An incredible book with wonderful characters and a beautiful setting. It will keep you guessing until the end.

Well, if being an orphan wasn’t already messed up, imagine being faced with a talking cat, a car with a mind of its own, and on top of that finding out your granny was murdered. Chess seems to be getting it from all sides, the job she loves so much was now given to the boss’s daughter, one can’t blame the guy you must look after your own first, no matter how good Chess was, family matters. With everything weird happening, being thrust into an unknown world wasn’t much of a shocker. This was an exciting, intriguing, and engaging read.

“Do you believe the Vevodas are cursed?”

Be careful when you cross through the haze...you might find yourself in a different world, one that you’ve forgotten. Chess is having an epically bad day and it gets even stranger when her car...that’s not normally a self driving vehicle...kidnaps her and her cat talks to her. At the end of her journey she finds herself at a home erased from her memories, and the news that her grandmother has died. From there her journey only gets crazier and it’s full of mystery, and fantastical beings that make for a great read!

Princess Fuzzypants here: When I realized that I had not written a review for this book I had read earlier, I picked it up to refresh my memory. I was drawn back into the world of magik and read it from beginning to end again. Chess is not doing well. Her life is dismal and when her car “kidnaps” her and drives her and her cat to a new, but strangely familiar place, she thinks things have really hit rock bottom. She quickly learns that this is actually her home, from which she was taken and her memory scrubbed, when she was thirteen.

She is brought back because her grandmother, a powerful woman who ruled this community, has been murdered and she is to inherit both her home and her library that is filled with books that only she and her grandmother can read. Not everyone is overjoyed by her return and she is challenged to prove her lineage which becomes more difficult because of the theft or her documents. With the help of her talking cat, and the other talking cats in town and some family and friends, she attempts to find the evidence that will prove she is whom she is supposed to be. It will not be easy. There are dark and sinister forces that have conspired to prevent this and they will stop at nothing. Not even murder.

It is fascinating how the author has woven historical events into this magical world and adapted them. I do not want to give too much away as it is engrossing and entertaining. Good does overcome evil and from the looks of this, this might be a series. I would be most interested in following the further exploits of Chess and company. Five purrs and two paws up.

This book is a mixture of cozy and fantasy. Chess is having a really bad day. Her job has been made redundant and her boyfriend has cheated on her. What is she to do. Mysterious messages start to appear telling her to go home. But where is that, her mother died when she was young and she has no family. Her car kidnaps her, yep, that's right, kidnaps her. It just starts driving like it knows where it's going. She can't stop it. If that isn't weird enough, her cat starts talking to her. Chess ends up in a little village, but it's not like any she has seen before. The people dress differently, almost like medieval times. Very few motorized vehicles. Her car takes her to an attorney. He looks like an owl and tells her of her inheritance. A library, but first she has to prove she is who she says she is. Slowly memories start to return and she reconnects with a cousin. They band together to stop something evil happening and make sure Chess is proven the rightful owner of a library that has secrets.

This was so fun. I loved reading about the new world and Chess starting to piece back together her life. When she and her mother left, her memories were erased. Now they are starting to come back. She has to figure out who killed her grandmother and she believens her father was framed and killed as well. Such a fun book the very entertaining.

Thanks so much for the opportunity to read A Cat's Garden of Secrets - it was a total delight! I am smitten with The Cat!!

A charming mystical mystery which is heavy on the world-building but doesn't stint on a decent mystery. I enjoyed Chess who rolls with the punches pretty well when she loses her job and her boyfriend and suddenly learns about a magical village she grew up but does not remember and the magical powers she has. Even learning her grandmother was murdered isn't going to stop her from making the most of her new life. With some help, of course, from her talking cat and a handsome detective. Well, then also maybe her frenemy cousin.

There are a lot of names to keep straight and a new world to digest so sometimes I got lost in who was who and what was what. I guessed fairly early on who the culprit was but I still thought it was a fun mystery and I would definitely read another in this series. After all, I'm always a sucker for a talking cat.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a Forgotten Village Magical mystery.

I was drawn to the aesthetic of the cover, picturing a cosy cottage setting. When I first started reading, I enjoyed the way the protagonist narrated, as it seemed quite open and humorous. As I read on, however, I didn't quite connect with the story in the way I hoped. There was paranormal theme, but somehow, that just wasn't the flavour of cosy mystery that I had in mind. I didn't get the cosy cottage escape that I hoped for.

This was a pleasant enough read, and it was easy to read in one sitting, but I don't think it's the type of book that I would read again.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

It was a little too fantasy for my mystery reading. However, I did enjoy it.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest reveiw.

Love this read! Chess inherits her grandmother's magical library after her murder. But when the cat starts talking and helping her solve the mystery, you'll fall in love with this endearing read. Great characters. Good story line. I want to visit this place again! Thanks #Netgalley and #KLorenWilson for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

A Cat's Garden of Secrets was a very good read for a fan of paranormal cozy mystery like me.

When Chess was made redundant, and she found out her boyfriend cheated on her, she thought she had to start again to make up her life, but she could never expect the drastic changes she would have to face. A new life in a new world, will it be the right place where she finally finds happiness? Or it will be the place where she finds her demise?

The author made an excellent job creating this intricate magical world with all its different characters, and a well developped mystery.

Chess' life has suddenly been turned upside down but she reacts as best as she can, never giving up and trying to understand her new reality better. She is a good character, I really liked her determination and perseverance.

I’m eager to read more books in this series because I want to meet again the heroine and to follow her future adventures.

A Cats Garden of Secrets by Jacqueline Diamond is the first book in a new a new series A Forgotten Village Magical Mysteries.

This book is written for teens to young adults, which is not my preferred mode of storytelling. However, this book still has a wonderful story line for all readers. It is about a girl who is coming of age. She must navigate those tumultuous waters while simultaneously learning how to harness her mystical and esoteric powers. I was enamored with the way the story's characters were able to transform into animals that corresponded with their respective personalities. All in all, this was a story that encapsulated a positive moral lesson about friendships, loyalty, and trust.

Thank you to netgalley, the publisher and Jacqueline Diamond for allowing me to read thus ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book has a lot of magic. We follow Chess who is struggling to make it and everything that could go wrong has with her out of luck she is called back to a magical place that is familiar but unfamiliar to her. I thought the magic was decently explained for a first book there must be more cause not all the mysteries were resolved in this first book. I liked her cousin and even though I don’t think the characters in town were exactly warm they weren’t over the top mean to her. If there is a second in this series I do want to check it out. I didn’t think that the who for the mystery that was solved was a surprise in anyway though. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

#ACatsGarden #NetGalley is the first book in a new series and it is quite a story. Chess is a young woman of 19, who has been fired from her job, found out her boyfriend is a cheat, and now her car randomly kidnaps her, and her cat Kafka.
She's transported to a small village where things are quite magical, but her memory takes a bit to return to her.
As she's reunited with a cousin and her grandmother's housekeeper, she starts to learn the truth, about her life, her parents and herself.
Even though I would not consider this a traditional cozy mystery, it was interesting and entertaining.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of the book.

Filled with Magick and mysteries, definitely a charming read. Talking cats, and all kinds of magick abilities with a place still dealing with the effects of the past, a very interesting and attention-grabbing plot.
I liked Chess, she is just so good. I am looking forward to reading more about her. And the other characters are really good as well. Like Priya, and of course, all the friends she made there.
I just couldn't stop reading it till I finished it.

"A Cats Garden of Secrets (A Secret Village Magical Mystery #1)" by Jacqueline Diamond is the first book in a new shifter/magical world cozy mystery. This is a new take on shifters that I can't quite put in words but to say it's not like werewolves. The magical part is talent based in the sense that someone might have a talent in cooking, woodworking, plants, etc.

Mystery wise this checks off all the boxes for a classic paranormal cozy mystery. Chess (short for Duchess) gets laid off from her job, finds our her boyfriend is cheating on her, gets summoned back to her hometown for an inheritance she didn't know she was inline for, said death is suspicious, she has unknown magical abilities and there is a talk bunch if cats. This one's mystery was a bit more of proving who she was to keep her inheritance and that the main bad guy was indeed a bad guy. There was a little of thinking maybe it's someone else, but not much.

Chess finds her entire life turned upside in the short span of a few hours. Everything she thought she knew changed. Although knowing is too strong a word since her memories were missing because of an "accident." Most people would think loosing your job and finding our your bf is cheat is as bad a day can get. For Chess, that was just the start of a day that included cryptic messages about home, being kidnapped by her car and finding herself in another place.
This story was a charming and truly unique cozy. Again, we change things up in this story with shifters being not the normal shifter we see in other books. Chess's acceptance and almost roll with what comes attitude is tough for me to relate to but maybe her youth made her more accepting or maybe it was what was missing from her life all along. I love how she kept thinking of herself as an investigator trainee because she worked for an investigator and took a few glances. She also find a kindred spirit to help her unravel the mystery around her family. Along the way she becomes part of the town and part of a new family and she takes it all in stride.
Of course, for me the highlight of the book was the talking cats (familiar or meechis.) Kafka and Tripp played such as huge roll especially Kafka who was like a guide for Chess. I will admit the explanation of the twin thing at the end was a little odd to me but who knows. Actually, I do know something and that is the author set us up for more stories to keep featuring our cousins and their cats and a time out of time. I have never read anything by this author before but plan to check out some of her other books.
Thanks to NetGalley and K. Loren Wilson for the opportunity to read this ARC.

DNF

When I saw this book with the cute cover and interesting blurb, I thought I would give it a try. I was totally in the mood for a cozy mystery melded with a little bit of magic. But...

The story is rushed and the pace moves way too fast. There is no time to breathe, let alone bond with the MC. There's no connection to what is going on. I would have liked to see more of her life pre magical changes, so that when her zmea occurs, it feels like it makes sense. The ONLY inkling you get that she is different, unique, hinting at more, is when she talks about her hair covering her pointed ears....it had me thinking elf...but when I saw it meant cat? I was instantly turned off, but I continued on through another chapter...and then just had to put it down. This is an instance where a clear blurb is important. Had I known this was a shifter story, I would have not nabbed it. That's just not my kind of read. Magical realism, sure. Magical elements sure. The idea of a talking cat reminded me of Sabrina The Teenaged Witch. Cute. But no....the MC is a cat but doesn't know she is a cat till this one magical day with no anchor to show that its not just happening for the sake of action to pull along the plot. Then she is in a town with a shopkeeper who turns into an owl. At one point the MC said she was confused and I nodded along with her and closed the book. I didn't get it. Maybe things are better explained as things progress, I only got about 11% into the novel. I really wanted to love it, but feel misled by what kind of story this really was, due to an unclear blurb. Maybe the author wished to have things come as a surprise or twist, but it truly needed to be mentioned, in place, to find the right readers who love that sort of thing. Sadly, I am not this books ideal reader.

OH, and the formatting for the kindle needs looked at. Its in poor condition, spacing on the page has issues and needs fixing. Normally, I can ignore this in an ARC and if the story is great, not even mention it. But this was a distraction for me that just piled on......

I wont leave reviews on other sites, I think it is unfair to the author. Plenty of others will love this book. It just isn't my story.