Unforunately, this book is just over the top sci fi for what I normally read. From the cover and the blurb, the book read to be more paranormal/urban fantasy than what it really was.

I really liked Bouchet's Kingmaker Chronicles and was so excited to see she was working on a new series set in space!

I have to say she has a knack for writing sexy heroes and some awesome slow burn. She also knows how to write a relatable, smart heroine who I liked from the start.

The story starts with a bang and keeps up the action and excitement throughout the novel. I enjoyed every moment and cannot wait to see what comes next.

This book is set to publish January 1, 2019! I received this ARC from SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca. All my opinions are my own.

Great book. Don't want to put it down. Amanda writes such amazing and competing characters. Loved this book

Nightchaser was nothing like I expected but more than I ever anticipated. I couldn't help but be swepted away by the world created by Bouchet. I am also pretty ecstatic that I found this new epic space fantasy at the beginning, because I know nothing is going to keep me away from the Endeavor series as they come out.

I received this ARC copy of Nightchaser from SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca. This is my honest and voluntary review. Nightchaser is set for publication Jan. 1, 2019.

My Rating: 5 stars
Written by: Amanda Bouchet
Series: Endeavor
Sequence In Series: Book 1
Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Publication Date: January 1, 2019
ISBN-10: 1492667137
ISBN-13: 978-1492667131
Genre: Paranormal Romance | Scifi

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Nightchaser-Am...
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I loved this novel! From the very first page this novel grabbed me and did not let go. I loved the chemistry between the characters.. I loved the world building that this author created. Once again this author did not disappoint. I loved the chemistry, the dialogue and the banter throughout the novel so good. I can't wait to see what is next in this series. This author's novels keep getting better and better.

Captain Tess Bailey is a space pirate. She and her crew steal from the rich and powerful to give to those who are in need. Her recent heist of a certain lab has the Dark Watch and The Overseer on her tail. In order to escape their clutches, Tess and her crew flee through the Black Widow, a black hole, that luckily spits them out safely and not much the worse for wear. Tess heads to the nearest planet for repairs to her ship and that is where she meets the beautiful, but arrogant, Shade Ganavanan.

Shade Ganavan is attracted to Tess from the minute he sees her coming in to his shop. He wants to get to know her and working on her ship is a good way to do it. Shade is convinced Tess is hiding something, but he is absolutely blown away when he discovers her secret. And when he learns the price on her head, it becomes clear Shade must soon make a choice, but what will it be? Turn Tess in and regain everything he's lost or take a chance on the woman he is falling for?

NIGHTCHASER by author Amanda Bouchet was not at all what I had expected, even from reading the book blurb. It was somehow so much more. NIGHTCHASER easily earned a 4.5 star rating! It was fast-paced and crammed full of action. I was hanging on the edge of my seat waiting to see what was going to happen. Every time I thought I had guessed something, I was in for an even bigger surprise. Tess is one tough cookie. Her crew is her family and she'd do anything for them. I really admired her fight. NIGHTCHASER is largely being compared to Star Wars, but it also reminded me a bit of Star Trek in ways too. Still, the characters and world-building are very different and unique. Fans of sci-fi will not want to miss this riveting new series, ENDEAVOR, by Ms. Bouchet. NIGHTCHASER, book one, is sure to blow readers away.

I requested a copy of this book on netgalley and was thrilled to get my hands on it.
The first in a series, one that I will definitely follow features strong female character, Tess and her motley crew. They find themselves on the run. Tess however has secrets, which make her invaluable to anyone who gets her hands on her. Her love interest Shade is another essential character and the story is often told from his viewpoint. Will he save her or betray her to her enemies forms the crux of the story.
I loved the book. I think the author painted Tess beautifully giving her a mix of innocence and bad-assness. The chemistry between Shade and Tess is fantastic too and it’s hard to not get caught up in their romance. While the book is part of a series, I loved that it can be read as a stand alone. All in all kudos to the author. A must read for fantasy and galactic romance lovers.

Somewhere far into the future people have abandoned earth and are spread across the universe. Tess Bailey is on the run with her small crew. They had stolen a lab that the government desperately wants returned. Tess and her motley group of friends had to make some desperately needed repairs to their ship after escaping the soldiers of the Dark Watch. She engaged the help of Shade Ganavan, and soon the two of them were more involved than they had anticipated. Tess is hiding some big secrets and Shade has difficult decisions to make.

I liked Tess and Shade a lot. I found them to be mature, but reserved. The conflict Shade experienced when he had to decide if he was going to capture Tess or not was presented well, and resolved in a great way. Both had great personality and charm and I was very invested in them and their relationship.

The book is written mostly in the first person from Tess’s perspective, and a few chapters show us the story from Shade’s point of view. As such, we only know what Tess knows and we also have to create our impressions about the other characters based on her feelings and knowledge. I have to admit here that I’m not always a huge fan of this. I like knowing the motivations and thoughts of the other characters as well, especially the evil antagonists.

This story is really engrossing and I had great fun reading it until I realized that I had gotten to the Epilogue. Needless to say, I was disappointed that that was the end of it. I’m really looking forward to reading more.

I would definitely recommend this book, and would love to read more about Tess and Shade.

I received a copy from Netgalley.

Starshine

I'm in love with the pet name Shade gives Tessa. Starshine. I have a feeling this name will be spot on when details about Tessa come to a head in future books.

I absolutely enjoyed my time reading Nightchaser. The romance was beautiful and the characters fit together perfectly. All the characters were fully developed with their own distinctive personalities.

Nightchaser started off with a bang. It did take a drop and slowed down quite a bit. Once over that hump, we were off and running! I was even yelling at my book "GO! GO! GO! GO!" and then the pages were flying!

I need the second book! GIMME! GIMME! GIMME!

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book, so I could give an honest review.

I wanted to wait to review this book until it's publication but I couldn't help myself, the description was too good. Good thing it didn't disappoint. One of my favorite genres is sci-romance. This one had it all: a kick ass heroine, space travel, a supportive, dynamic crew, a hot, charming hero and a bad villain out for blood (literally). I was drawn into the story from the beginning. Tess has stolen a lab filled with what she thought were vaccines to help the children from her orphanage fight a plague but instead found viles of her special blood. This discovery leads her to make reckless and necessary choices to survive and with that destiny leads her to Shane.
Shane is your typical, alpha-tough guy with lots of secrets but his cute charm and his protective nature towards Tess melted my heart. I'm glad he makes the right choice in the end.
I really enjoyed this book and can't wait till the second part comes out!
Thanks Sourcebook for providing this ARC through Netgalley for an honest review.

I have read, and loved, this author's other series so I was intrigued and excited to hear about 'Nightchaser' . I'm really fascinated about Space in general and I enjoy reading what other people think there is beyond the stars.

In 'Nightchaser' humans have long ago left Earth behind and conquered other planets and galaxies. We don't get many details about how and why they left, but maybe that's not so important to the story or we'll get more in the next books.

Apparently, in their journey through the stars humans did not encounter other intelligent life forms because there are no aliens in this book. A little disappointed about that because I strongly believe that we are not alone in the Universe.Oh, well.

The main character of the story, Tessa, was interesting. I liked her. She had a rough life that made her stronger and cynical, but she also had her moment of vulnerability.

The romantic interest, Shade, was also my favorite character. Brave, funny and flawed, he wasn't perfect, but that made me like him even more.

The world Amanda Bouchet created is amazing and intriguing, showing us that no matter how advanced and evolved humans get, there will always be corruption and greed, but there will also me hope and love to even the scales.

I totally recommend this book to everyone that is in the mood for a story about the mystery of Space that has action, laugh out loud moments, a tyrannical overlord, angst and an adorable love story.

Nightchaser, Amanda Bouchet

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: Romance, Sci-fi and fantasy

Well, my bad. I so loved Amanda's Kingmaker trilogy and saw this was another fantasy read that I made a huge error and didn't read description :-( and its a Space orientated novel, something I perhaps could have guessed from the MC's Captain title, though not necessarily. Sadly space fiction isn't my thing but I struggled through this.

Its very well written, as with Kingmaker, same solid characters, exciting incidents, and of course its got that world is unfair and only MC can put it right feel. Tess is more proactive about that than Cat in the Kingmaker novels, Tess is actively working against the current government aiding those in need, even though she's classed as a criminal. Cat is just trying to get through life without being discovered. For both though life is hard and whatever action they take is fraught with danger.

It follows a pretty standard format of suspense, action, danger and introducing new characters who become part of the main group. That's all well set out, felt very real and had some interesting moments. I liked Tess and her crew, though would like to know more how they got where they are – later in series I guess. Big Guy, very ambiguous character that made me wonder what his story was and of course Shade, what were his motives, would everything fall back on him in the end. Of course looking at things from his viewpoint if very different from looking at issues from Tess view, where we have the advantage of seeing the overall picture.
There are people to root for and people to hate, but for me it was a hard slog, simply because its not a subject that interests me.

If space fiction was my bent I'd no doubt love this, but sadly it isn't. I was hoping maybe I was just prejudiced, all those years of being force fed Stars Wars but kids and husband had maybe prejudiced my taste, but it proved not to be. Shame as there's so many space fic novels I could read if only I enjoyed the genre.....

Stars:Three, fabulously written as was Kingmaker. Sadly for me the setting just isn't what I enjoy reading, one I just can't connect with.
ARC supplied by Netgalley and publisher

Fast paced, intriguing and sexy at the same time. Hold on to your hats because you're going for a wild ride. I couldn't put this one down as it drew me in from the beginning and kept me there.
I would definitely like to read more from Amanda.

Amanda Bouchet became one of my favorite writers with her Kingmaker Trilogy. She solidified that she knew how to write compelling characters and let them tell their stories in their time. And none of her characters are weak.

And she has solidified her place as one of my go-to authors to read when I'm in the mood for something I can't determine, because she will deliver on so many levels and I will be thoroughly entertained. She's earned her spot as one of my top favorites and automatic recommended writers.

This one pulled me in quick. Tess is the captain of her rag-tag group and they all respect her. I love that the crew is more of a family than anything. Even their additional 'passenger' is treated well and respects Tess. The author does a great job with showing the connections each of the crew members share.

Shade threw me for a bit. I understood parts of him but when it was revealed what he did, I was a bit surprised. The way he handled the whole thing had me swooning and cringing at the same time. The book had ups and downs, laughter and tears. I couldnt' put it down once I started and now I'm ready for more.

It was a 5/5 for me.



Thank you to the publisher for the review copy of this book (via netgalley). I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

I received an ARC of Nightchaser through NetGalley and I could not be happier about that because I LOVED this book so much!

Captain Tess Bailey is the Robin Hood of space, with a past that’s coming to haunt her. The novel opens with Tess and the crew of the Endeavor on the run after a particularly high value heist. After a death-defying escape the Endeavor is in bad shape and needs fixing up; enter ship mechanic Shade Ganavan, mechanic by day, bounty hunter by night and lusty-eyed flirt all of the damn time. Too bad Tess now has an astronomical bounty on her head...

Tess is brave and fearless but a little bit vulnerable. She trusts too easily because she’s starved for intimacy but holds herself back because she’s scared of the unknown. She feels so much but doesn’t really want to, which means she’s got this guard up and lives in her own thoughts, always trying to protect the people she loves from the truth of her past.

Shade is smart, sexy and desperate to rectify so many wrongs from his past. He’s kind of shady (I’m sure there’s a pun there somewhere?) and angry but kind and focused. His feelings for Tess put him in an impossible position and it was fun watching him trying to figure it all out... until it got kind of heartbreaking! I really liked seeing his goals change throughout the story. He goes from trying to put back together his life for the people he feels responsible for in his corner of the world to realising that there are much bigger things that need fixing and he could have an important part to play in making the universe a better place.

Amanda’s characters are always fully realised the moment they enter the story, that’s one of the things I love most about her books. I would have been quite happy to read an entire novel about Shade fixing Tess’s ship because the characters are so present and tangible! But, we got a really exciting, action-packed, romance-fuelled, sci-fi story too. The thing Amanda does so well is perfecting that balance between romance and [insert genre here], especially for readers who are here for both equally.
I really loved the worldbuilding too, sometimes I’m a little bit apprehensive about sci-fi because of the thingymajig-whatsits and the star systems and the bee-bop languages and too many aliens, but Amanda seamlessly works in the details of this world throughout the narrative, there are no confusing info-dumps with words and species that you need to memorise just so that you can understand whatever is going on 3 chapters later. It’s almost as if (with a few minor changes) Tess could have been the captain of a pirate ship in the 1700’s and it would have been just as believable and engaging. I love that this is accessible and crowd-pleasing sci-fi!

I can’t wait for the continuation of this story, I can’t wait to have the physical copy in my hands in January (have you seen that U.K. cover? omg!) and I can’t wait for whatever Amanda is cooking up next, because if she continues romancifying my fav genres then I’m 1000% on-board!

And if you needed more convincing, Nightchaser has a SpaceCats. You’re welcome.

I love this writer (her KingMaker Chronicles is amazing!) and she has a wonderful way with words, characters, etc. I didn't like this story as much, but the book was still really great. I loved the main character (Tess) and the supporting characters, but the setting just isn't my 'cup of tea' That said, would still highly recommend Nightchaser and any Bouchet book!

3.5 Stars!

Overall, I really enjoyed this one. I didn't love nor did I like everything about it but in the end, it was enjoyable and I think I'll definitely pick up the next one when it comes around. Here's a list of what I liked and didn't like about this book.

Likes:

I actually really liked the relationship between Tess and Jax. I felt like we were given some good insights into their meeting and their past and their reasons for being so close and trusting. It was also really nice to see a platonic male/female friendship. It was really like brother sister or father daughter than anything else and really gave us a chance to see Tess in a relationship that was based on something deeper than simply surviving. I wish we could have had more scenes with just the two of them because I liked their give and take and the way they trusted each other. I hope we'll get some more of them in the next book.

I really liked the action scenes. The book opens right in the middle of some action and it really pulled me into the book. I knew, of course, that they were going to survive because I was like 10% into the book and the MC never dies that early on so I wasn't too afraid for them but I was intrigued by what was happening, how it had started, why it was such a big deal, and what was going to happen to all of them. It was a great way to start the book. And ever action scene after that was just as interesting and exciting as the first. Some even had a lot more danger and tension in them as the book went on. I wish there had been more because these were the parts that really kept me interested and turning the pages.

Space. This sort of setting is always hit or miss for me and I'm not really sure why but sometimes it just really doesn't work. I think it can be the solitude and repetitiveness maybe and sometimes just the lack of development or real understanding of how the environment works for the characters. But in this one, I really liked it. There wasn't a ton of world-development but what we got was simple and that worked here for me. I hope that when the series continues, we'll get more explanations and descriptions of what really is out there and how it all works but for now, I really enjoyed space and the different sectors and settings and the cast of characters floating around out there with Tess. Because if you're going to do a space book, it really needs to have a rogue band of misfits.

Dislikes:

I really really wanted more development for the secondary characters. There was so much potential for all of them and I feel like they all really deserved a lot more attention than they got. Jax got the most and I still feel like I barely know him. They had almost no individual personalities and very few interactions with the MC. Especially once Shade got there. Then it was all about him. And even he seemed very one dimensional, which is crazy since he has some sketchy things in his past but we really don't get to know about anything except the loss of his family property. Everyone, except Tess, could have used a lot more character development. It would have really helped if we could have gotten some time with them rather than just Tess telling us how she met them or what she thought of them. Maybe the next book will teach us more...?

Shade is the only other character who gets their own POV but it comes in third person when most of the book is told from Tess' first person narrative. It was very jarring to switch back and forth between the two, especially when it was done in the middle of a chapter. I'm all for telling the story how the author wants but if they can't get a voice for one of the characters right in first person, then maybe that person shouldn't get their own POV. I think it was to give us a chance to see his internal struggle with this big decision he needs to make and get him some sympathy points but that just made it extremely repetitive and boring. I got pretty frustrated any time we switched to his POV because he was literally always talking about the same thing and we all knew what he was going to do anyway so why was it even there?

In general, I really like Tess as a character but I do have one thing that really annoyed me throughout the book. HOW IS SHE STILL ALIVE? It's really hard to consider both the fact that she's been living on the run for years and is the child of the most dangerous Overlord in the world and is also so trusting and reckless most of the time. She walks around for almost half of the book on a planet where there's a huge bounty on her head and barely bothers to even wear a hat. She trusts people she's just met. She leaves her ship unlocked? Nobody on her crew seems to have any idea about the reward for her? I'm not really sure how this system works but I feel like if you're on the run and trying to hide, you try to be a little quieter and a little more plugged into the systems you're trying to keep away from. But I don't know for sure. I just never seemed like she was all that good at being a rebel. More like a kid on the run but she's twenty something? I think this is sort of the beginning of the big rebellion and she isn't a leader or anything within that system and most people think she's dead so I'm really hoping to some growth and better decision making skills and less naivete with the next book. I think it could make a really interesting inner dialogue and conflict. But time will tell on that one. For now I just wish she didn't seem to always get out of situations because of other people saving her or sheer luck.

Everything from about 10%-60% was super boring and focused only on the attraction between Tess and Shade and fixing the ship. That's it. I almost gave up during this point and I'm glad I didn't because the rest was really exciting but I really struggled during these parts. And I love romance and chemistry and tension in books and that's what this should have been. But even so, it was boring and that's not great.

But like I said in the beginning, I actually really enjoyed this one. With the idea that the next book will continue to develop the world and the characters, I think this could turn into a really great series. If you don't like romance in your sci-fi/fantasy books, this one isn't for you. If you need lots of answers and really well developed worlds and a non-generic love interest, this might not satisfy you completely. If you're willing to overlook some things and like some romance and drama in your books, you should try this out. If you like sci-fi books set in space and books with all-powerful leaders and underground rebellions and family secrets, this one might be for you, too. I enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to the next installment!

This is my first book to read by Amanda Bouchet and overall I have to say I enjoyed it. From the beginning, it just jumped right in with some action and drama. It was intense, intriguing, and mysterious. There were secrets that I tried to puzzle through and reveal. Yes, some were obvious, some weren't. I really enjoyed that is was written with dual POVs. There were more Tess chapters, but there were still the occasional Shade chapters, and I always love seeing inside both characters' head. The only thing that I felt "wrong" was that after the initial action happened, the story just sort of slowed down and dragged on. Quite a bit of stuff happened, and I understand that with a new book in a new series it takes some time to world build for the reader. So, I didn't rate it too harshly since I did enjoy the story.

I really liked Tess's character. She was strong, smart, caring, compassionate, loyal, devoted, respectful, and well respected by others. I do like a good strong female lead.

Shade was gruff, sweet, caring, loyal, and protective. I REALLY like when the lead male gets all alpha and protective of what's his. LOL

All in all, this was a interesting and good read. I'll definitely be continuing the series! Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. This is my honest review.

Being a well-conditioned Star Wars fan, having a ragtag bunch of misfits playing Robin Hood, with its leader as the ultimate rebel sounds exactly like the sort of rogue space adventure I will always want to read. ‘Nightchaser’ is so different from Amanda Bouchet’s Kingmaker Chronicles (which I admittedly did struggle with) with the promise of the swashbuckling adventure of space pirates, rogue traders and a large, sort-of evil empire—all with the shades of the much-beloved Star Wars universe that I inhabit—that it was compelling enough to get into: not too epic at the start that I was left lost and wandering in an asteroid field of complex world-building but with just enough futuristic technological details so that I was eased into Bouchet’s own brand of galactic adventure before the heavy stuff comes in.

Tess Bailey isn’t who she seems and her story gradually unfurls after a rollicking start, though a little more slowly by the time she encounters Shade Ganavan who in turn, is both enthralled and caught in a moral dilemma where she’s concerned. Bouchet juggles both Tess’s and Shade’s backstories quite well, buoyed by a strong and loyal supporting cast of characters who make up a crew of escaped convicts—all of whose pasts aren’t exactly fleshed out. By the time this instalment ends however, there’re more questions than answers, with things left very much unfinished.

What I find particularly jarring is the use of the first-person POV for Tess, which then moves onto the third-person for Shade, so much so that it feels like the former’s voice is coming straight out of a New Adult Fantasy novel versus the more distant yet crafted/sophisticated narrative voice of the author via Shade. My preference is firmly for the latter and even as I read on, I never quite got used to these switches, as infrequent as they may be.

Still, this is a read that’s not too heavy-going—I found myself putting it down more than I though I would nonetheless—and it’s not hard to get through, even if Bouchet does insert some of the socio-political themes that history cycles though time and again. The sage words of wisdom that several characters dole out are ultimately, variations on the typical but popular moral questions that syfy always posits, or at least, they provide a meta commentary that jumps out from the pages when this happens.

In all, ’Nightchaser’ is a decent read, even if my lingering sense of frustration from an incomplete narrative arc is going to stay for a while longer yet.