Review by a_vpluym -- Cat Boss by Tayma Tameem

[a_vpluym]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Cat Boss" by Tayma Tameem.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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Cat Boss: Paws for Action by Tayma Tameem.

I rate this story as a 2 out of 4.

Cat Boss is a story that begins with a simple premise, can the grouchy, unlovable, "loner" police detective change? Detective Devon Bates is portrayed as such. He is a tough, no nonsense cop with a sensible head on his shoulders. At a family celebration he meets a woman who is, essentially, his complete opposite. Elaine Moore is introduced to the reader as Devon's brother's wife's mother's sister, and she is earthly, eclectic, and a self proclaimed cat lover. She has a problem, or a gift, depending on who you ask, and Detective Bates is the best person to help her solve it.

Adventures, and misadventures, between the two ensue. Are they friends? Enemies? Will they ever be able to put aside their differences and solve Elaine's dilemma? Here's where the most interesting characters enter. Elaine's cats. They are true secondary characters in this story, with personalities, and secrets, of their own. The character development in Elaine's cats throughout the story was the most interesting dynamic, in my opinion.

Here's where things got a little dicey. While the premise of Cat Boss is very sweet, and I believe to be creative and original, I had a few issues with its execution. While I believe Cat Boss to have been proofread, it has not been professionally edited, and therefore there are many typos, including a few that alter story facts and confuse the reader. For example, Elaine is refered too as Devon'sbrother' s wife's mother's sister early on, and then about halfway through the story she is refered too as Devon's Sister in Law. There are a few mistakes like this that alter the timeline of events as well, and while interesting on their own, I felt the lack of professional editing confused the reader experience.

The character of Devon Bates could be a very interesting one if his personality and personal quirks were flushed out a bit. We meet, a man who I feel is a bit of a sterotypical police character. He is a tough, loner cop with the inability to love, and I feel he is unlikeable thoughout the story. If he were given a bit of a background, and showed more vulnurability, I feel he would be a much stronger protagonist.

Overall, I was very intrigued by the sweet, quirky, feline and unique premise of Cat Boss. With a little bit more tweaky and editing, I feel it could be a wonderfully warm story.

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Cat Boss
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