Blackthorn

The Taurian Empire

By: Nate Johnson

Narrated by: Michael Robbins

Length: 6 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's Summary

Two people, alone in the universe, must fight against all odds to do what is right.

Because Petty Officer Logan Miller saved Ambassador William's daughter, Kaylee, he was tasked with escorting her through the rough streets of Montlake. Little did he know a simple assignment would morph into a race across the galaxy.

If he wants to get her to safety, Miller must avoid pirates, the Imperial Navy, and the hazards of deep space. All while keeping a decrepit starship from blowing up along the way.

Kaylee Williams desperately needs to get to Taurus. The future of the Empire rests with the secret information she carries. But can she trust this strange man to help her?

But if she can't trust a man who repeatedly risks his life for her, then who can she trust?

©2017 Nate Johnson (P)2017 Nate Johnson

Blackthorn

I received a free review copy compliments of Audiobookboom.
Although it is not an original plot, it was well told and kept me listening even though the outcome was much a given from the beginning.

Cute love story in a space adventure

love at first sight, thevheat gets his girl, the bad guys get their just rewards and they hero and heroin live happily ever after.
an old theme but an enjoyable listen.

Great space adventure with a dry narrator

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Fun, action packed, and full of great space adventure! This series is far from original, but it is well executed. It's lucky the story was so well written, though, because the narrator was pretty darn dry. Even while reading lines where the main character is fighting with the ship and trying to keep from panicking, the narrator's vocal expression didn't really change. That being said, I got used to it, and really enjoyed the book.

A action packed Space Opera...

I received a free copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this story. It's dedicated to a very real ship, the Blackthorn, a Coast Guard bouy tender that tragically went down in 1980... Blackthorn is an homage made into a Space Opera, and very well done. The Spaceship Blackthorn and crew accidentally gets embroiled in an empire changing game of ruthless espionage.
Despite the dark subject, this story is really fun, it even has a light hearted romance running through it...
If you're a reader who happens to enjoy Nathan Lowell's books, you should enjoy this story. There are scenes that reminded me pleasantly of Nathan's work . It's probably just coincidental, but I wonder if Nate Johnson is also a fan... 
Michael Robbins was an inspired choice for the narrator of this book. Very nicely done!

Interesting listen

Blackthorn is about a young Imperial Navy Petty Officer, who has placed his life and honour on the line for the daughter of a diplomat whose life he saved on a spaceship that had been attacked by pirates. She has vital information to thwart a coup against the Emperor. They face dangers from different fronts as they travel vast distances to get the info to the Emperor.

A quick, fun sci-fi chase story

The story was a short and fairly stock ... with the expected happy ending. 3*

The opening scene starts with a distress call in space and with a navy "beacon" tender coming to the rescue (a fairly obvious overlay of a USCG bouy tender crew). The details on how the naval vessel and crew operate are completely authentic ... in fact, that is part of the problem. There are some things that just don't translate well from a sea going organization to a space organization ... because they just don't make sense (and because of that just make the story awkward).

After that setup, we get the standard chase scenes ... the hero and the girl running through the streets trying to survive the guantlet of bad guys trying to prevent them from exposing evil. For the most part, this is a tried and true story arc ... and should have been better than it was if the author didn't keep tossing in comments like ladies going first so that guy can enjoy the view. I'll give you the first one free ... but I don't care to see it come up again ... and again. It gets in the way of a good girl meets boy story when the boy acts like an idiot.

The author dedicated his story "to the Twenty-Three men who lost their lives aboard the USCGC Blackthorn 1/23/81." --Semper Par

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
#feeaudiobookcodes #audiobookboom

Loved this standalone novel.

After so many series and episodes I’ve encountered in sci-fi lately, this is a refreshingly complete work. Much of the world building is limited to “I’m in a spaceship” but that is key to the plot. Action, adventure, love, mysteries... all tied together by a multi-skilled hero with a dark past. Liked the characters. Liked the plot. There is a real ending (whether it is “good” I guess depends on your definition but it does really end)

I received this audiobook for free in exchange for the review.

Fun Action

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this audiobook and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The plot was fairly well paced and the action kept it moving. The story was good but somewhat predictable. I did find the whole damsel in distress falling in love with the hero a bit cheesy. It was however interesting enough to keep me listening and I did enjoy it. The narration was done very well. I would probably listen to more by this author and narrator.

great story!!!

great story that shows a lot of initiative and quick thinking on the part of the characters that were developed definitely worth a good read or listen to. this author knows how to write a good love story and a Sci-Fi definitely worth following

Blackthorn, review

One of the best books I’ve listened to this year. Definitely a great performance by Michael Robbins of a “page turner” by Nate Johnson.

It's a small ship, Princess.

Space, and an old, battered ship is finishing up a two year duty of care and repair of the wormhole beacons. Then a distress call and the Blackthorn goes to assist. A small cruiser ship, the Voltaire, is silent, another craft hastily moving away. Pirates? On board the Voltaire the five crew members are dead, no sign of passengers until a lone woman falls out of the luggage storage on top of Petty Officer, Logan Miller. It is the start of an adventure for them both, and for the Empire, one which sees them chased across the galaxy as they slowly fall in love.

This is an action filled story with a feeling of authenticity, possibly because the book is itself a tribute to a real ship, the Blackthorn, which was lost with 23 hands in 1981. Although also a romance between a man and a woman, it remains always deep in the background and those other loves - of courage, family, Empire and homeland - are there also. The narration by Michael Robbins is also underplayed, his pleasant voice reading with clarity and good pacing, although a brief pause between sections of transition and scene change would have better assisted ease of understanding. He captures the different character voices well, too, especially the messages related over an intercoms or from an AI which are given a distinctive mechanical echo. Text and reading work with synchronicity.

This book by Nate Johnson is an enjoyable read and my thanks go to the rights holder who gifted me a complimentary copy at my request, via Audiobook Boom, without any expectations of return.