Catnapped

Sugar Shack #1

by Susan Golden

When perky petsitter, Jennifer, discovers that a cat in her care has been snatched from a locked house and is being held for a curious, but outwardly benign, payment, she reluctantly seeks the assistance of her engineering mogul boyfriend, Ryan, in overcoming seemingly impossible obstacles and absurd situations to meet the menacing ransomer’s odd demand. All the while, Jennifer’s predicament fuels her fear that this incident may be the one that finally highlights to Ryan, the man of her dreams, what she knows in her heart to be true - he could do so much better than her. As Ryan tackles how to assist Jennifer and satisfy the ransom demand, he increasingly suspects that the catnapping and the desired payment are tied to something much bigger and much more serious. Catnapped is a humorous and sexy romp with quirky, endearing and quick-witted characters that you will want to visit with again.

Genres: Contemporary Romance

239 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 30, 2017

About the author

I'm a hopeless romantic who transports you through the fantasy of love. I strive to deliver to the reader the promise of good writing, unexpected twists, complex characters, and an enjoyable escape to another world. I want the reader to have an emotional experience and the blissful satisfaction of a happy ending.

My stories are emotionally-charged, evocative, and offer a tantalizing glimpse into the power of true love. Through complex, relatable characters dealing with real-life issues, I explore the nuances and complexities of relationships.

Join me on a journey of passion, emotional depth and authentic storytelling.

It's all about the romance.

Reviews

[Whit · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay! This story is 1/2 cute mystery and 1/2 silly confusion! I almost stopped reading because first, Ryan and Jenn became employer/employee ten minutes after they met. Next, she dropped him off at the airport and then a few pages later they were in the shower together. Wait! What? So I went back and re-read the pages thinking my Kindle burped. But a couple chapters later, it is explained how they got together after his trip. Sorry-that should have been explained earlier, way too confusing! After that it moved a little bit more smoothly but I had really lost interest by then. Although all of the animals are really hilarious. I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Copy of this book (Goodreads Winner). Thank you!

[AnnMarie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Catnapped is the first book in the Sugar Shack series by Susan Golden.

Jennifer is a pet sitter/walker, she loves her job but it all takes a turn for the worse when a very valuable Persian cat in her care is stolen. What could be a very serious story is actually hysterically funny. Especially funny is a huge slobbering dog, Rupert. I haven't laughed so much reading a book in ages.

The cat is a hoot, a very typical diva of a Persian cat that I could easily picture as I read the book. The animals really took centre stage which is the main reason I have given it the rating I have. Other parts of the story were either a tad long-winded, I really didn't need to know all of the jobs that Jenn had leading up to this current job, or confusing. I wasn't sure whether we were in the past, or present sometimes which took away from the enjoyment I was getting from the animals' exploits. I also would have preferred to find out more about how Jenn and the sexy Ryan got together. There is the scene where they meet before he jets off for work, then a long gap before being in the present where they are taking a shower together. I would love to have found out what happened immediately after he came home from his trip away. I also didn't think the catnapper's reason for taking the cat was worth the suspense it took to get us to that point.

I enjoyed the funny parts immensely and the storyline was OK, would I recommend it, yes but only because I know you will get a great laugh out of parts of it. They are well worth the read.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF at 17 percent, but I started skimming at about 8 percent.

Acquired this through a Goodreads giveaway. Took me months to start reading it because the cover made me think the it was a quasi-historical steampunk style story about candy makers and robotic cats. Turns out, the story has a normal, contemporary setting and features a professional pet-sitter and a real cat.

Not going to finish it because (1) upon introduction of the H, he was immediately sent away and that made no sense to me; (2) I find myself already yelling at the h for what I think are dumb decisions; and (3) there is entirely too much exposition.

Didn't hate it. This book will be catnip to certain readers and I totally understand why - it has the potential to be clever, sweet, and entertaining. But it's just not for me.

[Susan Kennedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did enjoy this book and the story and characters. Jennifer is a great character who is just down to earth. I love that she is into animals and gets her job as a pet washer. I love that she befriended the owner. That was a great, short lived relationship to start off the book. I enjoyed that and getting to know who Jennifer was. I enjoyed learning the back story on her.

I couldn't help but love Ryan. This rich, intelligent, down to earth guy who is such a great guy. He is truly a knight in shining armor. I love that he is wealthy and so down to earth. I love that he isn't all full of himself. It was fun learning more about him and his personality and his business. I even loved learning about his employees, even though it wasn't much.

And then there was Simon, the scuba elf. He was an interesting character and a great little addition to the story. I loved him even though he didn't have a huge part in the story. What he did have was great and quirky.

The only gripe I have about this book is Fate. Fate as a character, Fate with a personality, Fate doing this and that really drove me insane. I didn't want to hear about Fate again. It was annoying and I feel the story would have been much better without that reference to Fate all the time. Really, really annoying is all it was.

So, all in all I enjoyed the story and getting to know the characters and I wanted Fate to take a hike. It was a good book; not great, but I did enjoy reading it and not disappointed that I did.

[Susan Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Princess Fuzzypants here: I do not automatically gravitate to romance novels but the white kitty on the cover and the title hooked me. I am glad that I did. It took me a bit to get into it. I was not quite sure where the story was going with the bouncing back and forth of POV. Our heroine, through what she decides is Fate with a wicked sense of humour, is a pet sitter. Her newest client hits her like a freight train both literally and figuratively when he and his Newfoundland dog bowl her off her feet.
He is an Adonis and she is drop dead gorgeous too. If they weren’t so likeable, it would be easy to hate them. He’s a brilliant scientist who owns a company that, amongst its other services, offers clandestine tools for clients who like to keep things out of the public eye. The likelihood of their vastly different businesses would intersect is beyond remote yet it does. A cat client named Whitney who gives Divas a bad name, is catnapped.
The catnapper wants a key returned. Unfortunately said key is in Tahiti with Whitney’s humans. If Jennifer wants a safe return, she is going to have to jump through some very challenging hoops with the assistance of the hunky Ryan and a scuba elf. Yes. a scuba elf. If you want to find out more, you will just have to read the book- which I recommend.
Four purrs (and maybe an extra purr for Ryan) and two paws up.

[Jamie Bee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not quite sure what to make of this quirky little read. The cover itself is a little strange—suggesting a boudoir romance with a cat included?—but I found the book blurb suggested something more intriguing. Unfortunately, I think the author tries too hard at humor and can't quite pull it off. This is meant to be a romantic “comedic” suspense, but the hero disappeared after showing up and was absent for a while. This made the timing and pacing of the book feel off to me, not allowing the romance to simmer and bubble. Too much of the book was just spent in the heroine’s head. Stories told in the first person can tend toward navel-gazing, and there was a little too much introspection and narrative prose at times. Some paragraphs themselves were exceedingly long, which I find hard to read. When he was there, I did enjoy Ryan as a character, perhaps more so than the heroine. The suspense part is told to us in the title of the book. The heroine is a pet sitter, and a cat gets taken. All in all, I found myself a little disappointed in this book.

I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.

Read my other book reviews at https://www.readingfanaticreviews.com.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to thank Susan Golden, author and Goodreads First Reads Giveaway for the eBook Kindle copy of Catnapped that I won in the Giveaway.

Jennifer or Jenn has a unique business in Catnapped when she meets Ryan while passing out flyers to promote her "dog walking, pet sitting, house sitting" business called Sugar Shack. The book starts with the funny encounter, instant trust on Ryan's part and Jenn falling for Rupert, a giant dog that looks like a bear and Ryan too.

Jennifer has another client with a cat named Whitney, that is a trial to take care of for an owner that adores the cat to the point of ridiculous. The owner is on vacation in Tahiti when Whitney is Catnapped and Jennifer meets Simon dress as an elf in a blue and black scuba suit.

From beginning to end, Catnapped is full of humor, suspense and is fun to read. It really is a great book with good dialogue, an interesting story-line and best of all, a happy ending.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The biggest complaint that I had about this book was the transitions between present day, when the characters met, and the building of their relationship. they felt rough and didn’t have much of an indication. The female POV was written in first person while the male POV was written in third person. Since those were clearly marked, I had wished that it was the same. That we either had it all narrated third person or that it was written in first person for both. Beyond that, I greatly enjoyed the story. I liked the vulnerability and the insecurity that both characters wrestled with. I loved how she defaulted to aliens when she couldn’t figure things out. Plenty of humor in this story with well-written characters. Even Fate was made a character of types and she had me laughing! A definite recommend.

Thank you to Susan Golden, NetGalley, and BooksGoSocal for allowing me the opportunity to read this book and share my honest thoughts and opinions with others.

[Karen Roma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Catnapped is a mixture of cuteness, mystery, and total utter confusion. There were a lot of fun moments, some OMG moments, and a wonderful animal lover named Jennifer. And let’s not forget Ryan; he is definitely a keeper! He epitomises the good guy vibe and doesn’t let wealth detract from his genuine and caring personality. It is basically a quick, no brainer read, and a decent afternoon filler when you’re not sure what to read next.

[Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goodreads Kindle Copy Win

Being a pet sitter is not an easy job as it seems.

When one of her jobs go astray as a cat gets kidnap things might just go downhill quickly. Throw in quirky ransom demands into the mix which tends to go wrong.. Nothing goes according to plans as well as possible romance.

Amusing storyline with amusing surprises.

[Debbie Ballard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved reading the first book in the Sugar Shack series. When Ryan needs someone to take care of his big dog, Rupert, Jennifer is hired. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written, and a must read love story.
I reviewed a copy of the book through Goodreads.

[Sharon Tyler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Catnapped is the first book in the Sugar Shack series by Susan Golden. Jennifer's discovery that a cat in her care has been snatched and is being held for a curious, but outwardly benign, ransom, sets the pair on a path of overcoming seemingly impossible obstacles and absurd situations to meet the odd demand. But everything may not be as it seems and the stakes may be much higher than freedom for one kitty.

Catnapped is quirky in a way that reminded me of Lindsay Sands and Kate MacAlister's early books. The writing was very conversational, and the characters often went off on their own tangent, which made the read very fun but occasionally the non sequiturs got hard to follow. I liked Jennifer's character, how honest she is about herself and her quirks- and her self-doubt was realistic but felt a little overdone in certain moments. I like that while the mystery and romance bits were separate but found a way to be woven together. I really enjoyedt he conversations and odd characters that seem to invite themselves into Jen's life. I did find some of the time line jumping off putting- and there were important things that felt a little glossed over because of that. However, I am glad I picked this one up and enjoyed the read. I will be taking a look at future books from the author to see if the writing style grows into the potential I see in it.

Catnapped is a fun and delightfully wacky book. It entertained me and I enjoyed the read.

[marvellousmarmite · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn't quite settle into this book. Yes the pets especially made for some decent humour but otherwise the characters, plot and pacing just didn't quite work for me.

I was drawn in by the front cover and blurb, but the book just didn't quite deliver on those for me.

Merged review:

I couldn't quite settle into this book. Yes the pets especially made for some decent humour but otherwise the characters, plot and pacing just didn't quite work for me. I was drawn in by the front cover and blurb, but the book just didn't quite deliver on those for me.

[Susan Underbrink · Rating 3 out of 5]

A big thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. First time reading this author. Ok this book was over the top but fun. Who in their right mind hands over keys to the car, house and a credit card to a virtual stranger? Ryan needs someone to care for his dog Rupert...so hand over your keys to Jenn. The craziest stuff happens to her. This has romance, suspense and craziness. I rate it a 3.

[Cherry London · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was somewhat hooked on whacky Jenn, she seems to get into such unusual scrapes. Her meeting with Ryan for the first was a burst of highly reactive energy which kept me entertained. Recovering Whitney the cat from hell gave these two lovers an exciting and adventurous ride which I find spiced their relationship a bit more. A lovely romantic tale with a spell of intrigue.

[Lavender]

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I won this book via Goodreads Giveaways.