Reserved for the Cat by Mercedes Lackey An Elemental Masters Novel

For years I've seen Mercedes Lackey on the shelf at the bookstore in my favorite section - science fiction and fantasy. And for years, I've just kept going on to the next author. I finally cracked and bought one in the airport on the way home from Vienna. I am happy I finally gave in.

I've never been much of a dog person. They seem too friendly and requiring constant attention. The allure of the cat has always been my weakness. They are so calm and dignified. Well, most of them at least, visions of streaking white balls of fluffy from my youth... but that's another story. So I guess the cat is what finally lured me into the world of Mercedes Lackey.

Whisked into a world full of the harsh realities of life in turn of the century Paris, we meet and soon fall in love with Ninette, the heroine. A dedicated hardworking ballerina who has bled enough in her delicate pointed shoes to finally earn her big break, Ninette puts on the performance of her life only to have it bring disaster crushing down about her. She is rescued from destitution by... yes, the cat.

In a tale full of lovable characters, magic, talking cats, show business and destruction, Mercedes Lackey caught my heart. Now I am looking forward to catching up on the rest of the Elemental Masters Novels. Sigh, ah, happiness, new author to run through... this should keep me in books for months.

Here's the back cover text:
"NOT JUST YOUR AVERAGE CAT....
Ninette Dupond was a dancer with the Paris Opera Ballet. She had been very lucky - if she had not been pretty, and a natural dancer, she could only have become what her mother had been: a washerwoman, or perhaps if she was desperate and hungry enough, a prostitute.
But Ninette's good luck ended the day that the lead dancer sprained her ankle and Ninette was chose to dance her part at a matinee. Her reviews had been very good - too good. Shortly thereafter Ninette had been fired in an attempt to soothe the wounded ego of the ballet's primary soloist.
Alone, unemployed, and filled with despair, Ninette had returned to her apartment to find a thin, rangy, tabby-striped tomcat sitting on her windowsill. He seemed like just another stray, until abruptly he spoke to her, mind-to-mind.
Ninette thought she was going mad, but the cat offered her an alternative to prostitution, albeit a very odd one. He proposed she impersonate a renowned Russian ballerina, Nina Tcherslavsky, and go to work in a specific music hall in Blackpool, England. The cat also told her that he would take care of her in every way - he would somehow convey the English and Russian languages to her, supply her with money and guide her every move. With no other option open to her, she placed her life in his paws.
What Ninette didn't know was that the cat was an Elemental Spirit send to protect her, and that the music hall in Blackpool was owned by an Elemental Master. But she also didn't know that the real Nina Tcherslavsky no longer existed. For the real Nine had been "absorbed" by an Elemental Spirit of the darkest kind that was now bent on Ninette's destruction...."

The book is dedicated to:
"The volunteers of the Emergency Animal Rescue Service (EARS) who are selflessly going into disaster areas to save our best friends. www.uan.org"

Raves for Reserved for the Cat:
"The fifth in the series involving the mysterious Elemental Masters, this story of a resourceful young dancer also delivers a new version of a classic fairy tale. Richly detailed historic backgrounds add flavor and richness to an already strong series that belongs in most fantasy collections. Highly Recommended." -Library Journal

"The Paris of Degas, turn-of-the-century Blackpool, and the desperation of young girls without family or other protection come to life in a story that should interest a broad readership. - Booklist

"This most recent entry in Lackey's series is a nicely paced, pleasant read. Nina is a sympathetic protagonist readers will root for, and the story holds together well." - Romantic Times

"A fantastic cat-and-mouse game among a shape-changing troll, Elemental Masters and a gifted dancer in Victorian England makes Lackey's latest Elemental Masters installment a charmer. This is Lackey at her best, mixing whimsy and magic with a fast-paced plot." - Publishers Weekly