A tarnished military Subcaptain, a repair technician hiding from her past, and two genetically engineered cats join must forces to save an important factory.Military Subcaptain Kedron Tauceti counts the days until he can leave the rare metals factory and his current duty station as the liaison to the galactic government’s Criminal Restitution and Indenture Obligation system. The post was … Obligation system. The post was protection—and punishment—for exposing a theft ring during his previous assignment. He’s more than ready to get his career back on track on a new base halfway across the galaxy, even if it means leaving behind the one person who makes him want to stay. Not that he’s told her, because technically, he’s her warden.
Former financial specialist and current indenturee Ferra Barray, hiding from her past, only has three months to go on her restitution sentence. She’s lucked into a tech repair job. If she keeps her head down, she’ll soon be free to figure out her future. Unfortunately, the local shark behind every illegal scheme in the facility wants her to steal for him, and she’s running out of excuses. And now the heroically handsome Tauceti, who she hoped could help, is transferring out.
Everything changes when Ferra discovers two genetically modified cats. Saving them takes incredible risks. She doesn’t know what she’ll do if she can’t convince Tauceti to rescue the cats and keep them until she’s free to come for them.
But when trouble erupts at the factory, it might just be the cats who save them.
Find out what happens in this exciting standalone novella from Carol Van Natta’s award-winning Central Galactic Concordance space opera series.
★ ~ ★ ~ ★
NOTE TO READERS: This story debuted in the limited edition Embrace the Passion: Pets in Space 3 anthology. It has been edited for clarity and to fix errors, but is substantially unchanged from the original version. If you already have the anthology, you don’t need to buy this one unless you like your books separate.
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It started out a bit slow, but this book slowly captures your imagination. I love when the cats come into the story. The characters are well fleshed out and relatable. I thought it was a good story and I enjoyed reading it. I would recommend it.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Pets in spaaaaaaace! Do I need to say more? This is a fun science fiction romance with telepathic felines and great characters. I love it!
Cats of War features a female and male that both have some mental scars and secrets that meet each other on a processing plant in the middle of a swamp planet. While this was a short read I liked being able to get to know both characters a bit and I liked seeing them connect and overcome the obstacles in their way. I liked those little moments when they decided to trust the other and share something about themselves. There is a nice romance and I liked the epilogue. While I wouldn’t minded reading more about these two as I really liked this story, I think the pacing of this story was well done and it felt complete and not rushed.
Then there are the two cats who were awesome. I liked how the cats got tied to the main characters in a way that made sense and it was fun to read about their antics and how they helped the characters and how in turn the characters helped the cats find a home too. The cats are totally awesome, with telepathic abilities, wings and camouflage skin.
This story works great as a standalone, but for fans of the series there’s a small reference to Ayorinn’s prophecy which is an important part of the main storyline. And I understood the world and minder abilities better because I am already familiar with the series. I liked how these two have some interesting minder abilities, while they don’t have strong minder powers, they do turn to be very helpful in the situations they find themselves in. All in all I really enjoyed this story and was a bit sad when it ended as I wanted to read more about these characters.
Part of the Central Galactic Concordance series a well written futuristic story, that kept me turning pages. Military Subcaptain Kedron Tauceti and restitution inmate Ferra Barray and two genetically modified cats Novo and Boz’s story. There is suspense, drama, danger, a villain, and romance. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The writing and editing was top notch in this novella, with few if any typos in the ARC version of this manuscript. The world building was excellent without being intrusive, being layered subtly into the story. The characterization was great, with both the hero and heroine of this novel being vibrantly drawn, sympathetic individuals. The development of the romance between these two was the main weakness of this story, with these protagonists having some chemistry but never acting on it. The plot and pacing was excellent, with me rapidly turning the pages to find out what was going to happen next for these characters! There was a low level of angst in this story and pretty high stakes, which tends to be one of my preferred narrative structures for romance novels. This novel uses the Star-Crossed Lovers tope, because their respective positions and rank forbids them from currently being together. The world building, plot, and pacing was five stars. The characterization was also five stars. I took one star off the total combined score because of how weak the development of the romantic relationship was. This novella ends on a Happy For Now ending. I recommend this short story for readers who enjoy space opera with romantic elements. I would not necessarily categorize this story as a sci-fi romance. I do not plan to buy myself a keeper copy of this story, though I quite enjoyed it.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This was written before the current prison romance craze began and I think that this should set the standard for that trend. The author gives us two good people with difficult backgrounds meeting as warden and prisoner and learning to become friends.before bonding over lost cats. It is a sweet, slow burn, light weight frenemies to friends story that has me hanging on and cheering on the possibility of them becoming mates, rather than lovers.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Why oh why have I left it so long since last reading a Carol Van Natta book?
I’m a real book whore, I see a blurb, a cover, a particular authors name and my grabby little hands can’t get hold of it quickly enough. However this eclectic and unfocused method sometimes means good authors, really really good authors, get ignored and left by the wayside. This is what has happened for me with Carol Van Natta .
From the first line I was hooked, I fell in love with both main characters (as well as two very ‘superior’ characters) and enjoyed every single moment of the book. The writing flows so smoothly, whilst acronyms and specialist knowledge are explained seamlessly within the plot, making this east to read as a stand alone book.
Kedron and Ferra were incredibly well written, very easy to warm to and so believable with their secrets and their idiosyncrasies. The world building was amazing, it was so easy to picture both the facility and the planet that most of the story was set on. There is so much story that it’s hard to believe this is a novella, and my only wish is that it was longer.
I would have loved more of Kedron, Ferra, Novo and Boz but if I can’t have that then I’ll just have to make do with reading the rest of the Central Galactic Concordance books, because I’m definitely hooked on them now.
Cats Of War is story about wonderful mind speaking cats that have been bred as instruments of war. It’s an exciting book that grabs your interest right at the start and never lets it go. This is an original story that keeps the reader captivated. Besides having an intriguing plot with fascinating cats, the main characters are likable, colorful, and complex. Cats Of War is storytelling at its best, a novella that young and old alike will enjoy. Carol Van Natta is an award-winning author with an engaging writing style. If you haven’t read her work before, you will be surprised and delighted.
I am in love with the series, the author’s style and elaborate futuristic space world, and the intrigue she loads in to surround a slow-burn sweet romance.
Cats of War is part of an ongoing series of standalone stories. It will feel connected to a series and there will be a bit a catch-up time needed to understand the worldbuilding structure of military-style government and the psychic talents fitting in.
It’s a whole new setting in a low-max prison for people who got into trouble financially to the government for various reasons and must work off their debt. The hero runs the military section of the facility and the heroine is one of the indenturees (debtors). They both have secrets and troubles of people after them, but they pull together for a common cause when two war cats end up in danger and need a rescue.
I’m eager for the next installment in the series.
I loved this story. The main two characters are lost souls learning to trust each other against a clock to solve a mystery and save some designer cats. It was entertaining t read and loved the cats. The story just draws you in and kept me reading to the end just to see how they save the cats. Not a major saving the planet kind of story but it never tried to be. Instead a light quickly read fun story that made me laugh.