After graduating from college, Sable accepts a new job at a coffee shop with a live in Cat instead of returning to her family home. Sable's new role is Shopkeeper and intermediary for those who cannot hear The Cat's voice. This novel documents the shop's travel through worlds while The Cat and Sable intervene at pivotal moments in time, and heal relationships along the way.

Absolutely beautiful slice of life with enough adventure to continue to pique your interest, but calm enough to sink into after a stressful day.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the great Toni Binns for the privilege to read this ARC! As always, all opinions in this review are my own.

This was such a cute and cozy fall book I love Sable‘s character and I loved the cat. The personalities and the everyday slice of life portions of this book were so sweet! I’m excited to read the next in the series.

OMG this book was like a warm hug and I need the 2nd book ASAP!!!

"Contracts & Cats" follow a young woman named Sable who signs on for a year as a bookshop keeper in exchange for having her college debt repaid. Little does she know that for the next year, she will not be able to so much as leave the shop...as it turns out to be magical and comes complete with a talking cat! Each day the magical shop pops up in a new realm, and Sable and the Cat are given tasks that help many sorts of magical beings - from elves, to ogres to dragons!

This was such a cozy, magical read. I loved reading through this slowly so I could be charmed a bit more each day! Contracts & Cats is a slice of life story complete with found family, books, bakes, and a touch of magic. There's no romance at all(so far) and I just loved every second of this! This is perfect for the reader who just needs something sweet and low stakes. HIGHLY recommend!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Victory Editing for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For fans of: The House Witch, Dimension 20’s Unsleeping City

A fresh graduate looking for a job, Sable finds herself the Shopkeeper of a magic bookstore, charged with running the shop along with the mysterious and enigmatic Cat. Their lives weave together along with the many fascinating visitors to the shop -- dragons, trolls, angels, and regular human children excited to read about dinosaurs -- as the magic of the bookshop pulls Sable into an adventure she could have never imagined.

I love The Cat! From the first moment we are treated to his PoV his personality and personal story within Sable’s adventure takes what would otherwise be just another cozy slice-of-life fantasy into an endearing and at times heart-wrenching read. Sable’s story would be fundamentally incomplete without him and without his internal dialogue.

While I loved every minute of the Cat, for me Sable’s internal dialogue is at times a little annoying, but that is likely down to reading preferences. There is a lot of repetition throughout and some places seem like they are formulaic in terms of the writing, but that didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the book itself.

Overall, this was an engaging, cozy read and I cannot wait to read the next book in the series; seriously this had one of the most masterfully frustrating (in a good way) cliffhangers I have ever seen.

I came across “Contracts and Cats” by Toni Binns completely by accident, almost like it was meant to be, like Sable, one of the main characters, stumbling upon the hidden bookstore at the heart of this story. I stumbled into a world that felt made for me.

I adore cozy fantasy, and while The House Witch series has long been my favorite, that title has officially been passed to “Contracts and Cats.”

At 383 pages, some may consider this long for a cozy fantasy, but for me, it wasn’t long enough. Sable signs a magical contract to become a Shopkeeper, befriends the Cat, converses with the shop itself, and finds family among magical beings all while doing her best to help others through what the shop can provide. It’s enchanting, heartwarming, and vividly told. I could see every scene clearly in my mind’s eye, and I cannot wait for the next book in the series.

The cozy details truly shine from the shared cups of coffee to the lovingly described meals that make each scene feel welcoming and alive. While there were a few small moments where certain details were repeated or described a bit too much, they were mere drops in the bucket compared to how much I adored this book.

I would recommend this book primarily to people who love cozy fantasy, or who are looking for a lighthearted, low stakes escape from day to day life, but if I’m being honest I’ll be recommending this book to anyone and everyone who will listen.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (and if I could give more, I would!)

A delightful blend of magic and found family. Every page feels like sitting by a fireplace with a cup of tea and people who truly see you.