A Love Catastrophe

A LOVE CATASTROPHE by Helena Hunting is a contemporary, adult, stand alone, romance story line focusing on ‘Kitty Whisperer’ Kitty Hart, and thirty year old NHL team analyst Miles Thorn.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Kitty and Miles) A LOVE CATASTROPHE follows the building relationship between ‘Kitty Whisperer’ Kitty Hart, and thirty year old NHL team analyst Miles Thorn. Miles Thorn’s mother is struggling with dementia, and Miles suspects she will soon be going into a home but his mother’s cat Prince Francis needs looking after, and Miles hires social media phenom ‘Kitty Whisperer’ to cat-sit PF while his mother is away. Miles doesn’t do cats, is always on the road with the team, but something about Kitty pulls at our hero’s heart. Kitty Hart’s business of cat-sitting is a booming success but she never anticipated to fall for one of the clients. With both Miles and Kitty struggling with demons from the past, our couple find empathy and love together as them embark on a relationship brought together by a naked cat. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Miles and Kitty, and the potential fall-out as Kitty’s business takes a hit when a viral video doesn’t show our heroine in a very good light.

The relationship between Kitty and Miles begins as a business arrangement. Miles struggles with the direction of his mother’s life, living with the guilt of a loss, years before. His mother and father are no longer together, leaving Miles to battle between head and heart with his mother’s mental downward spiral. Kitty Hart knows the pain of loss, and finds herself wondering why her mother has yet to move on but as Kitty’s business continues to explode, an aha moment finds Kitty wondering where everything went wrong. Meeting Mr. Grumpypants Miles Thorn gives Kitty a hope for the future, a future that may be compromised when Miles life is on the line. The $ex scenes are passionate and intense without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

The secondary and supporting characters are colorful and energetic. We are introduced to Kitty’s sister Hattie, and their mother Lucile Hart, as well as Kitty’s best friend Kat; Mile’s mother; and his friends/ members of the team Josh, Austin, and Parker O’Toole.

A LOVE CATASTROPHE is a meet-cute story, a romantic comedy with some series undertones including dementia and death, guilt and regret. The premise is heart warming and captivating; the romance is seductive; the characters are dynamic and determined.

Helena Hunting writes such charming romantic comedies. This book is perfect for animal lovers and haters alike, being very much a story of two people who have faced their own separate hardships finding someone to share that burden. Plus there are tons of cute animals, both cats and dogs.

Check out my more detailed thoughts below…
Characters: The first character we meet is the hockey nerd Miles. He is a data guy for the local hockey team, spending his time at work analyzing player data to maximize performance. Mr. Suit and Tie is actually trying to keep his life together as he starts off on this new job. Miles ends up needing the services of a cat sitter, enter Kitty. From the moment she stepped foot on the page I fell in love with her personality. She was quirky in a way that was so endearing and relatable. I loved how loyal she was to friends and family. She is dedicated to her job, maybe a bit too much and is reluctant to introduce much change in her life. They have both had to face incredible hardships, as you read it will all be brought to light and you will keep asking yourself how this cute romantic comedy is bringing you to tears.
Setting: The story is set in Toronto and the surrounding area. As a Canadian who has never been there, I cannot speak to the references, but as a GTA native, I trust that Helena has thrown in some easter eggs for those who will understand. The city did not take up a special place in the story outside of it was nice to see this story set in Canada, by a Canadian author.
Pacing: From the first few pages this book brought a smile to my face and it made me chuckle countless times. This book started off with lots of comedy, then Helena hit us with some damn hard emotional punches.
Romance: When Kitty and Miles meet she never thinks it will work out, instead of an adorable meet cute they have an awkward first meeting with Kitty falling flat on her face. How could a romance be possible between a dog person and a cat person, well Kitty and Miles defeat the odds. I loved watching these two have their feelings gradually grow as their physical and emotional attraction only grew with the depth of their feelings. The sex scenes were refreshingly different, they felt relatable with the missteps in choreography, the giggling, and the charming words. This is a couple readers will adore rooting for!

Adorable stand alone full of the signature humor you expect from Helena Hunting.

We get grumpy allergic to cats Miles who needs to take care of his mother's house and cat while travelling for work. Solution? Hire a professional cat sitter.

Kitty the Kitty Whisperer is perfect for the job. She has an affinity for felines, can train them out of problem behaviors (like knocking over all the smashables in Mile's mom's house) and is willing to help even when Miles insults the cat missing his human (though in my opinion, a sphynx cat that lurks between the china figures and purposefully knocks them over is totally deserving of a lovable nickname "Gremlin").

Both of these characters learn to look deeper at each other and bond over unfortunate (yet sometime funny) events, past trauma/grief and learn to move forward with their life forgiving themselves and others.

I really enjoyed this one. It built slowly but then it hit a pivot point and I didn't want to stop reading.

I requested and received an advance copy of the ebook. These are my honest opinions.