Nightchaser by Amanda Bouchet

Published: Hachette Au/Piatkus
Date: 1st January 2019
Source: Publisher via NetGalley

Nightchaser is the first in a new series by Amanda Bouchet. This series is set in the future in outer new galaxies. The world as we know it has imploded and people live in a variety of places in outer space. This “world” is ruled over by a despotic Galactic Overseer, who rules with an iron fist.

However there are pockets of resistance and none more so on board the cargo cruiser Endeavour, captained by Tess Bailey. She has a small crew with her and when we meet them for the first time they also have attached to them a stolen cargo that is going to be central to this book and further on.

Tess is tough, strong, young woman and along with her crew she has escaped the wily and cruel clutches of the Overseer – for the moment. At all costs they need to stay out of the hostile Dark Watch soldiers and do what they know is important. It turns out there are hidden depths to Tess and as the story unfolds much is revealed. I especially liked her total focus on the needs of Starway 8 where orphans live under the care of two amazing women. By the end of the book we and she understands herself more, but yet more is to be learned I suspect.

On board along with the stolen cargo is “big guy” and later when they dock, Shade is introduced. While there is a strong attraction immediately between Shade and Tess, things are rather till unclear about him.

It takes awhile to become acquainted with this world, but once all the details are gathered, I was completely along for the ride. The main and minor characters are interesting and many of them soon started to grow on me. I look forward to seeing how they all develop in the next book.

The story is full of adventure, while at times there are lulls, there is always a sense of danger either right there or just ahead.  The romantic element is strong without being overpowering.

The book leaves us all set up for the next one, the adventure or quest has began but is no means finished or near finished. I certainly will want to read the next one and am waiting eagerly.

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a place to meet up and share what you have been, and are about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organise yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment and er… add to your groaning TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn here at The Book Date.

Jen Vincent, Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee of Unleashing Readers decided to give It’s Monday! a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children’s literature – picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels or anything in those genres – join them.

Hope you all had a good week as we step into the depths of January. I had a good reading week and listened every opportunity I had to The Dream Daughter. 

I have kept my one word in mind! I realised that sometimes it can mean move -away! Yes away from the computer and social media!  Partially successful!!

And this morning I went to my first class in Tai Chi. I really enjoyed it and everyone was very friendly. So apart from next Monday which is a holiday I’ll be a regular I do declare!

What I read last week:

I finished listening to The Dream Daughter – a time travel book that was very, very engaging. Loved it.  Then two historical fiction books and a contemporary one. Nice to have a mix.

What I am reading now:

One from the library

And listening to

Up next:

 

Last Week’s Posts

The Best of Us   Robyn Carr

 

The Best of Us by Robyn Carr

Published by: MIRA
Date: 8th January 2019
Pages: 384
Source: Little Bird Publicity

 

 

The Best of Us is #4 in Robyn Carr’s small town series of Sullivan’s Crossing, Colorado.  A new book in any of her series has always been a delight and this is just as much so in this case.

I liked especially the variety of age range in this book. Firstly we have I guess what might be the central couple of Leigh Culver – the local doctor and Rob Shandon the local pub owner. Leigh is thirty four, Rob is forty and has two teenage sons.  Rob is the brother to Sid, we met her in a previous book when she fell for Dakota Jones.

It’s not long before Leigh and Rob fall for each other, there is a fun first meeting and from then on its all on. But… do this couple have their act together? They both have previous experiences that make them cautious. When one is hot the other is cold on a permanent relationship. So will they ever be on the same page… and believe me they sure need to get there!

Helen is Leigh’s aunt and she comes to stay with Leigh. In fact she brought Leigh up as Leigh lost her mother at the age of four. Helen is a retired teacher and a writer of mystery books – quite gory ones if her new reader can be believed!  She finds that she loves sitting on Sully’s porch out at the camp at Sullivan’s Crossing, looking out at the wild life while she writes. And that’s not all that she finds herself looking at.

The young people are represented by Finn (Rob’s son)  and his girlfriend Maia,  both just finishing high school and preparing for college. They are a delight and full of tender, young love. There is a rather huge crisis that brings Finn stepping up very much to the plate and indicates what kind of man he is going to grow into.

This is very much a story of family, being there for each other, sorting through challenges and coming out the other side. Another charming developed story, with characters I couldn’t help falling for.  Sean and Finn looking right at you!

 

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 2019

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a place to meet up and share what you have been, and are about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organise yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment and er… add to your groaning TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn here at The Book Date.

Jen Vincent, Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee of Unleashing Readers decided to give It’s Monday! a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children’s literature – picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels or anything in those genres – join them.

Well here we are in January 2019. I am happy to have the holiday season celebrated and now back into the work year. I need to make a list of all the people I need to contact to get some jobs done!

It’s been a good week, lots of sewing and watching cricket. Sri Lanka is here playing us at the moment. Then India up next, they have beaten the Australians so will be interesting to see how our team stands up to them.

My word for 2019 is “Move”. No not all about exercise! Just move on anything for ten minutes and see if I am into it. Like cleaning and tidying, gardening, phoning people to get things done – like order firewood and guess what, then I have to wheelbarrow and stack it!!  Also I want to join a yoga and tai chi class. So move is about making a start and seeing the end point! Then maybe I’ll get there!

What I read last week:

Very much enjoyed my first read of the year. Learned so much I didn’t know about C. S. Lewis and Joy Davidman. So well researched and written.

I also listened to this audiobook. Set in the time of World War 1 in France, England and Nova Scotia. Turned out to be a very good listen.  Again had history that I didn’t know about.

What I am reading now:

From the review stack.

And listening to…

Up next:

A library book, I read the first one last year and this is a follow up.

 

Last Week’s Posts

First Book of the Year

December Reading Month

 

First Book of the Year

Oh yes time to pick that first book of the year. The one that sets the tone we hope for all the reading in 2019.

I have chosen one that is written about a woman who marries C. S. Lewis. I have seen this book well reviewed by other readers I respect and so it came into my hands from the library just in time to be my pick. I have started it as its the 1st of Jan here already, I have perused the back and all the research she has done for this book so feeling very positive about it.

I find it is a bit of a risk reading a fiction book about a real life person, some books in the past I haven’t liked what the author did with those people. However I like Patti Callahan’s books so I was willing to read.  I know nothing about her although of course like most I have read some of C. S. Lewis’ books and loved the movie Shadowlands. Hmm that makes me want to re-watch that movie.

And a Very Happy New Year everyone.

December 2018 Reading in Review

Welcome in, do join me by sharing your link to your look back at this month. I’m looking forward to visiting and seeing what everyone has been up to.  The link will be open for you to share your post whenever you post over the next few days.  Do visit each others’ posts.

Total books read this month: 14

New to me authors:

Mike Chen
Jon Cohen
Celeste Ng
Marion Lennox

Reading Challenge Update: How I finished the year!

2018
Full House Reading Challenge 23/25 books

Audiobook Challenge 28/28 books

Modern Mrs Darcy Challenge11/12 books

Library Challenge 33/24 books

Emilie Richards Reading Challenge 17/18 Books

Top Books for December

Looking forward to reading in January

Main Reading Goals for January..

• Enjoy my books
• Get my reading challenges off to a good start

Incoming Books for December….

Purchased

Yes that says Middlemarch by George Elliot for reading … at some point!

Library Books

From NetGalley or Edelweiss

Audio Books

 

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a place to meet up and share what you have been, and are about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organise yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment and er… add to your groaning TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn here at The Book Date.

Jen Vincent, Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee of Unleashing Readers decided to give It’s Monday! a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children’s literature – picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels or anything in those genres – join them.

My reading was rather slow last week, might have been the books or… more likely just me! I did get some viewing done though, and am making my way through Brothers and Sisters. What  family drama! As I missed it when it aired, I now have the pleasure of watching it.  And its cricket season here now, I know, I know! But I’ve been a fan since I’ve been a child. I used to sit there and watch it often through a very “snowy” screen when reception was bad.

This is the last Monday of 2018, well actually the last day of 2018. For me it will always be the year we lost one of our sisters to brain cancer. She was a big reader like myself and we often shared books. As with all sad times it also brought close family time.

On the good side it is also the year I finally got the bookcase I wanted and I made some quilts that I love. Some great books and a year of living.

What I read last week:

One audiobook completed. One paperback and one Kindle book!

What I am reading now:

Just started listening to

Up next:

All to be revealed tomorrow!

 

Last Week’s Posts

Library Challenge 2019

Audiobook Challenge 2019

Modern Mrs Darcy Reading Challenge 2019

Lost Without You   Rachael Johns

Celebrating Books and Reading 2018

Good-bye 2018 – the good, the bad and the sad.

 

Other Book Related Challenges I am Joining 2019

Hosted by Nicole at Feed You Fiction Addiction and Shannon at It Starts at Midnight.  Check out the guidelines there.

I am going to join this at the Discussion Dabbler level. (1-10) Oh yes, just a few toes in!  I’ll aim for 10 but anything from 1 on is a win!  #LetDiscuss2019

Hosted by Kathleen at  SMS Non Fiction Reviews

It challenges us to pick a topic – preferably something we don’t know much about and read three books about it. I haven’t decided what I’ll read but will make that decision a little later on.

Anna at The Herd hosts this one and has twelve words to blog about in the year. I am going to give it a go.  It can be any kind of post, not necessarily about books.

2019 Prompts
Jan- First           First Book of the Year
Feb- Pink
Mar- Luck
April- Sweet
May- Bloom
June- Risk
July- Heat
Aug- Sky
Sept- Crunch
Oct- Shiver
Nov- Thankful
Dec- Twinkle

 

 

 

Celebrating 2018 Books and Reading

Top Books for 2018

I read about 155 books this year and here are the ones I really loved.

A Favourite New to Me Author

This Irish author – I’ll be back reading her books as time goes by, I have already purchased an audio for future happiness. Trish from Between my Lines introduced me to this book, and I just loved it. I borrowed it from the library but I am waiting till I can buy it with this cover and then I will buy it. I know this cover doesn’t look much, but read the book and then went “perfect cover”.

A Debut that I Liked

Extraordinary book for a debut, beautifully written, one that sucked me in, even though I wasn’t happy about the ending but that is neither here nor there!

Coverlicious

This cover just says “read me” when I look at it, and I love the colours and the Christmas lights.

Addictive Read

Well that would be the Fatal series by Marie Force and this year was no different. And as can be seen from my Goodreads Year in Books – so many other readers are with me on that! By the way that’s not the highest rated book on Goodreads. Just out of the books I’ve read this year! This series I just love. Romantic suspense in spades. But should be read from Book one.

 

 

So thought provoking

This one touched my heart and mind. What about you might ask? Homelessness. Such a memorable book.

Best Library find

I borrowed this from the library in CD audiobook format, a bit of a pain listening on CD but I made it work for me and was great listening. Saved me a credit at Audible! That said, 2018 was the year of the library for me, so many new 2018 books read from there.

Thank you to the wonderful authors who wrote these books and many thanks to bloggers who shared their reads and hooked me in to reading them.

Lost Without You by Rachael Johns

Publisher: Harlequin Australia
Date: October 29th 2018
Format:  Trade Paperback
Source: Own book

 

Lost Without You by Rachael Johns is a roller coaster ride of family, friendship, a secret, loss, guilt and love.

Rebecca is a mother to Paige and wife of Hugh. Early on she is faced with a serious health issue that throws her family into some stress. Evaluating her life Rebecca decides to look back and open a door in her life she has hidden away.  Her daughter is about to go down the marriage path and has a really lovely partner Sol. So Paige decides she wants to find her mother’s wedding dress and be married in it.

This search leads her to Josie and Nic – married and Josie is not coping with the miscarriages she has had to endure. However the two girls become friends and everything there seems to be good.

Clara is another person in the mix – she nurses Rebecca when she is in hospital and also helps Josie out with her grief.

When Rebecca’s secret is revealed everyone is thrown out of their comfort zones. Some become judgemental and angry and rifts occur. And it also turns out that all the women’s lives are more intertwined than first thought.

I felt for them all but most of all for Rebecca because of the way others turned on her. I understand that we can get hurt and angry with family members so I could see where they were coming from, but all the way through I was on her side!

It was a very good read,  possibly some links were a little too coincidental, however it was story with challenging issues that were well explored.