The action-packed ending made up for a lag at the middle of the story that seemed to be there to get the romantic plot set. I didn't really click with the characters in this one, but the ending - the last 1/3 of the book - pulled all the pieces together well. I'd try book two since the characters are now established and maybe the action will be sustained throughout.

This book was such an amazing read! I loved Amanda Bouchet's first trilogy, and I was really excited to read this book. And yeah, it was totally deserved, because this book was just so fantastic and enjoyable! I loved reading it!

First off, this world is so interesting! I mean, there have been other stories with a big bad conquering the known universe, I can think of a few off the top of my head. But between the personal stakes and the science and everything, just brings everything to full colour!

Tess and Shade both have secrets, and they both don't want whatever is springing to life between them, because it complicates both of their lives. We knew most of their secrets, but some of them, we learned them alongside whoever it was kept from. Which made for some interesting reading!

That ending, oh, yeah, so much happened, and I had to read parts over because I couldn't believe that they had happened, like, I had to have missed something! It couldn't be happening like that! But it was, and yeah, I just need the next book, stat!

This book was so fantastic, and I can't wait for the next one!

NIGHTCHASER is a fun sci-fi romance that reminded me of the FIREFLY tv series with a rag-tag crew of rebels - except this story has a female as the lead. It's the classic rebels battling against a totalitarian space regime story and its a good story! You are immediately thrown into the plot at a frenetic pace as you would when the main character's ship is being attacked due to the stolen super-soldier serum on board. While I enjoy a slower introduction to a story there is something to be said for the excitement and utter "what is even going on?" effect that makes you push through various sci-fi ship battle terminology because there's something about the plot and/or the main character that just intrigues you enough to keep going.

I liked learning more about Tess and following her journey to discover more of her history and boy are there some major revelations for her! She is "special" but not in a "chosen one" sort of way that has been over done. She struggles, get beaten down but gets back up again and figures her stuff out in a unique way. She's your classic tough, loveable rogue though she did read a bit young at times which was confusing. If you are looking for a romance in all of the lovely plot and super soldier serum drama, you're in luck. Tess and Shade have a quick chemistry and they work well together. They have a sort of push and pull relationship and since this is a romance you pretty much know that they eventually make up but the journey is bumpy and fun.

NIGHTCHASER is a high stakes, fast paced romantic sci-fi story that was really fun to read. This is book 1 of a trilogy so the ending didn't really end so to speak which is great as it hooks you in to get the next book...coming out next year.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Sarah – ☆☆☆
I feel like I should have enjoyed this book more than I did. I’m a huge Star Wars fan and most of the world building in this story is borrowed directly from the Star Wars franchise. Which is probably the problem. Too much of this book feels borrowed and I’m not sure there’s enough character development to carry the story.

This is a new author for me and the book has been marketed as the first in a series. However. I felt like I’d joined a series at book five or six. Tess and Shade’s back stories are recounted at lightspeed and if I wasn’t a Star Wars fan there’s no way I would have been able to visualise the places and events thrown into the story without much description or world building.

Tess has the potential to be a fabulous heroine but she still feels like a rough sketch of a character by the end of the book. Tess’ crew also had the potential to be fabulous, but we really only see them a few times. Big Guy is a nameless question mark until the very end and the love at first sight story line made me like Tess a little bit less.

Shade is an interesting character. Somehow, he manages to alternate narration with Tess while remaining a complete enigma. I’m not sure I like him and I’m not sure I’m supposed to like him. I don’t have any strong feelings about him, but I think Tess would have been more interesting on her own.

I didn’t love this story and reading it felt a bit too much like hard work. I still think there is potential for Tess to become a fantastic character and I hope she comes into herself in future books.


Erica – ☆☆☆☆
4.5 Stars

Nightchaser is the first installment of the Endeavor series, with the Endeavor being the stolen spacecraft the heroine captains alongside her crew of fellow convicts.

I wished I hadn't been so busy while trying to read this novel, forced to put it down when I wanted to continue reading. Had I read it from beginning to end, without being able to slowly digest portions, while doing those pesky tasks I didn't want to be doing, I would have read with feverish delight and given a quick five-star rating without thought.

Tess is a criminal, a Robin Hood in the Dark (outer space). In a mix of dystopian and science fiction, Tess and her crew of fellow convicts steal from the rich and give to the poor. Her latest theft features something far more valuable than she realized, connecting back to her own childhood. Not to mention the fact that a human being comes along with the stolen goods.

In a relatively small cast of characters, it was easy to follow along on this thrilling, action-packed adventuring novel set in a science fiction locale with dystopian themes. Tess is on a mission to help those oppressed, the oppressor someone close to her.

In walks Shade, a governmental bounty hunter, and with him brings the steam and the romance, proving Tess is innocent in one regard. This portion was pure, yummy deliciousness, as it organically flowed with a forbidden air of will they-won't they. Will he, won't he turn Tess in?

My only issue, which is what I mulled over while doing those menial tasks when I wished to be reading... the emotions were partially placed to the wayside in favor of the action and suspense. While I thoroughly appreciated the wicked fast pacing, many important emotions were only a blip or not shown or told at all.

I wanted a bit more in the world-building, but what details were given were easy to digest and intriguing. I'm sure this is a case where the world-building grows as the series does, along with the hero and heroine.

The most emotion Tess showed/felt were for her newly acquired feline, which as a pet-lover, I approve. Kitties are important and should be treated as the demigods they believe themselves to be.

Highly recommend to fans of the author, as well as those who enjoy the dystopian genre. I'm hesitant to recommend to hardcore fans of science fiction, as I believe the premise of overthrowing an oppressive government is more dystopian in nature, only featuring a science-fiction-esque environment. This isn't a negative, just that some expecting sci-fi fans may not get what they expect.


Jordan – ☆☆☆
I read Amanda Bouchet’s series The Kingmaker Chronicles, which I completed loved. Naturally, when I saw her new series, Endeavor, appear I couldn’t wait to see what Bouchet was up to; however, I just could not get sucked into this story. I wanted so badly to love Nightchaser, book one in the Endeavor series, but I found myself feeling like I was constantly missing part of the back story. Honestly, I kinda had high hopes for this series and I felt like I spent the majority of the book waiting for something to really spark my interest. Tess, the main character was a strong female lead and I was intrigued by Shade, her love interest, but it wasn’t intriguing enough to hold my attention. I normally really enjoy science fiction, however, this one just didn’t quite do it for me. The whole story seemed kind of drawn out.

Did I love it? Not particularly, but I also didn’t hate it either. However, I don’t intend to add the next book in the Endeavor series to my TBR pile either.

Short Summary: Tess Bailey and her crew are like Robin Hood and his merry men, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor, but after stealing something of enormous value, they’re all running for their lives from The Galactic Overseer.

Thoughts: Sometimes you read a book and get so wrapped in how entertaining it is that you forget to view it through a critical lens, and that’s okay because while this one had its flaws (lack of clear worldbuilding) it was still fun and thrilling and the romance was steamy good.

Verdict: Nightchaser had some key foundational pieces missing in the worldbuilding but there was enough of a story there to be redeemable and some lost ground can be made up for in the follow-up installment that I’ll be eagerly awaiting.

I received this book free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I wanted to love this book so much but unfortunately it did not meet my expectations.

I'm a huge fan of this author's debut series so when I heard she was writing a new series and it was in space I was ecstatic. But unfortunately everything about this book fell flat to me: the characters, the romance, the world. Reading this book felt like pulling teeth from almost the very start and even though I kept trying to like this book, I just couldn't.

Even though this book was a dud for me, I'm looking forward to see what new books Amanda Bouchet writes in the future!

Loved it. Would recommend!

One of my goals this year is to read more sci-fi books and to give 5 stars only if I truly loved the book and would probably reread it in the future.

Nightchaser is definitively a 5 stars book for me. After starting a few Arcs that put me a bit in a slump because I don't really enjoy them or because they're slow and it's taking me awhile to get through them (the gilded wolves, once upon a river, pulp), I was pleasantly surprised to see that it's not the case with Nightchaser. This book is fast paced and action packed with interesting characters.

At first I didn't know anything about this book except that it took place in space. As soon as I started it I was hooked to the story and its main characters. That didn't change and now that I finished it I can't wait for the next one! I'm so excited.

All of this to say : please give Nightchaser a chance especially if you want to try and read more sci-fi.

Also, me loving this book wasn't really a surprise since I enjoyed her other series so much. I still need to reread the first two books to get to the 3rd though! :D

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ out of 5
Holy Sky Mother where has this book been all my life?! I am absolutely gobsmacked by its amazingness. This was the sci fi book I never knew I needed and yet never wanted to end. Thank you AB for creating this frickin masterpiece.
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Our heroine is rebel who has just stolen a top secret lab (and everything in it) from the Overlord (pretty much in charge of everything in space- think hectic dictator).
She escapes capture (just) and pulls into a nearby planet for repairs on her ship and finds our very sexy hero to help with repairs. Unbeknown to her there is a massive bounty on her head so nowhere in the galaxy is safe.
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I loved the heroine with her strength and yet vulnerability at the same time. She never complains but gets on with what needs to be done. Being Book 1 in a new series there was a lot of world building that needed to be done but it was executed flawlessly and didn’t feel too overdone. Pacing was also incredible and had the perfect amount of action and yet also time for romance. I normally hate series about the same couple and yet I cannot wait for MORE!

Its been awhile since I've read a sci-fi book, and this is my first Amanda Bouchet book! I look forward to reading her kingmaker series, which is already on my shelf!

Nightchaser is well written, love the characters and a lot of action is packed in this book. I can't wait for the next one.

I haven't read much sci-fi romance, but I definitely need to add more into the queue, especially when written by one of my favs, Amanda Bouchet. Nightchaser was a new and refreshing romantic adventure through space, galaxies and black holes. I can't wait for the next installment.

Our heroine is Tess Bailey (which I'm sure is a nod to another favorite romance author). Tess is a human(ish) badass space pirate of the Robin Hood variety... stealing from the corrupt rulers to provide for those less fortunate, and even resistant to the government. She's also the galaxy's most wanted, pursued far and wide by bounty hunters and government officials alike... and with the current bounty on her head, she isn't going to be able to hide for long. Tess was a good heroine. I liked the who and why of her being pursued, and I liked that she was kickass and capable.

I wasn't sure who our hero was going to be at first, and thought it was going to be "Big Guy" from the pilfered lab. But when we met Shade Ganavan, the chemistry between he and Tess was fairly instant. Shade Ganavan was also an excellent hero... a sexy alpha who had a sad story, and was a big softie when it came to our heroine. I am really looking forward to seeing how these two work together in the future (both in and out of the bedroom)!

I'm excited that Amanda Bouchet is showing talent in another genre. Her fantasy Kingmaker Chronicles was one of my favorite series last year, and I'm stoked that we can look forward to a variety of offerings from this new(ish) author. She is definitely going on my auto-buy list.

This was a fast moving action packed story. Your drawn in by the array of characters and their fight for less fortunate. They themselves don't have much but they still risk their lives to help others. With all the twist and turns I don't want to give any spoilers. But the main character being a woman is also what makes this so much fun.

Nightchaser is book one in a brand new series, Endeavor, by Amanda Bouchet. It’s got heartache, betrayal, secrets, lose, action, and so much more.

I had a delightful time reading Bouchet’s Fantasy trilogy The Kingmaker Chronicles and was excited to read her new Sci-Fi Romance.

Tess Bailey is a women on the run and everyone is out kill her. At the begging Tess is strong and decisive on her decisions, but then Shade comes into the picture and she seams to loss something. I was disappointed in this, but hopeful she will grow. She hasn’t had an easy life and it won’t be getting any easier. I will say I was shocked on the reveal of who she is and the thing about her blood is interesting. I’m curious to learn more on that aspect. As for Shade, the love interest, I liked him enough. I could understand his dilemma, it felt like something we all could go through, thou I think he should have told her what was what sooner. Both Tess and Shade have some flaws.

I will say I very much enjoyed the secondary characters. I really liked Tess’s intersection with them and that they support her. The other character I found fascinating was this strange guy Tess and her crew find on the science station they stole. We only see him a little at the beginning and then again near the end. He’s a mystery and I like mysteries.

The world-building is easy to understand. Their aren’t any unnecessary details, and the information we do get is spread out nicely. The author did a nice job in giving us snippets of Tess’s past. I liked what we got, when we got it, and that it’s not overwhelming.

I had a delightful time reading Nighchaser. I will say that some of it felt like filler. The begging and end where outstanding, both in capturing the readers attention. The romance I’m not so on board with. It was way to fast and felt more like attraction, desire, and sex then falling in love. Their are still more books so, maybe we will see growth in that area and in some of the characters. The action, mystery, and politics kept my attention. I could have done with out the fast romance.

Nightchaser is full of action and political intrigue. This is only the begging.

Rated: 4 Stars

*Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy provided by Sourcebooks Casablanca via NetGalley with the sole purpose of an honest review. All thoughts, comments and ratings are my own.

This is Book #1 of an anticipated three-book series. If this series is anything like Amanda Bouchet's Kingmaker Chronicles series, I am super excited! As for NIGHTCHASER, this was an awesome start!

I was provided an ARC through NetGalley but didn't have a chance to read it until after the holidays and by that time the book had already been released. I made the mistake of beginning to read this book in the evening. Once I started, I couldn't sleep and I really regretted not reading this book sooner. When I had to go run errands the next morning, I dreaded the thought of not being able to sit and read to find out what happens next. The storyline was so exciting! So I purchased the Audible version of the book. Seriously. Even though I had a free copy of the book, I still purchased the Audible copy. And I'm so glad I did. I listened to the rest of the book while I drove! Great narration!

Such awesome characters! And the romance was hot! Tess is a strong, determined lady with a soft side for children and kitty's. Her crew, Big Guy and Shade were all terrific. But who are the good guys and who are the bad guys? You'll have to read this book to find out because I'm not giving away any spoilers!

Loved it! Highly recommend for Sci-Fi Romance fans!

"Spoiler free review*I loved Amanda Bouchet's previous series, The Kingmaker series and added this author to my must read list. I was expecting to not like this as much as the Kingmaker series, but to my surprise and delight, the array of characters quickly caught my attention and captivated me. This book is equal parts Star Trek and Killjoys all rolled into one complicated spaceship! I cannot wait to see where Bouchet goes with this series and look forward to boarding the Endeavor once more!

For me, Nightchaser was a Sci-Fi novel that gave me everything I look for in an Urban Fantasy book.... but in space.
Tess is a kick butt heroine on the cusp on becoming bigger and more valuable to the rebel alliance which gives you a little bit of a Hunger Games feel since Tess plays a role much like Katniss.
That said, Tess has a few skeletons in her closet that play important roles in how she proceeds and develops throughout the book as our heroine and how she interacts with our hero, Shade. Btw, Shade is pretty fantastic!
The book starts off with a bang and will leave you at the edge of your seat from the very beginning.
Fans of Rachel Aaron's Paradox series or lovers of Sarah J Maas' will swoon for this novel and I for one cannot wait for its sequel.

THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD. I’m super excited about this new series from Amanda Bouchet. Maybe even more excited than I was about her Kingmaker Chronicles and that’s saying something.

Nightchaser introduces readers to Tess Bailey, the tough as nails captain of the Endeavor. We drop in right as she and her crew of space pirates are escaping the clutches of the Overseer and his galactic warlords. Thinking she’s stealing vaccines, Tess soon realizes that what’s in the lab that is sealed to the side of her ship is something the Overseer will do anything to get back.

After barely escaping and with just enough power to make on to an out of the way planet, Tess finds and hires Shade Ganavan to repair her badly damaged ship. There is something about him that she likes and she gradually starts to trust him, even as Shade hides his true motives. They have chemistry and an undeniable attraction that keeps bringing them together. But Shade has to decide what he wants more… the inheritance he’s been trying to buy back for years or Tess.

This was such a wild ride. I kind of forgot that Ms. Bouchet’s newest release was to be a science fiction romance, so when I sat down to read and was dropped right into the middle of an action scene it got my adrenalin pumping and I was immediately all in. Tess has this amazing backstory that the author doesn’t tease readers with too long, she kind of just puts it out there right away and then lets the details kind of unfold throughout the story.

I read A LOT of science fiction, so at times the worldbuilding can feel redundant, but Nightchaser felt fresh and different. Maybe it was the hints about the backgrounds of Tess and her crew members, who are also her closest friends and found family. The worldbuilding was well developed, but still feels like it could expand so much more.

The romance between Tess and Shade takes awhile to get there, but when it does… YUMMY. Their chemistry shines from the moment they meet and I loved that the author took awhile to build it up so that I was more than ready by the time they finally fell into bed.

My only complaint is that the next book in the series doesn’t come out until next year. I can’t wait.
Final grade- B+

Nightchaser wasn’t really the space adventure I was looking for, but it was a good romance and set us up for further stories. It doesn’t end on a cliffhanger, but it does end at the start of what I presume will be the big adventure.

I chose Nightchaser because I thought a space adventure would be fun. I expected the Endeavor to be on the scale of Star Trek or at least Voyager and was looking forward to a Captain Janeway level captain taking us out into a Star Wars/Star Trek mergered fight against the dark forces story. Ummm…not so much.

That it not to say the story was bad, it was just less…intergalactic or adventurous than I anticipated. Tess Bailey, who was more the captain by default as she was best at making decisions, runs the crew of five individuals. All of whom are human. They all were lucky to escape from a hell-hole prison and abscond with the Endeavor. Since then they have aided the rebellion where they could stealing from the space dictator and providing food or medicine where it is needed most.

The Endeavor tripped across a tiny space lab which was in the middle of nowhere and vacuum-sealed it to their little ship before they were confronted by one of the high commanders of the space dictator’s fleet. They jumped into a black hole, choosing to die rather than return to the prison and take the space lab with them. The black hole turned out to be more of worm hole than certain death and Tess and crew survived but the ship was damaged and they need to land for repairs. That is where the crew meets Shade Ganavan.

Most of the story takes place on the planet with Shade and Tess doing the mating dance. See not only is Shade an awesome mechanic, but he is a sometimes bounty hunter and he knows that Tess is worth a king’s ransom to the space dictator, twice if he can return whatever she stole. So kudos to Shade for hesitating on the strong attraction between himself and Tess because he isn’t so much of a jerk that he would sleep with her and turn her in for the fortune. So there is a lot of attraction and flirting, and a good deal of confusion on Tess’s part when Shade runs hot and cold on her.

We do learn a lot of background about Tess and her crew while we wait for things to happen but mostly it is the romance between Shade and Tess (and whether or not there will be any) which takes center stage.

I liked some of the simple things that are noted in the story, which no one usually bothers with in the big adventure, such as how pale the crew was since they spend so much time in the darkness of space. There is the novelty of seeing animals and how Tess isn’t certain at first if the cats she sees are dangerous or not, also how the crew is fascinated by the cat she brings back to the ship and how animals react to space travel. Her crew consists of an elderly lady who is blind and a woman who lost a hand when she cut it off to escape her chains as a sex slave. There was no magic replacements (or no money for magical replacements) and they had to do their space-jobs despite their handicaps. I also liked that they needed to get chunks of their ship repaired as the space tyrant literally blew holes in it. Tess had to go shopping for new everything since her room lost its outside wall and all her clothes and sheets, and everything not barred or bolted down get sucked into space. They also have to schedule their showers since water use is limited and Shade gets quite the shock over the four minute ice cold shower he shares with Tess. It was not the sexy, foreplay he anticipated. Even magical wand healing is expensive and Tess has to make due at one point with old-fashioned stitches. It had a lot of little details added in which big space adventures glance over.

There is a lot of set up and introduction of the main characters and some of the secondary yet still important characters as well. Now that we have dealt with the romance, and of course, end up bringing Shade into the crew (shocking, right? It’s a romance.) I am going to look for the next book and see if the space adventure gets beefed up as part of the next story.

It's been quite some time since I've read a space-themed romance. To be honest, its been Sherrilyn Kenyon or Gena Showalter universes that have held my interest. But I;m so glad I took a chance on Amanda Bouchet's new series with Nightchaser. Not only does it remind me of Robin Hood but for an other nerds out there, it reminds me a lot of Serenity/firefly. Space pirates out there, somewhat reluctantly seeking justice and righteousness for those less fortunate. Tess and her crew are welcome among those groups but her tale comes with a side order or espionage.

Not only does Tess take risks, she's not afraid to face authority. But when it comes down to revealing her #1 secret, Tess has to reveal her true identity in order for them to make an almost kamikaze choice. But when the risk pays off and spits her into a new Sector of space, her refuge leads her to one charming rogue by the name of Shade. He knows the planet like no one else and their attraction sparks immediately. But before Tess can escape to the reaches of space again with her crew, Shade has to help her repair her ship. With close calls of the Overseer's (our villain) goons; Shade poses a danger Tess has no idea about. He may be a rogue, but her picture has landed in his lap as the largest bounty he's ever been given to collect. Enough for him to repair the past he's been chasing for years.

I would almost categorize this is an action/suspense romance because while Tess and her crew may be avoiding capture, it's a slow paced evasion. Their essentially hiding out on a planet which has it's own dangers. Tess and her crew face them every day before their week of repairs are up. Meanwhile Shade is falling for Tess while trying to decide if her bounty is worth sacrificing a woman he's connected with for the first time in a long time. A new battle in space determines their fate and I'm excited to see where Tess, Shade, and her crew go!

Amanda Bouchet's Nightchaser is a great addition to the sic-fi romance genre. Her writing and characters, specifically her heroine Tess reminds me of the great Linnea Sinclair who made sci fi romance her own. If you're a fan of Sinclair, you must read this first book in what I assume will be a series. The story building and imagination from Amanda to create this universe and the characters involved is deep and intense, and oh so realistic when it comes to space travel.

Tess's backstory is riveting and she reminds me of a DC or Marvel superhero. She may or may not have super powers, but what those super powers involve isn't flying in the air or invisibility. It's her makeup that allows her to save those sick and dying, and mainly children. Tess has a great support system with her intergalactic crew, but she is also shown as alone. But Tess won't be alone for long because that is where Slade enters the picture. Slade is a mystery who is not really solved until the very end, and even then you'll have questions about him that will move to the next book. Is her a bounty hunter, a criminal or a man just trying to survive like Tess because so much was taken away from him. The way he and Tess bond is a slow build up but oh so swoony from Slade helping Tess get a cat to finding books. Plus he won't betray her even though he can. Also the sex between them is hot. Amanda sure can write great love scenes.

The only downside is the book goes on a little too long to establish Tess and Slade's relationship. If you don't mind that, then Nightchaser will work for you and will want feed your appetite for more sci-fi romance.

Nightchaser reminds me of so many skiffy (science fictional) things that it’s hard to pick one. Or even two or three.

Particularly in the beginning, there’s a whole lot of Firefly. Not so much that you need to be familiar with the show to get the book, not at all. The characters and the setting of Nightchaser are most definitely capable of standing on their own.

However, if you do have fond memories of Firefly, the beginning of the story has a lot of similar elements. Or to put it another way, if Captain Mal Reynolds and River Tam were one slightly crazed and depressed person you’d end up with someone a lot like Tess Bailey. The big difference is that Tess’ highly sought-after anomalies are physical rather than mental. And not that Tess isn’t a bit mental, but in her case that’s the effect and not the cause of her troubles.

We meet Tess and the crew of her cargo ship Endeavor as they are on the run from the forces of the tyrannical and repressive Galactic Overlord, in the person of her uncle Bridgebane. He’s hunting Tess because her father, the aforementioned Galactic Overlord, wants her back so he can turn her back into a lab rat. There’s something “different” about Tess and he wants it studied, used and abused.

Tess has just stolen a secret lab filled with samples of her own blood, mutated into serum intended to create supersoldiers, along with one of the supersoldiers. Daddy Dearest wants the lab – and Tess – back.

Tess and her crew pilot their ship into a black hole, intending to escape or die trying.

The first happens immediately – to everyone’s surprise. The second, unfortunately, nearly happens later.

But first, the Endeavor has to hole up on a planet – any planet – to repair the damage the Overseer’s battlecruisers have done to her. And that’s where fate, or at least romance, in the person of Shade Ganavan steps in.

Shade is a parts dealer with a whole lot of secrets and an unexpected yen for Tess Bailey. A situation that gets a whole lot more complicated when his secret life as a government bounty hunter lets him know that Tess is a prize worth enough to solve all the problems he’s been working on for ten years.

He just has to give up the best thing that’s ever happened to him to cash in. And he can’t manage to decide which he wants more – to buy back his family’s lost legacy – or Tess.

His indecision lasts one little bit too long – forcing him into an unplanned reveal, an unintended betrayal, and the loss of everything he ever wanted.

Because if Tess recovers, she’s not going to want him back. Not even if he brings back her cat.

Escape Rating A-: Nightchaser does remind me of Firefly – and a whole lot of other marvelous SF and SFR adventures. If you’ve read Ann Aguirre’s Grimspace series, or Nina Croft’s Blood Hunter/Dark Desires series, or Linnea Sinclair’s Dock Five Universe, you’ll find pieces of all of them in Nightchaser. Along with a bit of the rebels vs. the evil empire that is such an integral part of Star Wars.

But those are all terrific antecedents, so anything that’s made of parts of them starts at a pretty awesome place.

A big part of this story is the setting up of the SFnal universe in which this series takes place. We kind of jump right into the action, with the crew of the Endeavor on the run, and then Tess making her dramatic speech and big reveal just before they leap to what seems like certain death – only to discover that it isn’t.

After that we get a slightly more leisurely introduction to this universe, as they dock at planet Albion 5 for repairs. Not only do we meet our hero Shade, but through Tess’ eyes we see how not just this planet but this universe actually works. We get onboard with the tyranny of the Overseer, and through Tess’ interactions with people other than Shade we learn just how awful things are, and not just why Tess is part of the rebellion but why there needs to be a rebellion in the first place.

Tess’ interactions with the bookstore owner make the problems both intimate and universal at the same time. Imagination is illegal, books are censored, and bookstores are fined and hassled at every turn. And yet, the woman can’t stop trying.

And she gives Tess a cat! Bonk provides many of the necessary bits of both sweet and comic relief – even as he takes off on an unexpected adventure of his own.

But this is also a romance between two very broken people. Tess and Shade are strong and brittle, broken in so many ways that run deeper than the way that the Overseer and his “Brownshirts” make sure that everyone is to too broken down to resist. Neither of them trusts easily, and when Shane betrays Tess’ trust our hearts break with her.

That they live to fight another day – even after all the secrets seem to be revealed and all the depths appear to be plumbed – is bittersweet. The cost to win this undeclared war is going to be very high – and Tess will be at the center of paying it.