4 flames for Geek with the Cat Tattoo by Theresa Weir

Shy music geek Emerson Foshay breaks into a cold sweat and is rendered speechless whenever Lola Brown, the girl of his dreams, steps into his guitar shop. But once a stray cat named Sam follows him home, everything changes and Emerson becomes the coolest guy in town.

Setting: Minneapolis, Minnesota 

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I'm going to be honest -- at first I didn’t know if I was going to be able to finish this book. I didn’t read the first one in the series, Girl with the Cat Tattoo, and had no idea I’d be reading the cat’s point of view. That’s right, the first voice you read in this book is the cat. I was glad I kept reading though, because Geek with the Cat Tattoo is a sweet, well-crafted novella that I enjoyed very much. 

Emerson Foshay (what a great name!) is a painfully shy, soulful twenty-six year old with some real talent when it comes to his craft of making musical instruments and restoring old amplifiers. He’s the only one Lola’s father will hire to fix his guitar, and when Lola comes to pick the instrument, it becomes clear that Emerson struggles with his interactions with Lola, even though he really likes her.

Enter the cat. Sam’s a meddler, and his furry point of view is often entertaining. He’s drawn to Emerson and decides to help him with Lola. With Sam’s calming influence, Lola and Emerson hook up and it is one of the most sweet romantic pairings. I thought the cat’s part was accomplished with enough subtlety that his POV enhanced rather than detracted from the story. Animal lovers will get this.

All three are just perfect together, until Sam’s former owner takes him back and things go downhill very quickly for Emerson and Lola. My heart broke for them at this point in the story.

It’s a good thing that cats have nine lives.

Geek with a Cat Tattoo is an incredibly sweet read. I really enjoyed this. There are some wonderful moments and almost lyrical writing, and at times I felt that this book was almost singing the story to me, it was that poetic.

Recommended for when you want a quick, sweet, shy-boy romance.  This was a solid 4-star offering that made me want to look at other titles from this author, and Girl with the Cat Tattoo, the first book in this series is waiting for me on my e-reader. 

Thanks to Patchwork Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.