A delicious new heart-pounding romantic adventure from USA Today bestseller Amanda Bouchet!
Title: Nightchaser
Series: Endeavor #1
Author: Amanda Bouchet
Release date: January 1, 2019
Cliffhanger: Yes
Rating: 3.5 stars
Synopsis:
Shade Ganavan had oodles of arrogance, oodles of charm, and oodles of something that made me want to kick him in the nuts.
What Tess and Shade don’t know about each other might get them killed…unless they can set aside their differences and learn to trust each other—while ignoring their off-the-charts chemistry.
Praise for Nightchaser:
"Amanda Bouchet blasts off with a series that's full of heart, humor, romance, and action." - JENNIFER ESTEP, New York Times bestseller
"Rogue hero, rebel heroine, and a solid sci-fi backbone to make this Battlestar Galactica and Dark Matter fan grin. Amanda Bouchet has nailed it. Sexy sci-fi perfection!" - Chelsea Mueller, acclaimed author of Borrowed Souls
"Bouchet (the Kingmaker Chronicles series) artfully weaves romance through this delightful space opera comedy-drama." - Publishers Weekly
"Breathtakingly hot. What Bouchet did for fantasy romance with the Kingmaker Chronicles, she does here for space romance." - Booklist STARRED Review
"Bouchet, who took the romance world by storm with The Kingmaker Chronicles, launches a sci-fi series that is chock full of intrigue, heroism, conflict, and sexual tension, with hints of spiritualism and magic. Bouchet's masterful writing and storytelling meet science-fiction romance, in hyperdrive." - Kirkus STARRED Review
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Amanda Bouchet grew up in New England where she spent much of her time tromping around in the woods and making up grand adventures in her head. It was inevitable that one day she would start writing them down. Drawing on her Greek heritage for the setting and on her love of all things daring and romantic for the rest, her debut trilogy, The Kingmaker Chronicles, took form. She writes what she loves to read: epic exploits, steamy romance, and characters that make you laugh and cry.
A French master’s graduate and former English teacher, Amanda lives in Paris, France. She met her husband while studying abroad, and the family now includes two bilingual children who will soon be correcting her French.
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REVIEW
Nightchaser by Amanda BouchetMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is the first installment in the Endeavor series and a little bit of a departure from what I typically read. I enjoyed the first in the Kingmaker Chronicles a lot, so I was curious what Bouchet would have to offer in the sci-fi genre. I figured if things went well, reading a wider variety under the speculative fiction umbrella could be in my future.
One of the things I remembered about this author's writing is that she excels in creating secondary characters with real depth and emotion. Her Beta Team were standouts in their own rights that are bursting with potential to be fully fleshed out in their own stories. Once again, we see a fascinating interplay of friendships that tug on your heartstrings in Tess's ragtag rebel crew.
Jax and Fiona in particular had some really emotionally charged scenes with Tess that were brilliantly done. Jax had a heartbreaking history that he still battled to recover from. He held his new family close to his chest with a fierce protectiveness towards the group. Particularly Tess, whom he'd been partnered with in prison on Hourglass Mile. The relationship of the entire crew was a bond closer to family, strengthened by mutual respect and trust.
When I gave an order, they obeyed, but that was because loyalty and trust had been earned, not imposed in any way. If one day I asked them to do something they didn’t want to do, they wouldn’t. And I would respect that choice.
Besides the obvious heroic attributes, I liked Tess for her love of books and reading. She doesn't put value on monetary wealth, instead giving what she steals to the kids in the orphanage where she grew up. The things that are important to her are freedom. Creativity. Imagination. All of the things that had been stripped away from humanity through Galactic Overseer Novalight’s reign. She shares opinions freely that many are scared to voice.
The dictatorship government was an interesting theme. You step inside what it would be like to be ruled by a regime that runs on fear and total oppression. To always be at risk of going to jail or being killed for simple things like owning a "contraband" book or speaking out against inhumane treatment. Tess uses her time while grounded to repair their ship and savor her feet being on solid ground for a short while. She's so used to floating out in the deep darkness of space that she's missed many simple joys in life. Ocean waves crashing over her bare feet on the beach, sunlight on her skin, and just...breathing.
My excitement started to wane in the middle of the book because the lagging time they spent on Albion 5 was just too long. I'm always up for romance in my books, no matter what sub-genre. But in this case, unfortunately the romance portion was underwhelming. Both Tess and Shade are hiding a lot from each other, things that are vital to understanding who they are as a person. I couldn't really connect much to them as a couple. Shade is downright deceptive the entire time, though he is at war with his conscience about it. Which to be honest became a little repetitive for me. He yo-yo'd back and forth with determination to betray her and his unrest because of his growing admiration. Which of course would send mixed signals when he'd retreat, giving her a sudden cold shoulder in an attempt to keep his distance emotionally.
I didn't really understand why Tess would ignore his standoffish attitude that flicked on and off. It was like a school girl crush controlled her, and she was always pursuing him and giving him trust when he hadn't earned it. I think knowing the entire time that their relationship was based on lies and deception had me just waiting for the fall out. The movement of their feelings towards love was too rushed, especially when the narrator kept repeating that Tess was slow to trust because of her past. That certainly wasn't the case here, and he didn't go out of his way to prove she could. His charisma and charm were enough to disperse her aversion to romantic entanglements. She wasn't a consistent character that was tough, guarded, and exuded leadership traits. At times she was anxious and unsure, reckless rather than brave.
Her one past relationship with Gabe kept being mentioned and pondered but with no real purpose. It had been seven years since she'd seen him, I didn't see the point in his insertion in the story.
We'd been in love. There was no doubt. My heart still sometimes gave a hard thump when I thought about him. Every now and then, I felt a phantom touch, and my belly clenched.
Book two in the Endeavor series is titled Starbreaker, and is scheduled for publication April 28, 2020.
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