Review: Stray by Rachel Vincent

There are only eight breeding female werecats left . . . And I'm one of them.

I look like an all-American grad student. But I am a werecat, a shape-shifter, and I live in two worlds. 

Despite reservations from my family and my Pride, I escaped the pressure to continue my species and carved out a normal life for myself. Until the night a Stray attacked.

I'd been warned about Strays -- werecats without a Pride, constantly on the lookout for someone like me: attractive, female, and fertile. I fought him off, but then learned two of my fellow tabbies had disappeared.


This brush with danger was all my Pride needed to summon me back . . . for my own protection. Yeah, right. But I'm no meek kitty. I'll take on whatever -- and whoever -- I have to in order to find my friends. Watch out, Strays -- 'cause I got claws, and I'm not afraid to use them . . .

TITLE: Stray (Shifters, #1)
AUTHOR: Rachel Vincent
FORMAT: Paperback, 618 pages
GENRE: Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
SOURCE: Paperback Swap
AVAILABLE: Now 

My Thoughts
Faythe is a shifter, a werecat, a Panther. More importantly, she’s one of only eight tabbies left and this makes her very special and quite valuable.

Faythe is very much like one of the guys. She’s no meek kitty; she can definitely hold her own and do a little ass-kicking. She is stubborn, difficult and whiny at times. There were times I wanted to reach through the pages and slap the woman! She desperately wants her independence and will stop at nothing to get it. She doesn’t take shit from anybody.

Faythe wants to live a normal life without the pressures of settling down and having her own litter of tabbies. She’s been away at college for the past five years. Away from the Pride and from Marc, her father’s second in command. She’s been avoiding the pressure from her family, especially her father, for as long as she can. Unfortunately for Faythe, that time is up and her freedom didn’t last long enough. When tabbies start getting snatched, Marc is sent to bring Faythe home. The focal point of the plot is the disappearance of the tabbies. First, Sara is kidnapped. Then Abby. And eventually Faythe.

Marc is also Faythe’s ex-boyfriend, the one she was suppose to marry. He remains extremely protective of her. Then there’s Jace, a member of the Pride who has an infatuation with Faythe. Things get a little heated between Jace and Faythe. There’s one part where Jace and Faythe make an interesting wager on a race; if she wins, she gets the keys to his car (an escape and freedom) and if he wins, then he gets to show her that he’s more than just talk. You can read between the lines there and make up your mind on what that entails. Marc overhears this conversation and certainly isn’t having any of that nonsense going on. Marc is determined to get Faythe back and marry her. There is a bit of self-discovery going on for Faythe, especially in the love department. I can’t wait to see where things go from here.

I hadn’t heard of this series, or the author, until I starting reading blog posts about Vincent’s most recent release: Shift. The series seemed interesting enough and I really like the covers. I also like a strong, female heroine (don’t we all?). I was lucky enough to get a copy of Stray through Paperback Swap and thus began reading the Shifters series. I love that Stray just takes off right from the beginning; Vincent just dives right into the action. I wasn’t waiting for something to happen, it was happening! Here's how it starts off:

The moment the door opened I knew an ass-kicking was inevitable. Whether I’d be giving it or receiving it was still a bit of a mystery.

Stray is just a little over 600 pages. I didn’t feel it to be overwhelming at all. I wish the story (especially the love triangle) would keep going, which I presume it does in the next book Rogue. My only wish is that there was some more action….between the sheets.

Stray was fun to read and I was instantly drawn into the story. Vincent does one heck of job with the world building in Stray. I am definitely reading the rest of this series!

The Book Vixen's Rating

Where to find Rachel Vincent
Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | MySpace 


Buy the Book
Book Depo