Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett – Review

Published: February 17, 2026

Publisher: Del Rey

Series: N/A

Genre: Fantasy, Cozy

Pages: 368 (Kindle)

My Rating: 4 Stars

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:
A woman who runs a cat rescue in 1920s Montreal turns to a grouchy but charming wizard to help save the shelter in this heartwarming cozy fantasy from the New York Times bestselling author of the Emily Wilde series.

Agnes Aubert leads a meticulously organized life—and she likes it that way. As the proudly type-A manager of a much-needed cat rescue charity, she has devoted her life to finding forever homes for lost cats.

But after she is forced to move the cat shelter, Agnes learns that her new landlord is using her charity as a front—for an internationally renowned and thoroughly disreputable magic shop. Owned by the disorganized—not to mention self-absorbed, irritating, but also decidedly handsome—Havelock Renard, magician and failed Dark Lord, the shop draws magical clientele from around the world, partly due to the quality of Havelock’s illicit goods as well as their curiosity about his shadowy past and rumors of his incredible powers. Agnes’s charity offers the perfect cover for illegal magics.

Agnes couldn’t care less about the shop—magical intrigue or not, there are cats to be rescued. But when an enemy from Havelock’s past surfaces, the magic shop—and more importantly, the cat shelter—are suddenly in jeopardy. To save the shelter, will Agnes have to set aside her social conscience and protect the man who once tried to bring about the apocalypse—and is now trying to steal her heart?

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Heather Fawcett quickly cemented herself as a must-read author with her Emily Wilde series and I was SO excited to check out her next book! Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter has an adorable cover and a premise I couldn’t resist. I mean, a cat charity serving as an unintentional front for an illicit magic shop is a recipe for shenanigans. And oh boy, are there ever some shenanigans!

Agnes is a huge fan of lists, order, and her cats but an explosive magical showdown has left her looking for a new storefront to rent, which is a decidedly stressful, chaotic event. In her haste to get her shelter and the cat adoption process up and running again, she accepts a suspiciously good deal in a popular area of Montreal. She soon learns that the notorious Witch King, Havelock Renard, is living in her basement. Or perhaps she’s living in his attic. Agnes, not a fan of magicians and their chaos, is rather alarmed by this, especially when Havelock’s sister shows up looking for a powerful magic artifact. Agnes and the cats’ lives are thrown into an uproar and, in order to restore order, Agnes and Havelock must form an alliance. She will help him find the book by organizing the absolute chaos of his multi-floored lair filled with magical items and he will help the cats get adopted by casting some minor enchantments on them.

This was a fun, sweet book with wonderful main and side characters. And we can’t forget about the cats! The supposedly enchanted cats that help people sleep or make people feel calm have gotten so popular that Agnes and her cohort can’t keep the demand supplied! At this rate, Montreal will be out of strays, which has truly been Agnes’s goal all along. My favorite was a cat called Ambulance, for his impressive caterwauling. Agnes and Havelock are delightful main characters, both extremely dedicated to their professions and watching their feelings grow was heartwarming. It was also nice to see a version of our world where magic was known to exist and its display was if not always good, then at least not uncommon. Overall, I think Heather Fawcett did a lovely job with Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter and I appreciate that it’s a standalone so I don’t have to wait for a sequel.