Release date April 28, 2020
THEY NEVER WANTED TO BE HEROES
Captain Tess Bailey and Shade Ganavan are still the galaxy’s Most Wanted, and with revolution in the wind and the universe on the brink of catastrophic war, the situation couldn’t be more desperate. Despite the Dark Watch scouring the known sectors for them, rebel leaders have handed the crew of the Endeavor a delicate and dangerous mission: break into Starbase 12 and free renowned scientist Reena Ahern. She’s the only one who stands a chance of tipping the odds in their favor for the first time in decades.
BUT PULLING OFF THE IMPOSSIBLE IS WHAT THEY DO BEST
The clock is ticking. But as their attraction builds and secrets are revealed, Tess and Shade must decide if they trust each other enough to execute this impossible prison break. They could change the course of history, but they’ll be risking everything… They’ll just have to tackle one crisis at a time.
Once again Amanda has given us a winner in Starbreaker with strong female characters that are her trademark and an action-packed storyline that still has room for romance and heat! Tess, Shade and her band of Nightchasers on the Endeavor are attempting to futher subvert the plans of the Overseer after their theft of the serum he uses to create his super soldiers and the general disruption of his plans for universal domination. Their next mission is to rescue scientist Reena Ahern from the Dark Watch stronghold Starbase 12, a place Tess knows well from her previous life as the daughter of the Overseer himself and a seemingly impossible feat even for Tess and her crew. They find themselves quickly caught up in intrigue and even more danger, with new and shocking allies to aid them in their mission which culminates in an intense battle for survival against all odds.
One of the things I like most in my romances is a big helping of angst, which is done so well in this book as Tess is dealing with the afteraffects of Shade’s near betrayal in Nightchaser plus the heartbreak of losing 2 crewmembers. Due to her upbringing she has a hard time trusting others therefore Shade must work to win back her confidence. His determination to prove himself to her is one of the strongest themes in this outing, and his willingness to admit his mistakes makes me love him even more. The rest of the crew (with one exception called out below) get their own opportunities to shine in this book and there may be a couple of other relationships heating up in book 3 I hope!
The only thing I felt shorted on with this book was there was not enough Bonk! Of course the cat is going to be my favorite character so I would have really loved more of him, but maybe in book 3. Granted he isn’t a superhero or Flerken in disguise so he isn’t going to be coming to anyone’s rescue but considering Tess’s past she needs a pure soul that she can rely on for friendship and comfort with no chance of treachery! (Maybe a hairball on the bed though…)
Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley for the awesome opportunity to read this early!