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Vampire Knitting Club #8.5
Cat's Paws and Curses
When Lucy organizes a holiday knitting circle, it's good fun,
Until someone's murdered...
And the culprit must be one of the knitters...
Knitting an ugly Christmas jumper at Cardinal Woolsey’s knitting shop in Oxford, is supposed to be relaxing. Until a knitter keels over. it’s soon clear to amateur sleuth Lucy that murder's in the air and the culprit is one of the knitters.
This is a fun take on a classic closed room mystery. Of course, no room is every closed when vampires live downstairs. But are the undead knitters to blame? Or is there more to this Oxford knitting circle than lumpy Santas and light-up reindeer?
This is a shorter holiday whodunnit. It was previously published in the collection: Six Merry Little Murders.
More fun than an ugly Christmas jumper, this story is part of the Vampire Knitting Club series, though it can be read on its own. It's full of good clean fun, mysterious goings-on and holiday cheer.
Until someone's murdered...
And the culprit must be one of the knitters...
Knitting an ugly Christmas jumper at Cardinal Woolsey’s knitting shop in Oxford, is supposed to be relaxing. Until a knitter keels over. it’s soon clear to amateur sleuth Lucy that murder's in the air and the culprit is one of the knitters.
This is a fun take on a classic closed room mystery. Of course, no room is every closed when vampires live downstairs. But are the undead knitters to blame? Or is there more to this Oxford knitting circle than lumpy Santas and light-up reindeer?
This is a shorter holiday whodunnit. It was previously published in the collection: Six Merry Little Murders.
More fun than an ugly Christmas jumper, this story is part of the Vampire Knitting Club series, though it can be read on its own. It's full of good clean fun, mysterious goings-on and holiday cheer.
90 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 4, 2019
296 people are currently reading
741 people want to read
About the author
Nancy Warren
359 books1,883 followersNancy Warren is the USA Today bestselling author of more than 100 novels.
She’s known for writing funny, sexy and suspenseful tales. She’s an avid hiker, animal lover, wine drinker and chocolate fiend. Favorite moments in her career include being featured on the front page of the New York Times, being the answer to a crossword puzzle clue in Canada’s National Post newspaper and being a finalist three times in the Rita awards. She has won the Reviewer’s Choice Award from Romantic Times magazine.
Get a free short story when you sign up for Nancy's newsletter at www.NancyWarrenAuthor.com or join Nancy in her private Facebook group to talk about books, knitting, pets & life.
www.facebook.com/groups/NancyWarrenKn...
She’s known for writing funny, sexy and suspenseful tales. She’s an avid hiker, animal lover, wine drinker and chocolate fiend. Favorite moments in her career include being featured on the front page of the New York Times, being the answer to a crossword puzzle clue in Canada’s National Post newspaper and being a finalist three times in the Rita awards. She has won the Reviewer’s Choice Award from Romantic Times magazine.
Get a free short story when you sign up for Nancy's newsletter at www.NancyWarrenAuthor.com or join Nancy in her private Facebook group to talk about books, knitting, pets & life.
www.facebook.com/groups/NancyWarrenKn...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 162 reviews
June 24, 2021
This was such a cute and quick mystery. It takes place all in one night and is the definition of cozy. I wasn't really sure if I was going to bother with this side novel. But I'm really glad I did.
January 27, 2020
Slow to start, it then rushes to a conclusion, the story lacked development. It needed to be fleshed out and the pacing smoothed out.
June 3, 2020
The Vampire knitting club is back in action in this novella! Lucy has decided to add a Christmas open knitting time for her human customers to enjoy until one if the knitters is killed during a knitting session. Lucy is quick to guess which knitter snuffed the other, but proving it is another thing! Excellent characters in a short, but enjoyable plot is just the thing for a quick entertaining read!
July 21, 2022
Very short cute addition
February 15, 2020
Read this while in the ER with my daughter.
Book source ~ Kindle Unlimited
American Lucy Swift is really enjoying running her grandmother’s knitting shop in Oxford. She never thought she would, but here she is. Of course, her grandmother may be dead, but she’s not dead-dead considering she’s a vampire. So Lucy has the benefit of her wisdom as well as that of the whole vampire knitting circle. Lucy has been holding a knitting circle nights right before Christmas so her customers can have a place to knit presents for family. But one evening, when the lights go out and one of the knitters is murdered, the murderer has to be in the same room. One of her knitters is a murderer! What?
I love this series because it’s cute, humorous (yes, even with a murder or two), and there’s the paranormal aspect with the knitting vampires and all. Plus, magic because Lucy is also a witch. But this one seemed a tad rushed to me. Maybe because it’s a short story instead of the usual length. It just seemed a bit lacking which is why I dropped the rating down from my usual. However, it’s still a nice mystery and I got to see Rafe and Ian. I wish Lucy would give Ian more of a chance. Rafe is ok, but she seems adamant that she will not be with a vampire, so Ian would be more her speed, even though he’s with law enforcement. Or maybe she needs to meet a witch instead. I’m curious where Lucy’s love life is heading. Looking forward to book 9.
Book source ~ Kindle Unlimited
American Lucy Swift is really enjoying running her grandmother’s knitting shop in Oxford. She never thought she would, but here she is. Of course, her grandmother may be dead, but she’s not dead-dead considering she’s a vampire. So Lucy has the benefit of her wisdom as well as that of the whole vampire knitting circle. Lucy has been holding a knitting circle nights right before Christmas so her customers can have a place to knit presents for family. But one evening, when the lights go out and one of the knitters is murdered, the murderer has to be in the same room. One of her knitters is a murderer! What?
I love this series because it’s cute, humorous (yes, even with a murder or two), and there’s the paranormal aspect with the knitting vampires and all. Plus, magic because Lucy is also a witch. But this one seemed a tad rushed to me. Maybe because it’s a short story instead of the usual length. It just seemed a bit lacking which is why I dropped the rating down from my usual. However, it’s still a nice mystery and I got to see Rafe and Ian. I wish Lucy would give Ian more of a chance. Rafe is ok, but she seems adamant that she will not be with a vampire, so Ian would be more her speed, even though he’s with law enforcement. Or maybe she needs to meet a witch instead. I’m curious where Lucy’s love life is heading. Looking forward to book 9.
March 4, 2020
2020 bk 77. More of a novella, this is not a title to be ignored as it introduces characters essential to the next two books. It's Christmas time and Lucy's heart just isn't really into the ugly Christmas sweater theme, but since so many Brits are, the more the merrier. Just as the vampires have their weekly club meeting, Lucy opens the back room to those who are working on their Christmas presents, ornaments, and ugly Christmas sweaters. On the night in question, two former rivals become aware that both are in the room, and one doesn't leave the room alive. Can they solve the mystery in time to celebrate Christmas with joy in their hearts? Read Cat's Paws and Curses and enjoy!
January 1, 2021
Book 1 of 2021! And for my goal of 240 books (for now, 😁)! 4/5 stars for this Holiday Cozy novella. A quick continuation of a series I love! Excited to read more! Love the cover! Narration was great!
December 12, 2021
I absolutely adore the Vampire Knitting Club series. This little Christmasy novella is the perfect holiday whodunnit; but with vampires.
June 7, 2022
The longer books in the series are better. Also, knitting for yourself is not selfish. I know our was included as further support of a character's attitudes, but it annoys me that people assume all knitters must knit for others around the holidays. I knit for others, but I also make things for myself. Nothing wrong with that.
December 7, 2021
Cat's Paws and Curses is book 8.5 in the Vampire Knitting Club series. It is a short in-between novella. In this novella, there is yet another murder at Cardinal Woolsey's and this time it happened when Lucy was in the room. The readers don't really have much to go on for solving the crime alongside the characters. It was pretty random and out of nowhere, but it was still a fun book to listen to. The narration is good. It is the same narrator from the rest of the series.
August 8, 2024
This short book was entertaining and showed Lucy’s growth as an interrogator. While pretty far-fetched, it was short, fun, and had Ralph acting as Lucy’s research assistant to back her up on a wild hunch.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 19, 2020
Loved the short story so much - went out and purchased Book 1 in the series.
January 2, 2021
A very quick read. Never expected who the murderer was or the reason why she was killed.
September 13, 2021
This was a cute novella, but had some major holes in the solving of the mystery.
April 15, 2022
Another murder in the knitting shop.
Lucy’s involved again.
What bad luck!
No more knitting circles Lucy!
Lucy’s involved again.
What bad luck!
No more knitting circles Lucy!
May 24, 2023
Pleasant stand alone novelette that I would recommend to anyone interested in this series.
November 20, 2024
Storiella natalizia (ma non troppo), carina (sì ma niente di serio, cit.).
February 15, 2025
This was great, like a mini locked room mystery. Really good fun.
November 17, 2021
3.5 stars
May 21, 2023
Short and sweet!
Great characters, Crazy puzzle, fun holiday story! It's Always a good time when I'm reading a Lucy and Friends adventure!
Great characters, Crazy puzzle, fun holiday story! It's Always a good time when I'm reading a Lucy and Friends adventure!
January 6, 2025
2025 Reads #18/250
2024 Reads #743/250*
Read for the Sights of Sweden Challenge 2024-2025
September 20, 2024 - January 10, 2025
*Challenge #743 Start - #11 Finish ~ Held off last 10% completion until set opening. #743/18
2024 Reads #743/250*
Read for the Sights of Sweden Challenge 2024-2025
September 20, 2024 - January 10, 2025
*Challenge #743 Start - #11 Finish ~ Held off last 10% completion until set opening. #743/18
March 28, 2023
As an American who loves ugly Christmas sweaters. I'm glad Lucy learns to love them
December 21, 2019
First, the petty complains--the title didn't reflect the story's plot like all the other book titles do. The drawing of Lucy is different. Bring back the old Lucy! (Sorry, but when I love something, I get used to things and hate change.)
Now, why the 2 star rating. First, this was a novella not a full book, thus dampening my excitement over seeing a new book (since book #9 isn't due out until February.)
And, the story just wasn't engaging. I didn't care for many of the characters, and it just felt Ms. Warren was "calling it in."
Of course I am happy over anything from the Knitting Vampire world, but this didn't quite hit the spot.
Now, why the 2 star rating. First, this was a novella not a full book, thus dampening my excitement over seeing a new book (since book #9 isn't due out until February.)
And, the story just wasn't engaging. I didn't care for many of the characters, and it just felt Ms. Warren was "calling it in."
Of course I am happy over anything from the Knitting Vampire world, but this didn't quite hit the spot.
February 5, 2024
Pros:
A “one room” style murder mystery is perfect for a novella and well utilized here.
Cons:
Lucy is overstepping in her game of novice investigator. She let Wraith into the crime scene with witnesses and he left before the police arrived. I am shocked that none of them said anything. Between that and her “sudden knowledge” and the consistent deaths inside her shop the police would really need to start considering her higher on the suspect list or even as an accessory or mastermind setting these things up for the attention solving them brings. This was not to the level of the rest of the series.
A “one room” style murder mystery is perfect for a novella and well utilized here.
Cons:
Lucy is overstepping in her game of novice investigator. She let Wraith into the crime scene with witnesses and he left before the police arrived. I am shocked that none of them said anything. Between that and her “sudden knowledge” and the consistent deaths inside her shop the police would really need to start considering her higher on the suspect list or even as an accessory or mastermind setting these things up for the attention solving them brings. This was not to the level of the rest of the series.
August 30, 2025
A short and sweet novella with Black Swan undertones. I feel like this would have made the perfect plot for a longer story.
March 27, 2024
4 Stars
The Vampire Knitting Club series by Nancy Warren is another series that has been collecting dust on my TBR for a while now- but I have finally got my act together (well, somewhat lol) and gotten around to reading it. And I am soooo glad I did, as it turned out to be such an unexpectedly fun read.
One of the reasons I love being on Goodreads is seeing all the book reviews and recommendations that everyone does, and then hunting down the ones that catch my eye. This series would probably never have come to my attention if it hadn’t been for my Goodreads friend, Eliza- so thank you Eliza for your recommendation (in the form of your glowing reviews) which gave me the urge to dive in, even though I didn’t get to them right away- it was such a great series to binge. But one book has now turned into a bit of an addiction lol.
This is quite a long series, so I am going to save myself some time by doing one review for the entire series. So here we go…..
The Vampire Knitting Club is a wonderful paranormal cozy mystery series, with vampires, witches, adventure, action, crime & investigation, witty humour, family, friendship, a small-town setting, dramatic developments, magic, suspense, intrigue, fun, a dash of romance, knitting/knitting group, murder/murder mysteries, whodunnit vibes, danger, secrets, a cat familiar, tangled webs, the supernatural, and a slew of wonderfully quirky characters.
To condense things for the sake of this review, Lucy Swift ‘inherits’ her grandmother’s knitting shop when her grandmother dies…. only grandma is not dead, but is definitely undead. That’s not all she discovers…. so let the adventures begin…
“ …. I run a knitting shop and I can’t knit. I’m a beginning witch who can’t always control her cat, never mind her magic….. Oh, and for some reason, I keep getting involved in murder investigations. Good thing I have my vampire knitters to help sniff out clues.
I really recommend this book/series – especially for those who love a great paranormal cozy mystery.
The series contains…
-Tangles and Treason (Prequel)
-The Vampire Knitting Club (Book #1)
-Stitches and Witches (Book #2)
-Crotchet and Cauldrons (Book #3)
-Stockings and Spells (Book #4)
-Purls and Potions (Book #5)
-Fair Isle and Fortunes (Book #6)
-Lace and Lies (Book #7)
-Bobbles and Broomsticks (Book #8)
-Cats Paws and Curses (Book #8.5)
-Popcorn and Poltergeists (Book #9)
-Garters and Gargoyles (Book #10)
-Diamonds and Daggers (Book #11)
-Herringbones and Hexes (Book #12)
-Ribbing and Runes (Book #13)
-Mosaics and Magic (Book #14)
Can’t wait to explore some of Ms. Warren’s other series now.
Happy Reading…
Thank you, Nancy Warren!
The Vampire Knitting Club series by Nancy Warren is another series that has been collecting dust on my TBR for a while now- but I have finally got my act together (well, somewhat lol) and gotten around to reading it. And I am soooo glad I did, as it turned out to be such an unexpectedly fun read.
One of the reasons I love being on Goodreads is seeing all the book reviews and recommendations that everyone does, and then hunting down the ones that catch my eye. This series would probably never have come to my attention if it hadn’t been for my Goodreads friend, Eliza- so thank you Eliza for your recommendation (in the form of your glowing reviews) which gave me the urge to dive in, even though I didn’t get to them right away- it was such a great series to binge. But one book has now turned into a bit of an addiction lol.
This is quite a long series, so I am going to save myself some time by doing one review for the entire series. So here we go…..
The Vampire Knitting Club is a wonderful paranormal cozy mystery series, with vampires, witches, adventure, action, crime & investigation, witty humour, family, friendship, a small-town setting, dramatic developments, magic, suspense, intrigue, fun, a dash of romance, knitting/knitting group, murder/murder mysteries, whodunnit vibes, danger, secrets, a cat familiar, tangled webs, the supernatural, and a slew of wonderfully quirky characters.
To condense things for the sake of this review, Lucy Swift ‘inherits’ her grandmother’s knitting shop when her grandmother dies…. only grandma is not dead, but is definitely undead. That’s not all she discovers…. so let the adventures begin…
“ …. I run a knitting shop and I can’t knit. I’m a beginning witch who can’t always control her cat, never mind her magic….. Oh, and for some reason, I keep getting involved in murder investigations. Good thing I have my vampire knitters to help sniff out clues.
I really recommend this book/series – especially for those who love a great paranormal cozy mystery.
The series contains…
-Tangles and Treason (Prequel)
-The Vampire Knitting Club (Book #1)
-Stitches and Witches (Book #2)
-Crotchet and Cauldrons (Book #3)
-Stockings and Spells (Book #4)
-Purls and Potions (Book #5)
-Fair Isle and Fortunes (Book #6)
-Lace and Lies (Book #7)
-Bobbles and Broomsticks (Book #8)
-Cats Paws and Curses (Book #8.5)
-Popcorn and Poltergeists (Book #9)
-Garters and Gargoyles (Book #10)
-Diamonds and Daggers (Book #11)
-Herringbones and Hexes (Book #12)
-Ribbing and Runes (Book #13)
-Mosaics and Magic (Book #14)
Can’t wait to explore some of Ms. Warren’s other series now.
Happy Reading…
Thank you, Nancy Warren!
January 12, 2025
Even tho I'm done with this series I can't not listen to this story b/c - Christmas!! Altho - something I've forgotten to mention in my notes on the other books, but my memory is jogged here. By the convo abt food and bodyweight and diet at the beginning (b/t 20-25ish mins, I think). There's been small comments abt gaining weight b/c of delicious food since book 1, but these remarks get more frequent thru the series, which, ew :( And escalate to comments abt "starting a workout program," "going to the gym to work off this meal," etc. (Of course, she NEVER *actually* goes to the gym - just thinks about it.) So not only is there this gross connection where enjoying food means gaining weight but there's ALSO a connection b/t exercise and food wherein the purpose of exercise is to - atone for? - make room for? - punish yourself for? - eating. Ugh. (BTW this story is only 2 hours - perfect listening!) (Also, I realize now I confused the order of books and thought the one abt Rafe's history - "Treason" something - was #8.5 whereas THAT one is #0.5 and THIS one is #8.5.) Anyway, at least in this one when they talk about food someone says (more or less), "Hey, that's bodyshaming; cut it out!" even tho in response the person replies with EVEN WORSE statements about diet, exercise, etc. :( :( :(
UPDATE - ooo I love it when it's the asshole who gets murdered!!
Interesting conceit, to interview all the suspects together as a group (so they can hear, and comment on, each other's re-telling of the events).
1h09-ish (ch8) - "In fact I appreciated a lot of things about about Ian Chisolm. In some ways he was the light to Rafe's darkness." Insightful description! Also - I'm still not sure why they couldn't patch things up after the love potion debacle. It *clearly* wasn't Ian's fault. If he'd apologized well I feel like they'd have still had a future? I still think Ian + Lucee is a better couple than Rafe + Lucee. Less dramatic tension for the story tho, I suppose.
~1h24:30 (ch10) - "I looked at Ian. We weren't doing good cop / bad cop so much as real cop / fake cop..." (LOL).
UPDATE - ooo I love it when it's the asshole who gets murdered!!
Interesting conceit, to interview all the suspects together as a group (so they can hear, and comment on, each other's re-telling of the events).
1h09-ish (ch8) - "In fact I appreciated a lot of things about about Ian Chisolm. In some ways he was the light to Rafe's darkness." Insightful description! Also - I'm still not sure why they couldn't patch things up after the love potion debacle. It *clearly* wasn't Ian's fault. If he'd apologized well I feel like they'd have still had a future? I still think Ian + Lucee is a better couple than Rafe + Lucee. Less dramatic tension for the story tho, I suppose.
~1h24:30 (ch10) - "I looked at Ian. We weren't doing good cop / bad cop so much as real cop / fake cop..." (LOL).
December 18, 2024
Lucy, a y oung woman in town has a knitting shop on the street level of the building where she loves. She came into this property from her grandmother and besides being a witch decided that this would be a great business. The town has a fairly large demographic of Vampires, which now includes her grandmother.
The vampires are really supposed to attend a different knitting circle than the humans but on this particular evening, she has decided to open it up to everybody.. She has been very direct with her vampire friends, some of who actually live under the building, that i they attend, they must stay away from any discussion that reveals their way. The human's just don't need to know that there are folks in their midst who remember that far back in town.
However, tonight, there is tension in the room, and some of the knitters are especially blunt about things like weight. Then the electricity goes out, on attendee screams about being burned by the hot tea that Lucy was setting up to give them for a breat, and when the lights come back on, they realize that one in their midsts is now dead.
The rest of the story is solving the murder and what the motive was. Afterward, Lucy reconsiders having knitting parties in her shop. I recommend it for those that like cosy mysteries, and personally would have liked to have had more time spent with the vampires. This was actually pretty "by the way" although there is a hint that one of Lucy's boyfriends might have been one of the vampires.
The vampires are really supposed to attend a different knitting circle than the humans but on this particular evening, she has decided to open it up to everybody.. She has been very direct with her vampire friends, some of who actually live under the building, that i they attend, they must stay away from any discussion that reveals their way. The human's just don't need to know that there are folks in their midst who remember that far back in town.
However, tonight, there is tension in the room, and some of the knitters are especially blunt about things like weight. Then the electricity goes out, on attendee screams about being burned by the hot tea that Lucy was setting up to give them for a breat, and when the lights come back on, they realize that one in their midsts is now dead.
The rest of the story is solving the murder and what the motive was. Afterward, Lucy reconsiders having knitting parties in her shop. I recommend it for those that like cosy mysteries, and personally would have liked to have had more time spent with the vampires. This was actually pretty "by the way" although there is a hint that one of Lucy's boyfriends might have been one of the vampires.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 162 reviews