SOLVED. Fantasy novel 1985-2000 with shapeshifters or people with feline characteristics - focuses on a young woman and her father. No romance? [s]

[R.]

Hello! I am trying to remember a fantasy book that I read sometime between, say 1989 - 2000 and which was written around that time or slightly earlier. The characters in the book are some sort of either 1) feline people or 2) shapeshifters who go between human and cat.

[TRIGGER WARNING - DESCRIPTION OF ABUSE]

The main thread of the book that I can remember is sort of horrible - the father is super emotionally-abusive to the daughter, and also has other young women he's abusive to. In one scene, he has a woman tied up but only with thread - but he's so abused her mentally that she stays tied up.

Edited to add: the characters are naturally shapeshifters or are just part-cat somehow. They live in the woods or something similar to it.

That's honestly about all I can remember.

Thank you so much for any help you can give!!

[David]

Possibly Cat People, a book of the 1982 movie.

[R.]

David wrote: "Possibly Cat People, a book of the 1982 movie."

Unfortunately, not Cat People! The book I'm thinking of is much closer to high fantasy instead of horror. Thanks though!

[Sarah]

Possibly Jennifer Roberson's Chronicles of the Cheysuli Series? The first book is Shapechangers.

[R.]

No, that's not it. Thank you!

[Kris]

R., is there any romance in the story? If so, can you describe the heroine's romantic interest?

[R.]

Hi Kris,

I don't remember there being any romance in the story.

In my mind the book is linked to the sort of writing Mercedes Lackey does, but I reviewed her book list and couldn't recognize it. (Unless maybe it was a side-plot in book, and I'm forgetting the rest of the book?)

[Sarah]

Oh! Maybe it's in Winds of Fate?

The character sounds like Nyara (daughter) and Mornelithe Falconsbane (father).

[R.]

Sarah! THAT'S IT! Thank you!!!