Book Club Questions for the Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series by Kris Bock + Recipes from the Cat Cafe

Book Club Questions for the Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series by Kris Bock + Recipes from the Cat Cafe 

The Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series features the workers and customers at a small-town cat café, and the adorable cats and kittens looking for their forever homes. Each book is a complete story with a happy ending for one couple (and maybe more than one rescued cat).

♥ “I absolutely love this heartfelt series.” ♥ – reader review

Visit the Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series or Amazon UK. See all the books with links to all retailers at the Cat Café Collection Page. Get Lions and Love at the Cat Café a free sweet romance story, complete at 35 pages, when you sign up for the Kris Bock email newsletter. You’ll also get a printable copy of the recipes mentioned in the cat café novels, plus cute animal photos and links, book news, and more.

The series contains seven books, plus a 30-page story. Most of these questions can be used with any of the individual books or for the series as a whole.

 ♥ “The Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series is one of my favorite series of all time.” ♥– reader review

Coffee and Crushes at the Cat Café – book 1: Kari doesn’t have time for love when she’s opening her new cat café. She’s busy hiring employees, fighting with the health inspector – oh, and welcoming 16 shelter cats. But when a sexy master baker walks in, she can’t let him get away.

Kittens and Kisses at the Cat Café – book 2: Adam has loved Marley since he was 13. Now the five-year age gap isn’t so serious, but will she ever see him as a man? Then someone leaves a box of week-old kittens at the café. Can Adam, Marley, and her son save the kittens and find a future together?

Tea and Temptation at the Cat Café – book 3: Veterinarian Jenna needs a foster for the sick kitten abandoned by its owners. Novelist Zach is simply trying to get through his cancer treatments, but he can’t turn away from another creature in need. Zach and Jenna bond over kitten care. Dare they risk getting closer?

Romance and Rescues at the Cat Café – book 4: A snowstorm traps Holly and Dustin in a spooky old house. Can they survive without heat or light, work together (for once), and rescue the dozens of cats abandoned there? This challenge could turn these enemies into friends—or even something more.

Christmas Cookies at the Cat Café – book 5: Christmas isn’t the same since Diane’s kids grew up and her husband died, so when her high school sweetheart comes back to town, maybe it’s time for some cozy new holiday traditions – with the help of the cat café’s rescued cats.

Cupcakes and Confessions at The Cat Café – book 6: A chance meeting connects Fiona to the daughter she gave up for adoption 23 years ago. Sean steadies Fiona through this emotional roller coaster, but she doesn’t have room for romance – does she?

 Book Club Questions for the Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series by Kris Bock

 Characters

 1. This series features the workers and customers at a small-town cat café. Which female lead did you like best? Why? Do you like to identify closely with characters or read about people very different from you? (Adjust the wording of the first two questions as appropriate for each readers’ romantic interest.)

 2. Which male lead did you like best? Why? Does your preference for a book hero reflect your real-life dating/marriage preferences? Or do you like reading about heroes you wouldn’t want to date in real life?

 3. When considering reading a romance, how important is it for you to like each lead character?  If you like one much more than the other, how does that affect your reading experience?

 4. Do you prefer romance pairings where the characters have a lot in common or where they are very different? Why? How does that compare to your real-life preferences?

 5. This series includes tropes such as enemies to lovers (Romance and Rescues), sibling’s best friend (Kittens and Kisses), and second chance romance (Christmas Cookies). Are you drawn to specific tropes? What do you like about them? Are there tropes you can’t stand? What bothers you?

 6. Three of the books in this series have characters in an age range that is sometimes called “mature” or “seasoned” (Tea and Temptation, Christmas Cookies, and Cupcakes and Confessions). Do you care about character ages in the books you read? Does the genre (romance versus mystery, for example) make a difference? What are the advantages and disadvantages of romance stories with younger or older characters?

 7. Each book in this series stars a different main couple, but characters from the previous books may appear as well. Do you enjoy seeing “old friends” again? What do you like or dislike about it? Do you get different impressions of characters outside of the books where they star?

 Cats

 1. Obviously cats are important in this series! Some of them, such as Merlin, might be considered major characters. How did the focus on the cat Café affect your enjoyment of a book or the series? Do you have favorite cat characters? What appeals to you about them?

 2. Lots of romance novels feature dogs, because dogs can bring people together at dog parks, training courses, and so forth. Cats generally stay inside their own homes. This series was inspired by the idea of cat cafés, which attract people who love cats. How do cats help bring people together here? If you meet someone who has a cat, a dog, or a more unusual pet, does that tell you anything about them? Are you drawn to novels with particular animals or animals in general? Why?

 3. Would you like to hang out at this cat café? Which character in the series would you most like to meet?

 Book Club Questions for the Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series by Kris Bock

 Plot

 1. Are these books plot driven or character driven? (In other words, is the plot most important or are the characters more important than the action?) How does that work for the individual books and the series?

 2. How do the characters’ individual goals cause challenges for the couples and affect their relationships?

 3. Are there scenes that stand out in your memory? Why do you think those scenes are most memorable?

 4. How do you picture the characters’ lives after the end of the story?

 The Author

 Kris Bock writes novels of mystery, suspense, and romance. In the Accidental Detective series, a witty journalist solves mysteries in Arizona and tackles the challenges of turning fifty. Kris’s Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series features the employees and customers at a cat café.

 1. Have you read any other books by this author? How did they compare to this series? What are the similarities and differences? Does the author have a style that shows up in every book?

 2. If you got the chance to ask the author of this book one question, what would it be?

 3. Would you read another book by this author? Why or why not?

 Bonus

 1. What do you think of the covers of the books in this series? How well do they convey the books’ genre and mood?

 2 How did these books make you feel?

 3. If this series was turned into a TV series, who would you cast for the characters?

 4. Would you recommend these books to other people? Who might enjoy them?

  

Book Club Recipes for the Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series by Kris Bock

 Books, tea or coffee, and baked goods! Try one or more of these recipes at your book club meeting. 

Chai Tea Shortbread Cookies

A personal favorite! If using loose-leaf tea, grind the tea into a rough powder first. If using tea bags, cut open the tea bags (4-6) and measure. Mix the ingredients in a food processor for ease. You can also press the dough into a shortbread pan and bake for about 30 minutes.

2 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons chai tea

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

 

1.       Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2.      Blend the flour, sugar, chai, and salt.

3.      Mix in the butter and vanilla. Press the mixture into a ball of dough.

4.      Roll out the dough on a floured surface to about 1/3-inch thick. Use a cookie cutter and place cookies 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper or silicone baking sheets. Bake until the edges are golden, 8-12 minutes depending on size. Let cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks and cool to room temperature.

 

Salted Caramel Blondies 

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup  nuts or coconut, optional

¼ cup salted caramel sauce (make your own with this recipe: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/homemade-salted-caramel-recipe/.)

 

1.       Preheat oven to 350º F. Spray an 8x8 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

2.      Cream together butter and  brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

3.      Blend in egg and vanilla. Add flour and salt, and mix just until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips and  nuts or coconut if using. Spread into baking pan.

4.      Drop tablespoons of salted caramel sauce onto the blondie batter.

5.      Use a butter knife to swirl the sauce into the  blondie batter.

6.      Bake 20-25 minutes, until set in the middle and lightly golden brown.

7.      Cool on a rack, cut into pieces, and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Easy Espresso Brownies

Get some coffee to eat with your coffee!

1 cup salted butter, softened

2 cups granulated sugar

4 eggs

1/3 cup espresso powder, such as DeLallo

1 ½ cups all purpose flour

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup chocolate chips, optional

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper.

Cream the butter and the sugar. Blend in the eggs.

Mix in the espresso powder. Blend in the flour and cocoa powder.

Stir in the chocolate chips if you want extra chocolate.

Pour the batter in the baking pan.

Bake for 30-40 minutes. Test with a toothpick or knife. Remember that these will set more after you pull them out. If you like gooey brownies, stick to the shorter end of the baking time.

Cream Cheese Filled Coffee Cake

1 package dry yeast

¼ cup lukewarm water

1 teaspoon sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

¾ cup butter or margarine

2 cups flour

¼ teaspoon salt

2 (8-oz.) packages cream cheese

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

¾ cup sugar

 

1.       Mix yeast, water and 1 tsp. sugar. Let stand for 10 minutes. Blend in the egg.

2.      Mix the flour and salt. Use a pastry blender or two knives to cut the butter. Add the yeast mixture and blend well.

3.      Divide the dough into two balls. Roll each into 8- by 10-inch rectangles.

4.      Preheat oven to 375°.

5.      Make the filling by combining the cream cheese, lemon juice, and sugar. Spread half of the filling on each rectangle. Fold a rectangle by taking each long side toward the middle, making sure the sides overlap a little. Fold the ends up about 1 ½ inches.

6.      Bake immediately at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.

 

Amazing Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

This recipe doesn’t use flour, and it still has a great peanut butter cookie flavor and texture. You can use either creamy or crunchy peanut butter. However, natural peanut butter may add a gritty texture. You can also use sunflower seed butter, also called sunbutter or sunflower spread, which is made from sesame seeds. This works for people who are allergic to peanuts.

Ingredients

1 cup peanut butter or sesame seed butter

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 ½ teaspoons salt

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½  cup chopped peanuts

 

Frosting (optional)

½ cup chocolate chips

2 tablespoons butter

1 ¼ cups confectioners sugar

2 tablespoons milk

chopped peanuts, optional

 

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease the baking sheet or spray with cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the peanut butter, sugar, baking soda, salt, egg, and vanilla. Mix until well blended.
3. Take about 1 tablespoon of the mixture at a time and roll it into a ball. Place the balls on cookie sheets at least one inch apart. Use a fork to flatten the balls and make the classic crosshatch pattern.
4. Bake 8-10 minutes, until golden around the edges.  Let cookies rest on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack.
5. To make the frosting, place the chocolate chips and butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high power for 30 seconds. Stir until smooth. Microwave in additional 10-second increments if necessary, stirring after each, until the chocolate is smooth.
6. Add the confectioners sugar and milk and blend until smooth.
7. Spoon a dollop of frosting on each cookie. Sprinkle chopped peanuts on top, optional. Store these cookies in an airtight container.

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