“Makes an early bid for one of the best titles of the year.”—Entertainment WeeklyTess Bailey: the galaxy’s Most Wanted.Captain Tess Bailey is in deep trouble. She and her crew are on the run, pursued by a tyrant who’ll take them dead or alive. Tess’s best hope is a tall, dark, and much-too-appealing stranger, Shade Ganavan, who says he can help her. But his motivations are far from clear…Shade … motivations are far from clear…
Shade Ganavan: arrogance, charm…and that special something that makes you want to kick him.
With the dreaded Dark Watch closing in, 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 before it’s too late.
Nightchaser Series:
Nightchaser (Book 1)
Starbreaker (Book 2)
Dawnmaker (Book 3)
Praise for the Kingmaker Chronicles:
An NPR Best Book of 2016
A Kirkus Best Book of 2016, 2017, and 2018
An Amazon Best Book of 2016 and 2017
A Washington Post Best Romance of the Month
A Bustle Best Romance of 2016
Everyone is raving about Amanda Bouchet’s Kingmaker Chronicles:
“Amanda Bouchet blasts off with a series that’s full of heart, humor, romance, and action.”—JENNIFER ESTEP, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Kill the Queen
“A heart-pounding and joyous romantic adventure. Amanda Bouchet’s talent is striking.”—NALINI SINGH, New York Times bestseller
“Simply brilliant.”—Kirkus STARRED Review
“Utterly breathtaking!”—DARYNDA JONES, New York Times bestseller
“I love these books!”—CHLOE NEILL, New York Times bestseller
“A sparkling read.”—Washington Post
“Absolutely fabulous.”—C.L. WILSON, New York Times bestseller
“I cannot remember the last time I wanted to both savor and devour a book.”—Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
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***3.5 Stars***
I find myself in a bit of a conundrum with this one.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book. I thought the world building was very well done. There are various cultures and statuses amongst those who inhabit this world and each place has it’s own flavor that gave the world as a whole a depth that made it feel real. And this extended to the various characters that we met along the way. Some were more fleshed out than others, which is to be expected, but those who were close with Tess were unique and I really loved spending time with them ~ especially Jax, he’s my fav outside of Bonk.
But then comes there is that situation that brought about the conundrum. Tess and Shade. See, I actually like Tess and Shade. They have vibrant and complex personalities and have both been through more than most can imagine. My issue is that I’m just not feeling them as a couple *winces and ducks incase anything is thrown at my head* I don’t know what it is because I have no issue with the insta-lust thing they had going on, and can buy that they are into each other, I’m just not feeling them and really can’t explain it more than that. But seeing as this is a trilogy, I’m hoping that feeling will fade and I’ll become as intrigued by them as a couple as I am when it comes to them individually.
With that said, I will reiterate that I did enjoy everything else in the book and though I am not a hardcore SciFi fan, I really liked the Star Wars/Robin Hood vibe going on throughout the story. And while that ending is kind of a cliffy, but kinda not a cliffy, I am quite interested in seeing where things take these characters in the next two books and where they all end when everything is said and done.
~ Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley & voluntarily reviewed ~
~ 4.5 stars ~
I have dabbled in the Sci-fi genre a couple of times and enjoyed it. When I saw that Amanda Bouchet, who wrote the amazing Fantasy trilogy The Kingmaker Chronicles, was writing a Sci-fi Romance novel, I just knew I had to read it. The reason I don’t read a lot of Sci-fi is because of the complex word-building. Sometimes authors just go into too much detail, and I get confused and bored. However, that was definitely NOT the case with Nightchaser. The author did such an incredible job in giving very precise and easy to understand information about the world the story was set in. She didn’t go in to unnecessary details, but the information she did hand out was spread evenly throughout story. Which I appreciated a lot.
As a predominantly Romance reader, I was happy to see that the author took her time to have the main characters connect and develop a bond. Also the dual POV was great and made it so much easier for me to connect to the characters and their relationship. Captain Tess Bailey is strong, loyal, caring and a fighter. Amanda writes the best heroines, and Tess is one I love and am intrigued by. Shade Ganavan is also great, I had my doubts about him but thankfully he didn’t disappoint. Nightchaser is an awesome action-packed Sci-fi Romance. There were a couple of scenes that had me on the edge of my seat and in tears. I am pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this book and characters. There were a couple of twists towards the end that made me excited to see what will happen next. I highly recommend any Romance reader to give this book/genre a try, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
She could start a war…
You may not know this about me, but I have an aversion to Tentacle Romance. My fellow readers have tried to convert me to loving “extra appendages” and “special abilities” but it’s just not for me. Unfortunately, I’m picturing characters like Jabba the Hutt, Yoda and Jar Jar Binks…which does not help my cause. So, I was pleasantly surprised when Nightchaser turned out to be Sci-Fi of the “Humans of the Future” variety.
I really like Amanda Bouchet’s style of writing. Her heroines are strong, courageous, determined and capable of making a decision in the toughest of circumstances. While this strength makes them heroines to admire, she also balances them by giving them vulnerabilities and challenges. While Tess shares some similarities to Cat from Kingmaker Chronicles they are different. I don’t mind that the similarities are strength and courage, who doesn’t like to see a strong woman at the front.
I tend to go into my reads a little blind, so, when introduced to male characters, *Are you my hero?* pops into my head. I met a few characters before the hero and I went through my usual checklist to see if my hero was up to scratch. Too much previous heartbreak for the first bloke and no emotional connection with the second one. Let’s just say, thank goodness it was Shade. Shade walked into the room and my Hero Beacon was flashing. The air was sizzling with chemistry, the snark and banter were appealing, and my smirk came to life with his physical description. I love that shiver up my spine when I meet a new hero.
Nightchaser was an interesting story that kept my attention from start to finish. It was a thought-provoking look into what our future could be. I think deep down, we know that we are damaging our world so we can’t help wondering what we are going to do if we ruin it completely. Will it be a bomb, environmental damage or is there an expiry date for Earth, that will end us?
I really enjoyed meeting the characters and learning more about where they had been and what their plans were for the future. Shade and Tess had a very rocky beginning. Even I wasn’t completely convinced that Shade was going to make the right decision for their future. Funny thing is though, I wasn’t completely sure of the right decision. Sure, I knew what would benefit Tess and her gang, but, Shade was working towards a goal and was close to realising it. I admired both Tess and Shade for their ability to look past their noses to benefit their world.
The goodies were good and the baddies were bad…then again…the goodies could be bad and the baddies could be good. The trick is in the balancing act. In true Amanda Bouchet fashion, we are not given a clear picture at the beginning. Each page explained a little more of how the characters came to be and where and what they hope to achieve in the end. This is not just Tess and Shade’s journey. Each of the characters, even the additional ones have a path and while some of those paths end, others are just beginning.
Nightchaser was a fast-paced, exciting and sexy adventure into the future. I was completely sucked in and I can’t wait for more.
Stacey is Sassy, received a complimentary copy of this story. The copy provided is not the final copy and may be subject to edits and changes.