Chasing Your Tail

September 26, 2022
Two chefs get a second chance at love in McMurray’s sweet but slight third Whitman Street Cat Café romance (after What the Cat Dragged In). Pastry chef Brad Marks wants the opportunity to create his own menu and run his own kitchen. A job at the Brooklyn café that gives the series its name will allow him just that—but the café’s manager is best friends with Lindsay Somers, the ex-girlfriend he can’t get out of his mind. Lindsay caught Brad cheating five years before the start of the book—though Brad swears it was a misunderstanding—and the pair haven’t spoken since. In the interim, Lindsay’s lost her passion for cooking and has refocused on food writing. She’s far from thrilled when her boss asks her to profile the “hunky new baker” at the Cat Café, but the assignment provides an opportunity for the pair to process their shared past—and maybe even plan for a future. McMurray has a talent for conveying the closeness between friends and lovers, but the plot itself is flimsy: the only conflict keeping the couple apart is Lindsay’s dithering over whether she can trust Brad again, which drags on for far too long. Still, this uncomplicated romance has plenty of charm. Agent: Moe Ferrara, Bookends

October 1, 2022

Freelance food writer Lindsay Somers is blindsided when her ex, pastry chef Brad Marks, is hired at the Whitman Street Cat Caf�. The coffee shop used to be her second home, but now she's afraid of running into the man who broke her heart five years ago. She thought he cheated on her and walked out, never letting him explain. Brad is sure they'd be great together again if she will just listen. When Lindsay is assigned a feature article on the caf�'s hot baker, who makes treats for both humans and cats, he finally gets his chance. The protagonists are well-developed, and readers will easily understand Lindsay's reluctance and Brad's confusion, even as they realize the two are meant to be together. Though part of a series, this novel can be read as a stand-alone. VERDICT This delightful, romantic comedy is a quick, fun read. Give to fans of the "Bromance Book Club" series, and be prepared to fill requests for the rest of McMurray's "Whitman Street Cat Caf�" books (including What the Cat Dragged In).--Heather Miller Cover

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2022
Paige Danvers may have a good reason for hiring Brad Marks as the pastry chef at the Whitman Street Cat Caf�, but now Lindsay Somers risks running into her ex-boyfriend every time she craves a cup of coffee. Even worse is that as part of her new job as a food writer, Lindsay has to write an article about the "hot, new baker" whose yummy human and feline treats have everyone in Brooklyn buzzing (or purring, as the case may be). Once Lindsay actually sits down to interview Brad, will it provide the opportunity to put him into her past once and for all? Or can he convince her they still have a future together? McMurray's (What the Cat Dragged In, 2021) latest smartly conceived entry in her Whitman Street Cat Caf� series delivers plenty of heartwarming feline moments, mouthwatering culinary musings, and love scenes hot enough to bake more than one batch of cupcakes.

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