Stray By Rachel Vincent

Series: Shifters #1
Genre: Adult, Urban Fantasy
Release Date: May 26th 2007
Source: Bought
Overall Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Cover Rating: 2/5 Stars
Synopsis: 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 . . .

I didn't expect to like this book all that much but I wanted a change from YA so I picked this one off my shelf where it had been sitting for quite a while. Am I glad I did? Yes! I really loved it. I have my ups and downs with Adult books for example I love the Night Huntress series but I'm not all that keen on the Fever series. I'm happy to say this ranks right up there with Night Huntress. It is a mixture of witty remarks, hilarious moments but also a serious side. The book follows Faythe Sanders after she is called back from College where she had finally got the independence that she had craved her entire life. After some of her Pride go missing it is unsafe for her to stay especially since a Stray came after her - she fought him off and won but apparently the fact she can look after herself doesn't matter all that much. After much argument Faythe agree's to go home until it's safe. But Faythe isn't the type to sit back and do nothing.

Faythe was awesome! I just had to get that out because seriously any girl who can fight off a guy and break his nose has my automatic approval. She annoyed me a couple of times but by the end I loved her. She has officially made my top ten heroine's list - which I have yet to write but still. This book made me wish that Young Adult authors tried a bit harder to make their females a bit more badass. You have the likes of Rose from Vampire Academy and Katniss from The Hunger Games but that's just not enough. There are so many more guy-reliant backboneless heroines than there are badass ones. We really need more. The main male character Marc, was alright but he didn't really stand out all that much. But at the same time I was really rooting for him and Faythe to get together so I must have liked him a bit. I just hope he grows on me.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and a will be reading the next in the series - well the third since I've already read the second, yes they're that good. This book is fast paced and kept me guessing until the last page. I just couldn't put it down. Not even while I was cooking so the book nearly got a bit singed, don't worry I saved it just in time. I would recommend this book to people who want a heroine can handle herself. Just remember it's an Adult book so I am recommending it to more mature readers.

My Favorite Quote's:

“Apparently the complete works of Shakespeare packed quite a wallop. To think, my mother said I'd never find use for an English degree. Ha! I'd like to see her knock someone silly with an apron and a cookie press.”

“The queen was my favorite chess piece. Unlike the women I knew in real life, she was powerful. Her job was to defend her husband at all costs, because while he was weak and practically defenseless—only allowed to move one square at a time—she was the strongest player on the board, hindered by no restrictions at all.”

“You mostly.” Her hands went still again as her eyes stared off into the past with a look so wistful it made me ache for her. “The boys tended to take care of each other but you were too much for anyone else to handle.
”I poked at the ball of yarn avoiding her eyes. “I wasn’t that bad.”
She smiled. “You broke Ethan’s arm.”
“It was self-defense. He wouldn’t let go of my foot.”
“He was helping you tie your shoe.”

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