GRR Reviews The Dancing Bride (Central City Brides Bo by Cynthia Woolf

The Dancing Bride by Cynthia Woolf is definitely a step above the typical mail order bride historical romances, with a man tired of violence and a woman fleeing from danger. While the trope is pretty simple, the new wrinkles are interesting.

Rita Baxter wanted to be a ballerina, and she got the education for it. But when her mother died, she had to turn to burlesque dancing a living. When she witnessed a murder in New York and the police cannot keep her safe, she decided to marry herself out West to Colorado to escape the Irish gang enforcer after her. She did not expect to find Jackson Colton, a haunted but rich man, who did not want a woman to marry him only for his money. He was haunted by the loss of his family, and he did not expect to love again, but Rita made him wonder. When the New York killer arrived in town and cannot be persuaded to abandon his quest, Jackson had no choice but to call out his old friends... and dust off his old skills to protect his wife... and his unborn child...

The "civilized" way they asked the killer to leave was what made this book special as it's very unusual. The part about how Rita and Jackson fell for each other is pretty good. It's not instant, it's slow, and it's fun to see them dance toward each other (figuratively). An enjoyable tale.

Category: Historical Western

Primary Plot: Woman fleeing danger from the East married herself out west to a sullen man who will protect her by calling upon his old skills

Tropes: mail order bride, protector, woman in peril

Overall Rating:  4/5