Nightchaser

October 22, 2018
Bouchet (the Kingmaker Chronicles series) artfully weaves romance through this delightful space opera comedy-drama. Tess Bailey is running from her past, her family, and the galactic Overseer’s Dark Watch army. Okay, she stole an entire laboratory, but she did so to help those in need. When she and her crew are stranded, Tess must do everything she can to protect the people she loves. If only Shade Ganavan, the rakishly handsome mechanic and space rogue who offers to fix her ship, weren’t so tempting... or hiding secrets of his own. Bouchet’s storytelling is a bit over the top, describing feelings so intensely that it’s difficult for the emotional stakes to escalate. However, the characters are fun and likable, humor abounds, and the sex scenes are searing as well as sentimental. Bouchet, clearly planning on a series, ends the story on a cliff-hanger, and readers will be eager to know what happens to Tess and her friends. Agent: Jill Marsal, Marsal Lyon Literary.

Susan Bennett narrates a sci-fi romance set in a world teetering on the brink of galactic rebellion. Tess Bailey and her crew are out of luck, out of fuel, and on the run. Shade Ganavan has supplies and connections, but is he trustworthy? Bennett perfectly captures the uncertainty and worry that plague Tess, especially when it comes to the safety of those she cares about. Tess may be the most wanted criminal in the galaxy, but she's not a grim or jaded individual. Shade has a dubious past, and while he wants to do the right thing, he is deeply conflicted. Bennett believably conveys his internal struggle between making a good choice and making a smart one. K.M.P. � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine