primary motivation for accepting the option of ghost lives is to follow her through the years – not understanding the heartbreak that will inevitably follow.

What makes him interesting to follow is the way that he dips into time – rather like Brigadoon – but at much shorter intervals. He gets to see just a bit of the changes in the world, and it’s particularly poignant that he is present for both Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation AND the announcement of her passing. Also a tad ironic, as at her coronation he assures himself that she’ll be just a ‘flash in the pan’ compared to the eternal Victoria who was Queen for his entire life – and of course he’s so very wrong about that.

But right about many other things – not so much about eras and the increasing pace of life and what appears to be its equally increasing lack of civility and manners – but rather about his insights into the hearts of people. Human nature, for good or ill, doesn’t change all that much over a mere century or so.

In the end, Grimalkin’s story is a lovely little collection of observations and snippets, grounded in a bit of the author’s life, however fictionalized – and with additional magic. It’s a charming slip through the high points of a century, as seen through the often floor-level eyes of one very intelligent – but ultimately soul-weary – cat.

If, like this reader, you’re looking for a story that will reassure your heart and soul that the cats who leave us behind love us even from the Rainbow Bridge or wherever it is they go next, Grimalkin’s story may also serve as a bit of a balm to a wounded heart.

Reviewer’s (REALLY LONG) Note on feline genetics as applied to Grimalkin, the tl;dr version of which is that Grimalkin is genetically impossible and the story didn’t cover that over with even a bit of handwavium.

The ‘ghost cat’ of the title, Grimalkin, is very explicitly described as a rather prolifically reproductive tortoiseshell tomcat – and that is an actual, honest-to-goodness contradiction in terms. Due to the peculiarities of feline genetics as they apply to coat color and gender, tortoiseshell and calico cats are nearly always female. It is possible, but very rare for a male tortie or calico to be born – only a 1 in 3,000 or .033% chance. (That’s not 33% or 3%, that’s 3 one hundredths of one percent. In other words, the chance exists but it’s TINY.) And due to the genetic anomalies that allow this to happen, male tortoiseshell and calico cats are always sterile.

Now and very much on the other hand, the book of The Ghost Cat definitely falls into the category of magical realism – meaning that magic could make Grimalkin exactly what he is in the story. In the Victorian Era, when Grimalkin was born, science and the ‘Cat Fancy’ hadn’t yet figured much if any of this out, although detailed observation would have led to a conclusion that male torties were rare indeed. Howsomever, the cat gods or deities or powers-that-be or whatever that magic black cat with the white heart marking was could easily have known just how special Grimalkin was and commented upon it – as that cat spirit did so many other things. A mention would have taken care of the incongruity and kept it from tripping me – and probably other readers who are even slightly familiar with cat genetics – out of the story every time Grimalkin’s appearance was detailed.

I understand completely the desire for Grimalkin to possess both a tomcat’s machismo AND a heaping helping of tortitude, I just needed a bit of handwavium to get there that wasn’t present in the story.

Your reading mileage, or percentage in this case, as always, may vary.

Do cats really have nine lives? Meet Grimalkin, born in 1887. He lives in Edinburgh and adores Eilidh, his favorite human. As he passes on to afterlife, he is granted a chance to come back for eight more lives as a ghost and witness the history of his hometown over 120 years.

This was such a cute story, told from a perspective of a cat. His narrative and reactions were exactly what you would imagine a cat would say or do! My favorite part was watching real historical events and people cross the cat's path. It was the coolest thing! I enjoyed his adoration and loyalty to Eilidh and how Grimalkin searched for her in each decade he lived in. There were so many tender moments.

A bit of fantasy, mystical realism and historical fiction, this book is perfect for spooky season, cat lovers and anyone in the mood for a quick heartwarming read.

3.5 rounded up

This was a quick, charming historical fiction romp through Edinburgh over the span of 120 years as told through the perspective of a cat named, Grimalkin, who finds himself sentenced to live 9 lives as a ghost cat attached to the inhabitants of one city tenement.

Moving and insightful, this is a cozy read, that while not my particular cup of tea, is still recommended for cat lovers and fans of books like Before the coffee gets cold, Hiro Arikawa's The goodbye cat or The full moon coffee shop by Mai Mochizuki. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

DNF at 36%, I just could not get into this one. The premise sounded so amazing though! I know its reading as a cat is observing but I just wanted more from the cat.

If you put a cat on the cover of your book, you can bet I'll pick it up.

Thank goodness this one lived up to my high, cat-loving expectations. I cried, I laughed, I contemplated life and death and everything important in between. Told from the perspective of Grimalkin, we get to experience each of his nine lives in Edinburgh from 1902 to 2022. The time periods are described with perfect, timely cultural references, and the scenes were vividly depicted. Seeing the way the same locations change over time was impactful and more emotional than I expected.

This is the perfect book to cozy up on the couch with as we head into Fall, and I know I'll be recommending it to everybody!

Surprising 5 out of 5 for me. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Picked up this book on a lark because it featured a cat, but the joy I got from the book exceeded my expectations. You follow along a cat that is living through his remaining 8 lives, where for 2 he stays, 3 he strays, and 3 he plays, and you see him experience history over the course of the 1900s. The story was very whimsical and cute and cozy read. What was also interesting was as much as the story was about the cat, it was also about the house he lived in and how it changed throughout the decades with different design trends and tenants. You also get to follow some of the human occupants of the house as they grow and live their own lives.

The premise of this story was good. It was an enjoyable read, and I loved Grimalkin and his goings on through the years.
Grimalkin has come to the end of his life, but since the he only used one life he gets sent back as a Ghost cat. With eight lives left, he gets a short moment in each of the lives.
I would have liked to get a little more from some of those lives. I would have especially liked to get a little more about his time with Eilidh.
In all it was a nice, enjoyable story. If you are a cat lover, you’ll enjoy this book.

This book was such a fun read! I really enjoyed the writing style, and the little notes at the bottom were very cute as well. The plot was interesting and easy to follow, and I enjoyed my jaunt through history. All the characters Grimalkin met were memorable and felt very realistic. Grimalkin himself was so cute and I loved his character voice. Overall this was a lovely book, and this genre is one of my favourite little niches (cats as main characters in litfic). I would absolutely recommend this book!
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As a cat lover, I enjoyed this cozy read. This book takes you on an adventure through time through the eyes of Grimalkin, The Ghost Cat. I am not big into historical fiction, but I did enjoy the sci fi/time travel element of this book. I did find the story to be a bit slow with little suspense, but I think that also adds to the comfort of the story. This is a great book for those looking for a light read. Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an Advanced Reader Copy.

Thoroughly enjoyed this mystery read! Charming and detailed account, going through the nine lives of a cat. Definitely a snuggle up with a warm cup of coffee or tea kind of book.

Well, we all have heard that cats have nine lives but do we really consider that? The author of this book did! Here is the story of a ghost cat who lives out all of its lives over the course of more than 100 years. This leads to much observation on the cat’s part and a good deal of entertainment for the reader.

This book will appear to those who enjoy cats and their points of view, history, Edinburgh and a quirky read.

This book was not what I was thinking it was going to be like, and that was a surprise, a good one. You get to follow a ghost cat, like an actual GHOST cat through his 9 lives in the afterlife, as he only used up one while he was living, so he is offered a deal to live out his rest of the lives. His little comments on clothes, entrainment, foods etc was just hilarious and probably accurate for any older citizen of this world watching everything progress. It was amazing how they took one town/area/environment and you get to go through the progression over 120 years to the present time. Not many books are able to do that but adding the element of a big magical/fantasy is adding a ghost cat keeps it within the realm of many genres but without too much for those who do not enjoy that element to still be able to enjoy this story. This was a definitely a feel book, this cat had to witness many events even tragic events and unable to comfort those he wanted to was beyond heartbreaking, but that too is reality as many of us do not know how to comfort those, or maybe do not know what another needs.

This was an interesting concept but unfortunately I could not get into it. I may pick this book up again at a later time!

This was a fun one to read – part fantasy/part historical time travel/part animal story/part supernatural ghost story. We follow the “ghost cat” through his nine lives, over time, in Scotland. It was fun to read and think about and I loved the ending. I don’t know Alex Howard from Tik Tok, but I’ll have to look him up! This book is on the shorter side, less than 300 pages, so you can get through it quickly.

Thank you for having me as part of the tour!

I'm a cat lover and fell in love with Grimalkin since the first pages. This is the story of a cat and a way to tell how morals, technology and way of living changed during more than 1 hundred years.
Grimalkin lives his 9 lives and see how things are changes. There's also loss and love.
It's well written and life affirming book, Edimburgh and history are relevant characters as our cat and human he met.
The world bulding and character development are excellent and I loved the storytelling
I loved it and it's strongly recommended.
A book I could read multiple times and always having fun, being moved as I love Grimalkin and how he faces the changes in life
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This was a quiet read with a cozy atmosphere. It wasn't too long and read almost like short stories as the cat moves through history. He can't interact with the world around him (except for those lives where he plays) but he can observe. There are some interesting bumps with history and the author provides context with footnotes which I enjoyed.. There are some heartbreaking moments as the cat observes tragedies without being able to comfort those around him.

My main issue was I felt that this stayed very surface. Because we are only seeing through the cat's point of view we never really got to know any of the people or have any connection to what was going on around the cat.

This was a book I always enjoyed reading but was never anxious to pick up to see what would happen next. If you're looking for a quiet read that is light but still with a bit of poignancy and enjoy a historical twist this would be a good choice.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an Advanced Reader Copy - pub date 8/27/2024. As a cat lover and a fairy tale lover, this one charmed me. Starting at the turn of the century in Victorian Edingburgh, we are given the genteel, aging kitty named Graymalkin (naturally!) and his blissful life of comfort and his favorite human Eilidh, the maid who rescued him as a kitten and talked her master into keep him. It's a wonderful start with the vibrant, almost philosophical thoughts of Graymalkin creating the rich world around him. However, he is old and, as we all know, there are a lot of things in the Victorian age that can kill even a spry cat so we are soon sent off to the limbo world ruled by a sort of Cat God-Fairy who is dismayed that 1) Graymalkin died without him there and 2) Graymalkin has led such a comfy life that he hasn't had the chance to use any of his 8 extra lives. So puss is offered a deal - stay here in the weird misty land or go back to finish out those 8 lives according to the Cat's Rule: A cat gets 9 lives. 3 to stay, 3 to stray, and 3 to play.

Graymalkin chooses to go, hoping to be back with his Eilidh. Things don't go as he wishes, of course, but we get the better deal since he becomes our guide through 8 snapshots of history in Edinburgh. 120 years is a very long and very ambitious time to portray and Alex Howard manages to pick a mixture of big events and small events in order to give us a sweet cats-eye view of the humanity surrounding that one particular apartment in Edinburgh. Both good and bad and everything in between. The moments when Graymalkin finds Eilidh are precious and fleeting, filled with joy and a sort of bittersweet sadness, as he watches what she endures over the years. Through his eyes, I saw the beauty and kindness and pureness and fell in love a little bit with her. The assorted human characters other than her are drawn more roughly and suffer from the lack of Graymalkin's focus and interest for the most part but we still get a good sense of most of them through his quick judgements and opinions. Generally, he is tolerant and amused as most cats are. With a couple of notable exceptions, the humans come off well. The exceptions are exaggerated, unfortunately, and become noxious and utterly without any motivation other than being ugly. Ah, well. Cats. The setting and technology for each adventure was done with a deft hand and I’m pleased to say Howard always remembered his narrator was a cat. In other words, we got a lot of detailed descriptions of smells and sounds as well as sights. Plus a frequent reminder about rumbling tummies!

My only wish is that we would get more time in each life. Maybe not the second to last one with the older Keith but the others? I wanted more Eilidh and her life and love, more of the benevolent and cynical Abigail Rockefeller, more of J.M. Barrie! I wanted more time with Graymalkin because, if he was only getting a few hours every decade or so... Cat-Sith, you're a jerk!

Which, actually, is only right for an all power cat thing. Huh. Go figure. So it's a 3 plus a bit.