Lions, tigers and jaguars are just the beginning of Ella’s problems… personal delight in reminding Ella that she’ll never belong. Too bad her heart never got the memo.
Axel and his perfect girlfriend are all but destined to rule the colony, but when the Unveiling comes around, it’s Ella who’s chosen as the next Empress by the moon itself.
And the claws are out.
Now every tom in the colony is vying for Ella’s attention, including bad boy Axel, the current Empress’ gorgeous son Bishop, and a mysterious Academy professor named Sterling whose ice blue eyes are every bit as dangerous as his caustic wit.
Choosing between the three of them is hard enough, but an inconvenient heat has other ideas. Ella’s sure she’s living her own Cinderella story. She’s just not sure if she’s the princess or the mouse.
Stray is a ~40,000 word Cinderella retelling with a smart and snarky shifter twist. It includes an enemies-to-lovers pairing, a university-age student having a relationship with her professor, and in true RH fashion, she’ll have all her guys by the end of the series.
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I didn’t know what to think. Ella is obviously a refreshed Cinderella: a stray housecat-shifter adopted by a rich lady (excuse me: “Queen”) called Emily. We never get a reason for the adoption, but Emily treats her as one of the help. [Emily; Ella…sometimes I read to fast and confused the two….]
Enter the cool cat shifter version of the ball: a ceremony to determine the next Empress, who I figured out is the next “Queen Elisabeth.” When Ella is picked, she is the most unlikely Empress in the history of leadership. No one respects her. She meekly watches as everyone picks on or fights around her. She cannot even defend herself. It is sad.
Three guys start to revolve around her: both golden boys, the privileged elite, and a teacher. To be honest, I was disappointed because aside from the teacher, the other boys are expected to be crowned. Their redeaming qualities are their personalities. Each guy appeals to me. They are not all friends, brothers, or clones. Wahoo!
Axel, her arrogant step-brother, seems just like his mother, who is a social climber. He is determined to be king, no matter who is picked by the moon goddess. I have no sympathy for him, even if I like how aggressive he is. Even though we see he is conflicted, I still feel that Ella will never know if he is just a status-seeker.
For a Reverse Harem/Why Choose, I am glad I read it. It’s emotionally powerful. I can imagine Ella and Axel growing in the second novel. The plot is not too complex, and the characters are engaging.
Omg things are just not going to plan for Ella,. The unexpected happened and now she has to deal with the outcome. Loved this book. Totally reading the next one… Highly recommend this book.
I already read the 4 books and if I was revewing just the first I would only give it 2-3 stars but the next books are much better and worth the time! The main character is completly spineless in book 1 but if you stick with her, she will surprise everyone… and if reverse harem is your thing, this book won’t let you down at all! 😉
Phenomenal I couldn’t tour this down!! I love love love Ella! And she developed into this amazing character! I’m off to binge book 2 as this is a must read!! I’m addicted I needed the rest of the series NOW@#$%!
I am having a hard time rating this book. I want to give it 5 stars because I really could not put it down. The story sucked me in, but I also want to give it 4 stars because of a few issues I have with it.
The characters are interesting, but I am not liking that the worst of them is the one it seems Ella has no problem turning to.
Axel is the worst one she could possible pick. I don’t care how he says there was always something about her. The guy has confessed to always hating her and wanting to use her for personal gain. I really don’t want this story to twist him into changing for the better so that she can pick him. I want to finally see a character that gets left in the dust because he couldn’t appreciate what he had to begin with. He does not deserve a second chance. He needs to be left alone to bask in his selfishness and loneliness. I honestly think that the best course of action would be for Ella to choose Axel’s brother instead!
Bishop is in my top two favorite. He did not shun her like the rest did before she became the chosen, but I am still finding him to be a bit lacking. Apart from the short encounter Ella and Bishop had in the woods, they have not interacted all that much. It does not seem like he is all in. Hopefully he grows more and becomes closer to Ella in the next book.
Sterling, now he is my favorite of them all. His actions show he cares and is all in–even if he has to hold himself back. He has been the one to protect and shield Ella the most. He deserves to be the one to be picked first. You can genuinely feel his interest in Ella, across the pages of the book.
The story is good. Like I mentioned before, I could not put it down. I did not even realize I finished the book until I read ‘The End’. It sort of felt like it came out of nowhere. The end of this first book did not feel finished. But regardless, I am invested in this story now. I just hope that the next book starts to shift things to a better place. I felt that, although there was progress in this book, it seemed sort of stuck. There was progress but no progress at the same time. Maybe the second book offers what the first one didn’t. I am not sure what was missing, but I want to find out.
Ella is a cat shifter. No not a big cat, but a regular house cat. She was taken out of the city pound by the matriarch of the Hill Pride and raised like Cinderella. She had food and shelter, but no love or companionship and she was little more than a slave. This book is so full of twists and surprises that I couldn’t put it down. She is chosen by the Moon Goddess as the next Empress and that doesn’t sit well with most everyone in the colony. She begins her new life at the Academy she dreamed about going to and it’s not going to be easy. She is now the center of attention for Axel (her crush whose family took her in), Bishop (the current empress’ son) and Sterling (an academy professor that is helping her). She has been given the go ahead to secure consorts to help her adapt. I’m rooting for Bishop and Sterling. Axel has been a real jerk to her mostly. I am so excited for when the next book comes out. I requested an advanced reader copy and am under no obligation to leave this review.
Not your typical cat shifter book. There is so much drama you’ll need book two immediately afterward. The underdog comes out or in this case undercat the question is will she lose a life or will the claws come out?
A nicely written version of the story Cinderella with shifters. The storyline and characters are great. Ella is an orphan cat shifter found by Emily and treated as a servant. She was chosen from the moon as the new Empress of the prides. Now every guy wants her attention. Who will she choose? You got to read to find out!
I am voluntarily posting an honest review after reading an Advance Reader Copy of this story.
Wow every book I’ve read from this author has not disappointed and have loved every book ! And this book certainly didn’t disappoint! Ha done hooked form the beginning this retelling of a Cinderella story, I can not wait to read more but I have to wait till May ! I don’t know how I will. Loved the characters Ella, all I will say is maybe she does have claws ?? Gotta love and hate axel , love bishop of course and the sexy teacher ! Emily obviously gotta not love o could go on and on ! Love the beginning of this series !!!! 5 big stars
Ella was found in the human world originally as a stray cat. The human who found her called Emily, the matriarch of one of the pride families. She took her in, but treated her as a servant. Time for the Moon to chose the new Empress came upon the prides. Everyone thought it would be Marissa, but it turns out to be Ella~ Now, she is considered more of an outcast than before. Her black locks turned white, as is the custom. She has to choose a King and three will make their presence known, Axel, Bishop and a teacher! She experiences her first heat while attending her first few days at the Academy. Emily did not take care of the issue as she should have while in the household. She can now choose three consorts to help her until it is done. It does not mean any of them will be the King or her mate, unless she chooses otherwise. Marissa and her gang of girls have taunted her once too often~ Even Axel, she has had enough~ For these answers and more we will have to wait for the next book~ I received this as an ARC and am leaving a voluntary review.
Wow this is a fantastic read that kept me intrigued throughout the whole read. The Author has done a fantastic job at bringing the story to fruition as well as bringing out the characters. Theres twists and turns that keeps the read intriguing. I definitely recommend.
Shauna Joesten