I would like to thank the Netgalley website and Sourcebooks Casablanca Publishing for this partnership.

On the cover of this book is Tess with her arms crossed.

Tess and her team of thieves are on the run and grieving.

A military general wants them dead or alive. They're going to have to trust Shade Ganavan, except they're not going to stop worrying about it, which could destabilize them.

A first book read in one go so much I hooked on the story so captivating, full of suspense and twists and turns and with endearing characters. Hurry for this series to be released in a complete edition.

The Kingmaker Chronicles by Bouchet was great. So when I saw Nightchaser, I was glad that author finally started new series.
It's a good, solid book... but not as good as A Promise of Fire. Maybe my expectations were to high. I don't know.
It was simply ok reading for me. Again, strong and confident heroine. Hero, is not my typical alpha ,but he was very helpful to Tess (even with his conflict and dilemma), sometimes funny, sometimes sexy, sometimes jerk. Ha ha. What I like, that there was no insta love between characters. We have nice chemistry between them, but nothing super special.
Almost 4 stars from me.

I have long wanted to give Amanda Bouchet’s work a try, and Nightchaser seemed a good place to start. Picking this one up right on the heels of a similar science fiction novel about a ragtag group on a space ship on the run, might not have been the smartest choice, but ultimately, it fed my itch to read another space opera, and I came away feeling satisfied and entertained.

Nightchaser is set in a world ruled by an oppressive government that aims for conformity by all. They believe they have brought order where war and lawlessness once ran rampant, whereas there are those who feel the government has gone too far, hungering for power and control, extending beyond its reach.

The novel opens right in the middle of the action as Captain Tess Bailey and her crew flee from the Dark Watch, the military extension of the Galatic Overseer, they’ve just stolen from. Tess hopes to distribute the much needed vaccines to children at the orphanage she grew up. Only, those vaccines aren’t quite what they seem, and the Dark Watch is intent on getting them back at any cost. Risking suicide, Tess and her crew see only one way out, having been found in their quiet hiding place in deep space—right through the center of a wormhole. Somehow, the group survives, finding themselves in another part of the galaxy. With their ship in desperate need for repair, they head for the first place possible to make that happen.

When Tess walks into Shade Ganavan’s shop, Shade instantly takes an interest in Tess who clearly has something to hide. It isn’t long before he learns she is the galaxy’s most wanted and then he has a decision to make. The bounty on her head would solve all of Shade’s problems and then some. With that as the goal, he agrees to help Tess and get closer to her, intent on turning her in for the money. The more he gets to know Tess, the more he delays the inevitable.

I really liked Tess. She is a fighter and survivor. For all of Tess’s reputation and the betrayals in her past, and her struggle with anxiety, one would expect her to be more cautious when it comes to Shade. She trusts him way too easily—which is my only bone of contention with the novel. It could be chalked up to her attraction to him and the loneliness she feels, however. She’s long learned to keep her parentage a secret, and for good reason. Even her crew, whose loyalty to her even after they find out, is unshakable. They are her best friends and have been through a lot together. Tess has a good heart and is of strong moral character. She wants to help those who cannot help themselves, particularly the children at the orphanage.

We get to glimpse into Shade’s mind and life, the novel alternating between his and Tess’s viewpoints, which I enjoyed. He lives on the edge, while trying to make up for past mistakes. I liked that the author did not make the struggle for him easy—having the choose between Tess and the money. He had a lot at stake—his entire life built on it. He seems like a really good guy overall, with good intentions. And I was rooting for him and Tess from the very start.

Given this is the first in a series, I imagine readers will get the chance to know more about the various characters in coming books. I really want to know more about each of them now that Bouchet has given us a peek into each of their lives. Although a minor character, I was, of course, quite taken with the bookstore owner and her cats (and Bonk!). The bookstore itself sounds like a wonderful haven. I hope that isn’t the last we are able to visit there.

With a good mix of science fiction and romance, Nightchaser had me in its grip from page one, and I did not want to put it down for anything. There were several moments when I caught myself holding my breath, hoping everyone would make it out of whatever tight fix they were in. I look forward to not only reading the next in the series, but also Amanda Bouchet’s other novels.

This book was hands down one of my top reads for the year. I know this post is 2019, but I am writing this is 2018 because, ARC and AMAZING.

If you are a fan at all of NA Sci-fi ( OR Adult Sci-fi, I such at categorizing books), here ya go. Anything space? Here ya go. I don’t even know where to start. I am a wicked fan of shows like Firefly and Defiance, here ya go. You are going to LOVE this book. Devour every page.

Okay. If you have read any of Amanda’s other novels, you will absolutely love this. If you haven’t, go Great her other series as well and go on a binge, you won’t regret it.

This book has all her spunk and a cast of characters that you absolutely don’t want to say goodbye. I was in love with them from the first time I met them in the book and still am not over the events that played out. I need book two already and book one isn’t even out yet.

This was that type of book for me. The type that literally had me yelling out loud at it chapter after chapter. Tess? I Absolutely f-ing adored Tess. She hurt my heart and she also filled me with so much love for her and where world that I just want to give her a hug.

Then we had Shade. I wouldn’t mind a conversation or two with him. I mean it, we need to have words. But at the end of the day, SHADE.

This really is one of those books though, you need to binge it and fall in love, and then sit in misery with me while we wait for the next book.

I really enjoyed the story. Ms. Bouchet creates strong, stubborn heroines with more courage than brains. Tess is brilliantly written. The worldbuilding is amazing and the storyline is exciting and fast-paced. I love that we are in space, the final frontier. Ha! Yeah, I had to say it! I love that we are in space and there's a woman captain. You go girl!

And can we talk about heroes for a second? Shade is super dreamy and has blistering chemistry with Tess. The couple are supported by a plethora of complex characters and a deeply intricate plot shrouded in mystery. I was glued to the very last page. The only negative is that we have to wait a whole year for the next book.

This book was filled with what I love the most Sci-fi and romance. This is my first time reading this author and I would read her books again. I was glue to this book to find out what happens next. It truly was an amazing romance filled with some magical and sci-fi aspects like I said everything I love. I am going to pick up this book and anymore by this author.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks/Casablanca for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. Somehow, this book for lost in my TBR list. Sorry this is a bit late. First time reading this author. I enjoyed this book. I can see this as the great beginning of a series. Suspense check, romance check, intrigue check, fantasy, check. I found it interesting, and a little complicated. Well worth a read. I give it 4 stars.

I’m a big fan of space operas. So much so that I have hundreds of Star Trek books all neatly tucked away, unable to get rid of them because I love them so much. I’m just sorry that it took me this long to read Nightchaser. I think I was sidetracked by work and read other things...but I read it and it was worth it! Sci-Fi romance is a bit of a new genre for me. I read a lot of science fiction, but never with a lot of romance.

This book got a lot of great reviews, both professional and reader reviews...so that is always a good sign. I love the world building in this book. This is the first book in this series, so start with this one ;) Captain Tess Bailey is the main character and a kick-ass woman! Part of the story is Tess discovering who she is and how she fits into the puzzle of this adventure. Of course, the addition of dark and sexy Shade Ganavan is a welcome addition to the story. Readers will be dying how he solves his moral dilemma in this story. There is action, adventure and of course, romance. The characters are fun and diverse. The crew is like a family and I appreciate that in a good story. I think if you are a fan of Firefly, you will be a fan of this series.

What a fun book! Some may label this a space opera, others a sci-fi, not sure which it really falls under. Either way, I really enjoyed it. Tess, the MC, is a very strong and loving woman despite of the cruel past she loved through. She goes through a merry cat and mouse chase through the galaxy, her being the the mouse, the Watch Guard being the cat, but miraculously escapes enough to meet gorgeous Shade. It takes off for me from there :). I really liked Shade *hearts* and I’m pretty sure you will too. Can’t wait for the next book in the series.

Great read! I love this author! If you have read her Kingmaker Chronicles series then you know you will not be disappointed. In this book we Tess and a motley crew of characters that are the Nightchasers. Together you can say that they are the Robin Hoods of the future in this sci-fi romance and adventure. I truly loved Tess and the fact that she was no wimp and was a take charge kind of Captain, full of humor. Then we have the love interest Shade Ganavan who is just endless charm and a bit of arrogance and makes Tess a bit wary of him, at first. The world building is fantastic, like I said before if you have read her previous Trilogy, then you know her imagination knows no bounds! I totally enjoyed this read and look forward to many more from this author!!! 4.5 stars****

****I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book provided by NetGalley*****

Bouchet wrote one of the most captivating fantasy series, I've been reading the past three years, so I jumped to check out Nightchaser. It was everything I expected, fast paced, excellent world building and characters I never want to let go of.- like ever!

Stevie‘s review of Nightchaser (Endeavor, Book 1) by Amanda Bouchet
Science Fiction Romance published by Sourcebooks Casablanca 01 Jan 19

I’m very partial to space opera, particularly when it features a diverse cast of outlaws racing across the galaxy to right wrongs and escape the bad guys – who are usually the ones in charge of stuff, just to complicate everything nicely – so this book by a new-to-me author looked like it could be a starting point of exactly the series I was looking for. Promisingly, the leader of our ragtag band of misfits is female, albeit young, straight, white and able-bodied, while the rest of her crew and allies covers a wide scope when it comes to age, race, sexuality, and (dis)ability.


Tess Bailey, Captain of the Endeavor, is hiding out with her crew in a distant and dangerous area of space, hoping to recharge their ship’s engines before transporting a stolen laboratory and the vaccines they believe it contains to a rebel outpost – and before the galaxy’s ruling military forces track them down – when they are discovered by not just any military cruiser, but by one commanded by Tess’ uncle, right-hand-man to the Galactic Overseer: Tess’ long-estranged father. In a last-ditch attempt to escape, Tess devises a risky manoeuvre, which results in the ship being flung across the galaxy to a relatively safe outpost.

Once there, Tess’ search for spare parts in order to make the ship space-worthy once again brings her into contact with Shade Ganavan, who seems able to supply whatever Tess might need and carry out the repairs as well. Shade, however, is rather more shady than just a dealer in objects that may have been acquired legitimately or might, in fact, have fallen off the back of someone else’s consignment…

While Tess and Shade are busy getting to know each other, in between fixing up the Endeavor, their respective enemies are closing in, and word also comes through that some of Tess’ friends are in the sort of trouble that requires her to deliver that cargo of stolen medical supplies that caused all the bother in the first place rather sooner than she was expecting. Meanwhile, word has got out to various bounty hunters that Tess is worth rather a lot of money to interested parties, and they too begin to close in on her.

Although I liked the basic premise of this story, and relished the prospect of such a diverse crew as we are introduced to in the early part of the story, I felt that far too much of the plot revolved around the other young, white, able-bodied, heterosexual members of the cast alongside Tess, with the others disappearing into the background except when someone was required to be killed, injured, or kidnapped. Hopefully this trend won’t continue through the rest of the series, as I’d like to know where the various plot threads are headed.

Grade: C

One of the hardest things for me in writing reviews is preparing one for a book, which received so many rave reviews. (I wonder what can I say what has not already been said.) What is even harder is writing a review for said book when it does not in your opinion live up to the hype.
I struggled with the story and I took a while to get to the end. For me it was the longest and slowest journey in a fictional world.

What I liked
World building: I enjoyed the world the author created from a fictional perspective. Living in constant fear and oppression, no freedom of speech and risk going to jail for the simplest of things is are some of what the inhabitants of this world faced.

Characters:
Tess: Her loyalty, selflessness and inner strength were her most endearing qualities. Her experiences growing up shaped her into the person she is today. She has no wish for the orphans and her friends to experience the same horrors she did and so she would do anything to protect them.

Shade: Exudes confidence, is observant and have an awesome sense of humour.

The secondary characters proved an interesting bunch. From Tess’s crew members to evil Overseer.

The Not So Much
The Story: It began on a high note and I had expectations of grandeur for this one. This however was shot to the ground after the first ten percent of the story. I believe there was a lot of unnecessary information and the story lost its engagement factor as a result

I could not fathom the lack of tension and fearful anticipation by Tessa and her crew. They are on the run, granted they knew nothing about the bounty on her head, but they acted as if all was well.

I expected there would be lots of action. This was not the case. The action scenes appeared at around the seventy percent mark. At this point, the story felt rushed and the appeal this aspect was to emit was lost on me.

Romance: I understand her being attracted to Shade and yes, she has not been with a man for seven years. We all have wants, but how do you find time to be thinking about sexual gratification with the threat of recapture hanging over your head. She keeps putting herself out there and he rejects her every attempt at seduction. Her actions reeked of desperation. Eventually, they got together, but I had a hard time accepting their relationship, especially knowing they were both deceiving each other.

Shade’s deception did not go down well with me. He had ample time to make Tess aware of the situation, but he failed to warn her.

The ending, although not a cliffhanger indicated that the story will continue. Despite my disappointment with how this installment developed, I am curious to know how upcoming events will unfold.

Conclusion/Recommendations
I know there many readers who raved about this installment, but for me it was just ok. Although it was not a favourite, I would recommend it because there are others who may enjoy it more than I did. Readers who enjoy sci-fi romance can pick up this latest offering by Amanda Bouchet

From fantasy to sci-fi, Amanda Bouchet follows up her highly successful “Kingmaker Chronicles” with Nighchaser, a high-octane space opera that quite frankly is a good candidate for a Netflix series.

First, there is the mysterious Captain Tess Bailey – ballsy, beautiful and brave. There is a logical reason why the Dark Watch and the high-ranking officials of the galactic Empire was after her. But, there is something more about her that meets the eye.

Enter Shade Ganavan. He is not the run of the mill Prince Charming, though he is charming alright. But he is also arrogant and will do anything to earn millions of credits.

The chemistry between them is off the charts. Still, they are opposites. Though, the saying “opposites attract” can describe their relationship, the yin and the yang defines them dead to rights.

A great read. I can’t wait for the next installment! “Nightchaser” is Rated M for Mature due to sci-fi violence and sexual content.

This was a fun book and like with her previous series, I enjoyed the worldbuilding thoroughly although I will say the romance in this series was not as compelling as I could have liked and I felt myself more disconnected with Tess and Slade.

As much as I enjoyed the Kingmaker series from Amanda Bouchet, I think I might like this foray into space opera even more. Here, Bouchet has created another great heroine, who is easy to root for, along with a conflicted, flawed, yet very sexy hero. Together, they make for an awesome, angsty romance, set amid a cool futuristic series arc.

You with me so far?

Tess is the captain of a ragtag group of resistance fighters. I’ve seen comparisons to Firefly here and that’s not too far off, except in this case, the crew is made up all of escaped prisoners, including Tess, herself. But there is way more to her than meets the eye. She is the long lost daughter of the Overseer, the meglomaniac dictator of the galaxy. The world thinks she died long ago, but she’s really been hiding—from her father and from who (or what) she is. Tess knows she is different. She’s never been sick a day in her life and her youth was spent undergoing test after test at the hands of scientists. Now she just wants to help the orphans and outworlders long neglected by her father’s oppressive reign. And the book starts with her stealing what she thinks are vaccines to do just that. Spoiler alert: they’re something much more.

Her uncle, a bigwig in her father’s galactic force, chases her down and forces her into hiding on the very planet where the delicious Shade works as a bounty hunter. Of course, Tess doesn’t know that’s his gig. When she meets him, it’s under his guise of a mechanic on the planet. She hires him to fix her ship, and he digs her despite himself. Shade will have to decide whether to follow his heart or cash in the bounty on her that will solve his money problems forever.

I fell into this book so easily. There’s a ton of backstory, but Bouchet does a good job of parceling it out, rather than giving it all in big info-dumps. I loved the concept of the partners/pairs on the prison world and what Jax means to her. In fact, I was down with a lot of the secondary characters and wanted to know more about them. Like the Big Guy. Oooh and the uncle. I think there is way more to him than it appears. –And I’m waiting for that Gus guy to reappear and bite her in the ass.

There is not a ton of time spent in space. Most of the book is set in the dry dock where the ship is being repaired, but that didn’t bother me. I was super-invested in Tess’s backstory and her relationship with Shade. The romance worked for me and there was good tension and sexy times that satisfied.

I am excited to see where this series goes from here. And I wouldn’t mind a spinoff book on Jax… and his delicious tortured, messed up self.

Amanda Bouchet is at the top of the list when it comes to imagination and world-building. It's what made me a fan after reading her Kingmaker Chronicles Series. Naturally I was eager to read Nightchaser and more than a little curious to see how she'd switch from Greek mythology to space and the great beyond.


The blurb describes Tess and her ragtag crew as Robin Hood-like and it's an accurate description. Tess is a threatening figure to the Black Watch because she steals their valuable resources to give to the less fortunate. You know, your average space-roving pirate. She's fearless against them which only makes her more dangerous to them. Her capture and subsequent removal is their top priority. This time she might have taken on more than she can chew and after a harrowing and death-defying chase, winds up on another planet, Albion 5 to refuel and assess the damage done to their spacecraft. Thinking she's undetected, she also conducts some sketchy business on the side but her presence raises questions for one Shade Ganavan who has priorities of his own. Tess could be his ticket to freedom so he'd better not muck it up. And of course, he mucks it up. That's half the fun!


I ate up each and every page of Nightchaser. I couldn't get enough of it and I even felt crushed once it was over. It's adventurous, suspenseful, funny. If you're familiar with the show, Firefly then that gives you an idea of the space crew assembled on Endeavor and the loyalty and affection that binds them together. I loved Tess immediately because she is grit personified. No matter what she's been through she has this "bring it on" attitude that lets you know nothing is over until she's tried everything she can. The moral fiber at her core prevents her from simply giving up and looking the other way. She is a warrior. I also loved her and Shade together. Any couple that can banter well together gets two enthusiastic thumbs up from me.


I did notice some similarities between this and the Kingmaker Chronicles, namely strained familial relations and an emphasis on the family you choose as opposed to the one you're born in to. Tess feels the weight of the world on her and sacrifices a lot without uttering a word about it to everyone. Shade, who's conflicted about what his role should be embodies the moral dilemma of the story. Either he can go with the status quo looking out for himself only or he can become part of the resistance. But don't think of him as the handsome hero swooping in to rescue the damsel in distress because Tessa is more than capable of taking care of herself. For Tessa, it's about learning to trust someone outside of her tight crew and you know how dysfunctional families lead to trust issues.


Nightchaser was a blast and I can't wait to read more in the Endeavor series!


~ Bel

Fun! Not the most in-depth world building/I wish the plot had been a bit less chosen one cliched, but I was here for the romance setup and potential redemption arc of the evil uncle.

The dual-POV was interesting in this book versus Bouchet’s previous ones—I liked getting the hero’s POV but I don’t know if I loved how unevenly we got it tbh. I also still would love the other couples to get their own books (or novellas!)

Tess and her crew are space robin hoods, stealing to provide for those in needs. She has stolen a lab to keep the powers at be from continuing to make. Tess is on the run for another reason that she keeps a secret. When they barely escape those pursuing them, and hide out on Albion 5, she meets Shade. Shade helps her find the parts needed to fix her ship. As their attraction grows he has to make a hard decision. Plenty of action and adventure in this first book in a new series.

DNF at 60%

I ended up not finishing this because I found the male love interest Shade to be a total piece of trash. He treats Tess, the hero of the story, like an incompetent person when she’s one of the best space pirates in the galaxy (and he knows that!). His microaggressions grated on me and it made no sense to me why Tess would want to be with him. Shade comes off as a wannabe Han Solo but without the charm and sincerity...or indeed any lovable qualities.

I do like the world Bouchet has built in the Endeavor series - it’s a fun space opera with politics, pirates, and rebels. I'd be interested to see how the second book expands on this. But if it focuses on Shade and Tess again and not another couple, I may pass.