Where did you get the book: E-arc from Publisher
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
Release Date: Out now
It’s 2088, and having testified in a gangland murder trial, nowhere on Earth is safe for Louise. Witness Protection has organized a new identity and a marriage contract for her on the mining colony of Esther, one of the moons circling Jupiter. The man who meets her there is not the groom she expected.
Adam Elliot is neither sweet nor sincere, and he looks like he was hosed off a barroom floor. But soon a memorial service reveals Adam’s soft underbelly. Throw some stellar sex into the mix and the two decide that maybe marriage to each other might not be so bad after all.
But an assassin is already at work. A deadly game of cat and mouse ensues on the planet’s frozen surface. Louise is determined to live long enough to
*Blurb taken from Goodreads*
Louise has arrived on the colony at Esther which is one of the moons orbiting Jupiter. She is a mail-order bride and is awaiting nervously to meet her husband, although she is more anxious about the real reasons why she’s leaving Earth and the secrets she holds. She’s in for a shock when she meets her husband. The problem is it’s not the man she was contracted to marry. She’s not that impressed because he looks like he has come out of a coma from a week old bender.
Colonist’s Wife is a science fiction romance by one of my favourite new-to-me authors, Kylie Scott, who I discovered earlier this year. Although there were no zombies this time, I enjoyed the science fiction setting and I love the settling in a new world trope. Louise and Adam were really engaging characters, and just like in Kylie Scott’s previous books, her humour and fun banter between them shined. I loved the first scene when Louise first meets Adam, and you really get the sense of her heart sinking after escaping one awful predicament, and entering another one. Adam on the other hand feels that Louise is too judgemental and is a snob.
Despite the awkward first impressions, they soon realise that they both misjudged each other. However, the novella kind of faltered for me and it was due to both Louise and Adam falling for each other in a matter of days. Now I could believe the speed of the romance if it was more intense or if the danger around them was heightened, but it was slowly done in a few days.
While I enjoyed the courtship and the ‘getting to know each other phase’ with Adam and Louise, it didn’t feel that the strength of their romance would hit that point in the story. Although the love scenes were sweet, tender, hot and enjoyable. Yet I think the short length of the novella, which came around to 100 pages, was not enough to develop the romance. Moreover, the ending was rushed, especially how it tied in with the sub-plot on Louise’s past which caught up with her. I found it to be a bit of a stretch and a coincidence because she made a real effort to hide her past. The ending was also glossed over and so rushed which also involved a long separation I was not that keen on.
I also would have loved to see more details on the setting and on the moon colony because Kylie Scott’s voice made it feel alive and vivid with a gritty feel with the industrial-like-tone. I will definitely be looking out for more of her science fiction settings because it was a great take on the premise of the mail-bride trope.
All in all, while I was not a fan of the short length of the story because the sub-plot with Louise’s past was glossed over and the romance rushed. The setting was memorable, and the characters were very engaging and realistic. Even though I felt the romance was rushed, it was sexy and sweet and I loved the growing relationship between Adam and Louise.
I really enjoy Kylie Scott’s prose because she has a great gift in conveying the tone and fun of the characters to the reader. I just wished the story was much longer because I think this would have been a wonderful book instead of just a good one.
I give Colonist’s Wife a C+