Agnes Aubert's mystical cat shelter / Heather Fawcett.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

A woman who runs a cat rescue in 1920s Montréal turns to a grouchy but charming magician to help save her shelter in this heartwarming cozy fantasy from the New York Times bestselling author of the Emily Wilde series.

"Absolutely magnificent! Full of cats and magic, this is the kind of book you want to instantly reread. I loved every character, every cat, and every moment with all my heart!"--Sarah Beth Durst, New York Times bestselling author of The Spellshop

Agnes Aubert leads a meticulously organized life, and she likes it that way. As the proudly type-A manager of a cat rescue charity, she has devoted her life to finding forever homes for stray cats.

Now it's the shelter that needs a new home. And the only landlord who will rent a space to a cat rescue is a mysterious man called Havelock--who also happens to be the world's most infamous magician, running an illegal magic shop out of his basement. Havelock is cantankerous and eccentric, but not not handsome, and no, Agnes absolutely does not feel anything but disdain for him. After all, rumors swirl about his shadowy past--including whispers that his dark magic once almost brought about the apocalypse.

Then one day a glamorous magician comes looking for Havelock, putting the magic shop--and the cat shelter--in jeopardy. To save the shelter, Agnes will have to team up with the magician who nearly ended the world . . . and may now be trying to steal her heart.

Havelock is everything Agnes thinks she doesn't need in her life: chaos, mischief, and a little too much adventure. But as she gets to know him, she discovers that he's more than the dark magician of legend, and that she may be ready for a little intrigue--and romance--in her life. After all, second chances aren't just for rescue cats. . . .

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Agnes Aubert operates her charity cat shelter in the only place she can afford in Montreal--above a hidden magical shop owned by evil wizard Havelock Renard, who believes she's an overbearing nuisance and that her cats are demons. His sister is obsessed with ransacking his collection of magical artifacts and doesn't care who she has to destroy in order to get it. Havelock and Agnes need each other to get to the bottom of everything that's gone wrong in their city, even if they have to venture back into the past and dive into the depths of each other's hearts to find the truth. Agnes and Lock's delicious slow-burn romance is delightful in the way that they bring out the worst and best in each other, even as they discover that neither is quite what they initially thought. The cats are charmingly underfoot every step of the way, and the magic is destructive and seductive. VERDICT In Fawcett's ("Emily Wilde" series) latest, readers will enjoy the 1920s Montreal setting, while those who love cozy fantasy romances such as The Crescent Moon Tearoom by Stacy Sivinski and Freya Marske's "Last Binding" series will be delighted by Havelock, Agnes, and her cats.--Marlene Harris

Publishers Weekly Review

The mundane challenges and rewards of running a cat shelter intersect with illicit magic in this charming 1920s-set cozy fantasy from bestseller Fawcett (Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries). When Agnes Aubert's Montreal cat shelter is forced to move to a new location, the space she finds seems too good to be true. The reason for the building's affordability soon becomes clear: there is a covert magic shop in the basement, run by none other than Havelock Renard, the notorious dark magician who nearly ended the world three years ago. Sensible Agnes wants nothing to do with magic, but when an old enemy of Havelock's shows up and threatens the cat shelter, she can't help but be drawn into Havelock's chaotic world. Agnes is serious and steady, focused entirely on her cats, so her attraction to Havelock catches her completely off guard. Fawcett has a talent for infusing ordinary tasks, including the operation of both the shelter and the magic shop, with wonder and amusement via supernatural flourishes that keep things lively between visits from Havelock's nemesis and the suspicious local police detective. A handful of unanswered questions may frustrate readers, but the enchanting atmosphere, cute romance, and frisky feline supporting cast delight. Cat lovers will be especially pleased. Agent: Brianne Johnson, HG Literary. (Feb.)

Kirkus Book Review

In an alternate early-20th-century Montreal, sparks fly between the operator of a cat shelter and a reclusive magician. Agnes Aubert is not kindly disposed toward magicians, especially not after a magical duel blows a hole in the building that housed her and her cat shelter. Unfortunately, finding another spot isn't easy, so she's happy to take the reasonably priced location on the Rue des Hirondelles. But that's before she discovers the building's owner secretly living in the basement: Havelock Renard, the world's most powerful magician, who also happens to be allergic to cats. As this decidedly odd couple work out a system for cohabitation, Agnes develops some uncomfortable feelings for Havelock; she also can't deny her attraction to the police detective who thinks (not entirely incorrectly) that the shelter is a front for the illegal sale of magical Artefacts. In comparison to the carefully constructed universe of her Emily Wildeseries, Fawcett's worldbuilding and plotting are a bit sloppy; the magical system is not laid out as clearly as more pedantic readers might wish, and there's one part of Agnes' quandary that gets resolved in a rushed, not truly believable, way. The book also implausibly suggests that an allergy to cats is curable by exposure (rather than managed by a magical antihistamine, perhaps?). But one has to admire the author's acumen in finding the absolute sweet spot for a cozy fantasy, after all the other ones set in cafes and adorable little shops. It could seem either twee or a cynical grab at the market, but it's neither; Fawcett clearly understands the complicated but rewarding relationship between humans and cats. It is also charming to set a story in Montreal, where both brioches and bagels are on offer. Doesn't entirely hang together but still manages to hit the spot. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.