Cynthia Woolf

This is my first read by author Cynthia Woolf and won’t be my last. I loved this book and so glad it was a Sunday so I could let myself get lost in it and not have to put it down. The author did a great job of describing the characters and their surroundings as if you were living there with them in the Montana Territory in the late 1800’s. Great job of character development. It was also refreshing reading about a strong women doctor who knew who she was, what she had to do and yet still show more couldn’t control everything such as her emotions.

The story is about Dr. Alice Carter who 6 months ago lost her doctor husband to a murdered who thought she and her husband were responsible for his wife’s death. She needed money to keep her and her 3 year old daughter, Melly, alive. Unable to find employment as a doctor in New York City so close in morning, she decides to be a mail order bride to start anew. Meanwhile, Dr. Jeremiah Kilarney has a busy practice and needs a wife and nurse to help him out in the small town of Hope’s Crossing. Though a matchmaking service the two are brought together.

Alice starts to fall in love with Dr. Kilarney but is afraid to let herself go and feels guilty about not loving her dead husband. Dr. Kilarney loves being with Alice but is too afraid to love again since he past love left him. The two must live as husband and wife and yet both are afraid of their own feelings. Then the man who murdered her husband comes to Hope’s Crossing to finish what he believes is necessary by murdering Alice. What a delightful story line and it is intertwined with Alice’s young daughter,an older man who becomes a part of the family, and the fear of someone out to murder her.

I highly recommend this book as it is a truly moving family story with a lot of different things going on. I especially enjoyed the interaction between Alice and Jeremiah. show less

4.5 Star Review

I haven't read anything in the science fiction genre in years. Now I'm wondering why I ever stopped. This was a really good book, great story line. The unique technology, people, & politics should satisfy anyone who wants a romantic sci-fi story. For anyone who hasn't read this genre, each element is explained in a way that is easy to understand.

The author created a combustible team with two strong personalities, Honora & Joridan. Honora is a very strong take-charge heroine. show more She kicks butt! She even kicks Joridan's backside. Joridan is everything an alpha hero needs to be and then some. He is one HOT alpha male.

It was a non-stop adventure combined with a good dose of romance, creating a very enjoyable story.

The reason I knocked-off 1/2 star. This is a personal pet peeve and it might not bother anyone else in the least.

1.) The character point of view (POV) jumped around. I love multiple POVs, but not when they change characters without a clear cut-off. (Yes, a few New York Times best-selling authors still do this!)

Yes, I'd recommend it to a friend who loved a good romantic sci-fi.

Note: I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. show less

I haven't read sci-fi in a long time, and this was a very pleasant and welcome return to that genre. Another reason why Centauri Midnight was out of my norm is because it's a novella. I don't tend to read a lot of novellas because one of two things happen, it's either really good and I want it to continue on (and I'm impatient for sequels) or I feel like there wasn't enough time to really like the characters and I feel kind of let down. Centauri Midnight falls squarely in the I liked it a show more lot and want to read more category. Thankfully this was book 3, so I can go back and read the prior ones!

First thing I want to mention is how easy it was to pick up on the world. Sci-fi and epic fantasy world building tend to be very complex that it takes a while to pick up on it, which I have to admit I was worried about since I was coming into this series on book 3. I think it shows the quality of writing by the author when a new reader is able to jump into the series and not feel lost and confused. Woolf gave just enough information as the story went along to explain the past but not enough to overwhelm me.

I really enjoyed the character of Kiti, you could tell from right off in the beginning she is in a lot of pain from the events of the previous books. And from the very first words in the book she is on a mission to get justice for her slain brother. As the story progresses you find out a lot about her past and you really start to identify with her and understand her more. After figuring out her past in the prior books all I wanted for Kiti was to find the justice she wanted and to find a way to allow herself to be happy. I was pulling for her the entire was through the book.

As a male lead, Garrick, is a pretty good character as well. I have said time and time again I hate when male love interest walk over the "being a protector" line and into the "controlling egomaniac". Garrick was the perfect amount of protector. He was there for Kiti whenever he needed to be, expressed concern for her safety but NEVER held her back, he walked with Kiti and not in front of her.

There were moments in the book that were funny or warm hearted, so it isn't just an all action all the time, yes Kiti and Garrick are on a mission, but the novella itself is not one dimensional. I would love to go into more detail about the novella but I feel like I would give away to many spoilers about it for future readers. I think this is a great novella for people who want a quick read. Paranormal romance and urban fantasy readers would also enjoy this novella even if sci-fi isn't their thing. And of course sci-fi readers who like romance should also enjoy this book. It was an enjoyable afternoon read for me that's for sure. show less

Despite being a blond woman with blue eyes, Sarah Johnson--age 25, unwed mother of a 5-years old girl--is no ordinary romance heroine. As a would-be mail-order bride, you might have expected her to be frail and passive. But as soon as this story opens, you realize she is about to break the mold of expectations. Going methodically through the process of evaluating her best options, her predicament becomes clear. With her fiance killed at the battle of Bull Run at 1861, and her aunt's show more inheritance going to others in the family, she has no means of raising her daughter. Which brings her to interview for her new position: a mail-order bride.

The dialog with the matchmaker, who keeps to herself some of the less appealing facts about the groom, is written in a dynamic, fast-pace and minimalistic manner: just the words uttered, with little or no extra descriptions that may water it down. No fluff! Which suggests one thing to me: the heroine is modeled after the author herself. A no-nonsense gal. At least until the plot starts to thicken, and emotions begin to boil...

Armed with her trunks and her cook's recipes, which she hopes to publish one day, Sarah takes the train to arrive at Colorado Territory to wed John Atwood. At first blush she is surprised to find that he is a tall, dark-haired man with vivid green eyes, with good income (he raises cattle for a living.) Problem is, his daughter has not spoken a word for a couple of years, because during a bank robbery, she witnessed the murder of her mother.

Following brief wedding ceremony, the gently hinted signs of attraction in the couple blossom into love. I bet that you--like me--would root for the coming together of these two fragmented sets of troubled lives--Sarah, John, her daughter and his--and for the creation of a family, where the needs of each one are answered by the other. What a rocky journey it is for them to become whole, and how much fun it is to find out that it is more than the sum of its parts..

Five stars. show less