Sarah lives in sunny southern California with her husband, two small children, and dog Pippin. An elementary music teacher by day, when she is not writing or devouring books she spends her free time running, making music, or playing make believe.
Not much to say about this one: The ending was a bit silly and the romance was fast, but it was an overall cute story. Once again, I liked that this version didn’t have any magic—or the scene with the clothes being taken while bathing in the river. I didn’t realize that was an important scene in the Puss in Boots story and thought it was odd in another retelling I recent read, “The Rogue Princess” by Melanie Cellier, but it's apparently part of the original story. Cute little novella though!
Main Content- No major language is said; A side character does yell out “what in the name of my father’s beard is that?” and “Heavens” is exclaimed once; Some eye rolling & sarcasm.
Being robbed, Being held at knife-point, Injuries, Pain, & Blood/Bleeding (up to a few sentences); A cat brings a dead bird and a rabbit to someone (no true details).
Mentions of embezzlement; Mentions of fighting, injures, pain, & blood/bleeding; Mentions of a robbery, thieves, & stealing; A mention of blackmail.
3 kisses lasting around a couple sentences, Staring at another’s lips; Touches, Embraces, Warmth, Hand holding, Butterflies, Nearness, & Noticing (up to a couple sentences); Flirting & Blushes; A couple mentions of reputations.
4.5 - I’m not really familiar with the original Puss in Boots fairytale, but this retelling was very cute.
Also one of the first books I’ve read by Sarah Beran, but certainly not the last. I love the humor in her easy to follow writing style.
The Bald One is such a cute character and I love how he’s described as such a terrifying looking creature. It’s a short story but I felt the ending was rushed. I would have liked to read a bit more about the new estate and the changes that happened and a bit more meat to the relationship between Niall and Faye. But overall a cute novella. I look forward to reading more of them.
Great book! I loved all the humour, plotline, and I really enjoyed seeing Ever and Callie again as well. It was really short but still had a satisfactory story and included all the necessary elements to make it a great novella.
(Niall) MMC i really liked him he wasn't as funny as his brother Ever but he was still funny.
(Callie) FAYE'S BEST FRIEND I still really liked her!
(Ever) CALLIE'S HUSBAND He was still great!
(Sir Baldwin Worthington "Bald one") FAYE'S NEW CAT I loved him he was a gentleman 𝘢𝘯𝘥 a Knight.
(Alaric) NIALL'S FATHER I can see where Ever got his sense of humor from. I quite liked him.
👗~Quotes~👗 What happens when we return?” “Oh, then we’ll go back to our respective roles of dressmaker and prince. I’ll delight in teasing you, and you’ll like me just as much as ever.” “I’m afraid that’s out of the question.” Her heart took a nose- dive to her toes, and Faye had to work very hard to keep the dejected feeling that bloomed in her chest from appearing on her face. She glanced at Niall, who was staring straight ahead with a stoic expression. “Oh?” “Yes,” he spoke slowly, his chin rising and falling in a serious nod. “I’m afraid I like you quite a lot more than Ever.”
Something wordless passed between them, as if a needle had stretched across and stitched a piece of her heart to his with an invisible thread.
“And here is the room where Sir Bald One the Worthy vanquished the ogre by convincing him to turn into a mouse and swallowing him whole.” Ever swung his arm wide as he gestured to the study. Callie, tucked into his side for the tour of Carabas, shook her head fondly and laughed. “That’s not at all how things happened.”
🐾~What I liked~🐾 The cover, The ending, The epilogue, The puns, the humor, the writing style, 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳ything!
🥿~What I disliked~🥿 Nothing this was 𝘗𝘢𝘸𝘴itively adorable I think Sarah beran might be one of my new favorite 𝘗𝘢𝘸thors Ok ok I'm 𝘗𝘶𝘯 I mean done.
💠~Content/Trigger Warnings~💠 Non graphic animal death (bird & rabbit), Robbery, Blood
This was such a fun, fast-paced story! I loved all the subtle flirting and the opposites attract vibes! Such a fun follow up to Callie and the Pumpkin Seed.
What a delightful and hilarious take on Puss and Boots! I had forgotten how much of a joker Ever was and it was so fun to see Niall and Faye find their love story.
We follow dressmaker Faye Deumatter, Callie's best friend, as she comes to an unexpected inheritance that changes her life: a new title as Duchess of Carabas. And it comes with another surprise... a hairless cat name Sir Worthington. And when suspicious activities involving the steward of Carabas begin to rise, Prince Niall (Ever's younger brother) and Faye go to investigate. Little did they know of the small dangers they'll face... and that their adventure will bring them close together.
This was such a delight! As much as I love Faye and the serious Prince Niall and their growing relationship, I think the cat Sir Worthington stole most of the show!
Wow! Faye and the Feline Feat is an awesome Puss in Boots retelling by Sarah Beran. I loved all the elements from Puss in Boots incorporated into this book without any magic at all. Faye and Niall were such great characters who were completely opposite. I loved how Niall was so rule-abiding and emotionless whereas Faye was more carefree and happy. They made a great couple. Sir Baldwin was also a great addition to the story. He definitely made me laugh as he was always bringing dead animals and dropping them at Niall's feet (I loved seeing how horrified Niall was when that happened). I am so glad that we got to see more of Ever (and his puns!) and Callie. This book wouldn't be a Sarah Beran book without its puns! I also enjoyed seeing the brotherly relationship between Ever and Niall and I am so glad that we get to see more of Ever and Niall's parents in this book too (you can definitely see where Ever gets his jokes and carefree attitude from!). The plot of this story was rather similar to the original Puss in Boots fairy tale, but it was also different in an original was (it was certainly different from any Puss in Boots retelling I've ever read!). This book was also a great book about accepting others as they are and not trying to change your personality. Overall, even though this book was very short, it was a great, short read with an original plot, great characters and themes. The romance is sweet and gradual and the book is hilarious. I really hope that Sarah writes more books in this world.
– this can be received as an ebook by signing up for Sarah’s newsletter
– this is connected to Callie and the Pumpkin Seed (this one taking place after the events of Callie’s story), but it doesn’t need to be read to enjoy this story
– this is told from Faye’s point of view
Review:
I loved this quick visit back to the kingdom of Vallens! I love that we got more of Callie & Ever alongside Faye’s story too! I loved Sarah Beran’s take on retelling Puss in Boots and trying to figure out which parts she might keep or change. I loved the humor weaved into majority of the conversations and how Baldwin had a lot of control over the events of the story.
Summary:
Faye loves her life with her mother at their thriving dress shop. But one day, an unexpected delivery threatens to change that. Her distant relative passed away with no direct relatives, and they chose to leave everything to Faye. Everything being a title, the land of Carabas, & a funky looking hairless cat.
With the land, however, an issue arises that requires her immediate attention. Along for the ride is Prince Niall – the guy Faye is crushing on, enjoys pushing his buttons, & her best friend’s brother in law all in one. Faye isn’t sure she’s going to be able to make it out of this trip without feeling even more deeply for Niall. But would that be so bad?
Violence: Mild. Perilous situations occur, some characters are injured 'on screen' with wounds depicted. But nothing is at all graphic.
Sexual: Mild. Heads on shoulders, chaste kissing, totally clean and not at all steamy/spicey.
I went into this totally blind because it's Sarah Beran and I love her. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this is a companion novel to Callie and the Pumpkin Seed (her book from the multi-author Autumn Fairy Tales series last year) featuring Callie's best friend, Faye, and Ever's brother Niall.
This was ridiculously cute. The Puss in Boots aspect made me snicker and I enjoyed it more than if it had been a more literal and straightforward retelling. I especially enjoyed Niall's character and how it was addressed. It was a sweet moment of recognizing that different doesn't mean lesser.
Well, I loved Callie and the Pumpkin Seed so when I saw this was a companion to that story, I was already sold.
Faye is such fun but a very different character than Callie. There’s a bit more bite to her, a little bit more spice to her words. I love how she can simultaneously be unsure and confident all at once.
And her love for her inherited feline friend is the stuff of legends. The way she fusses and loves in him and gives him his due credit as “a knight and gentleman” had me smiling from ear to ear. Their scenes were gold.
And we have Niall, younger brother to the crown prince and a different animal entirely. He’s much less confident, more reserved and more unsure of his actions. He wants to speak his feelings but often chickens out. It makes him a brilliant match with Faye who is his perfect balanced complement.
I do hope this author tackles more fairy tale retellings in the future because I am in love.
I received this novella through the author's newsletter and I encourage readers to do the same. While this is can be read as a standalone, it is a companion novella to Callie and the Pumpkin Seed: A Cinderella Retelling, which I recommend. Faye and the Feline Feat is told though Faye's pov and is the cutest Puss in Boots retelling you'll read.
I absolutely adored Callie and the Pumpkin Seed: A Cinderella Retelling so it was nice to see some familiar faces and get to know others some more. I loved the dynamics between Faye and Prince Niall and how she liked teasing him. Though he was serious, he couldn't help but crack a bit whenever he was in her presence. I loved the humor and the puns and thought the author did a great job in writing a short story that wasn't lacking.
Oh, my goodness. I’ve been dying to read this since I first heard it was coming and then it got worse when I started seeing everyone’s reviews. I was able to squeeze it in here and there and it did not disappoint! As another reviewer stated, I read most of it with a smile on my face. This was such a darling story and I am 110% content and pleased with it and I still have that smile on my face!
I didn’t even know how much I needed Niall and Faye to have a story together until I read it. Thank you to Sarah, the master of puns, for another AMAZING pun-filled (Ever is present, after all) story.
Perfect story to go with Callie and the Pumpkin Seed. Not only do you know how the funny couple are doing, but it explores the side characters personalities more. Faye and Callie get along so well that they could be sisters.
This is another one of Sarah Beran's books I wish could be a movie. The humor, chemistry, adventure, and hideously but sweet cat makes this such a good tail( lol cause of the cat).
I 💙LOVE the chemistry between Faye and Niall. When she realizes she doesn't need him to not be so serious the chemistry really rises. He has a dry sense of humor that she is able to pick up on and annoy him lol. Such a funny, but adorable couple. Also the cat was such a good help at bringing them closer together
I literally cannot stop smiling!!! The serious prince/ teasing girl dynamic is SO PERFECT, and I was amazed at how Sarah Beran was able to work in all of the aspects of the original fairytale is such a short time! SUCH a perfect Puss in Boots story (I mean, an ugly hairless cat call Sir Baldwin Worthington??? Perfection.)
And this was a FAST read! So any reader wanting a quick pick me up, THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU!!!! Seriously, SOOOOO cute!!!!! And the puns. 😂😂 I can never get enough.
When Faye inherits Carabas and a Knighted cat from her great Aunt, she is called to the palace over issues with the books. The steward is up to something shady.
Feeling responsible, Faye goes with Prince Nyles to investigate. The prince is reserved but Faye likes and admires him. They grow closer after being attacked. Faye went to Carabas to get to the bottom of the issue. She never expected to find love.
This was a fun and sweet romance story. It was a fairy retelling of Puss and Boots with its own twist. I was glad that the original story was at the beginning so that I would understand the retelling better. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a sweet story to end their night on. The romance was fast once it got started but charming.
An absolutely adorable Puss and Boots retelling. Loved the author's humor and all the clever nods to the original tale. This story is short and sweet and I definitely want to read more from this series!
A very cute and hilarious companion novella to Callie and the Pumpkin Seed! Loved the retelling of Puss in Boots, and I have to say that I loved that cat so much in that novella; he’s just what many cat people would love to have!
Cute extra story to go with Callie and The Pumpkin Seed. A bit too fast moving and missing the meet cute of the romance for my preference. I did love the twist on how the cat would come to the rescue when this isn't a magical talking animal kind of fantasy.