Review: Nightchaser

Nightchaser
Rating: 3/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review! 

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. 

I seem to be on a roll lately with books disappointing me and I can't say I'm here for it. I loved the Kingmaker Chronicles, I had so much fun reading it and so of course I eagerly awaited a new trilogy from Bouchet! Especially as I loved the sound of the characters and the premise! 

Tension and death defying antics along with a plot twist start this off nicely. There's plenty to be curious about with Tess, and we do instantly get some questions answered but a few do linger....like what she is and what the deal is with her blood. She doesn't really take anyones crap, she's sassy and determined in her goal and her fight. We swiftly meet Shade, and he's...arrogant and cocky to say the least! He's a space pirate, bounty hunter kinda guy and while you do want to smack him one a little...he's okay really. 

I did love Tess's crew of misfits, they each had their own baggage to deal with and helped each other with that and gave each other space to do so. We've got spitfire Fiona the scientist, Jax her dependable partner who has her back but has some pain in his past and then we have Miko who's been through a hell of a lot, and she's always with her grandmother. 

The thing is, while there's action at the beginning and at the end with some nice plot twists...the middle was a bit slow and not as Galaxy pirates and hijinks as I had been led to believe from the synopsis. The romance was insta attraction and they suddenly had all these feelings within the space of a week. I low-key feel like it was trying to be Han and Leia but didn't quite succeed. 

I did enjoy Nightchaser, it's a fun, light read and there's a lot to keep you intrigued because you want answers but I don't think this is as good as Bouchet's other trilogy. It was just a bit of a disappointment. I think from the synopsis I was expecting space rogues being chased across the galaxy with a shady guy helping them and joining their crew and I was expecting a lot more action and adventure than we got. Not a large chunk of the book being spent in one place while the ship is fixed so Shade can catch feels and their romance can kick off.