Title: Nightchaser

Publisher: Sourcebooks

Author: Amanda Bouchet*

Pages: 416pp

Price: $7.99 (paperback and ebook)

Humanity has spread across the galaxy. Millennia after abandoning Earth, thousands of planets, moons, and space stations are now home to uncounted trillions. And one man rules them all: the Overseer .... Quintessa Novalight is the daughter of the Overseer. Abused and experimented upon as a child, and finally abandoned at an orphanage, she faked her death and carefully hid her identity from friend and foe alike. Going by the name Tess Bailey, she has gathered a ragtag group of outcasts, and done whatever she can to support the tiny rebellion which is seeking to overthrow her father. Unfortunately, after years of successfully avoiding the Dark Watch, Tess has made a critical error, and now her father knows she is alive, and he is coming for her ....

Science fiction romance is one of those genres which gets little in the way of positive press, and even less respect. It's a genre that I love, though, so I am always on the hunt for new titles and authors. When an advance copy of Nightchaser popped up on netgalley, I jumped at the chance to read it.

Nightchaser is fun. Think epic chases in outer space, gun fights, narrow escapes, an impossible romance, a sexy bounty hunter, super soldiers, and -- of course -- a tyrant determined to maintain his control of the galaxy, no matter who he has to kill.

Tess, however, won't go down without a fight. She is determined to protect those she loves, and she has more allies than she realizes (see previously mentioned sexy bounty hunter).

At this point you are probably wondering why I am reviewing Nightchaser on a Pagan literary blog. The answer to that is the Sky Mother and Her Powers. In the far future of Nightchaser, none of the Earth-based religions survived the migration out into space. Instead, most people pray to the Sky Mother. To the faithful, the Sky Mother is a protective and loving deity. As Shiori, one member of Tess' crew of outcasts explains: "The Sky Mother is all-powerful [....] The Sky Mother balances everything. From the center of the galaxy, She sends out her rays of light." Every midsummer (according to the official calendar), the citizens of the galaxy pause to celebrate Emergence, the birth of the Sky Mother. Under the Overseer, that has become a sombre and reserved commemoration; in rebel strongholds, it is a still a riotous party, as it was in the old days.

(While the exact nature of Her Powers is never explained, I get the impression from the text that these are lesser divine beings; sort of a cross between angels and demigods. I'll be curious to see if my guess is correct, when the next book comes out.)

Tess does not personally believe in the Sky Mother, and she has little more than contempt for the Church of the Great Star, which has allied itself with her father to stay in power. She does recognize that there are things beyond her understanding, however; when she sees the great Rafini Nebula outside the orphanage where she grew up, she notes "something washed through me, a wondrous feeling I couldn't explain."

I had a blast reading Nightchaser, and I look forward to the next two books in the series. Recommended to fans of The Fifth Element, Jupiter Ascending, Linnea Sinclair, Jessa Slade, and Ilona Andrews.



* Bouchet is also the author of The Kingmaker Chronicles, a fantasy romance series which features the Greek pantheon. I have not had the chance to read it yet, but hope to do so and review it here at some point in the future.

I discovered Amanda Bouchet by accident with her previous series and just loved it. She doesn't disappoint in this new series at all. If anything, It seems that her writing has improved and her characters are better fleshed out, more proportionate in their responses.

This is the first book in a new series and space type novels aren't normally my thing so I wasn't sure that I would be able to get into it but the story line is a captivating one and I am eager to see where Ms. Bouchet goes with this story.

4.5 stars

I don't read as much sci-fi as I used to, but having read Amanda Bouchet's Kingmaker Chronicles, I was a big enough fan to jump genres with her.

This is a sci-fi adventure, with charming characters, and interesting plot, intricate worldbuilding, and steamy romantic scenes.

A little bit Firefly, a little bit Buffy and a lot bit Amanda Bouchet. Great fun and I look forward to the next book.

Highly recommended.

Before delving into a story that you think will have a beginning and a finite ending, know that this story ends on a cliffhanger and that loose ends are untied and feelings of time wasted will prevail 😑.

I did not like any of the characters— heroine, hero, side cast— meh. Tess, the heroine who is a space captain, is a weird mix of innocent, naive and, amazingly, emotionally compromised from the get-go. Shade, which I am giving tons of to mentally, is the standard underdeveloped male stand-in that catches Tess’s eye. Shady Shade, of course is the best bounty hunter in the entire galaxy and of course Tess is on the run from the huge sum (unbeknownst to her) put on her head. Shade struggles with his need for the money Tess would bring in for her capture and his ‘growing desire’ for her fun parts. Honestly, if you want an early 2000 romance novel that does angst smoothly, grab a Connie Mason paperback, it’ll save you the boredom and frustration of basic, basic characters. Also, don’t grow too attached to any diverse characters because BYE, sayanara, peace out, they dead.

I did not like the unoriginal storyline that the unlikable characters were a part of— a disaster of corrupted parts Star Trek and the OG dystopian novel 1984— was a mess.
The writing style was an overused miasma of early 2000s ‘unfurling in the bottom of my stomach’ that made me gag and cringe every time it appeared.

If you like to go for a formulaic, tell and no show, generic read, pick up NightChaser and toss back a shoot of saltines alongside a stale read.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

If you enjoy a heavier emphasis on romance in your fantasy readings, you'll probably enjoy this book. If you enjoyed the characters and/or romance in A Promise of Fire , you'll probably enjoy this book. If you enjoy storylines featuring spaceships and space pirates, rebel forces against a dictator ruler, and bounty hunters Star Wars-meets-Robin-Hood style, you'll probably enjoy this book.

Amanda Bouchet is just one of those authors I'll always read. She writes predictable, guilty-pleasure romance pairs, feisty female characters, spunky secondary characters, and familiar plot lines. All in all, it's a comforting experience that you know what to expect when you pick up an Amanda Bouchet book.

The potential downside to this, of course, is that if you've read her past works and weren't a fan, you might be hard-pressed to feel differently about Nightchaser because in many respects, the similarities are hard to ignore. Tess has the same spunk and scoffing inner narrative as Cat from A Promise of Fire , as does the sexual attraction and banter between Tess and Shade mirror Cat's and Griffin's. Tess also shares a similar burden as Cat as they both run from the ghosts of their pasts, only to learn they must come to terms with their true identities if they're to do what they're being called to do.

THE GOOD
1) Character diversity. I saw it, and so did you. I'll give a round of applause to Amanda Bouchet for clearly calling attention to her diverse characters without being painfully obnoxious about it. That also might be because she had me at the character of Big Guy, who I can't stop seeing as Idris Elba.

2) When there's action, it's interesting. Starship fights, black holes, chases in space with zero gravity and damaged space suits, gun shootouts, unexpected confrontations.

3) Bonks the cat.

4) Tess and the character of her partner Jaxon are given enough backstory with their cruel time in the mines to give their platonic relationship depth and emotion.

5) Tess is a fairly fleshed-out character. Her inner narratives -- while numerous and lengthy -- certainly lend us insight into her thought process as well as convince us of the dry, sarcastic exterior she embodies as a gal who's been roughened around the edges. Her fierce loyalty to her crew are demonstrated each time she throws herself into risky scenarios to protect those she loves.

6) My brother is in the military. Unless he's on duty, he does not wear his uniform. Not for air travel, not off base. He tells me about the off-duty guys who voluntarily do wear their uniforms off base at airports or for funsies, often because they enjoy the attention they receive from civilians. I actively dislike this, and so does my brother. I'm glad I'm not the only one.

"A lot of the men and women who joined the galactic military wore their uniforms all the time because it gave them a power trip—always knowing people would get out of their way, say they were right, and look at them like they were a sight."

THE BAD
1) Let's be honest -- after the initial space shootout and the crew lands on Albion 5 in chapter four, the book lingers on the sexual tension between Tess and Shade from the 10% mark all the way to the 63% mark. Scenes of action and intrigue could have been added in that segment to further the engagement with the story -- Tess is wandering around a planet system with an enormous bounty on her head, after all. Shouldn't both the characters and the reader feel that constant but subtle tension and wariness of Tess being caught? -- but true to Bouchet's style, the book amps up the sexual cat-and-mouse chittering instead. Missed opportunity there.

2) Because let's be honest again -- Shade's and Tess's chemistry cannot carry the book. Their respective physical appearances aren't described in much detail, surprisingly, but it's also difficult to pinpoint what about their characters uniquely appears to the other in such a raw, visceral way. The book never quite answers what about Shade speaks to her in a way that either challenges her tough exterior, complements a crucial character trait that she lacks, or stands out to her in a way she finds alluring. Similarly, Shade doesn't seem to admire Tess for more than her scowls, her sexual naivete, and the fact that she's hiding something.

3) Thin character/plot holes. Characters like Susan, Gabe, Shade's loan shark, all of District 8 Planet 8, and even Solan & Raquel are introduced or mentioned, but are sadly under-utilized. The Loan Shark, for example, could have been a telling insight in Shade's character motivations but he appears only once on page. Bounty hunters Solan and Raquel could have been very real and present threats throughout the book but were relegated to occasional appearances that failed to bring the same sense of urgency and desperation.

4) There were at least two parts in my ARC where I had to reread the passage and wonder if there was a missing paragraph that explained the significance of a segment. Minor, true, but it still jarred me from the reading momentum a bit.

FINAL THOUGHTS
The book doesn't end in an outright cliffhanger but it's clear that we are far from done with the story. We have some potential big reveals into truths behind the Overseer, next steps for Tess's crew, and hints at how the stakes will be raised.

I'd say this was a good read! Predictable, perhaps, but still a good read. What prevents this from being a four or five star is the lack of compelling character development and the sluggish pace of the book. It'd be an easy and entertaining read for those who like Bouchet's other works, but I wouldn't rave too ecstatically about it.

Amazing read and a great beginning to what I know will be a wonderful series! Loved the storyline and characters...can’t wait for the next book!

Hm. Hm hm hm.

First of all, this is EXTREMELY similar in plot/character structure to Bouchet's Fire trilogy. The male protagonist is a bit different, but everything else is kind of...the same. EXCEPT IN SPACE! I'm not joking. At a certain point, I hemmed and hawed about whether I should even finish, because hadn't I read this before, but set in a fantasy land? I had. Nonetheless, I kept on.

I'm glad I did. I don't think it ever veered too far from the Fire structure, but I got to a point where I just HAD to KNOW how it would play out in this book, considering the Shade situation. I don't want to say too much, for fear of spoilers, so if that seems vague, shrug. Also, I'm just SUPER into space opera right now. Honestly.

I think at this point I can say that a) I'll be reading the next book in the series and b) I'm thinking I can recommend this to romance readers at the library. I don't read a lot of sci-fi romance, but I know this will have readers. Possibly more readers than her first series, even though I adored that one.

Loved it! I read the previous series from Ms. Boucher and could not conceive that I would enjoy a SciFi book. I’ve never been a huge fan of the genre, but for this author I would give it a try. The storyline was fascinating an well thought out, making it very easy to read for a skeptic like me. The main characters were both very alpha-like which I enjoyed, and the secondary characters all had back stories that kept me interested and invested, as I know that hopefully this will lead to spinoffs!
All in all, Amanda has another winner in my book.

This book took me by surprise. When I started it I had no idea that I would be reading late into the night, not able to put it down. Tess, as the main character, is a strong-willed woman and her shipboard mates wonderfully portrayed. The plot line is interesting and I can't wait for the next book. I received an e-book from NetGalley in return for an unbiased review.

Loved this new series from Amanda and am certainly looking for more to come. Read in one sitting. Excellent.

I stumbled across this author with her Kingmaker series and while the two series have some very similar vibes (heroine driven, something special about her, draws people in, parental issues, etc), I liked Nightchaser, the story and her cast of characters more. It was a fun sci-fi/fantasy space tale reminiscent of Star Wars with rebels fighting the dark side, in this case an Overseer and the Dark Watch. It drew me in quickly and sunk its teeth in and I ended up reading it in one sitting. Looking forward to what happens next.

This book was provided free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

<b> Some ends are just a new beginning.... </b>

A sci-fi romance with space pirates, fans of Amanda Bouchet’s previous work will enjoy this story.

Tess is a space pirate, stealing goods from the rich and giving them to the poor. She has had a traumatic childhood, and her crew is her family. After a narrow escape, her ship is in dire need off repairs. They land on a nearby plant to lay low where she meets the mysterious Shade, who can help her with repairs.

Bouchet’s strength of writing interesting secondary characters excels here. I really liked Jax, and felt like his relationship with Tess, while not romantic, was far more meaningful than Shade’s. I also really liked Bridgebane but I’m a sucker for a villain with a motive.

The world building was imaginative. It’s in a sci-fi setting, but there are different cultures in each section. I really liked the idea of a highly technical world having a religion, some are devout, others are not.

The story starts off in the middle of the action. It unfortunately loses its momentum when they land for repairs. It does pick up the pace by the end, but the story is really stalled in the middle.

Tess’s POV is first person, but Shade’s is third person. The changes in the narrative were jarring, I think it would have been better to have either third person POV or chapter titles with the character name and stay in first person POV.

If you have read Bouchet’s other series and didn’t care for the romance, you might want to borrow this book before committing to buy. Shade isn’t quite the alphahole that Griffin was, but there’s an instant attraction between the two main characters that’s similar to Cat and Griffin.

While this book does not end on a cliffhanger, it does set up the stage for an interesting next story. I am intrigued in what will happen next and will be continuing the series.

<i> I received this ARC through Netgalley and the opinions are my own. </i>

I received this novel from net galley and the publisher. Thank you!
I read Ms. Bouchet's Kingmaker Chronicles and I was looking forward to her next novel. I was not disappointed! She weaves a great tale, leaving you wanting for more.
Captain Tess Bailey has been causing trouble for throughout the galaxy. Tess and her crew are wanted for stealing vaccination drugs from the Overseer. Tess had a rough childhood, which shaped her into the woman she is now. Tess discovers what the drugs really, which has to do with her past. However, her ship needs repairs and she along with her crew need to stay under the radar. Tess meets Shade Ganavan, whom she goes to to get the parts needed to fix her ship. Shade has his own secrets but the chemistry between Shade and Tess is hard to deny. Shade knows Tess is running from something and he is a bounty hunter. He becomes torn between the money offered for her and the drugs and what he begins to feel for her. Shade made mistakes in the past. As Shade and Tess grow closer, danger from all sides begins their ascent. However, the past always catches up with the present and both Shade and Tess will have some difficult choices to make. I cannot wait to read the next novel in the series!

This first in a series from Fantasy Romance author, Amanda Bouchet, NIGHTCHASER (Endeavor #1) blasts onto the scene as a very enjoyable science fiction romance. Captain Tess Bailey and her crew are rebel fighters who take from the wealthy but most especially, the seriously evil Overseer who rules their universe with an iron and deadly fist. Pursued by the dreaded enforcers known as the Dark Watch, they make a heart stopping seemingly impossible narrow escape limping to Albion 5 to repair their ship which has some extremely precious stolen cargo. Tess meets the enigmatic and decidedly handsome Shade Ganavan who while helping to repair her ship, steals his way into her heart. Just as Tess has many secrets and a mission to protect not only her crew, but the place she calls home, Shade is holding back critical information as well.

During their rebel activities, Tess and her crew come across something which might be a huge game changer determining the outcome of a looming war to take down the totalitarian government run by the Overseer. This federation in space known as the Dark comprised of star systems and Sectors may have peace; however, that enforced harmony comes at the price of total domination and a world washed of much of what makes the spirit soar including literature, art, and even colors other than drab browns, grey, and black.

Shade’s attraction to Tess runs deep which puts him in an almost untenable dilemma. If he gives in to his heart, then Shade may just be throwing away everything he has been working for including making some questionable choices to achieve an intensely desired goal. Tess has strong feelings for Shade as well that could get in the way of some very difficult decisions she has to make as a rebel captain with many relying on her for their future survival.

Tess and Shade’s story combines all the best qualities of a thrill ride space epic including gripping action and heart pounding adventures, interwoven with an overarching love story that adds heart and heat. This story works well on several levels for readers who enjoy not only romance, but Science Fiction with adrenaline-charged outer space exploits. Ms. Bouchet’s well-crafted tale and excellent writing make me quite happy as a reader to go on this literally stellar journey with strong characters, an exciting story, and exhilarating possible outcomes to see how the adventure will continue in the next book of the series.

I loved Amanda's previous series, the Kingmaker Chronicles, and didn't think she could write anything that could top it for me, but I think she has done it with Nightchaser. This book is everything I didn't know I needed in a book and more.

Tess is an absolutely fascinating character, with so much history and depth, and her crew are just as interesting and unusual. Shade is a complex character, with a lot of layers to him, and you only really start to discover a bit more about him towards the end of the book. I really love that this is a dual perspective book, but mainly focuses on Tess' perspective, but it allows you to understand the complicated situation Shade finds himself in.

The fight for the galaxy and Tess' desire to help people is incredibly moving, and I can't help but root for Tess' success, I just hope she doesn't make the wrong choices along the way.

Book 1 hasn't even been released yet and I'm already desperate to get my hands on book 2... it's going to be a long wait.

Wow. Although I loved Amanda Bouchet’s Kingmaker chronicles I was a bit unsure about this new sci-fi series. Boy, was I mistaken. It is one of the best books I have read this year and I cannot wait for the next part of the adventure. The characters are well developed, the storyline exciting and the chemistry between the two main characters is off the scale.

Captain Tess Bailey is on the run, having stolen a space lab from the Overseer. She is discovered by a vicious military general who wants her and the crew captured, dead or alive, To escape, Tess makes a daredevil escape. She lands to make repairs and meets Shade Ganavan, who promises to fix the ship. Sparks fly and they build an unlikely friendship. Unfortunately, the alluring Shade is also an intergalactic bounty hunter who is faced with the difficult decision of bringing in the highest bounty of his life or letting the intriguing Tess go.

I received this ARC for an honest review.