If you are looking for a fun and easy read, look no further! Lacy Crocker is back in her home town of New Orleans. She has opened up a pet boutique and treat bakery. Unfortunately not everything goes as planned and she finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation!
I really enjoyed this story! Great characters that I’d love to hang out with! Can’t wait to read more in the series!

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley. Instead of reading the ebook I ended up listening to the audiobook version that I got through an audiobook subscription service. I am voluntarily reviewing it.

Cat Got Your Diamonds has a lovely set up with a main characters who loves pets and has her own pet boutique shop in New Orleans. When someone gets killed outside of her shop after she hit him with a glitter gun she becomes the main suspect and to keep her funding for her store she has to find the real murderer.

Cat Got Your Diamonds was a fun listen, but there was just something to prevent me from getting fully pulled in the story. The characters were nice enough and the mystery was interesting enough, but that's were it stopped, it never got further than that. So it just ended up being an okay read, I enjoyed listening to it, but it lacked something to fully pull me in.

The mystery start off pretty interesting with the weird murder behind her store, shortly after she hit the guy with her glitter gun as he broke into her store. Ofcourse she ends up being the main suspects and on odds with the lead detective, which is something I have read about so often I didn't really care for it. And then Lacy kept saying he was the enemy. It did got better as things progressed, but I didn't like how at odds they were. Lacy kept trying to be involved and the detective kept trying to keep her out of it. She never acknowledged he had a point and he never acknowledged she found some good leads. The police did seem capable and actually solved the murder, so bonus points for that.

The mystery did feel a bit slow at first, with very few leads and for a while it didn't seem to go anywhere. Once a few leads and pieces of information start popping up the pace picked up, but I felt like we were missing part of the story about the murder victim for a long time, which was true. I wasn't surprised by who the murderer was and the reveal felt a bit anticlimactic, but there was a twist at the end which was very well done and quite unique. I hand't seen that twist coming.

Lacy was an interesting enough character. I liked how she had this passion for her pet boutique shop and was determined to solve the mystery, while also having a healthy dose of fear at times. It felt realistic. It did bother me how she was hung up on solving her money problem herself, while her parents already offered to help her with the money if necessary. Now she kept worrying about losing her business, while she already had a solution.

The romance was off to a weird start with the detective who Lacy sees at the enemy obviously being a potential love interest. It almost felt over the top how she kept referring to him as the enemy at first. They also seemed to get annoyed with each other and instead of talking they have these weird sort of arguments and childish behavior that didn't help the mystery along. Toward the end it slowly grew into something more and I felt myself become more curious about how these two would get together. Then there is Chase the second love interest, who I didn't really care for at first, although he did seem a charming guy eventually and he did some nice things for Lacy and seemed to genuinely care about her. It just seemed clear her connection with the detective was stronger.

The setting in New Orleans was fun and I felt the author did enough to make you feel like you were really there. There are a few outings and a certain vibe in which the setting shone through. I also think this is one of the first non-paranormal reads I read set in New Orleans, which was interesting as it shows a different side of the city.

For a book with the pet theme it did feel like the pets weren't that important. For a long while the main character doesn't have a pet herself. Most of the other pets she encounters lacked personality. Voodoo was my favorite as at least the cat had some interesting backstory, even tough the cat only made a few appearances. I've read another cozie series heavy on the pets, so that made it easy to notice how here they don't play as big of a role. I did like the theme of the pet boutique shop and how she made fashion and food for pets. It was interesting to read about and there were some fun scenes with her work involved and Lacy clearly loved her work.

The narration was done well and was pleasant to listen to. I think I would've enjoyed it less if I had picked up the ebook. She handled the different voices well, the character were easy to keep separate. All in all it made for a pleasant listening experience and I wouldn't hesitate to listen to this narrator again.

To summarize: a fun cozie about a pet boutique shop. Entertaining, but lacked something to fully pull me in. The set-up for the mystery was interesting, but after the murder it takes a while to really get somewhere. There are very few clues and there are some big pieces you're missing till the end. I wasn't surprised at who the murderer was and the reveal was a bit anti climactic, but there is a great twist at the end that I didn't see coming, it was well done and unique. I liked Lacy well enough with her love for pets and her passion for her job. I didn't really care for the hostility between the detective and Lacy, but toward the end of the book I could see the beginning of a romance there. I liked the New Orleans setting. I did think the pets had a bit of a low role and theme/ focus was more on the pet clothes. The narrator did a good job with this one and the book was pleasant to listen to.

If you are a pet lover and cozy mystery then this is the book for you. Cat Got Your Diamonds is a quick read that has all of the elements of a very good cozy mystery....including romantic tension. If you enjoy part cozy mysteries, you will definitely enjoy this book.

CAT GOT YOUR DIAMONDS:KITTY COUTURE MYSTERY #1 by Julie Chase

Lacy Marie Crocker opened Furry Godmother Pet Boutique and Organic Bakery in the Garden District of New Orleans. She was fulfilling her dream by designing and making high fashion costumes and baking nutritious gourmet treats for the pampered pets of high society.

When Lacy was startled by an intruder, she sprayed gold glitter paint in his face with her airbrush gun, ran and called 911. The intruder was dead and Lacy's fingerprints were all over the murder weapon - her airbrush gun. Unintentionally Detective Jack Oliver made Lacy feel that she needed to find out who murdered the man. This would clear her name and keep her mother and father's reputations untarnished and help save her newly started business.
Who was this man? Why was he in her store? Who wanted him dead?

I enjoyed reading this cozy mystery and look forward to reading the next two books in the series.
Thanks to Crooked Lane Books, NetGalley and author Julie Chase for an ARC of CAT GOT YOUR DIAMONDS:KITTY COUTURE MYSTERY #1 allowing me to write an unbiased review.

What an amazing book! A fun loving cozy mystery that takes place in New Orleans and the Furry Godmother Pet Boutique. Loved the quotes by the Furry Godmother at the beginning of each chapter. What a cute cover too! Loved every minute of the story and I am looking forward to reading the next story. Also loved the pet recipes at the end of the book!

Lacy Crocker was born to wealth but wants to make it on her own in New Orleans by opening a pet fashion store. Yes, that's right - a pet fashion store. She makes clothing for animals; but also sells homemade treats on the side. I say 'on the side' because her main business is selling clothing.

She is conducting business one afternoon when a shady-looking character enters her store and she can't wait to get rid of him. What happens, though, is she returns to the store after hours and realizes someone else is there. She is surprised by the same man, runs through the back door, and before he can catch her she sprays him with her glitter gun, effectively blinding him, and leaves.

When she calls the police and is asked to return to the store she is surprised to find the man dead, and the police detective thinks she did it. Her investor, Mr. Tater, tells her he will have to pull funding from her store because he can't be associated with it right now, and she's desperate to find a way to keep the store open, even if it means taking on extra work.

With her store on the line, and Detective Oliver seemingly not looking for any other suspects, Lacy decides to do a little investigating on her own, trying to find out the identity of the dead man and who might want him dead. But she soon realizes that there's more at stake then losing her shop; if she's not careful, she could also lose her life...

I felt that the story started out S-L-O-W. So slow I had to stop a couple of times and start again. Probably because the first part dealt with dressing up dogs. I have to say this is something I don't agree with. Dressing up dogs like people is, in my opinion, odd to say the least. They're not toys or even children. Putting them on display for your pleasure isn't right. They want to run and play and get dirty, not perform like a seal. Secondly, I thought - because it's listed as a Kitty Couture Mystery - that it would be about cats, or at least one cat. Not so. I also didn't like the idea that Jack Oliver called her 'kitten,' it wasn't professional; it was condescending.

But once I got a little deeper into the story the plot seemed to pick up, and that was a good thing. We began to learn a little more about Lacy's life and the people in it, and more about the dead man - Miguel - and who wanted it that way. There were plenty of red herrings and just enough of a mystery to keep me reading through the night.

When all is said and done, the ending was satisfactory and it all came together nicely. Since this is the first in the series, I feel that the author is still learning her way around all the characters, and I will read the next in the series. All in all, and enjoyable read for a quiet evening.

Cat Got Your Diamond by Julie Chase introduces the Kitty Couture mysteries. Lacy Crocker creates couture outfits for animals and falls into murder in the Garden District of New Orleans. Pets and their owners are intriguing; the story is compelling.

Cat Got Your Diamonds is an entertaining, well-written cozy mystery that’s full of southern charm. The author conveys a vivid sense of place, especially when it comes to the New Orleans culture. I had no idea who the murderer was and just enjoyed letting the story unfold.

As the story opens, Garden District residents are busy preparing for the upcoming
French Quarter Jazz Festival, which included “planning the finest fundraisers and galas for their favorite organizations and charities, including Animal Elegance.” Lacy has just opened her new specialty shop called Furry Godmother – a custom pet boutique and organic, animal-friendly bakery. The idea of making couture clothes for animals, as well as the New Orleans setting, was so foreign to me that I found it fascinating.

Lacy is a complex and very appealing protagonist. I loved how relationships play such an important part in this story. Lacy is the daughter of wealthy parents, and that creates difficulty as her mom’s “old money” and her dad’s “new money” conflict with each other. I admired Lacy’s refusal to accept her parents’ financial help, wanting to prove herself – and found her closeness to her father touching. There’s even an element of romance with two different guys. I’m pulling for a certain one, but have no idea what will develop as the series progresses.

There’s an ever-present humor that is delightful. Lacy exhibits lots of southern charm, one example being that she had “learned years ago why all the fancy ladies kept gardens. They could rip weeds out by the roots and pound gloved fists against the earth when they really wanted to scream and swear.”

I appreciated that Cat Got Your Diamonds is a fun, clean read. It will be interesting to see how the characters develop in future books.

Recommended.

Dreadful--unrealistic situations, snobby main character (her nanny/second mother misses out on a family dinner to wash the dishes? Is this 1940s Alabama?), and every party needs a pet caterer? I love my dogs and cats and have been known to drop five figures at an emergency vet to save a life, but this was too outlandish even for me. Especially since ti was not written tongue-in-cheek.

I rarely give up on books. This is only the second where I bailed out before getting through the third chapter. Not the kind of notoriety any author wants.

I do enjoy a cozy mystery and what better city than New Orleans (NOLA) for a setting? Unfortunately, this was a bit of a disappointment for me. As this is just the start, I'm hoping for more in the next book. My biggest gripe is the tiny role that the cat played, considering she's in the title and on the cover. It's part of what attracted me to this book and it just didn't play out for me. The writing style is the formulaic cozy mystery, so it's what was expected to that end. I guess I just wanted a little more action and sizzle. Let's hope book #2 let's the author's animal run wild a bit more.

A fun cozy mystery about Lacy Crocker, a fashion designer, who sells her hand-made pet couture and pet treats in her shop, Furry Godmother. When a dead jewel thief is found behind her shop, Lacy keeps investigating, despite warnings of obstruction charges from the hunky detective – and stronger warnings from the murderer.

I love Cat Got Your Diamonds, and can't wait to find out what happens next, in book #2, to Lacy and Jack!

In all honesty I didn't care for protagonist. The mystery was okay but it lacked chemistry to me