Summon the Keeper (The Keeper's Chronicles #1) by Tanya Huff

From the Publisher

Austin was a black-and-white, far-from-young cat. Not just any cat, mind you, he was the Keeper's cat, a very outspoken feline with extremely strong opinions he was always willing to voice. After all, who knew better then Austin what was best for the well-being of Claire -- and for the not-quite-as-important rest of the universe?

Claire Hansen was a Keeper, a member of that select group which kept the universe in one piece. And now she'd been summoned to the Elysian Fields Guesthouse, a rundown bed-and-breakfast that seemed to attract the most unusual clientele. And Claire was not happy about this latest assignment, not happy at all.

Not when she'd been tricked into taking over here by a horrible little gnome of a man who'd abandoned his post before she'd even figured out who he really was ... Not when room six held a resident who'd been sleeping there for so many years that she really needed a good dusting -- except that it was far too dangerous for anyone to get that close to her... Not when the basement housed too much temptation for anyone's mental health... Not when she found herself surrounded by "helpers" as distracting as Dean, the hunky-yet-innocent handyman, and Jacques, a ghost with a real lust for life... And especially not when it looked like this might be not only her most challenging mission but one she'd be stuck handling forever...

VOYA

When Claire Hansen is summoned to the Elysian Fields Guesthouse in Kingston she is expecting business as usual, and is not prepared for the current Cousin to abandon his post and leave her stuck there. Soon enough, Claire begins to see why a powerful Keeper like herself received a summons in the first place. On the third floor of the guesthouse is another Keeper, covered in dust, who has obviously been kept in slumber for some time. Claire realizes that someone in the guesthouse did something they shouldn't have, resulting in a hole in the fabric of the universe. The energy coming through the hole keeps the Keeper asleep, at the same time as she is keeping the seal on the hole. To break the seal would be disastrous, ultimately resulting in Armageddon. In the furnace room, Claire finds the hole--more like a pit--that leads directly to hell. Fortunately, Claire has some help in dealing with this situation. First there's Austin, her traveling companion and best friend--who also happens to be a talking cat. Then there's Dean, the hired help at the guesthouse. Claire fights her attraction to him every step of the way. Dean is mortal, but perfectly willing not only to believe in things like talking cats and holes to hell in basements, but to offer to do whatever he can to help--even, as it turns out, to nearly become a sacrificial virgin. This funny, fantastical journey with a motley cast of characters will be a hit with cat lovers as well as fantasy buffs. The good news is that at the end Claire, Austin, and Dean get in his truck and drive west following Claire's next summons--which, of course, paves the way for a sequel. Here's hoping!. VOYA Codes: 5Q 4P J S (Hard to imagine it being any better written, Broad general YA appeal, Junior High-defined as grades 7 to 9 and Senior High-defined as grades 10 to 12).

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