Long before European settlers arrived in America, werecats, human-feline hybrid creatures who can become fully human or feline at will, migrated from the jungles of South America and established territories in family groups called Prides. Each Pride consists of male Tomcats and the very rare female Tabbies, as well as an Alpha who leads the family. Each Alpha maintains a staff of powerful tomcat enforcers who protect the Pride from human interference or attack from Strays. Strays are a small subgroup of unpredictable werecats who were born human, but became werecats after surviving a bite or deep scratch, usually from another stray. Strays are expected to live in the few remaining free territories, often against their will, since Pride cats rarely accept them as family.

At twenty-three years of age, Pride werecat Faythe Sanders is the oldest unmarried tabby, a dubious honor in a society where birthrates of females are low and expectations for early marriage and motherhood are high. Faythe chose personal freedom over family obligation on her eighteenth birthday when she walked out on her engagement to her Alpha father's top enforcer, Marc Ramos, and enrolled as a student at the University of Texas. But Faythe's bid for freedom is cut short a few years later when two other tabbies, her friend Sara and cousin Abby, are abducted by a South American stray. Faythe's father sends Marc to drag her back to the family ranch for her protection, but Faythe sees the spacious house as a gilded cage, and announces her intention to leave again, which only ensures that the tomcats keep a close eye on her every move. To make matters even worse, Marc informs Faythe that her father has been steadily grooming her to take over as the new Alpha of the Pride, with Marc by her side. Torn apart by her yearning for personal freedom, her duty to her family, and the love that still smolders in her heart for Marc, Faythe grabs her first opportunity for a moment of solitude on the ranch grounds to think about her situation, but the brief freedom costs her dearly; she's ambushed and knocked unconscious. When she wakes up in a dark metal cage with a brutal werecat stray as the gatekeeper, Faythe must face a life-or-death battle for an entirely different kind of freedom.

STRAY begins with a wonderful opening line, and just keeps getting better! The history and societal rules for the world Rachel Vincent has created are described by the main character in detail without ever slowing down the thrilling pace of the storyline. I loved the insight into the werecats' daily lives, but was also touched by the very human battle Faythe faces in her desire to be true to herself while not hurting those she loves. The battle of wits and muscle that follows made me unwilling to put the book down. I highly recommend STRAY to any fan of urban fantasy and paranormal, and am looking forward to reading the sequels!