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The Last Hunter #2
Bonds of Blood
When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.
Commodore Jack Romanoff and his merry band of ragtag Navy rejects—skilled yet young war reenactors, a rescued Navy crew, and a Confederation spy—have rescued more than two hundred civilian ships and escaped a massacre in a battleship over two centuries old.
Too bad they blew a fusion plant doing it.
Trapped in a deserted system with the Locusts after them, they have a hard deadline to sort out the mess. Standing in the way is an arrogant Navy captain unwilling to bend his stiff neck, and the man’s unexpected—and unwelcome—allies.
Yet clever friends and shocking secrets may still turn the tide.
Jack and his crew have only one chance to get it right. To do that, he must bind them all together with bonds of blood.
Commodore Jack Romanoff and his merry band of ragtag Navy rejects—skilled yet young war reenactors, a rescued Navy crew, and a Confederation spy—have rescued more than two hundred civilian ships and escaped a massacre in a battleship over two centuries old.
Too bad they blew a fusion plant doing it.
Trapped in a deserted system with the Locusts after them, they have a hard deadline to sort out the mess. Standing in the way is an arrogant Navy captain unwilling to bend his stiff neck, and the man’s unexpected—and unwelcome—allies.
Yet clever friends and shocking secrets may still turn the tide.
Jack and his crew have only one chance to get it right. To do that, he must bind them all together with bonds of blood.
424 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 15, 2022
1388 people are currently reading
288 people want to read
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J.N. Chaney
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
April 19, 2022
This is losing its luster.
The story is slowing down rather than speeding up. The abrupt ending is becoming commonplace, it is a cheap gimmick. And the MC is not up to snuff. He is taking votes in a war zone, this is not someone I am enjoying reading about.
The story is slowing down rather than speeding up. The abrupt ending is becoming commonplace, it is a cheap gimmick. And the MC is not up to snuff. He is taking votes in a war zone, this is not someone I am enjoying reading about.
November 3, 2022
BONDS OF BLOOD is the second volume of the Last Hunter series by JN Chaney and Terry Mixon. I really enjoyed the first book but was worried the alien invasion at the end would make the story less enjoyable. Part of what made the first book so entertaining was the primary conflict wasn't with aliens or a hostile power but the sheer mind numbing bureaucracy and corruption that was eating up the military.
Here, the Locust Drones are still a secondary issue because the issue is now dealing with the fact there's a bunch of civilians and supply issues thanks to their timely rescue of refugees. Also, John Romanoff is against the corrupt Captain Magni. I really enjoyed this as it's my favorite part of the books and manages to continue making the books enjoyable for me. The drones are too one-dimensional to really care about but the human-on-human element is great.
Here, the Locust Drones are still a secondary issue because the issue is now dealing with the fact there's a bunch of civilians and supply issues thanks to their timely rescue of refugees. Also, John Romanoff is against the corrupt Captain Magni. I really enjoyed this as it's my favorite part of the books and manages to continue making the books enjoyable for me. The drones are too one-dimensional to really care about but the human-on-human element is great.
April 17, 2022
In Book 2, Commodore Jack Romanoff and his band of brothers are seeking "the depot" where they hope to find more battleships, replacement parts, missiles, and a way to continue the war with the Locusts.
First they have to come to some resolution with an arrogant Navy Captain whose family bought his commission. They have to salvage a fusion reactor somewhere. There's something strange on the way. And when they get to the Depot, there may be someone there already.
It's a fun mystery, with a really large cast. What are the Locusts fighting for? How can humanity find hope?
I received an advance copy in exchange to writing a review.
First they have to come to some resolution with an arrogant Navy Captain whose family bought his commission. They have to salvage a fusion reactor somewhere. There's something strange on the way. And when they get to the Depot, there may be someone there already.
It's a fun mystery, with a really large cast. What are the Locusts fighting for? How can humanity find hope?
I received an advance copy in exchange to writing a review.
June 13, 2022
I really enjoyed the first book and was looking forward to how they were going to get The Hunter back into her full fighting condition and perhaps even getting more of the old battleships into the fight. However the authors have decided the main story needed several new plotlines.
This started with the Captain Magri situation, which really didn’t work for me. They are in a war that could mean the end of the human race, yet Jack didn’t take charge of the problem, but allowed it to get badly out of hand.
It’s not a bad story, but all the way through this section of the book l couldn't help thinking any normal person would have stopped the problem before it started, at the very least by locking Magri up and throwing away the key.
Unfortunately the whole book felt like the authors were ‘marking time’ and although overall it wasn’t a terrible story I found it a bit frustrating. Towards the end the story gets back on track, although with a bit of a twist, but even then I was beginning to have more doubts about the authors.
If possible I would have given 2.5 stars, but I am still going to read the next book so I have rounded up to three.
This started with the Captain Magri situation, which really didn’t work for me. They are in a war that could mean the end of the human race, yet Jack didn’t take charge of the problem, but allowed it to get badly out of hand.
It’s not a bad story, but all the way through this section of the book l couldn't help thinking any normal person would have stopped the problem before it started, at the very least by locking Magri up and throwing away the key.
Unfortunately the whole book felt like the authors were ‘marking time’ and although overall it wasn’t a terrible story I found it a bit frustrating. Towards the end the story gets back on track, although with a bit of a twist, but even then I was beginning to have more doubts about the authors.
If possible I would have given 2.5 stars, but I am still going to read the next book so I have rounded up to three.
July 16, 2022
I just couldn't stay away from this series very long. The first book, "The Last Hunter" was so good that I thought about reading this second book immediately, but I didn't. I read another good book in a great series, but I read it kind of fast so I could get back to this one! And I'm not disappointed. This one gets us further along in the story, but it certainly doesn't end here. Neither does the troubles plaguing Commodore Jack Romanoff!
As you recall, he took command of the ancient battleship division when he thought he was going to be drummed out of the Confederation Navy. But, Professor Prescott showed up and gave Jack an opportunity he couldn't refuse. Well, he could have, but Jack didn't want to leave the Navy so he decided to take this opportunity not knowing all the problems he would face in his new command. With the help of the small crew assigned to the Delta Orionis, he was able to overcome some significant problems and even got the ship ready to respond to a call for action if it every came. Well, it did, but the call for action never came directly to the Delta Orionis, a.k.a. Hunter, directly from Fleet HQ.
What did happen is that Jack read his contingency orders drawn up just in case the Locust did return and those orders told him to basically get into the fight. Vice Admiral LeChasse had taken all the active fleet cruisers to meet the returning Locust. It has now been reveled that she and her deputy, another Vice Admiral, were behind the illegal funneling of the Hunters budget funding into their own pockets. That's why the Hunter was in such bad shape. But, now that both Admrials were out of the way, the supplies were flowing to the Hunter and her crew was scrambling to find places to store them all. At the same time, Jack spoke to the respective service Academies and got permission to permanently assign those recruits and cadets to his ship for the duration. Then his Father and Commodore Sara Nastasi, JAG, came aboard to go and take command of the fleet (Grand Admiral Eric Romanoff) and arrest Vice Admiral LeChasse. That was the plan anyway.
They found Vice Admiral LeChasse and the fleet just outside the Perseus Cluster getting ready to destroy the warp gates into that cluster. Jack dispatched a cutter with his Father, now Admiral Eric Ramonoff, to take command of the fleet. Jack was going to jump into the Perseus Cluster to see what he could do about rescuing all the civilian vessels that were left behind.
The jump into the Cluster was successful. Jack found hundreds of civilian vessels trapped along with the remaining Confederation fleet. That fleet was being annihilated by the Locust. The Vice Admiral commanding the fleet here, told Jack to get the Hunter out of the Cluster so it could fight another day. She gave him control of one of her curisers, which happened to be the Hawkwing, Jack's old ship. Jack's chief engineer, Lieutenant Danek figured out a way that the Hunter could expand its warp bubble to cover most of the civilian ships if they got real close to the Hunter for the jump.
So, jump they did, right into another mess. The Hawkwing had been severely damage in their escape and had to be pushed by the Hunter during the jump. It was almost destroyed but Jack went to find out how badly and how much of the crew had survived. He found Captain Magri on the bridge and the fool refused to accept Jack's help. Eventually, he did have to accept that help, but he did so with contempt for Jack and wouldn't recognize the validity of Jack's promotion to Commodore or that the Hunter was a real Navy ship. His attitude was going to cause a lot of future problems that Jack and the entire crew of the Hunter would have to deal with. Not all the civilian vessels brought with them were honestly civilian vessels. Pirates were among the flotilla around the Hunter.
As if that wasn't bad enough. You'll find out that the depot Jack had taken the Hunter to to hopefully be repaired and armed with missiles was occupied by an unknown group of civilians. How they were going to act when the Hunter arrived was a serious question. These people were squatters at a military depot and they definitely shouldn't have been there. Jack wasn't sure how he was going to root them out so he could get his ship taken care of and then get back to fighting the Locust. They weren't finished and this war was just getting started.
The series continues with book 3, "Alpha Strike" available on Amazon right now. Of course it's on my reading list.
As you recall, he took command of the ancient battleship division when he thought he was going to be drummed out of the Confederation Navy. But, Professor Prescott showed up and gave Jack an opportunity he couldn't refuse. Well, he could have, but Jack didn't want to leave the Navy so he decided to take this opportunity not knowing all the problems he would face in his new command. With the help of the small crew assigned to the Delta Orionis, he was able to overcome some significant problems and even got the ship ready to respond to a call for action if it every came. Well, it did, but the call for action never came directly to the Delta Orionis, a.k.a. Hunter, directly from Fleet HQ.
What did happen is that Jack read his contingency orders drawn up just in case the Locust did return and those orders told him to basically get into the fight. Vice Admiral LeChasse had taken all the active fleet cruisers to meet the returning Locust. It has now been reveled that she and her deputy, another Vice Admiral, were behind the illegal funneling of the Hunters budget funding into their own pockets. That's why the Hunter was in such bad shape. But, now that both Admrials were out of the way, the supplies were flowing to the Hunter and her crew was scrambling to find places to store them all. At the same time, Jack spoke to the respective service Academies and got permission to permanently assign those recruits and cadets to his ship for the duration. Then his Father and Commodore Sara Nastasi, JAG, came aboard to go and take command of the fleet (Grand Admiral Eric Romanoff) and arrest Vice Admiral LeChasse. That was the plan anyway.
They found Vice Admiral LeChasse and the fleet just outside the Perseus Cluster getting ready to destroy the warp gates into that cluster. Jack dispatched a cutter with his Father, now Admiral Eric Ramonoff, to take command of the fleet. Jack was going to jump into the Perseus Cluster to see what he could do about rescuing all the civilian vessels that were left behind.
The jump into the Cluster was successful. Jack found hundreds of civilian vessels trapped along with the remaining Confederation fleet. That fleet was being annihilated by the Locust. The Vice Admiral commanding the fleet here, told Jack to get the Hunter out of the Cluster so it could fight another day. She gave him control of one of her curisers, which happened to be the Hawkwing, Jack's old ship. Jack's chief engineer, Lieutenant Danek figured out a way that the Hunter could expand its warp bubble to cover most of the civilian ships if they got real close to the Hunter for the jump.
So, jump they did, right into another mess. The Hawkwing had been severely damage in their escape and had to be pushed by the Hunter during the jump. It was almost destroyed but Jack went to find out how badly and how much of the crew had survived. He found Captain Magri on the bridge and the fool refused to accept Jack's help. Eventually, he did have to accept that help, but he did so with contempt for Jack and wouldn't recognize the validity of Jack's promotion to Commodore or that the Hunter was a real Navy ship. His attitude was going to cause a lot of future problems that Jack and the entire crew of the Hunter would have to deal with. Not all the civilian vessels brought with them were honestly civilian vessels. Pirates were among the flotilla around the Hunter.
As if that wasn't bad enough. You'll find out that the depot Jack had taken the Hunter to to hopefully be repaired and armed with missiles was occupied by an unknown group of civilians. How they were going to act when the Hunter arrived was a serious question. These people were squatters at a military depot and they definitely shouldn't have been there. Jack wasn't sure how he was going to root them out so he could get his ship taken care of and then get back to fighting the Locust. They weren't finished and this war was just getting started.
The series continues with book 3, "Alpha Strike" available on Amazon right now. Of course it's on my reading list.
April 27, 2023
It's Us🐺🚀💫 or Them👽
Military Space Opera 🚀💫🌏
Book Two in the series has now Commodore Jack and his behemoth warship, Hunter🚀, in the thick of the space💫 war against the mechanical bugs or locusts, as he calls them.
They have got to find out who is sending them against humanity!
I got this e-book from Amazon with Kindle unlimited.
Don't Like the cliffhanger endings to the author's books📚 that coerce the reader into reading the next book every time. These are not stand alone novels.
Jack seems to have become weak in this 2nd book. He should have spaced the traitor captain immediately. The navy is Not a democracy.
Military Space Opera 🚀💫🌏
Book Two in the series has now Commodore Jack and his behemoth warship, Hunter🚀, in the thick of the space💫 war against the mechanical bugs or locusts, as he calls them.
They have got to find out who is sending them against humanity!
I got this e-book from Amazon with Kindle unlimited.
Don't Like the cliffhanger endings to the author's books📚 that coerce the reader into reading the next book every time. These are not stand alone novels.
Jack seems to have become weak in this 2nd book. He should have spaced the traitor captain immediately. The navy is Not a democracy.
March 17, 2025
4.5 ⭐s! Loving it!
May 17, 2022
Review of book 1 and 2 in the series:
After having read the first book of The Last Hunter series I held off on writing a review until I had read the second book. I really wanted to like the first book. The book is well written and I really liked the main protagonist but… I really disliked the story.
So I said to myself that there is a chance that book two will pick up in a direction that is more palatable to me so I held off on the judgement until I had read it. Well long story short, it did indeed do so. I still have some reservations but it was definitely an improvement and with how the second book ended I have some hope that it will continue to improve.
So, the first book then. It is, as I wrote well written and the main protagonist is everything I like in a main protagonist. The problem I have with the book is firstly that it is really quite slow and it never really gets into any action at the very end. I could have lived with that since the idea of Captain Jack Romanoff taking this crew of rejects, that is actually now quite true but never mind, fixing up the most powerful warship and goes off kicking some invader ass is very much to my liking. Even if the author takes most of a book to get there.
However, now we get to the second and main problem I have with this book. The author have created a universe where the human navy is so utterly corrupt and incompetent that it really ruins the entire book for me. It is so bad that I almost put the first book in the two out of five star range.
I mean come on, “officers” are openly buying their commands and the admirals openly support it, they embezzle funds, they block supplies that Jack should have out of spite and they even resort to attempted murder. This scheming, these political shenanigans or to put it in plain English, this bullshit is going on the entire book and it basically ruined the book for me.
Fast forward, or should I say speed read, to the second book.
As I already wrote the second book is an improvement over the first one. For starters they got the ship moving and it plays out in a war zone rather than being docked as a museum piece.
There is still a lot of the rubbish scheming, incompetent and corrupt commanders and all that going on which is really annoying. I mean come on (again), the humans have just got their asses handed to them and these asshats, well those that remains at least, are still continuing like nothing has happened and doing their best to screw any hope humanity has of surviving. Apart from being really annoying it is so far out that it is just not believable.
It is also annoying that, thanks to previously mentioned corruption, Jack’s ship is only at a fraction of the fighting capacity that it should be at. I really hope that get’s rectified pretty soon. If they only have 15% of the guns operational now and still kicks ass I really want to see what they can do when they are fully operational.
What saves this book and makes it an improvement of the previous one is that, this time, these despicable asshats are truly getting what they deserve in the end. Not only the asshat Captain but all the way up to the corrupt admiral. It also happens in ways, and with a severity and finality, that at least somewhat makes up for all the nonsense I had to read through to get to this point.
Thus I think that at the end of the second book we are set up to go in a more positive direction and actually fight the real enemy instead of a bunch of domestic assholes. The author writes well so if the story can just get on the right track this series can become really good. The blurb for the next book, expected to come out sometime in June, do indeed sound promising.
After having read the first book of The Last Hunter series I held off on writing a review until I had read the second book. I really wanted to like the first book. The book is well written and I really liked the main protagonist but… I really disliked the story.
So I said to myself that there is a chance that book two will pick up in a direction that is more palatable to me so I held off on the judgement until I had read it. Well long story short, it did indeed do so. I still have some reservations but it was definitely an improvement and with how the second book ended I have some hope that it will continue to improve.
So, the first book then. It is, as I wrote well written and the main protagonist is everything I like in a main protagonist. The problem I have with the book is firstly that it is really quite slow and it never really gets into any action at the very end. I could have lived with that since the idea of Captain Jack Romanoff taking this crew of rejects, that is actually now quite true but never mind, fixing up the most powerful warship and goes off kicking some invader ass is very much to my liking. Even if the author takes most of a book to get there.
However, now we get to the second and main problem I have with this book. The author have created a universe where the human navy is so utterly corrupt and incompetent that it really ruins the entire book for me. It is so bad that I almost put the first book in the two out of five star range.
I mean come on, “officers” are openly buying their commands and the admirals openly support it, they embezzle funds, they block supplies that Jack should have out of spite and they even resort to attempted murder. This scheming, these political shenanigans or to put it in plain English, this bullshit is going on the entire book and it basically ruined the book for me.
Fast forward, or should I say speed read, to the second book.
As I already wrote the second book is an improvement over the first one. For starters they got the ship moving and it plays out in a war zone rather than being docked as a museum piece.
There is still a lot of the rubbish scheming, incompetent and corrupt commanders and all that going on which is really annoying. I mean come on (again), the humans have just got their asses handed to them and these asshats, well those that remains at least, are still continuing like nothing has happened and doing their best to screw any hope humanity has of surviving. Apart from being really annoying it is so far out that it is just not believable.
It is also annoying that, thanks to previously mentioned corruption, Jack’s ship is only at a fraction of the fighting capacity that it should be at. I really hope that get’s rectified pretty soon. If they only have 15% of the guns operational now and still kicks ass I really want to see what they can do when they are fully operational.
What saves this book and makes it an improvement of the previous one is that, this time, these despicable asshats are truly getting what they deserve in the end. Not only the asshat Captain but all the way up to the corrupt admiral. It also happens in ways, and with a severity and finality, that at least somewhat makes up for all the nonsense I had to read through to get to this point.
Thus I think that at the end of the second book we are set up to go in a more positive direction and actually fight the real enemy instead of a bunch of domestic assholes. The author writes well so if the story can just get on the right track this series can become really good. The blurb for the next book, expected to come out sometime in June, do indeed sound promising.
April 29, 2022
4 Careful Is My Middle Name Stars
Bonds of Blood is the second book in The Last Hunter series by J. N. Chaney and Terry Mixon.
Within these pages is a veritable minefield of anticipation and action. Many a civilian and student from the Navy or Marine academies stepped up and surprised their superiors, and the readers, with their miraculous saves and sacrifices. There were many lives lost, untold numbers at this point. These heart-wrenching, thrilling battles chock full of explosions and desperation were articulated flawlessly.
The author turned all of the technical jargon from the previous book on its head. There is still a magnitude of information overload throughout these pages. (I'm sure committed Sci-Fi fans appreciate this.) But it's not as completely overwhelming as before.
The intrigue increased in these pages as we faced mutiny. However, more curious is what this new discovery in Locust vessel and its inhabitants will account for in the coming war. Are these surviving, in suspended animation, beings wholly responsible for the devastation wrought on the human race, or in some way a victim (of their own creation) themselves?
A part of me suspected there would be a wrench in their plans to dearm the depot, and refit everything onto Delta Orionis. But a whole colony of smugglers living in the abandoned depot, with somewhat genial intentions, was decidedly no on the list. I expected pirates to showcase themselves in yet another unsavory fashion. Here's hoping they can possibly get at least one more Hunter-class battleship operational...
P.s The cat is the best character in the entire book. That's my vote.
Bonds of Blood is the second book in The Last Hunter series by J. N. Chaney and Terry Mixon.
Within these pages is a veritable minefield of anticipation and action. Many a civilian and student from the Navy or Marine academies stepped up and surprised their superiors, and the readers, with their miraculous saves and sacrifices. There were many lives lost, untold numbers at this point. These heart-wrenching, thrilling battles chock full of explosions and desperation were articulated flawlessly.
The author turned all of the technical jargon from the previous book on its head. There is still a magnitude of information overload throughout these pages. (I'm sure committed Sci-Fi fans appreciate this.) But it's not as completely overwhelming as before.
The intrigue increased in these pages as we faced mutiny. However, more curious is what this new discovery in Locust vessel and its inhabitants will account for in the coming war. Are these surviving, in suspended animation, beings wholly responsible for the devastation wrought on the human race, or in some way a victim (of their own creation) themselves?
A part of me suspected there would be a wrench in their plans to dearm the depot, and refit everything onto Delta Orionis. But a whole colony of smugglers living in the abandoned depot, with somewhat genial intentions, was decidedly no on the list. I expected pirates to showcase themselves in yet another unsavory fashion. Here's hoping they can possibly get at least one more Hunter-class battleship operational...
P.s The cat is the best character in the entire book. That's my vote.
April 28, 2022
Mutiny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
After successfully jumping out of the system overrun with the Locusts, towing a few ships along with them, the Hunter is incapacitated. One drive engine is kaput and another two are on their last legs. Fortunately Jack's old command is in similar shape except its engine is working. If they can remove the drive and insert it into the Hunter, they will be able to jump again, but won't be able to tow any other ships. While they may have saved their lives, their ships maybe doomed..... Unfortunately his old ship is commanded by someone who had paid for the command and knew Jack wad supposed to have been retired and so doesn't believe in the legitimacy of his command and so turns up trying to order everyone to give him command. He is of course rebuffed, but this doesn't lead to happy times.... Needless to say pirates, mutiny, a ship's cat, an alien wreck, the Hunter-like ship graveyard and Locusts all make an appearance along with much death and destruction.......
This is an adventurous tale Highlighting the problems after an attack and issues over who is in control....
After successfully jumping out of the system overrun with the Locusts, towing a few ships along with them, the Hunter is incapacitated. One drive engine is kaput and another two are on their last legs. Fortunately Jack's old command is in similar shape except its engine is working. If they can remove the drive and insert it into the Hunter, they will be able to jump again, but won't be able to tow any other ships. While they may have saved their lives, their ships maybe doomed..... Unfortunately his old ship is commanded by someone who had paid for the command and knew Jack wad supposed to have been retired and so doesn't believe in the legitimacy of his command and so turns up trying to order everyone to give him command. He is of course rebuffed, but this doesn't lead to happy times.... Needless to say pirates, mutiny, a ship's cat, an alien wreck, the Hunter-like ship graveyard and Locusts all make an appearance along with much death and destruction.......
This is an adventurous tale Highlighting the problems after an attack and issues over who is in control....
May 20, 2024
A fun space opera ride.
There are imperfections in the story and lots of things that are hard to swallow, but a story like this is really about the characters and setting. The characters are loads of fun. There’s no question that these are being pumped out in “Hardy Boys” like fashion and style.
Lots of terrible decisions that strain credibility (like letting a mutinous captain have enough freedom to cause problems) and characters from the past who are less worried about the fate of humanity than old grudges or making a few dollars, but if you can turn your head and enjoy the ride, it is a fun ride and worth the price of entry. I’d probably give it four stars but I’m rounding up for now as I’m enjoying the books and that is my ultimate measure.
This isn’t hard sci-fi and it isn’t groundbreaking plot and ideas. What it IS, is good, fun space-opera and if you are in the mood for just that, then I think you will enjoy this series so far.
There are imperfections in the story and lots of things that are hard to swallow, but a story like this is really about the characters and setting. The characters are loads of fun. There’s no question that these are being pumped out in “Hardy Boys” like fashion and style.
Lots of terrible decisions that strain credibility (like letting a mutinous captain have enough freedom to cause problems) and characters from the past who are less worried about the fate of humanity than old grudges or making a few dollars, but if you can turn your head and enjoy the ride, it is a fun ride and worth the price of entry. I’d probably give it four stars but I’m rounding up for now as I’m enjoying the books and that is my ultimate measure.
This isn’t hard sci-fi and it isn’t groundbreaking plot and ideas. What it IS, is good, fun space-opera and if you are in the mood for just that, then I think you will enjoy this series so far.
May 5, 2022
A great sequel to The Last Hunter. Jack and his crew set off to find the Confederation Navy's long-lost depot of battleship parts. Along the way, they must tackle major engineering challenges while caring for the last survivors of the Locusts' invasion of the Perseus Cluster.
This book has lots of elements that I typically enjoy from Terry's writing. It's a military science fiction thriller with elements of world building. Mr. Chaney seems to add a new flavor to the characters and settings that I thoroughly enjoyed. The story of the Locusts is fleshed out a little more which was very rewarding for me. I'm looking forward to the next book.
I'm normally one of Terry's advance reviewers, but I bought this book outright since I ran out of time to review in advance. I got great value for my purchase.
This book has lots of elements that I typically enjoy from Terry's writing. It's a military science fiction thriller with elements of world building. Mr. Chaney seems to add a new flavor to the characters and settings that I thoroughly enjoyed. The story of the Locusts is fleshed out a little more which was very rewarding for me. I'm looking forward to the next book.
I'm normally one of Terry's advance reviewers, but I bought this book outright since I ran out of time to review in advance. I got great value for my purchase.
April 17, 2022
THe Hunter continues the hunt!
Oh boy, Jack RRomanoff managed to pull out another miracle with his crew that not only have officers, marines, scientists but also young adult that works in the Bridge that learned their skills in a game that based on a war in their pastime. *shakes my head* what an epic and soul wrenching story the Bonds of Blood turned out to be.I was literally loving the multiple POVs that the writers pulled off with the characters and their indepth buildups.
The commodore certainly has his works cuts out for him in the upcoming war, hopefully he'll be able to gain an old allies to help his endeavors into the war againt the Locusts
Can't wait for thenext installmen Y'all!
Oh boy, Jack RRomanoff managed to pull out another miracle with his crew that not only have officers, marines, scientists but also young adult that works in the Bridge that learned their skills in a game that based on a war in their pastime. *shakes my head* what an epic and soul wrenching story the Bonds of Blood turned out to be.I was literally loving the multiple POVs that the writers pulled off with the characters and their indepth buildups.
The commodore certainly has his works cuts out for him in the upcoming war, hopefully he'll be able to gain an old allies to help his endeavors into the war againt the Locusts
Can't wait for thenext installmen Y'all!
August 20, 2022
This one is worse than the first book, again the MC is less the driver than the observer but this time the plot is mostly driven by stupidity.
Rather disappointing, and unless the climax of the story is a significant improvement I think I'll skip the rest of the series.
Rather disappointing, and unless the climax of the story is a significant improvement I think I'll skip the rest of the series.
July 23, 2022
This series is rapidly turning into a classic. The story is great, following directly on from book 1, it is mutiny, danger and daring do. It ism great that some of the more minor characters from book 1 get a much larger part to play in this book. I liked the style of the writing which is entertaining from the first page, starts and finishes with a bang but also this quieter sections when you get a sense of the world and the characters. I would like a bit more backstory but there is a little bit at the end of the book. the book has an ending of sorts but the story will continue in the next one. Jeffrey Kafer is excellent makes the story easy to listen to. I listen to this is one sitting and was sad to get to the ends. Highly recommended for fans of the genre but not a standalone..
October 17, 2022
I do like this series.
I like that fact that we follow the lead character for most of the journey, splitting off now and again when the plot needs it.
The 'hero' is vey likeable and put upon, I just wish he got more sleep the poor man.
The other characters are also fun, there is a lot of action, I did wish the pirate issue, went on for a bit longer to draw it out more but it was enjoyable.
I look forward to reading more of the journey, Chaney and Mixon have great imaginations and have created a world that I would like to be a part of for much longer.
I like that fact that we follow the lead character for most of the journey, splitting off now and again when the plot needs it.
The 'hero' is vey likeable and put upon, I just wish he got more sleep the poor man.
The other characters are also fun, there is a lot of action, I did wish the pirate issue, went on for a bit longer to draw it out more but it was enjoyable.
I look forward to reading more of the journey, Chaney and Mixon have great imaginations and have created a world that I would like to be a part of for much longer.
April 3, 2023
Good read. Fast paced and excellent follow up to book one.
The story Jack Romanoff continues in book 2 with a fast paced and well thought out plot. The main character in supporting cast capture your attention and make it an interesting read. There's enough action to keep you interested in Reading although there is a little bit of over explaining and the tropes are a little common. However the writing and dialogue are good enough to where you just enjoy the read. It's a good easy airport read that's fun and fast-paced I look forward to book three.
The story Jack Romanoff continues in book 2 with a fast paced and well thought out plot. The main character in supporting cast capture your attention and make it an interesting read. There's enough action to keep you interested in Reading although there is a little bit of over explaining and the tropes are a little common. However the writing and dialogue are good enough to where you just enjoy the read. It's a good easy airport read that's fun and fast-paced I look forward to book three.
April 5, 2023
Great Read
The action, drama, and a great storyline makes this book difficult to put down. In an old museum battleship that has been neglected for one hundred plus years, thrown into service without support or supplies from corrupt officers and system is just the beginning! How do you find qualified personnel, supplies for a 200 year old battleship with zero support from headquarters or the supply depot? Thinking outside the box? Oh! You ain’t seen (read) nothing yet! Buckle up buttercup!
The action, drama, and a great storyline makes this book difficult to put down. In an old museum battleship that has been neglected for one hundred plus years, thrown into service without support or supplies from corrupt officers and system is just the beginning! How do you find qualified personnel, supplies for a 200 year old battleship with zero support from headquarters or the supply depot? Thinking outside the box? Oh! You ain’t seen (read) nothing yet! Buckle up buttercup!
May 5, 2022
Enjoyable, if predictable
No real surprises, just the odd spanner in the works, as Jack and the crew try to get the ship battle ready whilst fighting internal dissent and pirates
The book ends, similar to the first, just as something interesting is about to happen
One thing I wish the author would do, is write a brief precis of the previous book, rather than filling the first 2 or 3 chapters with a recount of the book
No real surprises, just the odd spanner in the works, as Jack and the crew try to get the ship battle ready whilst fighting internal dissent and pirates
The book ends, similar to the first, just as something interesting is about to happen
One thing I wish the author would do, is write a brief precis of the previous book, rather than filling the first 2 or 3 chapters with a recount of the book
May 16, 2022
Getting better
Definitely better pace than the first book in this series as the story finds its legs, but it still is more of a space soap opera than a sci fi military book. Most of the story fits around political intrigue rather than space battles or gritty ground battles.
Good enough to buy the next installment with hopes that this will continue to move along in a more exciting fashion.
Definitely better pace than the first book in this series as the story finds its legs, but it still is more of a space soap opera than a sci fi military book. Most of the story fits around political intrigue rather than space battles or gritty ground battles.
Good enough to buy the next installment with hopes that this will continue to move along in a more exciting fashion.
May 28, 2022
The pace of the book picked up in the second book in the series and gave us a deeper peak into the world and the challenges facing our brave Commodore. I enjoyed that we spent a little more time getting to know the side characters and I'm really hoping we get more of that as we go into the future books. Fun sci fi read that manages to pull out some surprises and character. Bonds of Blood was an enjoyable read and I can say I will be reading the next one.
February 16, 2024
This second part, which continues immediately after the first, also has its qualities: it is correctly written, paced, with some excellent action scenes.
It's unfortunately sometimes a little boring, because of totally useless chapters, focused on uninteresting details.
I sometimes had the feeling of "filling" to obtain an acceptable number of sheets.
But the main plot is interesting, I will at least try the next one.
It's unfortunately sometimes a little boring, because of totally useless chapters, focused on uninteresting details.
I sometimes had the feeling of "filling" to obtain an acceptable number of sheets.
But the main plot is interesting, I will at least try the next one.
May 30, 2024
The Hunter gains a few teeth
Commodore Jack Romanoff is making some progress in creating a minimal command core of the young cadets & civilians as they continue to bring more of the defensive lasers online to at least give them some basic ability to defend themselves. However he and his crew encounter an unexpected enemy that they are forced to fight before the Locusts can attack.
Commodore Jack Romanoff is making some progress in creating a minimal command core of the young cadets & civilians as they continue to bring more of the defensive lasers online to at least give them some basic ability to defend themselves. However he and his crew encounter an unexpected enemy that they are forced to fight before the Locusts can attack.
January 9, 2025
Several reviewers complained about the diversion due to the traitorous Magri. Problem is, the real world doesn't work linearly; diversions, distractions, and plain old screwups happen -- and that doesn't even count when the enemy gets their vote.
Yes, the story is a bit simplistic and the cliff-hanger endings get a bit wearying, but the likeable characters make the series (so far) a fun and relaxed read.
Yes, the story is a bit simplistic and the cliff-hanger endings get a bit wearying, but the likeable characters make the series (so far) a fun and relaxed read.
April 20, 2022
The story get even better
Jack and his crew of Hunter have made it safely away, but it never that simple. Having to deal with the captain of his old ship with not be easy. We have a mutiny to deal with, and then a surprise about the locusts. But that's not the end of it, on getting to the system where the depot is, they find it's not empty.
Jack and his crew of Hunter have made it safely away, but it never that simple. Having to deal with the captain of his old ship with not be easy. We have a mutiny to deal with, and then a surprise about the locusts. But that's not the end of it, on getting to the system where the depot is, they find it's not empty.
June 2, 2022
They did it again!!!
J.N Chaney and Terry Mixon have done it again. Just as with the first book the two authors have once again released a book that is filled with space ships, combat, political, and criminal intrigue. This book will keep you reading to the last page. Your only regret will be having to wait for the next book.
J.N Chaney and Terry Mixon have done it again. Just as with the first book the two authors have once again released a book that is filled with space ships, combat, political, and criminal intrigue. This book will keep you reading to the last page. Your only regret will be having to wait for the next book.
June 6, 2022
Bonds of Blood. J.N. Chaney, Terry Mixion
The battle continues with Commodore Roman off and his crew of navy rejects, although most have been unfairly treated. Their fight continues with an alien species the Confederation fought with 200 years ago. To lose would mean total annihilation or a brutal submission of servitude. Another excellent read in this series!!
The battle continues with Commodore Roman off and his crew of navy rejects, although most have been unfairly treated. Their fight continues with an alien species the Confederation fought with 200 years ago. To lose would mean total annihilation or a brutal submission of servitude. Another excellent read in this series!!
February 22, 2023
Quality slipping
Poor grasp of the physics of space flight (or just preferring to treat spaceships like ships in an atmosphere) makes this a bit of a tough read. Found this one less appealing than earlier ones in the series. Might give one more a try... But seriously considering moving on.
Poor grasp of the physics of space flight (or just preferring to treat spaceships like ships in an atmosphere) makes this a bit of a tough read. Found this one less appealing than earlier ones in the series. Might give one more a try... But seriously considering moving on.
March 2, 2023
In Space Lives Matter.
For Jack Romanof, the lives of his people really do matter. At times he shows the stress this stand can create. He is the hero with many stepping up to follow his lead. It’s impossible not to become enmeshed in such a space opera where lives matter. I’m loving this series!
For Jack Romanof, the lives of his people really do matter. At times he shows the stress this stand can create. He is the hero with many stepping up to follow his lead. It’s impossible not to become enmeshed in such a space opera where lives matter. I’m loving this series!
March 7, 2023
This was not as good as the first one, but it had some good conflicts and resolutions. I'm listening to it on Audible and the narrator does a poor job differentiating between the characters, but that's not the author's fault. There seemed to be a little bit of a disconnect between some of the chapters, and I couldn't tell if that was the narrator's fault or audible performer.
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