Centauri Dawn

Centauri #1

by Cynthia Woolf, C.A. Woolf

Audra is a normal grad student in law school in Boulder, Colorado. Until the day she finds out she isn't. She's a princess from the planet Centauri. Her mission, whether or not she chooses to accept it, is to marry an alien and save the world, in order to save her family.

Darius is charged with delivering his brother's bride home to Centauri, ready to be queen. Falling in love isn't just forbidden, it's a death sentence for him and for his world.

Genres: Romance, Science Fiction, Amazon

238 pages, ebook

First published July 20, 2011

About the author

Cynthia Woolf is the USA Today Bestselling and award-winning author of eighty-five works of romance fiction. Comprising sixty-six historical western romances, ten contemporary romance novels, two contemporary romance novellas, one historical western romance novella, and six sci-fi space opera romances, which she calls westerns in space. Along with these books, she has also published twelve boxed sets of her books and two short stories.

Cynthia loves writing and reading romance. Her first western romance, Tame A Wild Heart, was inspired by the story her mother told her of meeting Cynthia's father on a ranch in Creede, Colorado. Although Tame A Wild Heart takes place in Creede, that is the only similarity between the stories. Her father was a cowboy, not a bounty hunter, and her mother was a nursemaid (called a nanny now), not the ranch owner.

Cynthia credits her wonderfully supportive husband, Jim, and her great critique partners for saving her sanity and allowing her to explore her creativity.



WEBSITE – http://cynthiawoolf.com

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TITLES AVAILABLE (English unless otherwise stated)

COLORADO BILLIONAIRES (sweet contemporary novels)
THE CEO
THE RANCHER
THE MAVERICK
THE TYCOON
THE ARTIST (coming soon)
THE QUARTERBACK (coming soon)


MONTANA BILLIONAIRES SERIES (contemporary sweet western novels)
Her Secret Cowboy Billionaire (Available in German)
Her Mysterious Cowboy Billionaire (Available in German)
Her Royal Cowboy Billionaire (Available in German)
Her Christmas Cowboy Billionaire (Available in German)
Her Bachelor Cowboy Billionaire (Available in German)
Her Wild Cowboy Billionaire (Available in German)
Her Elusive Cowboy Billionaire
Her Disguised Cowboy Billionaire


CHRISTMAS AT THE MISTLETOE INN (contemporary novella)
Cooking Up Christmas


THE BRIDES OF THE KLONDIKE
The Gold Rush Bride (Available in German)
The Gold Mountain Bride


THE PRESCOTT BRIDES (Available in German)
A Bride for Ross
A Bride for Frank
A Bride for Tucker
A Bride for Clay
A Bride for Brodie



THE HEART WISH MAIL-ORDER BRIDES SERIES
Heart of Stone
Heart of Shadow


MARSHALS MAIL ORDER BRIDES
The Carson City Bride (Available in German)
The Virginia City Bride (Available in German)
The Silver City Bride
The Eureka City Bride


ANGEL CREEK CHRISTMAS BRIDES
Adele


BRIDES OF GOLDEN CITY
A Husband for Victoria
A Husband for Cordelia
A Husband for Adeline


BRIDES OF THE OREGON TRAIL (Available in German)
Hannah
Lydia
Bella
Eliza
Rebecca
Charlotte
Amanda
Emma Rose
Nora
Opal


BACHELORS & BABIES
Carter (Book 3)


BRIDES OF SEATTLE (Available in German)
Mail Order Mystery
Mail Order Mayhem
Mail Order Mix-Up
Mail Order Moonlight
Mail Order Melody


CENTRAL CITY BRIDES (Available in German)
The Dancing Bride
The Sapphire Bride
The Irish Bride
The Pretender Bride


HOMESTEAD CANYON SERIES
Thorpe’s Mail-Order Bride
Kissed by a Stranger
A Family for Christmas


HOPE’S CROSSING
The Hunter Bride
The Replacement Bride
The Stolen Bride
The Unexpected Bride


AMERICAN MAIL-ORDER BRIDES
Genevieve, Bride of Nevada


THE SURPRISE BRIDES
Gideon


THE BRIDES OF SAN FRANCISCO
Nellie (Available in German)
Annie (Available in German)
Cora (Available in German)
Sophia (Available in German)
Amelia (Available in German)
Violet


THE BRIDES OF TOMBSTONE (Available in German)
Mail Order Outlaw
Mail Order Doctor
Mail Order Baron


DESTINY IN DEADWOOD (Available in German)
Jake
Liam
Zach


MATCHMAK

Reviews

[Annette Aguilar · Rating 5 out of 5]

pure of heart

An awesome tale that pulls you in from the first word! You won’t put it down until you find out the ending! Full of wonder, surprises, secrets, suspense, betrayal, and pure love! Love of family, duty, and true mates. Even with evil stalking them at every turn, one tragedy after another, she is determined to conquer evil, save her family, do her duty, and get her man!

[Mayhem-RW · Rating 3 out of 5]

Her name is Audra, well on Earth it is Audra, but on Centauri, it is Crown Princess Dayanara. Yes, she is human. It is just that she was not born on Earth. She was born on Centauri and grew up on Earth for her safety. She was raised as an Earthling without knowing where she came from, but now she was needed back on Centauri. Her whole life was upended and turned around when the man of her dreams, the dreams she had before this day, woke her up in her room. Captain Darius was there to retrieve her and escort her back to Centauri, where it was foretold that she would marry his brother Anton. She had to do this thing to ensure that the planet did not become embroiled in a civil war because her birth parents had been murdered.

Predictable. Cookie cutter story. And it seems to me, the female lead went from violently rejecting her new reality to eagerly accepting it way too abruptly. The physical world-building is vague at best in most places. The ethereal world-building is reactionary at best. The character interaction is acceptable but could have been better with more character background.

This romantic science fiction space opera read is not too bad for a series starter. I give this tale three stars out of five stars.

[Kyndra Hatch · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't sure whether to give this 3 stars or 4 stars, so I gave it 3 stars here on Goodreads and 4 stars over on Amazon. Goodreads and Amazon seem to have a different rating system, so I tried to match the correct star with the way I feel about the story for each site. While not in love with the story, I liked the story. It was definitely worth getting.

This review was originally posted at http://kyndrahatch.blogspot.com/2012/...

I am a little embarrassed to say that I put this book down for a couple of months after reading the third (fourth?) sentence, the one with the caramel and ice cream analogy. I didn't think I could take the book seriously after that. Then I figured that maybe I wasn't supposed to be taking it seriously, so I picked it up again. I still don't like that sentence, on more than one level, but I'm so glad I read more! It gets pretty exciting immediately after that.

I love the characters in this book. Other than the obvious ones, I was really into the secondary characters. Slavarien was a true and perfect villain that I loved to hate. He made my skin crawl and I love that the author was able to make me react to him in that way. I simply loved the little detail that he was the most handsome older man that Audra had ever seen. That just really cemented him in my mind, somehow making his injustices all the more diabolical.

I adore Maggie and Ray. Margareta has some amazing strength for everything that she had to endure and my imagination was running wild with how it all was effecting Ray. I don't want to give anything away by mentioning too many of the characters, as there are some enjoyable twists in the story that I don't want to ruin for any future readers, but I am looking forward to reading more about them in the next book.

The dialogue was a little stale in some places and a bit contradictory in chapters 4 and 5. However, I very much enjoyed the action and pace of the story. I really liked the plot and I just loved the dream sequences and what they all meant in the storyline.

There were a couple of neat concepts, in terms of the science fiction element of the book. I liked how Audra related things to what she'd seen on TV. I'd probably do that too, if I were in a situation like that. The comulator was a very cool concept and I loved the little detail thrown in about how one person has an older version of it, thus showing the technology is improved over time, much like iPhones and devices like that.

There was a lot of fun, well-placed humor. I laughed out loud several times throughout the story. "Hiding in clear water is not a wise plan." LOL! That threw me into giggle fits!

The ending seemed a little rushed with abrupt scene changes, but I'm betting that everything else that needs to be said and done will be in the next two books. Thinking about it, though, it could be seen as things happening very fast for the characters themselves. They were running out of time for something that had to be done and there was a lot going on at once, so things were happening very fast and abruptly for them too. I bet they'll be happy to find time to rest after all that, or worry themselves to death once they can process that huge revelation, lol.

All in all, I enjoyed reading "Centauri Dawn" and am looking forward to reading "Centauri Twilight." (Actually, I couldn't wait...I've already started.)

[Lady Lioness · Rating 2 out of 5]

I committed to reading this. If left to my own devices, I would have likely stopped around Chapter 4. However, I pride myself on keeping my promises so I choked it down, although I admit to scrolling the last two or three chapters.

I am trying to decide at the moment if this book was really that bad or it's a matter of personal taste. There weren't too many grammatical errors, mostly misused apostrophes, and the flow wasn't too bad, although a bit clunky at times. The premise was one we've all seen before: alien princess returns home to marry her betrothed and secure the throne. The only somewhat unusual twist is that the pseudo-mother figure was apparently a bigamist.

What really got me was the heroine. She's supposed to be twenty-four years old and, to me, she read like she was seventeen. I know not every heroine can be an ass-kicker, but I felt like Woolf was trying to portray her as one and failing miserably. Obviously, finding out you're not who you thought you were can be quite the shock, but she doesn't have one giant meltdown and then pulls up her big girl panties. No, she whines and then plunges ahead without taking any time to think. She knows she's in danger and is in unfamiliar territory, but she goes racing around the ship all willy-nilly.

Since I found the heroine too stupid to live, I had a hard time with the hero. He was supposed to be her 'lifemate,' but I couldn't imagine why he'd want her. He was consistently acting as her babysitter. 'Don't touch that.' 'Stay here.' 'No running in the hallways.' 'Do your homework.' He wasn't even trying to be the Strict Bodyguard. She was just flat out not listening to him.

In addition, we never find out why she was sent away in the first place. Did her parents know how annoying she was going to grow up to be? Why did her mystical forecasting dreams only work once she was on the ship? Why was Earth selected as the hiding place? I wanted more about Centauri. Why was it a monarchy? If the heroine's bloodline ruled for over a thousand years, how long has the civilization existed? What other races are there?

Finally, we get to the end and we find out the hero's brother is going to go rescue the heroine's sister in the sequel, thereby becoming the next couple up. However, one of the plot points (such as they are) in Centauri Dawn is that there's this other chick who's madly in love with the hero's brother and she's all upset that the heroine is supposed to marry him. They hug it out, become friends, and now it's 'Sorry, Other Chick, he's gonna hook up with my sister now, mkay?' Woolf made a point of saying, 'well, Other Chick's not Bro's lifemate,' but STILL. Kill her off then! Have Other Chick die dramatically in rescue of Bro, thereby increasing his angst and increasing the potential conflict in the next book. I thought for sure she was going to end up being a traitor, but nope. Other Chick just gets screwed and not in the fun way.

I may have digressed slightly. Anyway.

Perhaps if I'd been able to love the heroine more, I would have enjoyed the book more. If you're a space romance aficionado, I encourage you to make up your own mind, but, for my part, I would have been pissed had I spent $2.99 on this.

[J.M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Centauri Dawn begins on Earth, with Audra Cantwell having a beautiful dream about a beautiful man, only to wake up to find him standing over her bed! He tells her that she is actually Princess Dayanara of Centauri and he has come to whisk her away to her home world so she can be crowned queen. Obviously, this is a little hard for Audra to swallow, so she turns to her mother. Her parents only have enough time to confirm that this man- Darius Coridian- is telling the truth before they're attacked and Audra is transported to a starship orbiting the planet.

Audra learns that she must take the throne-and marry Darius's brother Anton- in order to save her planet from the tyrannical rule of her Uncle Slavarian. With the fate of an entire planet full of people in her hands, Audra is torn. She is duty-bound to marry Anton Coridian, but she is falling in love with his brother Darius. When Audra finds out that her nightmare could actually be a prophecy, she is determined to do whatever it takes to keep her family safe and claim the throne.

Darius Coridian has the power to know his lifemate the second he lays eyes on her, and unfortunately for him, she is betrothed to his brother. He sets course to Centauri and concentrates on teaching Audra about the planet she knows nothing about. No matter how much it hurts, he cannot have his lifemate. He must get her to Centauri to marry his brother before it is too late.

The further I got into the story, the more I liked Audra- her strength and sarcastic wit are traits I can see in my best friends. She is a very believable and likeable character. Darius is a hunk of deliciousness, which is what we all read these books for, but he has a depth that many Man-Hunks don't always have. Slaverian, the bad guy, was everything a sadistic tyrant should be. His sick and twisted mind was always working to further his goal. I loved the relationship between Audra and Darius. Slavarian has everything I love in a villain. Secondary characters are a big part of why I love books, and Centauri Dawn delivers. Ms. Woolf introduces Captain Garrick, Kitari, and of course Maggie and Ray.

[Dolce Amore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed for Booked Up

To See Review at Booked Up

Audra Cantwell’s world is turned upside down when she wakes one morning to discover that everything that she thought about herself is a lie. Her mother is her aunt, her father is her uncle and her brothers are her cousins. She isn’t even human, but a princess from another planet! And the brother of her betrothed, Darius Coridian, has come to take her there, to the planet Centauri from the system Proximus. Her parents are killed moments after confirming the truth of her heritage: she is the heir to the throne. Darius whisks her away and transports her to his starship high in orbit above the planet, duty bound to bring her safely home.

Darius has found his lifemate in the Princess Dayanara.

The one person he could not deny, who made his blood boil and who only had to touch him to scald his soul.


Still, to save their planet from war, she has to marry to his brother.

However, the one who killed her parents wants Audra dead too. Despite their escape from Earth, he attacks them on the way to the planet Centauri. She soon discovers that he is her uncle and he wants her dead so he can take the throne.

We still have plenty of twists; Audra discovers that her betrothed is ambushed and presumed dead, she is kidnapped, rescued, and she and Darius find his brother … and more.

The storyline was interesting, the book was good, but Ms Cynthia Woolf has to add more feeling to the book. I read the story as a spectator, without feeling any connection with the characters of the story. It also needs a bit more reality; some of the scenes seemed a little unreal. 3.5 stars.

The storyline was interesting, the book was good, but Ms Cynthia Woolf has to add more feeling to the book. I read the story as a spectator, without feeling any connection with the characters of the story. It also needs a bit more reality; some of the scenes seemed a little unreal. 3.5 stars.

[Miki · Rating 4 out of 5]

was pleasant to read. My first reaction was curiosity because like the title says it’s about “Centauri” or if you have read my other reviews of science fictions romance, touched by an alien in particular where the aliens come from Centauri, you can see that Centauri is really popular at the moment and I admit I’m wondering why. But the similarities stop there.

Cynthia Woolf has created a parallel universe on Centauri, a word with several kingdoms, countries, not completely different from ours but not the same either. Her characters are interesting and I liked to learn with Audra, princess but who lived all her life on earth without knowing her real identity or history. In the same time that’s also what bothered me a bit, we don’t learn a lot about this world and the authors don’t give us a lot of details during Audra lessons, we just discover that she is learning. I would have liked this opportunity to see more about the studies and universe. Perhaps we will learn more is the next book of the trilogy and it’s just something I would have liked not something essential in this story.


Darius is a wonderful knight in a way; I loved his dilemma between his honour and his lifemate. Not easy but Cynthia manages to show us his torments and it’s really well done. The romance isn’t too strong at the beginning and is growing chapter after chapter and that’s something I love.


The rhythm isn’t too quick, perhaps even a bit slow sometimes but I really appreciated this book. Also, there exist an omnibus, paperback and ebook format, with the complete trilogy and that’s really great for the readers.

[SheLove2Read · Rating 3 out of 5]

Centauri Dawn was my first book by Cynthia Woolf and I enjoyed it. It had interesting characters, a creepy villain and a storyline that I admit drew me in right away. Science Fiction romance being one of this reviewers favorite genres, I was excited to see where Woolf went with the story.

Imagine being woken up by a strange man in your bedroom and being told that you are the long lost Princess of a far away planet and he is there to return you home where your betrothed is awaiting. To add to the confusion, your parents know all about it but never told you! I'm not sure if I would have been as calm about it as Audra/Princess Dayanara was. Spirited away by Darius, her brother in law to be, she spends the journey being stalked by those who would see her not return to her home planet and lead her people. It is her close quarters with Darius, who is protecting her, that lead them both to realize they are meant to be together. The romance had to occur fairly quickly, given the size constraints of the story, but I still found it satisfying. Darius tries to keep a distance between them out of respect for his brother, even after they kiss, but in the end they can't help themselves because the feelings are too strong.

Other than one or two loose ends that were never revisited, I enjoyed the story and I liked the pace and the voice of the author. It appears this may be the beginning of a series and if so, I will definitely look for further entries.

3 stars / B

** Received free from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Linda Andrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audra is awakened by a man claiming she is the Princess of Centauri. After the ensuing struggle, she does what any sensible girl would do--she calls her mother. Instead of laughing it off, her mother confirms the man's assertion. Captain Darius has come to Earth to reclaim the princess. He must present her before the senate and save his people from a horrible fate--the rule and tyranny of her Uncle Slaverian.

Complications arise from the start the biggest being how can Darius allow his life mate to marry his brother as prophesied? He knows his duty and is willing to do it, but that's not the biggest obstacle. Slaverian isn't about to give up his claim to the Centauri throne, and he's willing to kill both Audra and Darius to get it.

Centauri Dawn is a great addition to the scifi romance genre. There are battles, intrigue and adventure set against the backdrop of human desires and ambitions. Audra is compelling as a woman forced to straddle two worlds while Darius struggles between his desire for a life mate and his loyalty to his brother. Will they choose to be together or will they have to pay too high a price for love?

[RaeBeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Centauri Dawn by Cynthia Woolf takes the reader on an unexpected journey. It opens a world to the reader that, to my knowledge, has yet to be explored- Life in other places within the universe. Cynthia builds a good new world that captures the reader. The plot runs smooth although it does seem rushed in places, such as the end of this book. There were some format issues with the eBook I downloaded. I noticed places where editing seemed to have lacked.



I enjoyed getting to know the main character, Audra. Although it did seem like she was more teen then adult with some of her reactions to how her life takes a drastic turn. I would think being an adult, she would have a melt down, pull herself together, and learn about what it was she was about to face. Instead, it seemed she did a lot of whining. I did like the relationship portrayed between Audra and Darius, her bodyguard. The romantic aspects were well played out throughout the book.

I give Centauri Dawn by Cynthia Woolf **** (4 stars). I would recommend this book as a read to others who are looking for another world within a book.

[Jesse Kimmel-Freeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put this book down. When I had to take a break from reading, I kept thinking about- wondering what happened next. Woolf truly captures her characters in a believable way. They are real and the reader easily feels for them as they go along their story. The story is a great sci-fi book with a romantic twist- I would not call it just another romance novel because I feel that the romance aspect is just part of the story (even if they are delicious scenes!). Woolf throws you right into the story, pacing it perfectly and mixing in turns that leave the reader wanting more. I cannot wait until I read the next in the series! Keep them coming, Woolf!

[Mara · Rating 1 out of 5]

My fault for expecting good writing in every book, even when the warning signs are all there. I apologize to the author if this will sound particularly harsh. (I know I am.)

The writing and the plot reminded me of what a teen wannabe author would be writing. Of course you wake up to be a princess and of course any adopted daughter will think about hurting her "father" for a slight, when he is telling her all her life is a sham. Real characters anyone?

Romance has a bad name, and I suspect I know why. I stopped reading at 20%.

[Kari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Imagine Star Trek meets Nora Roberts, and you get Centauri Dawn. It was a fun read with an engaging plot line. I liked the characters, the bad guy was sufficiently evil enough to make your skin crawl, and the relationships between characters were well developed. The love story was cute and romantic, and the story was infused with enough humor to make the overall package a very entertaining read.

Received via GoodReads First Read Program

[Diana Layne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won my copy of Centauri Dawn and as a space opera fan I was anxious to read it. The story did not disappoint, I loved the rescue of the princess and how she was willing to embrace her destiny. The only minor issue is that I would have loved more-a bigger book, a little more in depth because the story is wonderful!

[Dena · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am writing this review pretty late and I didn't realize it wasn't written. I liked the description of a normal girl who isn't so normal. She goes on an adventure to know abot a family she wasn't aware of and of this prince who she is attracted too. There is alot of suspense because everything is not as it seemed. I liked how the prince made it his business about her and helped protect her.

[Dana · Rating 2 out of 5]

The idea of this story is very good, but the author had explicit sexual content which was totally unnecessary. I wish one of the other reviews had listed the content because I would not have read it. It is definitely not suitable for children!

[Tory Michaels · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this as part of the complete trilogy which I got from the author. I love the story, but there were a few editing issues. Nothing major, but I definitely noticed typos and what not. Still, a great book that I highly recommend if you like a little sci-fi mixed with your romance.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good start to a new-to-me series. Will definitely be reading books 2 and 3.

[Jennifer Cupcakees · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was coo

[Selenity Jade (Coffee Addicts Book Reviews) · Rating 1 out of 5]

A DNF for me. Silly. Enough said.