Book Review: Nightchaser

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2

Author: Amanda Bouchet

Format: E-book

Pages: 352

Categories: Romance, Adventure, Space Opera, Sci-Fi Romance

Book Blurb:

Tess 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 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.

MY REVIEW

Nightchaser is the first book in a new series by Amanda Bouchet. I read her Kingmaker Chronicles and enjoyed it so seeing her go in this direction was intriguing to me.

This book starts off with a lot of action as we meet Tess Bailey and her crew trying to flee the Overseer’s henchmen, the Dark Watch. Tess has stolen something very important to the government. The story caught my interest right away and I was ready to surrender myself to this space adventure.

Then there is the mysterious and attractive bounty hunter, Shade Ganavan. He’s not just a pretty face – he’s got an agenda. But getting to know Tess messes up his plans. There is something special about Tess, which is the reason she’s on the run, so does he turn her in to the Dark Watch or let her go?

I enjoyed the characters in this story. Tess is a female Robin Hood and has a big heart, but sometimes she takes too many risks. She’s strong, smart, brave yet vulnerable at times too. Shade is flirty, protective and basically he’s a good guy underneath his rough exterior. Tess’s crew was an interesting array of people who helped me to get to know her past and I was rooting for them all the way.

After the excitement in the first part of the book, I thought it lagged a bit in the middle. I was still interested because Shade comes into the story and we learn more him. The flirting builds up the tension between them, but there was a moment where the story lost me a little probably because there wasn’t much action going on. They were in one place because Tess’s banged up ship had to be repaired, so it focused more on Tess and Shade’s budding romance. I wanted the urgency that was present in the beginning of the story to show up again. Tess is being hunted, but I don’t feel that until later in the book and when it does happen it got my senses alert again.

I do love Amanda Bouchet’s writing style – she writes fun stories. The banter and interaction between Shade and Tess made me smile, I do love them together. The sex scenes are steamy yet you get that sense of fun too within them, which is excellent.

Overall, a good first book in a new series, and I will definitely read the sequel to find out what happens in The Fold, the rebel hideout the crew landed in at the ending of the book. I just hope the second book builds up to some exciting action, rather than leave me with a slow middle.