Centauri Midnight by Cynthia Woolf

Synopsis: Kitari ‘Kiti’ Dolana wants justice for her murdered brother. She’s trailed the man responsible to a distant planet where swords outmaneuver blasters. 
Garrick Marcus, Spaceship Captain, is on a mission to hunt down a ruthless killer. The same man Kiti is after.
But Kiti and Garrick discover an explosive attraction that makes it hard to keep their minds on their goals. As they try to bring down the killer, they find that love and vengeance are a volatile mix.
Review: 
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 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.